How To Repair Heat Damaged Hair [Prevention & Treatment]

Many women enjoy using blow dryers, curlers, and other styling tools to style their hair. While these heat tools help make hair look better temporarily, they can cause long-term damage when used frequently.

Regular styling can lead to heat damaged hair. This damage dries out your hair and changes its structure, causing it to become weak and dull. When the damage becomes too severe, you may have to cut it off as a last resort. You can avoid this by learning how to repair heat damaged hair.

What Causes Heat Damage?

Heat damage is caused by the direct heat used in styling tools. Both the high temperature of the heat and the length of time you use these tools can cause the structure of the hair to break down. It is also possible to cause heat damage to hair with just one wrong stroke of a styling tool.

Heat damage leaves the hair limp and very dry. In some cases, it may even break off or fall out. In short, your hair no longer behaves the way it used to.

How to Identify Heat Damaged Hair

How do you know if you have heat damaged hair? Here are some signs to look for:

Very dry hair
Split ends
Frizz and hair breakage
Stringy or rough-looking hair
Hair with lots of knots or tangles
White spots in the hair (caused by chemical burns)

Preventing Heat Damage

Now that you know what heat damage looks like, here’s how to prevent it:

Limit heat styling. This is the best way to prevent heat damage. If you must use tools, use the lowest setting possible and for the least amount of time.
Don’t use tools on wet hair. Wet hair is even more fragile and prone to breakage. Plus, the tools will turn the heat to steam, which causes further damage
Avoid dyeing your hair. Dye is a chemical process that can cause further damage to dry hair.
Use a leave-in conditioner. This will keep your hair hydrated. You can make a leave-in conditioner at home by mixing 3 tablespoons of conditioner with 1 cup of distilled water in a spray bottle.

Heat Damaged Hair Treatment

Are you tired of your dry, brittle locks? It’s time to repair that heat damaged hair! Choosing the right heat damaged hair treatment will depend on your hair type.

Straight Hair

Those with straight hair should focus on restoring heat damaged hair with protein. Leave-in protein treatments can help restore broken bonds and make the damage less noticeable. Look for products that contain olive oil, honey, or yogurt. Keratin products can also be helpful.

Curly Hair

It can be hard to know how to repair heat damaged hair that’s curly. There’s a bit more involved to get your curls back to normal. Here are some steps you can take:

Start with a clarifying shampoo to add some hydration to your dry locks.
Use a reconstructor, such as an intensive protein treatment, to temporarily fix breaks in your hair’s cuticle.
Use a deep conditioner to restore moisture.
If you’re not seeing results by now, try a hot oil treatment. This will help restore shine and nourish the scalp.
As a last resort, get a good trim. Most heat damage is in the ends, so concentrate on trimming split ends to get rid of the damage.

Chemically Treated Hair

Your hair can suffer from heat damage after a perm or dye job. The best heat damaged hair treatment for this type of hair will come from a salon. A professional conditioning treatment or hair mask can work wonders on your hair. If you prefer a DIY option, though, you can try hot oil treatments.

While your hair is recovering, avoid heat styling altogether. You should also cut back on washing hair—just a few times a week is enough.

How Long Does It Take to Repair Heat Damaged Hair?

Once you start to repair heat damaged hair, you need to be patient. Depending on the severity of the damage, it could take many months to repair the damage.

It can be hard to know how to repair heat damaged hair on your own, so you may need help from a professional. A protein treatment is your best bet to get damaged hair treated quickly. You might even see results after your first treatment if your hair only has mild damage. However, if your hair has moderate to severe damage, expect several months of regular protein treatments.

If you take steps to prevent further heat damage, you’ll see results sooner. Stop using heat tools. Keep hair hydrated. Also, get your ends cut every eight weeks or so to get rid of damage quicker.

Contact Us Today

You may be frustrated with your heat damaged hair, but you don’t need to resort to cutting it all off. There are masks and other products that can help repair damage. Explore Eluxe’s hair care products for heat damaged hair treatments that will restore your hair’s health.