Im confused ... like really confused about heat

[krissynick]

I know overusing heat can damage your hair but im really confused about something.. usually i rollerset and sit under the hooded dryer and then i get my roots blown out only ... so far.. i havent seen any damage... when i do my hair myself which is once every other week cause i go to the dominicans in between.. i will probably use my flat iron to get the roots straight.. now is using heat in that way so damaging...

also one day i plan on transitioning and its like heat to me make it easier for me to do my hair...and like if i ever become natural i know using a blow dryer.. will be a part of my styling routine ( yes i will try and not use it too much maybe just once a week) but is straightening hair once a week gonna cause that much damage...


for some reasons its frustrating cause some hair types will put heat on their hair everyday and its growing faster than mine. I feel so bad when i even blow oout my roots i feel like im breakign my hair... it makes me want to just relax more often instead of blowing the hell out of my hair.. like sometimes when they blow out the roots it burns me a lil cause of the high heat tryign to straighten the roots and i feel going thru all of this pulling to straightening my hair is not worth it.. i dunno if its just the person blowing out my hair just dont know how to do it right or its just liek that..


its annoying cause the main thing that makes my hair easier to manage in my opinion is the main thing i supposedly suppose to stay away from... its annoying..

 

[kgard7777]

The method of only putting the flat iron on the roots works well for growth. The key is to avoid heat on the ends which could cause breakage...

 

[foxieroxienyc]

You know I personally think that this is one of those things that going to differ from head to head, person to person.

ALL THINGS USED IMPROPERLY WILL CAUSE DAMAGE...

Now this being said, for my head heat has NOT cause any damage thus far to my hair and I use it weekly, and have used it weekly since the beginning of my hair journey. But the key to this is MODERATION and using it intelligently. For starters, I never use heat more than 2x a week and that's on my wash days only. When I say heat, I'm talking about my flat iron. I love my flat iron, I love the flat ironed look and I dont plan on giving it up. So I have to find what will make it work for me AND keep my hair thriving. If you start with a healthy head of hair, then you'll be fine. Make sure you deep condition and your hair is WELL moisturized before applying heat, that's number one. Dry hair will break and damage easily since heat can somewhat remove moisture from the hair they say, so if you start off strong, you'll finish strong. Your heat tools should be used on low settings. If you need to use it on high then maybe you need a better iron/tool and a different method. But again, if your hair is fine using it on high, more power to you, dont do it as often then. I always use a silicon heat protectant on each section - Chi Silk Infusion - and that helps to reduce damage. Things like that help....

I've tried the no heat thing... NOT for me... Ok sometimes for me, like last night I DC, applied leave in, and let my hair dry straight down under the hooded dryer, do what I call gently separating the hair with my fingers, and it came out fluffy and light and so thick, it was pretty. Nice look, especially with accessories, but not something I want to rock everyday. So again I make it all work for me.

At the end of the day you have to stop and ask is this damaging for MY hair... There are plenty of ladies with long locks who use heat here... Maybe you can learn a thing or two from them. Again moderations and INTELLIGENT USAGE is key.

 

[Fine 4s]

It def. differs head to head because I haven't blow dried since 06, only protective styles and I find scary split ends! I need to a) check my combs and b) the hooded dryer I use I must limit. One of the first websites I visited during my hair care journey, Motowngirl.com, mentioned sitting under the dryer no more than 5 mns to deep condition. Of course you can keep the product in longer, just not under the hood. I need to follow that advice b/c I don't know where these splits are coming from.
Bottom line for me, I can't do heat.

 

[krissynick]

It def. differs head to head because I haven't blow dried since 06, only protective styles and I find scary split ends! I need to a) check my combs and b) the hooded dryer I use I must limit. One of the first websites I visited during my hair care journey, Motowngirl.com, mentioned sitting under the dryer no more than 5 mns to deep condition. Of course you can keep the product in longer, just not under the hood. I need to follow that advice b/c I don't know where these splits are coming from.
Bottom line for me, I can't do heat.

im not trying to sound rude but do really really think indirect heat such as deep conditioning under a hooded dry is the true source of your split ends... i really doubt it. but look into it and let me know what you find out.

 

[TriniStarr]

ITA with foxieroxieNYC.
Moderation is def the KEY!

Good luck!

 

[wheezy807]

You know I personally think that this is one of those things that going to differ from head to head, person to person.

ALL THINGS USED IMPROPERLY WILL CAUSE DAMAGE...

Now this being said, for my head heat has NOT cause any damage thus far to my hair and I use it weekly, and have used it weekly since the beginning of my hair journey. But the key to this is MODERATION and using it intelligently. For starters, I never use heat more than 2x a week and that's on my wash days only. When I say heat, I'm talking about my flat iron. I love my flat iron, I love the flat ironed look and I dont plan on giving it up. So I have to find what will make it work for me AND keep my hair thriving. If you start with a healthy head of hair, then you'll be fine. Make sure you deep condition and your hair is WELL moisturized before applying heat, that's number one. Dry hair will break and damage easily since heat can somewhat remove moisture from the hair they say, so if you start off strong, you'll finish strong. Your heat tools should be used on low settings. If you need to use it on high then maybe you need a better iron/tool and a different method. But again, if your hair is fine using it on high, more power to you, dont do it as often then. I always use a silicon heat protectant on each section - Chi Silk Infusion - and that helps to reduce damage. Things like that help....

I've tried the no heat thing... NOT for me... Ok sometimes for me, like last night I DC, applied leave in, and let my hair dry straight down under the hooded dryer, do what I call gently separating the hair with my fingers, and it came out fluffy and light and so thick, it was pretty. Nice look, especially with accessories, but not something I want to rock everyday. So again I make it all work for me.

At the end of the day you have to stop and ask is this damaging for MY hair... There are plenty of ladies with long locks who use heat here... Maybe you can learn a thing or two from them. Again moderations and INTELLIGENT USAGE is key.

ITA.........

 

[mrsmccreight]

I use heat twice a week. I have noticed a difference in my hair just by blowdrying on medium heat instead of high heat. I think using the lowest setting needed is key.

 

[ShiShiPooPoo]

I feel you Krissy...

Before LHCF I used a flatiron EVERYDAY ON 370 and never saw any damage at all...no splits or anything. I did this for years and my hair grew normally. I adopted this no direct heat challenge last year and honestly while I feel my hair feels better, I miss my sleek styles. I've also been dealing with breakage lately that I contribute to me just doing too much to my hair. So, I'm thinking about going back to my a regime of washing, dc, blowdry, flatiron once per week and pincurling or using my caruso's in between or protective styling.

I agree with Roxie.