How to avoid Natural Hair Heat Damage

 

 

 

I wasn’t sure if I wanted to share this on the blog, but in efforts to be more open and transparent with you guys, I decided to share and I figured someone maybe could learn a thing or two from my mishap. Last month, while in NYC during Fashion Week/my birthday weekend. I decided to get a blow out because 1) I was lazy to do my hair, and 2) it was my ONE year natural hair anniversary and thought why not just get a blow out. It’s cheap, it’s fast, I haven’t worn my hair straight in a year, and I don’t have to do my hair. Easy right? Sorta. You see, my heat damage isn’t severe, but my curl pattern is very much loose. You might be thinking, “you still have curls” This is true. However, my curls are much much looser and very frizzy in the front, and around my edges. My shrinkage is pretty much gone (I love shrinkage), and my curls have been elongated.  These pictures above aren’t the best indicator of heat damage I suppose, because I had just unraveled very large two strand twists drenched in leave in conditioner, so my hair has some definition to it. The two strands in the front of my face is very crinkly, not as coiled as my hair normally is. In fact, the piece on the left doesn’t have much coil/curl at all. 

I’m still debating if I want to start over. Even my roots are straight.  So to remedy my hairtuation, I got a deva cut two weeks after my blow out ( I hadn’t cut my hair since my big chop) and I’ve been using the Aphogee two step protein treatment.  I’ve noticed some curls have reverted but not completely. I think it’s a gradual process.

So, let me paint you a picture of what really happened at the Dominican Shop. My hair was washed and roller set. I sat under the VERY HOT hooded dryer for maybe 40 minutes. Anxiously, I got up before my hair dried. I informed my stylist that I did not want to flat iron my hair, to avoid heat damage. In fact, I told her that I didn’t even want a blow out using the blow dryer. I wanted soft waves from the roller set. Because my hair wasn’t fully dried, and my edges were very puffy/frizzy, she suggest some use of the blow dryer and I agreed, only if medium heat was used.  I’m shocked at how fragile my hair is because I didn’t think there’d be any heat damage since this was the first time I’d used this much heat on my hair. I ended up NOT liking my blow out because my hair was HUGEE, and the New York rain didn’t help situation either.

                                                                                          Below, I’m going to share with you some photos of my hair before my blow out and after.

The photo on the left is a wash and go and the right is a two strand twist out. My hair was a bit shorter here, but it’s just to show the curl pattern of my hair. Lots of shrinkage going on.

This is the last perm rod set I installed prior to my most recent. My hair kept it’s moisture and my curls are actually curled and they’re not as elongated.

This is a perm rod set a few weeks after my blow out. There’s a lot of frizz. If you look closely in the front, the ends are straggly and the hair is elongated, and it looks dry, because it is dry.

 

If I could relive that situation, I would have taken my very own shampoo, and conditioner, and heat protectant. I don’t recall her ever using a heat protectant on my hair. AND, I didn’t even think to ask. Definitely a lesson learned.  I wouldn’t swear off blow outs and I wouldn’t not recommend them. I would recommend that you take your hair products with you and ensure that heat protectant is being used. Maybe even doing a protein treatment before having your hair blown out could help avoid any potential heat damage.

I’d love to hear how you protect your natural hair from heat damage. And if you’ve experienced heat damage, did you end up doing another big chop or did your curls slowly revert?