My Theory: Looser Textures Are More Likely to Get Heat Damaged

[carib_n_curly]

i think it has to do with the thickness of the strands looking at my own hair

i'm a 3b/c mainly 3c and i have heat damage.i got my hair heat damaged twice. once at a salon where mostly the front of my hair was damaged and the second time i damaged my hair with my ION i turned it up to 230 C which is the highest and only the front and sides got damaged.

the front and sides of my hair get easliy heat damaged and the strand around there are very thin and easy to break.

i have a CHI and i think the highest temp is 180 C and my hair didn't get any heat damage. i know that 230C is way to hot for any strands on my hair and i should flat iron on 180.
i'm trying to thicken up all my strands to help

 

[gymfreak336]

Gym, when is your book coming out?

Ha I gotta get a PhD or something similar first

 

[Junebug D]

I don't know. I am a 4b and mine was flat-ironed with a marcel iron. My hair bounced back as soon as I washed it, no damage. I have a mix of strand types: some are fine & wispy and some look & feel like wire. But that was my only time straightening it, so...

 

[Lucky's Mom]

Ajoyful,

Based on science, I would agree with you. Cysteine is the amino acid that is responsible for making curly hair curly. It is this amino acid that is broken down when the hair is relaxed. The chemical in relaxer breaks the disulfide bones in cysteine. This is why relaxed heads especially want to have protein in their regimen somewhere, to provide some semblance of the amino acids that were broken down.

Heat also denatures the proteins in hair.--and straighter hair would have less cysteine than curly hair. This is not saying that straight hair does not have protein--all hair is made of keratin and therefore all hair has cysteine in it but straighter hair doesn't have as much as curlier hair. But I think the straightness of straight hair helps to keep it in tact. It isn't as "angular" and so it can be mechanically managed without a lot of pulling and pressure. Also, the straightness as we've always heard, allows the natural scalp oils to flow down the length of the strand. Because curly hair doesn't have those same characteristics, it does possess a fragile quality.

When straight hair is damaged by heat, initially it may be hard to tell because straight hair is already straight (it doesn't have any curl to lose). Heat damaged curly hair shows signs of this damage by losing some of its curliness. So with all that said, yeah I can see how your theory would be correct.

You gotta love Brilliant knowledgable folks.... Thanks SuperGirl

 

[Lucky's Mom]

See, this also goes back to the regime. Just speaking about what products each head tends to use (not just here in LHCF universe) many of the products the 4s go for have slighter higher pH's on average since everyone wants this cottony soft feeling type hair. Acid products as we all know help seal the cuticle but they also help balance the ration of alpha to beta bonds which increases hairs strength and elasticity. This all translates into how your hair will respond to chemical and physical stressors. If the hair is not properly acidicifed, yeah it will feel soft but as soon as you test it via heat styling, the weakness that has been slowly simmering will be evident. This is why when I hear people say, I flat ironed my hair once and I saw all of these splits, I always ask them first what have you been using. Heat is very revealing...the real health of your hair will show once it has been heat styled.

Kisses for Gym Too!!!!!

"To be young, Gifted, and Black" - Donny Hathaway...

 

[ajoyfuljoy]

Kisses for Gym Too!!!!!

"To be young, Gifted, and Black" - Donny Hathaway...

I was forced to sing that song in grammar school.

"To be young gifted and black"

staccato:

"and that's a fact!"



Ahh, memories

 

[cutiepiebabygirl]

i think its more to do with whether the strands are fine or thick

I agree with this more..because I have really fine strands..and it doesn't take much for me to experience heat damage!

 

[trj1922]

Interesting question. I tend to believe the opposite. I think type 4s suffer more given the same amount of heat due to fewer cortex layers in the hair, less elasticity and blah, blah, blah. I also think the reason you hear 2s and 3s complain more is that:

a) 2s and 3s are easier to straighten but harder to keep straight, thus, requiring perhaps less heat initially, but more frequent application of heat. (I find this true with my largely 3c hair vs. my solidly 4a/b friends!) This makes the damage accumulate faster over time.

b) The fact that some of us don't see the gradual loosening of our kinks and curls with repeated thermal straightening as heat damage. We call it "heat trained" and many 4s actually welcome it when in reality it is damage and evidence that your hair is being fried.

c) Damage is more easily hidden in curlier hair. As a natural, I notice split ends only if I'm looking for them or if they're completely out of control. Friends who have straighter or straightened hair notice right away because there's not as much frizzy, nappy goodness to hide in.

Other than that, I think that whether the hair is fine or coarse plays a big role.

 

[TaraDyan]

i think its more to do with whether the strands are fine or thick

I'd have to agree with this. I think strand size and strength play more of a part in how likely you are to get heat damage … more so than curl pattern. I have thin, fine 3c curls in the front of my head and medium sized, thicker 3c curls on the sides. My thin 3c curls have evidence of heat damage, whereas the thicker 3c curls handle heat just fine and have not loosened. The curl pattern itself didn’t make a lick of difference … the thickness and texture of the strand did … at least in my case.

 

[ryanshope]

Glad to see this thread..I have to agree with the OP based on my experience.

I have 4z hair..lol and I and I just went natural two weeks ago. One of the reasons i went natural is because I can get my hair straighten with less damage with heat versus relaxers... even though my hair is kinky, the stands are thick and my hair straightens like no one's business with no heat damage. I remember have presses that were nice as a kid.
And it took one swipe with my sedu; but I will probably blow it out to cut down on the amount of heat damage. I flat ironed a small section to see how my hair would react now that I am natural..it was very smooth..except for the ends :/


My gf though has 3c hair and can't use flat irons at all because they are so damaging to her hair..but her hair is also very fine.

 

[Lucky's Mom]

I was forced to sing that song in grammar school.

"To be young gifted and black"

staccato:

"and that's a fact!"



Ahh, memories

I love that song so much - I cry when I hear it!!! Which was like - yesterday

 

[Lucky's Mom]

I agree with this more..because I have really fine strands..and it doesn't take much for me to experience heat damage!

I agree -fine strands - cannot handle the 400 degrees - no matter how much SMB or other protection is out there....

 

[Vshanell]

i think its more to do with whether the strands are fine or thick

Same thing I was gonna say. Fine hair just can't take much heat.

 

[Fine 4s]

Riddle me this: I've been doing a lot of thinking about heat damage. It seems to me that more people in the 3s and 2s seem to complain about it than more people in the 4s (kinky, afro-like hair whether it be coily or no).

What do you think? Can kinkier hair (more like type 4) take more heat?

I'm thinking it's the complete opposite...
My answer to your question is no.
I read Supergirl and gymfreak's responses though and now...have to digest...

Nice thread!

 

[Supergirl]

Ajoyfuljoy,

I thought of something that seems to align itself with your theory. You know how theories of evolution or whatever say that Africans had/have the particular hair type that they have because of the climate and major sun exposure. The hair was meant to protect the head from the heat and rays of the sun.

My inference then would be that the hair had to remain pretty much in tact if it was going to serve to protect the head. In other words, damaged/broken down hair wouldn't be of much use so I'm assuming the hair was able to remain strong and resilient despite the harsh temperatures. The other inference I'm able to make is that a loser/softer/straight hair type would not have been able to stand up to the environmental stresses of that region. (otherwise, that would wipe out the whole reasoning of why African hair was/is the most different of any other earthlings )