Agree or Disagree-1. Hair Irons can smooth cuticles down & 2. Actually be beneficial?

[fluffylocks]

"The heat emitted by a curling iron can be beneficial in some circumstances. If the cuticle layers are open too much, and the hair is frizzy in appearance, you can smooth the cuticle back down with the iron. This is almost like ironing wrinkles from clothing"

http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/haircare/90010/1
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This is the first time i've read something that seemed to give a reason why flatirons can actually be good for your hair.


We all know the bad things that flatirons can do, and that your hair can "survive" if you use them in a good way......but can they actually help you?


Do you agree or disagree that hair irons smooth cuticles &

Do you agree or disagree that that hair irons can actually be benneficial.


Otherwords
---------Do you think that someone that had very coarse hair (cuticles that stayed up and resulted in rough, dull, tangly hair constantly) would bennefit from using a flatiron moderatly because it would smooth, untangle, and shine their hair if they took optimal care of their hair otherwise?
And what are some negative side effects you believe are possible with the iron
And what in your opinion would be an optimal/top of the line regimen to keep away negative side effects the iron may cause, or a regimen that would allow you to use an iron, and have healthy hair


........Or do you think the conditon of their hair would start to detiorate, no matter how good of a regimen they had, and that the iron could not help their hair feel smoother, shine, and untangle.
And what are some side effects of using hair irons that you believe are unavoidable

Or are you somewhere in the middle?

 

[fluffylocks]

Re: Agree or Disagree-1. Hair Irons can smooth cuticles down & 2. Actually be benefic

I think im somewhere in the middle

I do believe that hair irons smooth cuticles and be alittle benneficial

I think negative side effects that can come with irons are irreversible dryness (fried) and split ends

IMO irons are not completly bennefical though, because someone who uses an iron weekly, versus someone who never uses one is probally not going to have the healthir hair

I think the hair could start to deteriate if one did not trim their ends if they used hair irons all of the time, didnt use proper heat protection, and used the iron too much, and also did not have a good hair regimen

I think an optimal regimen to keep damage away would be

Protein treatments
Weekly, Biweekly deepconditons
Daily moisturizing & oiling
Using the iron about 2x monthly maximum
Trimming at least 3x a year

I also think that you can easily maintain your length with heat, but not so easy grow length.

 

[gymfreak336]

Re: Agree or Disagree-1. Hair Irons can smooth cuticles down & 2. Actually be benefic

Heat smoothes cuticles...period. That is why sitting under a dryer gives you a smoother finish than air drying.

As with anything, improper technique and abuse will lead to problems. Heat has such a bad rap because

a. Most people never learned how to properly use it
b. We abuse it
c. we blamed heat for our issues but really other factors contributed to your hair breaking off. Yeah you curled it everyday but you also didn't moisturize, deep condition or protect your hair at night.

 

[mrsmccreight]

Re: Agree or Disagree-1. Hair Irons can smooth cuticles down & 2. Actually be benefic

I agree with the above... Heat is not all that bad if you properly and with moderation. Taking care of your hair in general will allow you to grow hair whether you use heat or not.

 

[fluffylocks]

Re: Agree or Disagree-1. Hair Irons can smooth cuticles down & 2. Actually be benefic

Heat smoothes cuticles...period. That is why sitting under a dryer gives you a smoother finish than air drying.

As with anything, improper technique and abuse will lead to problems. Heat has such a bad rap because

a. Most people never learned how to properly use it
b. We abuse it
c. we blamed heat for our issues but really other factors contributed to your hair breaking off. Yeah you curled it everyday but you also didn't moisturize, deep condition or protect your hair at night.

(Some people dont think heat smooths cuticles)

But since you do, the major part of my question, was do you think their are actuall bennefits or can it actually be HEALTHY to use the heat source of a hair iron specifically? We know about indrict heat from domes, and blowdryers are def. not going to ever be actually healthy---but what about an iron?

Do you think that it could never be benneficial, or that their are certain steps (what are yours) that you must take in order for it to be healthy.....or are their only things you can do to prevent damage from using irons?

 

[gymfreak336]

Re: Agree or Disagree-1. Hair Irons can smooth cuticles down & 2. Actually be benefic

(Some people dont think heat smooths cuticles)

But since you do, the major part of my question, was do you think their are actuall bennefits or can it actually be HEALTHY to use the heat source of a hair iron specifically? We know about indrict heat from domes, and blowdryers are def. not going to ever be actually healthy---but what about an iron?

Do you think that it could never be benneficial, or that their are certain steps (what are yours) that you must take in order for it to be healthy.....or are their only things you can do to prevent damage from using irons?

I think there can be benefits in certain situations. If you have alot of newgrowth that easily gets tangled upon itself and your other relaxed strands, using flat iron to straighten you roots if you stretching could save you tangles and more manipulation damage. In order to avoid heat damage you have to use heat protectant and you don't turn your iron on high. Your flat iron should have different heat settings. There is a maxium amount of heat that hair can take and most of us go over that threshold because we have oil on our hair which just fries it and we pass over sections more than once.

