The Heat is On

Yes heat is bad for your hair, if you burn it.

I remember when I was about eleven or twelve years old I use to read "Right On" magazine. Then one day while in the local pharmacy store with my mom, I decided to get "Teen" magazine instead. "Oh boy!" I thought to myself as I flipped through the pages, "Hmm, this is interesting." I compared how White teenagers had their teen star crushes to how Black teenagers had theirs. I noticed how their magazine had a lot more posters, fan club addresses. I also noticed how they provided profiles on the following page of the teen star after every poster. I also remembering discovering Leif Garret. Oooh he was cute! I actually liked that song, "I Was Made for Dancing." As I read his likes and dislikes, I came across a word, "pet peeve." While I do not remember what his pet peeves were, I do remember continuing to read to see if it was about some kind of animal. I picked up my "Right On" magazine and noticed that the Black teen stars in the magazine had no "pet peeves." But in the White "Teen" magazine,  the Black teen Stars had pet peeves. So I ran downstairs and asked my mom. "How come Black teen stars have pet peeves in White Teen magazine but none in Right On? Oh and what kind of pet is peeve?" My mom busted out laughing!

Fast forward to today and I have some peeves that still makes me wonder what kind of pet is that? As a cosmetologist there are not too many things that irks me about this industry. But the one that turned my human peeve into a pet peeve is hearing and reading about how heat is bad for your hair.

Steam, electrical, chemical and friction are forms
of HEAT.

I remain perplexed about heat being bad and damaging to hair. Heat can be used in the various forms of steam, electrical, friction and chemical to aid in the myriad of ways people manipulate hair. Heat used in those varying forms are actually good for hair by way of opening and smoothing the cuticle (the outer layer that looks like fish scales) to give us the ability to comb it, clean it, condition it, color it, relax it, treat it, loc it, make it more manageable and shine! Without heat in either of these forms, hair styling would be quite interesting to say the least.  If heat was truly damaging the hair care and hair styling world would cease to exist.

Heat gets a bad rap like liquor. Quite naturally everything is not for everybody.  Anything can be abused. And when in the hands of the wrong person or abused; damage of many kinds will be the result. All hair styles do not require heat in any form. And all people should not use heat as the cure all or the "go to" for every hair care and hair style option. However, it is there to use to do many creative and helpful things to hair. So whenever someone ask me to clarify if heat is bad for hair. I always respond, "Yep. If you burn it."

"Listen honey, listen!" Hair is an excellent conductor of heat. When used properly, all hair types and textures will respond to heat by softening, smoothing or curling accordingly. The key to using heat is to use it when the hair is clean. The second it to have it on the right heat setting. The third is to use the proper tool to soften, smooth, straighten or curl hair.

The "Huetiful Steamer" provides a safe
source of heat for stressed tresses!

Hair responds to heat safely when it is clean. Hair is relatively clean within the first 3 days of shampooing and conditioning it. Do not attempt to use heat in any form on any setting on hair that is not clean. If you do, you will damage or burn the hair along with what is soiled on it. The settings or temperature gauge is very important. Very high heat is not necessary for most textures, especially if you are going to steam treat your hair. In addition if you use a curling iron, flat iron or straightening comb to further style the hair after blow drying it or sitting under a hooded dryer; high temperatures are not necessary. Some heated styling tools have number settings or high, medium or low settings. I suggest buying heated tools that have temperature settings because you will get more use out of your styling tool. If your tool does not have a temperature gauge on it, please read the manufacturers on which temperature is best for your hair type and texture. 

Use heat responsible on CLEAN hair.

Lastly, use the proper tool to assist in getting your hair smoothed or straight. In getting your hair straight or straighter, there is a process to getting it there depending on how straight you would like it. If your hair texture (curly, kinky, wavy or Afro) a, you may need to blow dry your hair first on a high to medium heat setting followed by a flat iron, curling iron or straightening comb. If you are not sure about what kind of blow dryer, hooded dryer, flat iron, curling iron or straightening comb is best for your hair, schedule and appointment with a licensed cosmetologist to help you with you before you waste money buying the wrong or too expensive of a styling tool. Do not get on YOUTUBE watching those videos about "No Heat" styling, co-washing and all that jive. Keep in mind that most "how to" videos rarely depict what is on your head and what you need to do it to get the results you want. Please get a consultation in PERSON!

The argument of blow dryer versus hooded dryer need not be one. For they are designed to do different things with the hair. Neither are a cure all or is bad for the hair styles they were made to produce. The same can be said about the flat iron versus the straightening and curling iron. All three have versatility. In the hands of a trained and experienced person, 99.9% of the times when they use it to style hair, they do not burn it out nor are they damaging the hair to the point havoc.

Heat, Technique & The Right Tool
a.k.a
The Three Amigos!

Because no two heads of hair are alike, it is imperative that you personalize your hair care and hair styling regimen. Do not fall into cultural ruts of doing the same thing that society says do. For example, shampooing hair every two weeks or shampooing your hair daily. The heat is on, as it relates to how we should look and feel. Do not succumb to the pressure to NOT perform and take care of your hair yourself or even pay someone if you like. Do not allow haters of heat, lovers of smooth hair, advocates of texture and proponents of curls, spikes and flips tell you what to do YOUR hair. Within reason, when used on clean hair; heat is safe for hair. Do what you like and do what know is right. And if that person doesn't like it, tell them and to take their pet peeve and go walking with the other dawgs!