How to prevent heat damage

Austro-Afrikana

Well-Known Member
I was doing some research on what actually causes heat damage and came across this article:

Blow dry damage can be prevented by using products containing glycerin and propylene glycol because these actives retard water evaporation. Products like Tresemme Heat Tamer Spray should be helpful in this regard. You can also look for an ingredient called “hydrolyzed wheat protein polysiloxane copolymer,” which also showed significant reduction in (cuticle) cracking. Interestingly, while we would expect various silicones to have a similar effect, this study showed that silicones alone did NOT reduce cuticle cracking.

Iron damage can be reduced by using conditioners formulated with low molecular weight conditioners that can penetrate into the hair like cetrimonium chloride. Another study (see Reference 2) showed that exposing hair to heat in the presence of such a conditioning agent actually caused an increase in tensile strength (the force required to break a hair). This is because the heat reacts with the conditioning agents and cross links some of the protein chains inside the hair. Look for products like Sunsilk Heat Defense Cream if you want this effect.

http://thebeautybrains.com/2008/04/29/how-to-protect-your-hair-from-heat-damage/

I've always avoided my glycerine products when straightening but then always end up with rather dry hair as a result of not using glycerine and of using silicones. Next time I straighten I will use maybe try using my usual spritz and seal with grapeseed oil as everyone seems to be raving about it.:yep:
 
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Looks like good research you did there, thanks. I will try the Aphogee Green Tea stuff since it has some of the properties you mentioned. Also quite a few ladies have raved about it as a heat protectant.
 
Looks like good research you did there, thanks. I will try the Aphogee Green Tea stuff since it has some of the properties you mentioned. Also quite a few ladies have raved about it as a heat protectant.

Great! Thanks! I just checked the ingredients and it has centrimonium chloride. All it needs is some glycerine added to it then it will be perfect
 
Interesting article! Maybe this is why I get great results using Rusk Smoother before I blow dry, propylene glycol is high on the ingredient list.
 
Neither my Silk Elements heat protectant or my Elasta Qp jeat protectant have any of these ingredients only my Keracare blow dry lotion
 
Ya'll I am going to use my favorite Africanhairgod quote 'heat protectants are like contraceptives-they are not 100% effective, lol.'
 
Thanks for the info. I just purchased Hair Rules Blow Out Your Curls. Water is the first ingredient then glycerine followed by propylene glycol. Can't wait to try it.
 
This kind of information is probably not good for a recovering heat addict. It's a good thing I'm getting braids tomorrow because I'd be on my way to the bss. I may just go pick up a few things to use once I remove my braids. :look:
 
This is great timing; not 10 minutes ago I was mulling over whether or not to blowdry my hair today and how to avoid damage if I choose to blowdry multiple times a month!
 
I have the Lottabody Wrap'n & Tap'n and its has propylene glycol, I have a bottle of glycerin and also the aphogee green tea keratin reconstructor.......that other ingredient you mentioned I can't find in anything! But I wanted to know if I wanted to do a rollerset then flat-iron would these products make a soft or firm rollerset?
 
I have the Lottabody Wrap'n & Tap'n and its has propylene glycol, I have a bottle of glycerin and also the aphogee green tea keratin reconstructor.......that other ingredient you mentioned I can't find in anything! But I wanted to know if I wanted to do a rollerset then flat-iron would these products make a soft or firm rollerset?

Using those ingredients may make for a softer hold, I'm not sure. Tresemme heat spray has a lot of good ingredients but yeah, I can't find anything with that ingredient either.
 
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I dont use silicones as a heat protectant on my hair because cones makes it sooo brittle, but i do use the Aphogee Keratin Spray and recently grapeseed oil as well....thanks for this info!!! :)
 
This is good information- or at least it makes sense for me a frequent heat staightened natural. I noticed a long time ago that my hair likes heat and products with cetrimonium chloride. I know having long hair would be more proof, but I recently made a major chop to my strands. In Jan. I went from 8-13 or so inches down to about 5-6 inches as the longest strands. I had been growing since 09'-ish and, yes using heat, but under quite a bit of stress, however, I believe I'm now getting something like an inch a month. Still using heat weekly. I still have tight coils where I've always had them and 3c-ish curls in front. I think I'll use this thread to update periodically as I reach my hair goals.

Btw: If I'm not mistaken Aphogee greentea has cones too. And I use it (sometimes), along with cones, and prod. with cetrimonium chloride. Thanks Op.
 
I just came across that beauty brains post today when researching heat proctctants. Did anyone ever find a product with "hydrolyzed wheat protein polysiloxane copolymer"?
 
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I'm going to bump this...
Are there any other alternatives for heat protectants with cetrimonium chloride? Apparently Sunsilk Heat Defense cream isn't available anymore.
 
I'm going to bump this...
Are there any other alternatives for heat protectants with cetrimonium chloride? Apparently Sunsilk Heat Defense cream isn't available anymore.

I just purchased the Sabino Moisture Block shampoo and conditioner. Centrimonium chloride is the 2nd ingredient in the conditioner!
 
I've used about 10 heat protectant products and I still notice a little damage as a natural my hair is just heat sensitive i dnt know how to get around it??? Either become natural that stays straight, perm or never use heat on natural those feel like my options... Ugh
 
I was going to buy Tresemme, however, I checked the main ingredients in Infusium 23 and a curl activator I have and noticed that the main ingredient, Glycerin, is the second ingredient in the curl activator, therefore, I mixed 1/2 of bottle of Infusium 23 and 1/2 a bottle of Right On Curl and applied it to my hair, rolled it up. It left my hair soft and moisturized. On my next wash, I am going to apply my leave-in then my Infusium 23 mixture, roll it up and see what happens. My hair needs to be flatiron to get it straight - I'm currently texturized. If this mixture works, I'll no longer flatiron weekly and this will be the basis of my regime.
 
Bumping for more responses...haven't straightened in a while, and I am curious about what products ladies are using these days.
 
I got good results from using Joico liquid reconstructor and serum in my avatar pic. I am going to start using ApHogee pro-vitamin leave-in for my weekly blow dries and see how I like that.

Whilst these heat protectants help, I still think the number one thing that prevents me from getting heat damage is having well moisturised hair from a DC with steam. I have fine hair and straighten at 210C and have never gotten heat damage - even when I used to blow dry and flat iron weekly.
 
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