Styling your hair with flat iron or a perming wand or a curling iron is like an everyday work that is unavoidable. But you cannot ignore the side effects that the heat from these styling iron rods cause to your hair.
Heat from styling irons damages your hair day by day making them dry, frizzy, lifeless and prone to breakage and fall out.
So, a heat protectant is a must while using heat in your hair. But some hair sprays contain silicone and water-based polymers which aren’t great for your hair and can be bad rather than good for your hair over a period of time.
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Side effects of heat protectant sprays (water-based ones)
According to the official website of the United States Govt., //pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21443842/
They had conducted a study to find out whether the water level in the heat protectant sprays could cause significant changes in the damage caused by heat styling irons to the hair.
Hair samples were treated with heat from the straightening irons followed by treating the hair with either water-based or ethanol based hair protectant sprays.
After the experiment, they had come to four deductions:
1.) Tryptophan damaged was reduced by both water-based and dry hair protectant sprays
2.) Light microscopy study showed that greater structural damage was caused to the hair treated with water-based heat protectant sprays
3.) The tensile test also confirmed greater damage to the hair by wet sprays
4.) There was also significant decrease in the Young’s modulus with wet sprays
The final statement:
There was significantly more structural damage to the hair treated with wet heat protectant sprays along with chemical damage too than the damages caused by dry heat protectant sprays.
The structural damage causes changes in the physical properties of the hair which is due to the rapid evaporation of water from the wet sprays on the application of heat from the straightening or curling irons.
So, the study concluded that this structural damage can be averted with the elimination of water from the heat protectant sprays.
DIY heat protectant that can be made of natural ingredients
While heat protectant sprays are a must for hair in order to prevent damage caused by heat styling appliances, yet they contain silicone and are water-based and so cause significant damage to the hair themselves.
Therefore, here are some excellent natural ingredients that can be used instead of a heat protectant spray to prevent damage to the hair from heat:
1.) DIY coconut oil heat protectant
Our hair just loves coconut oil and they are the saviours to almost many problems related to hair from promoting hair growth to controlling frizz to moisturising, etc.
Speaking of coconut oil as a heat protectant, it has a very high smoke point of 350° which ultimately helps to protect the hair from the heat applied through flat irons.
How to make it?
- Heat coconut oil in a bowl in order to melt it
- Transfers it to a spritzer bottle
- Add 1/4th amount of water in ratio to the amount of coconut oil used
- Close the cap and shake well
Shake the spritzer bottle well before each use and remember to spray the mixture from the mid shaft of the hair to the ends leaving the roots and the scalp or else it will make the scalp oily.
See also: How Long Should Coconut Oil Be Applied to My Bleached Hair?
2.) DIY argan oil heat protectant
Now who doesn’t know the many benefits of argan oil for hair and skin! Argan oil is rich in Omega 3 fatty acids, omega 6 fatty acids and vitamin E, making it a rich source of nutrients for the hair. It not only protects the hair from heat upto 450°, but also nourishes and brings shine to the hair.
How to make it?
Mix argan oil and water in a spritzer (the ratio can be half a bottle of water and the other half of argan oil in case your hair is thin or a ratio of 1:4 for thinner hair).
3.) DIY Shea butter heat protectant
You will be surprised to know that Shea butter is an excellent replacement for silicones used in the heat protectants. Just like silicones, Shea butter also coats the hair strands and this heat cannot penetrate through the shafts. Shea butter also has natural conductivity which prevents heat from damaging the hair.
4.) DIY grapeseed oil heat protectant
Grapeseed oil is antifungal and antibacterial and besides moisturising your hair, it also helps to fight dermatitis and dandruff. Also, the smoke point of grapeseed oil is even higher than coconut oil and that’s 420° (quite high right?).
So, if you have thicker hair, grapeseed oil would be a better choice for you because for straightening your thick hair you need to apply more heat.
How to make it?
Thankfully there’s no mastery in turning grapeseed oil to a heat protectant. All you need to do is just rub a few drops of the oils on your palms and then run it through your hair (avoiding the scalp). Remember to keep the temperature setting of your straightening iron down to 400°.
5.) DIY avocado oil heat protectant
Avocado oil is a wonderful ingredient both for the skin and hair and also the smoke point of this oil is the greatest which is around 520°, making it a great choice for heat protectant for thicker density of hair.
How to make it?
Take a spritzer bottle and mix 1/4th quantity of water with the oil and shake well. Apply on your hair before using the heating irons. Keep the temperature of the iron below 500°.
See you soon!
Hope these tips help you with protecting your hair from damage caused by heat.
These are completely natural ingredients which will only help to make the texture of your hair better for sure.
Keep in touch with us, and we will bless you with some wonderful hair and skin care tips!
Till then…..
Keep it simple, keep it fashionable!
