Step away from the flat iron, girl! If parting from your hair straightening tools is still a non-negotiable situation, take a lesson from me. I used to be obsessed with flat-ironing my thick curly hair straight and when I wasn't doing that, I was abusing the curling iron until my once gorgeous curls turned limp and lifeless. Now I'm suffering from something called heat-damage where the roots of my hair are super curly and the ends are a combination of waves and straight pieces. Not a good situation to be in–trust me!
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In fact, these days I have to blow out my hair straight using a heat-protective spray (to prevent further damage or breakage) until my curls are uniformed enough to just wash and go again. And believe me, it's going to take at least six more months before that happens. What I'm trying to say here is that flat ironing may give you the sleek and straight strands you've always dreamed of, but it's only going to result in long months of dry, damaged hair. Don't believe me? Here are five ways your flat iron can ruin your hair!
1. It can dry out your hair. A lot of women don't realize that heat-styling in general sucks the moisture out of your hair. And without moisture your strands become dry, brittle and can even experience breakage. Yes, breakage. If you absolutely MUST use the flat iron, try limiting your use to just once a week. Make sure the settings aren't too high and always use a heat protective spray before styling.
2. It can cause dullness. Too much heat-styling (especially if your color your hair) can cause your strands to dull and lose shine. No shine serum in the world can make heat-damaged hair look glossy and healthy.
3. It can burn your hair. Just because your hair isn't catching on fire, doesn't mean that the flat iron isn't burning it. The burning doesn't just dry out hair but it basically leaves strands dead, ruining your natural texture (especially if you have waves or curls). But the wiorst part is that it doesn't matter how often you deep condition, the damage can't be reversed without a cut. Ugh. So frustrating!
4. It can cause split ends. Split ends happen to everyone, but if you constantly heat-style it can happen way more often than not. So unless you plan on getting a trim every month I suggest you put the flat iron down!
5. It can cause thinning: When it comes to heat-damage, first comes dryness, then comes dullness and then comes thinning. That's right overusing the flat iron or any other hot tools can cause hair to thin and fall out too. It happened to me once. Even if you get a cut and start taking treatments, it can be months before your hair is back to its normal self.
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