SAY GOODBYE TO HEAT DAMAGED HAIR WITH THESE PRODUCTS

Name: WOW Skin Science
Brand: WOW Skin Science
Rating: 5 (42257 reviews)

With so many hairstyling options available today, it is very common to experience hair damage by using heat-styling tools. While using heat on your hair might be a game-changer for your looks, it also has side effects like dried hair cuticles and changed structure of hair proteins.

If you are here, you are probably experiencing heat damaged hair and are frustrated about what to do. Worry not, there are several methods to repair heat-damaged hair without having to chop off your tresses.

Here, we will discuss everything about heat damage and how you can get your locks back in shape in no time. Keep reading for the details.

What is heat damaged hair?

Heat damage is the negative side effect which occurs when hair is flat-ironed, blow dried or curled over an extended period of time, at the highest temperatures. Most hair cannot handle such high temperature settings and almost all hair types from tightly curled to pin straight, get affected by heat damage.

It can make your hair look and feel rough, dry, brittle, thin and dull. If you observe your hair fall has increased or the ends of your hair may be broken and split with white bits showing at the ends. Heat damaged hair can also become discolored and you might start getting more knots and tangles (even on a single strand of hair).

How does heat damage occur?

High temperatures used to style hair cause cracks in the cuticle layer - which is the outermost layer of the hair strand. It also creates bubbles in the cortex - the area that lies beneath the cuticle, and frays the strands. This increases frizz and causes split ends.

At levels of heat around 200°C or more, a chemical reaction occurs and the hair deterioration is caused by instant water loss, dehydration and protein damage. The thermal damage from heat-styling tools softens the hair keratin and ends up adversely affecting the protein structures, leaving your hair dry and dull. Damaged hair not only becomes weak but also loses its natural shine and looks brittle.

Our hair can handle some heat, but repetitive use of heat will ruin the cuticle permanently. Every time you style your hair using these heat-styling tools, it becomes a little bit weaker than before. Even a few minutes of direct exposure to extreme heat on a daily basis, can cause severe damage to the hair

Common signs of heat damaged hair

Here are few signs of hair that is damaged by heat:

Dullness and dryness

Dull and dry hair is one of the first and most common signs of heat damage.

You will start noticing it when you wash your hair, it doesn’t look as shiny as it used to after drying. Also, despite using a conditioner, it feels extremely dry to the touch. Most of the time, women try to solve this by using more heat but that is a big no-no. It is extremely important that you stop using heat immediately.

Excessive hair fall

Another common sign of heat damage is excessive hair fall.

Heat leaves your hair dry and brittle, i.e. extremely weak and prone to breakage and shedding. You might notice that your hair falls more than is normal when you brush it or in the shower. This is because of the breakdown in the proteins and oils which make up each hair strand.

Tangles and knots

You might be noticing that no matter how often you brush your hair it has trouble staying down and looking neat.

This is because the shingles in the hair cuticles are not lying flat down as they do in healthy hair. Damaged hair has shingles sticking out. This causes the strands to get tangled with each other easily and make your hair feel rough after showering or when you are out during the day.

Split ends

It’s natural to get split ends every once in a while. An average person experiences them every 4 to 5 months.

But if the split ends appear quite often, it might be a sign of heat damaged hair. The heat causes the hair to split and results in split ends. This is because the ends of your hair don’t get enough nourishment from the sebum glands. These are glands in the skin of the scalp that open into a hair follicle to secrete sebum for lubrication.

No curls

If you have naturally curly hair, but it’s hanging limp with semi-curled pieces sticking out, it’s most likely happening due to heat damage. The curls might become larger and even disappear completely.

When this occurs, do not try to use heat again to straighten it, you will end up making it worse.

Hard to manage

If you’ve started to spend half-an-hour where you used to spend five minutes styling your hair, your hair has probably become hard to manage. This is once again, a very common sign of heat damaged hair.

Damaged hair is frizzy and lacks elasticity, making it very hard to style it the way you normally did. You’ll have to take extra care to not make it worse.

Treatment for heat damaged hair

While it is extremely disheartening to know that your hair is suffering from heat damage, it is not permanent and can be reversed. You only have to follow certain practices consistently over a period of time to repair your hair and get it back to being healthy and strong once again. Here are some tips which are sure to help:

Locking in the moisture

Each time you use a flat iron, blow dryer or curling iron at high heat, it strips the moisture from your hair causing it to become severely dehydrated.

