Many of us have experienced heat damage. One day our curls are popping and then the next we notice our curls are not bouncing back. What went wrong? How do you get your curls back? Have no fear, this post will calm your worries.
What is heat damage?
Our hair strands are like clay, they take the shape of whatever we do to it. When we take out our braids we notice our hair has a crinkly look. When we use flexi rods we achieve bouncy curls. So of course when we apply heat, our hair will not only take the shape of straight hair strands, but if done incorrectly and too often your hair strands will stay straight. Heat damage occurs when your hair strand is burned straight past the point of restoration. If your hair is heat damaged your coil will unfortunately never return.
How did my hair get heat damaged?
Your hair can become heat damaged from staying in the sun too long, using a flat-iron too often, or even blow drying your hair incorrectly. There are steps to take when applying any type of heat to your hair and if your hair was not properly protected by a heat protectant your hair will be vulnerable to heat damage. Remember heat is not your friend, it is your associate.
What can I do to restore it?
Well we have come to the question that was asked with so much hope. I am here to inform you that once your hair is burned past a certain point, there is no turning back. However, it is okay! We welcome growth everyday into our lives and it is a beautiful thing to welcome new hair growth as well! Before you label your hair as completely fried, try to restore it by using restorative shampoos and deep conditioners. There are different degrees of heat damage, some are more severe than others. If your hair does not return to its normal curl pattern, then it is time to snip snip snip. You have two options, big chop or transition. I've personally done the big chop twice and I am on my way to a third one, but if that is too radical transitioning your hair is the way to go! Transitioning involves gradually cutting your ends while nourishing your scalp consistently. Or you can also do a mixture of both by just cutting off all the heat damaged hair. Most of the time our roots will be fine since they are the strongest and our ends will be the most damaged since they are the oldest and weakest part of the hair.
How do I prevent heat damage?
Stay away from heat. Ok ok ok, that may be too radical. The point is to reduce the amount of heat you use on your hair significantly. We are building strong crowns and heat can deter that goal. It is very important to use a heat protectant if you are to apply heat to your hair. A heat protectant can come in the form of a serum, a spray, or even a natural oil. The point of a heat protectant is to add that extra layer of protection onto your hair strands as it is being styled or even while your're out in the sun. If you are blow drying your hair try to reduce the time you do it. You can incorporate air drying and stretching techniques into your hair care routine to help limit your blow dryer use.
Need more tips?
Click this link for more info: https://www.naturalhairrules.com/treat-heat-damage-natural-hair/
PROTECT YOUR CROWN - NEZY HAIR