by Perry Romanowski, Erica Douglas and Mags Kavanaugh
Heat on Hair
Heat from styling
appliances can and do damage hair unless you use a heat protectant like the
Olaplex #7 Oil.
First, heat can weaken and destroy the proteins that hair is composed of.
Second, heat can disrupt the natural oils in hair that help hold it together.
Third, heat can dry out hair by boiling off internal moisture.
After this kind of heat exposure hair can be damaged much more easily which
leads to split and broken hairs.
Hair Heat Protection?
Can heat activated/heat protectant products really help? First, you must understand that these terms don’t mean the same thing. Heat activated is more of a marketing term that doesn’t really mean much. It just means that the ingredients in the formula do “something” different when exposed to heat. Fragrance, for example, can be encapsulated so that it releases when exposed to heat. Styling products can be heat activated because certain polymers they contain melt and spread better when heat is applied. So, just because a product is heat activated doesn’t mean it offers heat protection.
Heat protection, on the other hand, is a “real claim” or at least as real as a hair care claim can be. Heat protection products work by coating the hair and lubricating it during heat styling. This conditioning effect reduces the amount of damage caused by blowdryers, curling irons and flat irons.
Heat tolerance (in this case measured by smoke point of the
oil) is only one factor to consider. You also need to look at how the product
lubricates hair. You can experiment with oils if you want DIY heat protection
but be careful: oils alone can create drag which could slow down the flat iron
as it passes through your hair, so it could end up doing more damage.
Good heat protectants should also help offset the drying effects of heat.
Ideally you want a combination of dimethicone, glycerin or other moisturizers
to lock in water and a low molecular weight polymer that can penetrate and help
prevent heat from cracking the cuticles.
Oils
behave very similarly to silicones by creating protective barriers from bad
things like heat
Some oils can remain intact at extremely high temperatures, but they are often
the heavier oils that can weigh the hair down. Formulating chemists will
combine synthetic ingredients like silicones with the natural goodness of oils
to provide an improved customer experience when using the product. Therefore,
silicone-based heat protectants are more likely to give you the benefits you
originally wanted out of oils.
Many heat protectant products contain silicones like dimethicone, or cyclomethicone
and which work extremely well at coating the hair and creating a thin, water
repelling, heat-resistant protection.
There are natural oils that act like silicones and will protect the hair from
heat
Only a few oils make good heat protectants like Argan oil,
Linseed oil, Zea Mays (corn oil), Granatum Seed oil (pomegranate Seed Oil) and Obliphica Berry
Oil.
The
biggest thing is to turn down the iron settings when styling.
Fine
Hair- 200 to 275 degrees
Medium
Hair – 275 to 325 degrees
Coarse
Hair – 325 to 400 degrees and never any higher unless you are doing a Keratin
Treatment which usually requires a 450 degree iron. Hotter is NOT better!
Most stylists flatirons go up to 450
degrees and if you are using it at that high temp then you need to use a heat
protectant that is rated to 450 degrees, not all heat protectants are and not
all oils are heat rated to that high of a degree.
Olaplex #7 is heat rated to 450 degrees.
Perry Romanowski, Erica Douglas and Mags
Kavanaugh
