Does this make sense? Disclaimer - I'm a newbie:)

[Nix08]

The way I understand it if you are going to be using heat you shouldn't use oils as the heat will 'burn' the oils and thus your hair. If that is correct, does Moroccan or Sally's argan oil work because argan oil has a very high smoke point (and is a heat protectant itself) Or is it because of the silicone in the product?
My main question is, may I use whatever oils I want (specifically shea butter) but then put on a heat serum over top when I plan to use heat?

 

[FebeeSigns]

No. I use heat for my pre-poo of olive and coconut oil. Heat + Oils don't burn your hair. High heat period will "burn" your hair. Not actually burn, but the hair shaft will form bubbles after coming to a boil since whatever moisture inside your hair shaft will be boiling with the application of extremely high heat. The bubbles will cause your hair to break. You can use whatever oils you want and whatever serum you want, just don't use an extremely high temperature. EllePixie had a great post a while back about what temperatures do what to the hair shaft, and I think she got it from the natural hair haven.

 

[discodumpling]

I'm not sure what benefits you will gain by using oil & then applying heat. The less product used during your heat session.. (flat iron?) the better.
A bit of oil afterwards will give some shine....but even here I tread lightly because I have uber fine hair. HTH

 

[yardgirl]

Oils + Indirect heat (e.g. in a DC) isn't a problem.

Oils + Direct Heat (flat irons, blow dryers) is a no no.

A heat protectant will be silicone-based and may have Silk Amino acids or Hydrolyzed Silk or Ethyl Esters of Silk. I do/would not use One n Only Argan Oil (very similar to Moroccan Oil) as a heat protectant.

Instead you can try Chi Silk Infusion, Biosilk Silk Therapy or any of the products on this page: Heat Protection

 

[Tiye]

No. I use heat for my pre-poo of olive and coconut oil. Heat + Oils don't burn your hair. High heat period will "burn" your hair. Not actually burn, but the hair shaft will form bubbles after coming to a boil since whatever moisture inside your hair shaft will be boiling with the application of extremely high heat. The bubbles will cause your hair to break. You can use whatever oils you want and whatever serum you want, just don't use an extremely high temperature. @EllePixie had a great post a while back about what temperatures do what to the hair shaft, and I think she got it from the natural hair haven.

I agree with this.

So you see diversity of opinion.

Before heat protectant became popular most people used oils with no ill effects and many people still use oils - I do coz dry pressing doesn't work for me and is not a good look for me. Keep in mind I'm talking a small amount of oil. Don't drown your hair in oil then press it - that's not a good look either. Some people say always use heat protectant like a legal disclaimer - but then they use oils. As stated you have to watch your temp and it's different depending on what type of hair you have. Your flat iron or other heat tools manuals have charts that tell you what heat range to use for what hair type - or if you don't have manuals then check out the post recommended above.

 

[Solitude]

Those oils you mentioned in the original post work as heat protectants because of the cones, but I don't see the big deal with using oils when flat-ironing. I one used coconut oil and my hair came out great; I generally don't do it because I don't like greasy-looking hair & I like the added protection of silicones. Plus, I normally roller-set before flat-ironing.

I've also used Argan Oil - the one from Sally's and the original Moroccan oil and they both worked fine.

 

[Sistaslick]

The goal of heat protectant is to act as a buffer between your hair and the heat. The heat has to be transferred to the hair obviously to straighten, but you want to control the speed of that transfer to protect the hair fiber. Either oils or silicone-based protectants can be used on the hair fiber safely. The difference between them is that silicones simply have lower thermal conductivity than oils. This means that silicones transfer heat more slowly than oils. They beat out oils and even petroleum/grease at protecting the hair against rapid heating, and rapid heating is where most of the damage happens. But if you put them together, all of these products have low thermal conductivity compared to other types of products-- so they can all be used safely. Its just that silicones have a lower transfer rate overall.

Another thing that slows down the transfer of heat in the hair fiber is having adequate moisture in the hair. Water has a high heat capacity, so it takes quite a bit of heat to increase its temperature. If you don't have moisture in your hair, your hair will heat up more quickly inside. That's why its always best to use heat on freshly washed and deep conditioned hair.

 

[Nix08]

Thank you so much ladies....once I started my hair journey I still blow dried and flat ironed until my first relaxer @ 15 weeks. Since that relaxer (6 weeks now) I haven't used heat and have noticed a dramatic improvement in moisture retention and breakage. I currently put my leave in condish plus shea butter before my t-shirt dry and the feel of my hair is fantastic, it's not greasy just nice! As I get further 'post relaxer' I am not liking the 'look/feel' of my roots so when it gets unbearable I'm going to do my usual but once it is dry I'll try to just flat iron the roots on very low and see how that works. Thanks again.

 

[klb120475]

Just poking my head in to say "welcome".