Heat damaged hair can happen over a period of time or you can actually scorch your hair with heating tools. And once this happens, there’s no turning back time. Even if you do it accidentally while trying to ensure you get a tight curl, your hair is damaged.
However, all is not lost on your over-heated hair. Try taking these steps to repair heat damaged hair. You don’t have to do all 6 at once. So feel free to pick and choose which ones works best for you.
Assess The Heat Damaged Hair
The most important step is to do an assessment of the damage. Are there any straight strands? Is there a loss of elasticity? You can also look at past photos and compare your curls. After viewing your photos, you can determine which sections of your hair had a naturally loose curl pattern. Now, compare that to your heat damaged hair.
Clarify Your Hair
Oftentimes, when you straighten your hair, lots of different products are used to achieve the look you want. And because these products are laden with silicones, they’re difficult to remove with sulfate-free shampoo alone. They can even make your hair look dull and lifeless.
To start with a clean slate, cleanse your hair with a clarifying shampoo. Or you can use clarifying alternatives like bentonite clay or apple cider vinegar.
Do Protein Treatments
There are numerous protein packs on the market. Alternatively, you can try homemade remedies like egg protein treatments and dark beer rinses. Whatever you choose, it’s important to note that results may take some time. Plus, depending on the severity of the damage, one treatment may not do the trick.
Many hairstylists recommend only doing bi-weekly treatment for about three weeks. This is because you don’t want to run the risk of overloading your hair with protein.
Cut/Trim Irreversible Heat Damaged Hair
Wait before you pull out the scissors though. It’s important to wait until after your initial assessment, in addition to your reassessment a few weeks later. If you’ve repeated treatments and looks like the damage is irreversible, move forward with the cut or trim. If you don’t, you may end up with additional breakage and split ends.
You can either cut out all the heat damage or trim a little at a time. unfortunately, in extreme cases, this may require a transition or a second big chop.
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