How To Protect Your Hair From Heat Damage

April

How To Protect Your Hair From Heat Damage

Jeanelle says: I was wondering if you guys could tell me what to look for in a great heat protecting spray/serum/lotion. What are the key ingredients that protect hair from heat? (Besides the ones that promise to deliver to soft, silky protected tresses when in reality they leave you with sticky, gross hair from all of the alcohol!)

The Right Brain responds:

Jeanelle, if you’re buying heat protection sprays that contain a lot of alcohol, you should change brands before you look like the woman in today’s picture! Hopefully you’ll be able to pick a better product after we explain how heat damages your hair and what kind of ingredients can help.

Blow drying is bad

Blow drying causes a “flash drying” effect that not only removes the surface moisture but also removes water that is bound to the hair, which is called water of hydration. The effect of this flash drying is that the cuticles become dried, rigid and brittle. When the hair flexes, the pressure causes the cuticles to crack. One study (see Reference 1 below) showed cracks occurring not only on the surface layer of cuticles, but actually two and three cuticle layers deep. Combing hair with this degree of cuticle cracking causes significant breakage.

Ironing is icky

Ironing hair causes two different types of damaging depending on whether the hair is ironed dry or wet. Ironing dry hair causes radial and axial cracking along the edges of the cuticles, which can lead to chipping. Ironing wet hair causes the moisture to burst out in little steam explosions. This causes a bubbling and buckling of the cuticle that appears as tiny hair blisters under magnification.

Helpful heat treatments

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 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.

Do YOU have any favorite products to ward off heat damage? Leave a comment and share your steamy secrets with the rest of the Beauty Brains community.

References (online links not available)

1. Gamez-Garcia, M. “The Cracking of Human Hair Cuticles by Cyclical Thermal Stresses,” J. Cosmetic Science, 49, 141-153 May/June 1998.

2. Ruetsch, S.B, et al, “Effects of Thermal Treatments with a Curling Iron on Hair Fiber,” J. Cosmetic Science, 55, 13-27 Jan/Feb 2004.

22 Responses to “How To Protect Your Hair From Heat Damage”

anastasia Says:

As someone who avoids heat styling as much as possible to protect my super-curly, easily damaged, naturally dry hair, this is amazingly helpful information for those days when I want to straighten for special events. Thanks!
tt Says:

I have been using coconut oil (small amount) on my coarse dry hair before I blow dry it and have been very pleased.
Karina Says:

love the detailed explanation and, once again, the recommendation of products that should work. good job!
Crème Says:

I thought that no one conditioning ingredient that penetrates hair but it says above that cetrimonium chloride does penetrate hair. Beautybrains says on earlier post that you don’t have to leave a conditioner for long because it simply coats the hair. Need clarification Beautybrains.
The Best of the Beauty Blogs: Week of April 30 - FutureDerm.com Says:

[...] Beauty Brains tells you how to protect your hair from heat damage (particularly significant with all of the extra UV damage it will be getting this [...]
thebeautybrains Says:

Creme: Good comment. Most conditioning agents work primarily on the surface. But we didn’t mean to imply that there are NO ingredients that penetrate.
Crème Says:

^Thanks Beautybrains for clarification. Now I know the reason that some people apply heat on hair after they applied the conditioner/treatment/masque because it improves the tensile strength of the hair by crosslinking. However, does cetrimonium chloride or other penetrating conditioning ingredient must penetrate first to hair in order to work?
Ama Says:

Kerastase Ciment Thermique and Chi Iron Guard Spray, ftw! I use the Ciment Thermique before blowdrying and flat ironing. It has cetrimonium chloride and also modified potato starch (?) among other things in it. I use Iron Guard for just flat ironing, obvs. It contains hydrolyzed silk protein and ceramic. Also, monthly or bi-monthly protein treatments when the hair is heat-styled often.
womalli Says:

really? i sure hope this is to be so! i have really bad burn hair from hair iron and am looking for remedy that is cheap
kristal Says:

en fuego ’sta mi pelo! como le dicen en mexico no sabes el llanta de mi carro sin probarlo.
3 Ways To Protect Your Hair From Heat | Beauty Secrets Blog Says:

[...] Brains explain WHY heat is harmful and tell you what to do about it. We’ve blogged before about heat protecting sprays, but here’s some more information for all you “hot heads” out [...]
3 Ways To Protect Your Hair From Heat | 1800blogger Says:

[...] Brains explain WHY heat is harmful and tell you what to do about it. We’ve blogged before about heat protecting sprays, but here’s some more information for all you “hot heads” out [...]
millicent blair Says:

Giving hair a warm olive oil treatment may help-Leave it on about an hour-before hairset-

When using blowdryer-never use hottest temperature– The same with the curling iron- Hairdressers may not understand about damage to hair cuticle-so use utmost tact- It’s nice when we can work together!
diana Says:

Can you check if my product is ok.

It’s Ahglow Keratin Hair Protek.
Restores Keratin. Helps repair and seal damaged hair.

Formulation: Amodimethicone, Dimethicone Copolyol, Dimethiconol and (TEA) Dodecyl Benzene Sulfate, Tetrasodium EDTA, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Propylene Glycol diasolidinyl urea parabens, PEG 40 hydrogenated castor oil, Citric Acid, Floresa, Deionized Water.
Left Brain Says:

It won’t restore protein but it will help protect your hair from heat damage.
Maria Says:

Hello.
I recently bought a product called Flat iron from special effects, i havent tried it, but i heard is good, and its pretty cheap too. I would like to know if this product protects my hair from iron heat and makes it healthier.
I would also like to know how good the Kerastase products are, and wich would be good for my hair. I have dyed, thin and dry hair.
Thanks a lot
maile Says:

i have recentley bought a new style tool called an INstyler. it helps my hair have volume and it says it is supposed to be polishing my hair, not damaging it like a flat iron or curling iron.

I do often love curling my hair though.
i use multiple types of shampoo to help my hair’s heat damage. Treseme, Nexus, and pureology are my favorite.

How can i further protect my hair, but still keep using my hair styling tools?

Is horse shampoo okay?
shar Says:

what should we do for our dry hair to become silky hair?
Melanie Says:

So, i’ve been working in the hair industry for 4 years now and by just trusting what people told me instead of just reading the facts. i have now learned that my past favorite products were the worse for my hair as well as my clients. Many products i’ve come across that said they were good for heat prevention were almost worse then using nothing at all. I’m talking about expensive salon products!! So, my favorite product that is true from front to back is Bumble and bumble straight. made for anybody that wants to style with heat. the cost i believe is around 18. i hope this was helpful!
Melanie Says:

OMG ps! to die for shampoo is Pureology Nanoworks. if you don’t want to spend $100 for shampoo and conditioner they just came out with the essential repair witch is 2nd best. both have rebuilding properties that make your hair soft silky and stronger then EVER before. you will be hooked for life i promise!
Melanie Says:

OMG ps! to die for shampoo is Pureology Nanoworks. if you don’t want to spend $100 for shampoo and conditioner they just came out with the essential repair witch is 2nd best. both have rebuilding properties that make your hair soft silky and stronger then EVER before. you will be hooked for life i promise!

if you are in SE wisconsin Rau Salon carries these products and Melanie sent you in!
Healthy Hair Says:

Hi Beauty Brains, quick question. Does flat ironing and/or blow drying with coconut oil and olive oil fry hair? People say oils fry hair like oil in a frying pan, is that true?