Hair straightening products are awesome and they work wonders for your hair. Unfortunately, like most good things in life, they can also cause damage. There are some risks to your hair’s health when using straighteners and you should be aware of them.

Can Straightening Lead to Hair Loss?

First of all, let’s get a common myth out of the way. No, hair straighteners don’t lead to hair loss. The hair that’s outside of your scalp is actually dead already. The living follicles are inside your scalp. This means that there’s nothing you can do to the outside of your hair that’s going to make it fall out or stop growing.

However, this doesn’t mean that straightening can’t damage it. Straighteners can also make it look unhealthy and lifeless. If your hair is badly damaged, it can break at the scalp and this makes it look like your hair is falling out. That’s why some people who use straightening products see it coming out in the shower.

Heat Damage and Your Hair

In order for a straightener to work, it has to be really hot. Most of them run at anywhere from 200 to 450 degrees. If you have fine hair, you would want to make sure that you use a temperature that is less than the max temp.

Even at the lower temperatures, the heat starts to dry out your hair. It loses all of its moisture, and that is what can lead to hair health problems. If you use these styling products every day, you’re exposing your hair and scalp to more hot, dry heat, and this is what can make it look lusterless.

Tips on How to Protect Your Hair

Because it’s the heat that hurts your hair, take some extra measures to make sure that it’s moisturized. Besides using a heat protectant spray or serum, you will want to make sure that you use a good moisturizer and make sure that your shampoo and conditioner also provide plenty of moisture. You’re going to need as much as you can get to fight the drying effects of straightening.

There are also natural home remedies that you can use to keep your scalp healthy. One of these is lemon juice and black tea. You can massage these ingredients onto your scalp and then shampoo and rinse. This is good not only to fight the heating effects but also for overall scalp health.

You can also minimize the damage by buying a straightener that’s made with tourmaline like the Sedu hair straightener. This is a material that helps by spreading out the heat and keeping it from being concentrated in one area. Really cheap straighteners that don’t use this material have a habit of scorching one particular area more than the rest.

It’s totally possible to straighten your hair and keep it healthy. Just make sure that you use your styling products with care and take extra measures to keep your scalp moisturized. Oh yeah, and lay off the straightener a little bit!

More Reading:

Proper Hair Treatment leads to Healthy Hair Growth

Straightening Techniques For The Back Of Your Head

Tips For Straightening Naturally Curly Hair

Thank you for visiting my website about all things that have to do with haircare. I have personally used all of the flat irons above and I have also factored in other customer reviews, technology, durability and what you get for the price. I have also written a detailed review for each of these products and you can find them by clicking on the links at the very top of my site. Have a wonderful day!

Why Solia Is My #1 Choice

You really can’t go wrong with any of these 4 flat irons listed above, but my Solia flat iron has become my favorite for a couple of different reasons. First, you just can’t beat the price compared to all the other top brands, especially in this bad economy. The technology in Solia irons are very comparable to the other more expensive brands like Chi and Sedu. And second, I love that Solia gives you great color choices. I know this isn’t that big of a deal, but typically you have to pay more to get a color besides black with other brands.

Bottom line is this: If you are looking for a professional (high quality) flat iron with all the latest technology at the most affordable price, then the Solia flat iron is a great choice for you. I don’t like overpaying for anything, especially when it’s not necessary and I just don’t see the more expensive models being that much better to justify the higher cost. Having said that, the other brands do offer their own unique features and benefits that may suit your hair style better than Solia and you can read about each of them below…

You can read about each of these flat irons in more detail by clicking the links below:

SOLIA Flat Iron Review

SEDU Flat Iron Review

GHD Flat Iron Review

CHI Flat Iron Review