 

[fluffylocks]

Re: Agree or Disagree-1. Hair Irons can smooth cuticles down & 2. Actually be benefic

I agree with the above... Heat is not all that bad if you properly and with moderation. Taking care of your hair in general will allow you to grow hair whether you use heat or not.

But do you think your hair can actually BENNEFIT and be HEALTHIER with proper heat use and regimen, or do you think that your hair can only SURVIVE with proper heat use and regimen?

 

[fluffylocks]

Re: Agree or Disagree-1. Hair Irons can smooth cuticles down & 2. Actually be benefic

I think there can be benefits in certain situations. If you have alot of newgrowth that easily gets tangled upon itself and your other relaxed strands, using flat iron to straighten you roots if you stretching could save you tangles and more manipulation damage. In order to avoid heat damage you have to use heat protectant and you don't turn your iron on high. Your flat iron should have different heat settings. There is a maxium amount of heat that hair can take and most of us go over that threshold because we have oil on our hair which just fries it and we pass over sections more than once.

Oh okay

your in the middle, you think it can be used as a tool in moderation, that it wont nesscarly make your hair healthier, and it wont nescarily damage it and that you keep your regimen, but just add extra steps when using heat. You could go with it or without i assume, some people have to use it they feel, and some cant

 

[*Happily Me*]

Re: Agree or Disagree-1. Hair Irons can smooth cuticles down & 2. Actually be benefic

heat will smooth the cuticle, but it dries out my hair.

I get smooth cuticles by roller setting in the ponytail method without heat. I haven't perfected it yet (i'm using flexi rods) but my hair will dry softer, smoother and without the dryness that I feel from using heat.

heat is not worth it, to me.

ETA - i am so paranoid of split ends, each time I use heat, i'll conditioner wash my hair the next day (or same day) and I find that I dust more frequently.

 

[JustKiya]

Re: Agree or Disagree-1. Hair Irons can smooth cuticles down & 2. Actually be benefic

Heat might smooth cuticles, but it has an equal risk of damaging them - and there are other, non damaging ways to smooth cuticles.

I suppose if you want to use heat, it's nice to know that it'll keep your hair smoother..........but the benefit doesn't seem to outweigh the risk - to me.

 

[SleepyJean]

Re: Agree or Disagree-1. Hair Irons can smooth cuticles down & 2. Actually be benefic

I think there can be benefits in certain situations. If you have alot of newgrowth that easily gets tangled upon itself and your other relaxed strands, using flat iron to straighten you roots if you stretching could save you tangles and more manipulation damage. In order to avoid heat damage you have to use heat protectant and you don't turn your iron on high. Your flat iron should have different heat settings. There is a maxium amount of heat that hair can take and most of us go over that threshold because we have oil on our hair which just fries it and we pass over sections more than once.

I agree. I think SOME heat is necessary ESPECIALLY when stretching.

 

[Colliecole]

Re: Agree or Disagree-1. Hair Irons can smooth cuticles down & 2. Actually be benefic

But do you think your hair can actually BENNEFIT and be HEALTHIER with proper heat use and regimen, or do you think that your hair can only SURVIVE with proper heat use and regimen?

This is what I think....and that's only for some people. My hair cant even "survive" with direct heat.

 

[Tenacious]

Re: Agree or Disagree-1. Hair Irons can smooth cuticles down & 2. Actually be benefic

Depends on the type of flat iron:

Metal irons - do nothing for the hair, they only burn hair, period.
Ceramic irons - even distribution of heat, temporarily seals cuticles when used with a heat protector/ leave-in.
Ceramic/Tourmaline irons - temporarily seals cuticles, adds shine and seals in moisture.

I use a Conair Silver Tourmaline Ceramic flat iron with gemstones. It keeps my hair shiny and every time I use it, my hair is much smoother. It does revert fully when shampooed, yet my hair is less frizzy.

I think that a high quality iron is great for the hair, especially if it has Tourmaline. However, I don't agree with overusing the tools, as this can undo months of hair care.

 

[SweetlyBlessed]

Re: Agree or Disagree-1. Hair Irons can smooth cuticles down & 2. Actually be benefic

This is very interesting. Glad I read this post!

I was having serious breakage but yet my hair was always moisturize and whatnot. I haven't had ANY heat on my hair in a month. I was talking to my mom and she was like maybe you should slightly blow dry it and flatiron it. Tell me why I did it and no more hair falling out! I was confused but for my hair it seems that I do know I need some heat to diminish breakage. My hair was never tangled but the ends were really bushy. Even if I rollerset it in a ponytail or wrapped it and my ends appeared smoothed...hair would come out. I'd take it out and run my hand down the ponytail and there'd be nothing but hair in my hands. However, I will only be blow drying my ponytail when I do my co-washes and regular washes.

Very interesting!

