I received an email from a reader asking about possible thermal damage. Basically, she was transitioning back to natural hair and in the meantime, had been flat ironing her curls in order to blend into the relaxed hair instead of the other way around. Uh-oh.
The good news is that her flat iron had adjustable temperatures. The bad news is that she routinely used it on the highest setting. As so often happens, when our hair becomes damaged, it does so in a way it wants, so she was left with one small section that was burned straight.
It didn't want to blend in nicely with the rest of her hair, so it stuck out in an obvious way until she did the inevitable and trimmed it.
I've suffered through bad damage myself and in some cases, I had a well-meaning friend tell me that all I needed was a good protein treatment or deep conditioner. When damage is that bad -- the hair won't revert after getting wet, it feels spongy to the touch and/or breaks off at the slightest tug -- you can hold onto it if you want, but it's really damaged beyond repair. You can cut it now and be done with it or cut it later. (You can also not cut it and go around with fried hair, but let's not talk about that.)
Thermal damage is real and it can happen over a period of time or it can happen after one too-hot iron session. Whether or not you're transitioning, want a change from your usual natural or you wear straight hair 24/7, your hair can be irreparably damaged by heat.
Signs that your heat tool is too hot:
- Touching it to a white paper towel turns the towel brown
- Smoking and sizzling as you run it over your hair
- The smell of scorched hair permeates the room
Do your hair a big favor and steer clear of too-hot tools. Occasional use is fine and moderate heat is usually okay, but it's important to use your common sense in order to preserve your precious tresses.
(Photo credit: Steve Wisbauer/Getty Images)
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