How to Protect Your Hair from Physical and Chemical Damage

Looking great for one day may never be worthwhile if the hairstyle will eventually cause damage to your hair. Maintaining healthy hair is a challenge, especially in this day and age when there are numerous hairstyles that involve excessive use of chemicals, pulling of the hair and exposing it to excess heat. If you’re wise you’ll take measures to protect your hair when choosing a style.

Today we’ll look at some forms of heat and chemical damage that you need to avoid. From very thin braids to hair scarfs that are too tight and dryers that emit too much heat, we’ll cover them all. The idea is to help every woman out there maintain healthy hair by avoiding techniques that cause more harm than good.

Applying excessive heat

Applying excessive heat directly to the hair can cause serious damage. Heat causes the cuticle layer of the hair strand to be exposed. When this happens, the heat makes its way to the inner layers causing irreversible damage. Excess heat basically damages the structure of the hair.

How to avoid heat damage

There are several ways that you can protect your hair from heat damage. One is of course using a small amount of heat to dry or style your hair. We’ll mention some other options below.

Using a heat protectant

Heat protectants work by making sure the cuticle layer of each hair strand is covered so as not to tamper with the structure of the hair. They come in different forms: from sprays, serums, gels and lotions. You need to find a heat protectant that is ideal for your hair. Among the things you need to consider when choosing the product is the texture of your hair as well as the density and ingredients. If you have fine hair, go for sprays as opposed to lotions because they do not weigh down the hair. But if you have natural coarse hair, a serum or lotion would do just fine. Bear in mind that there are also natural or organic heat protectants like olive oil, sunflower oil and coconut oil which work wonders when it comes to protecting your hair from heat damage.

Forms of physical damage

There are other ways that you can damage your hair without applying any heat. Good example is in the braided hairstyles that many women prefer. Braids that are too tight tend to cause strain on your hairline. Staying with braided hair for too long can also cause permanent damage. Using a tight scarf to tie your hair when sleeping can cause the hair strands to weaken and slowly detach.

Chemical damage  

Last but not least, hair can be damaged by excessive use of chemicals. Hair relaxers have to be used sparingly because they contain chemicals that alter the hair structure. If you have to wear a human hair weave, buy a hair closure that will help to protect your hairline. Having to retouch the hair whenever you want to put on a weave can put extra strain on the hairline.