Waking up with perfectly styled hair is a rarity. Most of us have to put in some effort to make our hair look presentable, and one popular method is heat styling. Whether it’s for a special occasion or simply to change up your look, heat styling can be a great option. However, it’s important to keep in mind that too much heat can cause damage to your hair, leaving it frizzy, dry, and brittle. With the winter holidays fast approaching, it’s worth taking the time to protect your hair while still achieving the desired style.

Styling techniques such as straightening or curling can be particularly damaging for those with thinning hair. As women age, hair loss is a common occurrence, with the American Academy of Dermatology Association stating that we typically lose around 50 to 100 strands per day. However, if you find that you are shedding significantly more than this, or if your hair is not growing back as it should, it may be time to consult with a doctor. Using heat styling tools can exacerbate hair loss, particularly if you make mistakes that cause damage to your hair. Additionally, using some specific haircuts can help hide the thinning hair.

It is a well-established fact among beauty experts that one should never apply heat to hair that is not clean. When hair is dirty, it may contain various products that are not compatible with the high temperatures used by styling tools such as curling irons or straighteners. Using heat on already dirty hair can lead to damage and thinning of the hair.

Using heat on dirty hair

It is not recommended to subject your hair to heat styling on a daily basis, as it can cause damage over time. However, if you must use heat styling tools, it is important to use the lowest heat setting and protect your hair with a heat protectant. This will help minimize damage by sealing in moisture and preventing frizz. It is also important to note that heat styling dirty hair can lead to even more damage, so it’s best to ensure your hair is clean before using heat styling tools.

Many individuals are unaware that using flat irons or curling wands on hair that has not been properly cleaned can lead to significant breakage. Not only does heat styling cause damage to the hair, but using certain hair products such as dry shampoos or texture sprays before heat styling can exacerbate this damage. This is because these products contain ingredients that are not meant to withstand the high temperatures generated by styling tools, which can cause hair to become even more dry and damaged.

According to hair expert Wilson, using low heat on slightly dirty hair is safe as long as there is no product buildup. However, if the hair is excessively dirty, the use of heat can lead to damage and breakage. Over time, this can result in split ends, see-through hair, and shorter pieces around the edges and crown of the hair. See-through hair occurs when the hair is so thin that the scalp is visible, which is often a sign of thinning hair or balding.

Styling on clean hair is especially important for thinning hair. In fact, if you’ve already got thinning hair, breakage, or split ends, it may be best to preemptively reduce the amount of heat styling you’re doing, particularly on dirty hair, to keep the issue from progressing. Although hair loss is the result of many different factors, including your diet heat styling is doing your thinning locks no favors. So keeping it to a minimum and only styling on clean hair will give you a better chance of maintaining your beautiful hair down the line.

Thinning hair is normal, but if you notice more than the average amount of hair loss, it’s time to talk to your doctor. So if you do end up straightening or curling your hair, try to always use it on the lowest setting possible. And it’s especially important to remember if you already have fine hair to never use heat on unclean hair.