The frequency of hair straightening depends on your hair type. Generally, it’s recommended you straighten your hair once a week. Natural hair should be shampooed, conditioned, and completely dry before straightening. Frequent heat styling damages your hair and weakens the cuticle by causing it to lift. Heat makes it easier for dirt or oil to get trapped inside the strands, making it harder to remove follicle-clogging impurities when washing your hair.
Straightening your hair weekly is not bad. However, it’s done the right way, use the right products, and learn how to manage your hair by understanding your hair type.
Is it Bad to Straighten Your Hair Once a Week?
No. Hair straightening should be once a week, depending on how much heat you’re doing and your hair type.
There are two reasons that we suggest limiting heat styling:
● Heat styling damages the cuticles of your hair if it’s done too often or with the wrong product. The cuticles are the hair shaft’s outermost layer and protect against moisture loss and breakage. If you don’t have healthy cuticles, your hair becomes brittle and prone to breakage or split ends as it grows longer.
● Heat styling changes the shape of your hair over time. Heat temperature ranges from blow dryer 80 to 140 degrees, and curling iron at 200 – 360 flat iron 250 to 400°F (150°C), which means that it melts and softens the keratin protein in each strand of hair. Over time, this causes strands to grow into a different shape than they would have naturally, and the change is permanent.
How to Protect Your Hair From Straightening Damage
Straightening your hair is a great way to get a sleek and smooth look, but the heat from the straightener driers out your hair, causing it to become brittle and break off. To protect your hair from this damage, follow these tips:
● Apply a heat protectant before you use the straightener. It helps prevent damage to the cuticle layer of your hair shafts, making them more prone to breakage.
● Use a high-quality flat iron or curling iron with ceramic plates. You want one that heats up quickly and distributes heat evenly so that you don’t burn the ends of your strands while leaving other areas untouched.
● Use a deep-conditioning treatment once a week. Conditioning treatments add moisture and strengthen your hair.
● When straightening your hair, set the heat correctly to prevent damaging your hair through excessive heating.
What’s The Best Way to Set Your Straightener?
If you’re setting your hair with a flat iron, it’s important to know how to do it. If not, you could damage your hair and make it brittle.
Here’s what you need to know before straightening;
Ensure that your hair is well dried. You should untangle it before you start using any heat on it.
Set your temperature control high or maximum for at least five minutes before using the iron. This helps remove moisture in the metal plate so that steam is not created when you begin straightening your hair.
After the initial heating process, turn the temperature to medium-high or medium and begin ironing your hair with long strokes from root to tip.
Repeat the process until all hair is well straightened.
Is Chemically Treated Hair More Susceptible to Straightening?
If you have chemically treated hair, it’s best to avoid straightening.
Chemically treated hair is more susceptible to damage. This is because the chemicals alter the structure of your hair, making it weaker and less elastic. The process of straightening causes further damage to your hair.
If you’re using high heat on your hair, it causes split ends and breakage. The more you use heat on your hair, the more damage it causes. To keep your chemically treated hair healthy and in good condition, use low heat and condition it to moisturize and dehydrate, reducing the heat damage in your hair.
Does Straightening Make Your Hair Weak?
No, straightening your hair does not make it weak.
Straightening your hair gives your locks a sleek, straight look that you can’t get with natural curls. But does not harm your hair.
Hair straightening uses iron or flat iron heat to remove the natural curl from your strands. This is called straightening. It creates a smooth look without dealing with frizz or flyaways.
Straightening exacerbates those problems if you have damaged hair by removing the natural protection offered by the body. If you have healthy hair, you shouldn’t worry about using heat tools on your hair.
How Long Does Hair Straightening Last?
It depends on a few things: the brand of hair straightener you use, the length and thickness of your hair, and how you take care of it.
If you have long or thick hair, you need to use a higher temperature setting on your hair straightener to get the desired results. Your hairstyle will last longer than someone with shorter or thinner hair who uses a lower temperature setting.
If you have naturally dry or damaged hair, it may not hold a hairstyle as healthy hair would.
Does Straightening Affect Hair Growth?
Straightening your hair is one of the most popular hairstyles, but people often wonder if it affects hair growth.
While excessive straightening causes some damage to your hair, it’s not permanent. The heat from the flat iron causes damage to your hair follicles and makes them more susceptible to breakage, but it won’t affect your hair growth. You should be able to grow your hair back just as quickly as you would have before using heat on it.
Takeaway
Straightening your hair once a week is good. But it depends on your hair type and chemical structure. Not doing it at all might be best if you have coarse hair, but if you have straight and soft hair, then once a week is fine. Remember not to do it too often, as the heat from irons can damage your hair and make it more brittle.
Use the right hair straightener to achieve the best results without damaging your hair. Set the right temperatures to avoid overheating your hair and ensure that the heat is evenly distributed.
