Does straightening your hair damage it? How often should you straighten hair? And is there a straightener that doesn’t damage hair?
We hear these questions all the time.
So, we’re going to be real. Hair straighteners can damage your hair, especially if it’s already dry or broken.
But this doesn’t mean you must break down and ghost your straightener this second.
So, want to know how not to damage your hair when straightening? Of course, you do!
Save yourself the heartbreak of withdrawal by following our tips on how to prevent hair damage from straightening.
Do Hair Straighteners Damage Your Hair?
The truth is that hair straighteners can damage your hair if you don’t take important steps to protect your locks first. From finding a good temperature for straightening hair to finding ways to straighten hair without heat, there are several things you can do to find out how not to damage your hair when straightening.
Do you hear a sizzle? If this is a familiar noise when straightening your hair, it means your hair is too wet. By extension, if you are wondering, “can we use a straightener on wet hair” the answer is simple – absolutely not!
Straightening wet hair causes the moisture in your strands to boil and blister the hair’s cuticle (ouch!). This leads to damaged hair after straightening, which shows as breakage and split ends.
Sometimes the damage isn’t super extreme or obvious, like breakage. It can be more subtle, like your hair looking dull or frizz that slowly starts to get worse and worse. Either way, this is enough reason not to use a straightener on wet hair.
The high heat from a straightener can also damage hair because it dries out the hair’s cuticle.
If you start noticing and staying on top of it, your hair could be fine.
But if you notice and ignore it (cos who wants to give up their straightener, right?), it could lead to damaging the inner layer of the hair, called the cortex, which means your hair will find it harder to cope with breakage, colouring, or heat styling in the future. See why it is crucial to find a good temperature for straightening hair?