To rehydrate it, moisturizing masks can help best. Apply a hair mask once or twice a week for 20-30 minutes and rinse it off with cold water. Sleep-in hair masks that can be rinsed in the morning are also a good choice

Restoring protein

Hair strands are made up of natural proteins which get broken down when you use heat products for a long duration. To get your hair back to health, it is essential you restore those proteins which are lost.

Nourishing shampoos which have protein and protein-based hair masks are a great way to restore build-up required by your hair follicles. For a home remedy, using masks made of olive oil, honey or yogurt can work great too.

Avoid hair color

Hair can get further damaged due to the severe chemical processes involved in coloring. You'll want to avoid spoiling your hair health further, so it's better to hold off on hair dye until your locks are in a healthier state.

Air dry your hair

While you’re staying off heat tools, it is better to also put that blow dryer to the side. Let your hair air dry naturally, after a wash.

The hot air from the dryer can further exacerbate the issue with your hair and that is something you want to avoid at all costs until your hair is healthy again.

Use heatless hairstyles

While you’re undergoing heat damage, it is better to completely put off using heat tools for styling your hair.

There are many cute heartless hairstyles to try. Starting from loose braids to messy buns or half ponytails, which will leave you looking just as great for work meetings, video calls or date nights.

Product recommendations for heat damaged hair

It is important that you change your hair products once you notice that you have heat damaged hair. Using products specifically meant to treat damaged hair and nourish it back to health can speed up and improve the process of recovery.

A nourishing shampoo

Using your regular shampoo which probably contains harmful chemicals like sulphates and parabens can leave your damaged hair feeling worse. It is better if you switch to a gentler and nourishing shampoo which does not have harsh ingredients to cleanse your damaged hair.

The Activated Charcoal and Keratin Shampoo by Wow Skin Science is an excellent product for using on damaged hair. It is a vegan and natural, plant based shampoo, which has no sulphates, parabens or silicones. It contains keratin, argan, jojoba, and sweet almond oil, which are proven to penetrate damaged hair strands to improve hydration and smoothen the cuticles.

A moisturizing hair mask

Damaged hair lacks moisture the most and needs rehydration. Using a hair mask for 20-30 minutes every week is an optimum solution for giving your hair the conditioning it requires. It is best to use a moisturizing hair mask which has healthy ingredients to boost your hair health.

Red Onion and Black Seed Oil Hair Mask by Wow Skin Science is just that product! It has a healing formulation made of red onion seed and black seed oil extract. It also has lemon essential oil, coconut oil, argan and sweet almond oil, which are known to restore moisture and make your hair healthy. This is a pretty essential product to include in your hair care regime for heat damaged hair.

A protein hair mask

Restoring protein lost from hair strands due to heat damage is a key step in recovering your hair health. Protein masks are an easy solution to nourish your hair and fix the broken bonds.

The Moroccan Argan Oil Hair Mask from WOW Skin Science is one of the most amazing wheat protein hair masks in the market. It has hydrolyzed wheat protein which repairs and thickens weak strands of hair. It also has the healing formulation of Argan oil, Black Spruce barks Extract, and many other nutrients which enhance smoothness and shine. It is definitely worth a try for treating damaged hair.

A conditioning agent

One of the most convenient ways to treat damaged hair is using a revitalizing hair conditioner which nourishes the broken hair bonds and reduces breakage.

Coconut Milk Conditioner by Wow Skin Science is specifically meant for re-conditioning damaged hair. It's free of harsh chemicals and has fine bioactives which help in rehydrating and smoothing the hair.

Those are all the tips we have for you. Remember, hair damage caused by heat tools is not permanent and you can always get your beautiful hair back by taking care of it and using healthy hair products. We hope this article helped you in your hair recovery journey.

Here’s a final expert tip for you:

Expert Tip

While washing your damaged hair, avoid using hot water at all costs and use cool or room-temperature water. Also, do not towel dry your hair as it increases friction which can worsen your hair condition. Instead, use a cotton cloth to gently stipple the water out of your hair.

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