I’m not the “curly girl method” police here. I understand that there are times and perhaps occasions where you want to use heat. The less often, the better for your hair. You already know this. And just know that it’s super empowering to wear your air natural to fancy events (though yes, a bit intimidating the first time). But also, wavy hair is fun because it’s so flexible. I have to be honest, one day I decided I was going to straighten my hair after that wash, just because I was bored of the wavy look. That’s all! And you know what? That’s totally fine! It’s YOUR hair. Do what you want. You already know heat is bad for you, but you also know that wine and cookies are bad too sooooo…….
Anyways, let’s get on with what you can do before, during, and after heat to minimize the effects on your hair! This is Part 1: before
before using heat....
When you wash your hair before you plan to use heat, try to do the following (if you’re reading with with dry hair ready to go, it’s not the end of the world! Just skip to part 2 – coming soon)
Use a Deep Conditioner
Now is the time to put moisture into your hair. If you are fine using water-soluble silicones, now is also the time for this too! Let the deep conditioner/mask soak into your hair for several minutes. Do not go up to your roots though, otherwise your hair will appear greasy. Don’t worry, we’ll protect that later on.
Rinse with cold water
this step is always true, but if you’re going to go through the work of heat styling, you want it to look the absolute BEST. Your hair will be shinier if you rinse with cold water. Go as cold as you can stand.
add heat protectant to wet hair
Add in a little heat protectant now. Yep! My favorite leave-in is also my heat protectant, so this step is easy. I simply spray in 3-4 sprays (focus on the mid lengths to ends) and then wrap my hair up in a microfiber turbie twist.
Air Dry
if at all possible, let your hair 100% air dry before using heat. Time may not allow for this, but if you can think ahead, let it happen. I try to wash/deep condition the night before, then use a microfiber turbie twist until bedtime, then an my hair out to dry overnight. By the time I’m awake it may still be a little damp, but it’s certainly not soaking.
detangle
If you are completely heat styling your full head of hair, be sure to get ALL of the tangles out. This makes the heat styling go faster which means less damage. Use a brush meant for tangles and/or wet hair to help gently detangle effectively. If your hair is like mine, it will get BIG and POOFY. It’s okay, you’re styling it!
coming soon: ways to protect your hair during heat styling + what to do after heat styling