 

[krissynick]

Re: Agree or Disagree-1. Hair Irons can smooth cuticles down & 2. Actually be benefic

heat smooths the cuticle but also removes moisture from hair.. which cause breakage.. i guess u gotta find the correct balance

 

[Ms Lala]

Re: Agree or Disagree-1. Hair Irons can smooth cuticles down & 2. Actually be benefic

I'm natural and I find that when I flat iron my hair is softer and more moisturized. Blowdrying and even sitting under a hooded dry on high heat settings seems to suck the moisture out of my hair though. Blowdrying on low is okay but it still feels dry in comparison to when I only flat iron.

 

[changedlife]

Re: Agree or Disagree-1. Hair Irons can smooth cuticles down & 2. Actually be benefic

Interesting thread, I don't know if agree or disagree erplexed However if I tempt to dry my hair without any straightening mothod, I have to be ready for a handful of breakage.

 

[PinkPebbles]

Re: Agree or Disagree-1. Hair Irons can smooth cuticles down & 2. Actually be benefic

When my hair was damaged I needed heat to smooth the hair cuticles. Heat allowed my hair to appear healthy but in actuality it was not. Now that the damage hair is gone, I can rollerset my hair without heat (bonnet dryer) and get a smooth set.

 

[kbfluff]

Re: Agree or Disagree-1. Hair Irons can smooth cuticles down & 2. Actually be benefic

This is a very timely post for me.
The other day I used a plug in hot comb on my NG and also ran it all the way through because my hair was cornrowed prior to using the hot comb.
I have to say that my hair was soooo shiny and healthy feeling after using the hot comb.

It reminded me that my hair does like the hot comb for some reason. I am a relaxed 4a/b. Now bare in mind that about 4-5 days before I used the hot comb on my NG I had prepood my hair for the first time with Hollywood beauty mayonaise creme oil and shampoo'd with Dr. Bonner's peppermint shampoo.
I don't know if my hair responded so well to the hotcomb due to the remnace of the mayo creme or what but I WILL be using my hot comb more often to straighten my NG if need be.

 

[Crissi]

Re: Agree or Disagree-1. Hair Irons can smooth cuticles down & 2. Actually be benefic

Depends on the type of flat iron:

Metal irons - do nothing for the hair, they only burn hair, period.
Ceramic irons - even distribution of heat, temporarily seals cuticles when used with a heat protector/ leave-in.
Ceramic/Tourmaline irons - temporarily seals cuticles, adds shine and seals in moisture.

I use a Conair Silver Tourmaline Ceramic flat iron with gemstones. It keeps my hair shiny and every time I use it, my hair is much smoother. It does revert fully when shampooed, yet my hair is less frizzy.

I think that a high quality iron is great for the hair, especially if it has Tourmaline. However, I don't agree with overusing the tools, as this can undo months of hair care.

ITA WITH EVERYTHING YOU'VE SAID!

 

[Artemis]

Re: Agree or Disagree-1. Hair Irons can smooth cuticles down & 2. Actually be benefic

Posting an excerpt from Navs post in this thread:
http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?p=1916470&highlight=infrared#post1916470

My feelings concurs with the bolded below. I voted yes to both questions. Heat can be good under specific (read: healthy) conditions and in conjunction with an educated user. If your hair is severely damaged, you shouldn't be thinking about heat anyways...

With all the new technology and science for flat irons today, people should just NOT be getting heat damage. But even if you have the most advanced technology in the world, if you misuse heat then your hair will get damaged in some way. One way to misuse it is by using oils. Another way is to use the wrong source of heat. I don't care how well someone's $19.99 Gold N Hot flat iron straightens their hair, not all heat is the same. Ceramic emits constant, even far infrared heat that is supposed to help lock in moisture (far infrared heat produces water molecule resonance and in turn resonance of atoms) and also eliminates bacteria/detoxifies the hair. These are the same types of infrared ions that can be used in cancer patients on a daily basis to kill cancer cells (while not damaging healthy ones even with all the exposure). If they can be used safely on cells that are much more sensitive (like tissues inside the body pelted by nerves), then they should NOT be damaging your hair (tissues that are already dead and therefore a lot less sensitive). Infrared heat is a type of radiant heat that heats through conversion (and changing the conformation of the atoms around the bonds without touching the air in between). Come on, scientists know what they are doing. It's not their fault that the rest of the world doesn't.

 

[shtow]

Re: Agree or Disagree-1. Hair Irons can smooth cuticles down & 2. Actually be benefic

Hmm. I had a CHI and used it once, even twice a week. My hair was still pretty long in the middle and the back, but the front of my hair would not retain any length. Now that I am rollersetting, the front of my hair is retaining length better so is the rest of my hair. It may be time consuming, but its worth it to me. I haven't touched my CHI since late November and I don't plan on even looking at it until my sister's wedding in late May. So I believe that heat may not be so harmful is not abused, but you have to know your own hair. I know the middle and the back of my hair can take it. However, the front of my hair and the nape is another texture and does not agree with frequent heat use.

 

[*Happily Me*]

Re: Agree or Disagree-1. Hair Irons can smooth cuticles down & 2. Actually be benefic

i've been thinking about heat...

I use heat on my bangs everyday and the hair there doesn't seem damaged at all. it's the back of my hair that gives me the most trouble.

maybe it's because I regulary cut my bangs :scratchch: