Can You Use A Flat Iron On Damaged Hair?

Flat irons can be a wonderful thing for your hair. They're a fantastic tool that can create poker straight locks out of almost anybody's hair. Who can resist them when you're trying to look stylish?

However, without the right precautions your hair can become damaged. If you don't want to give them up, you're wondering, 'Can I flat iron my hair still?' This guide will let you know exactly what you can do to keep your hair looking great.

The damage we do to our hair

There's a few ways we damage our hair on a daily basis. Here's some of the things you want to avoid doing to keep your hair healthy.

• Using heated styling tools: Sure, we love our curling iron wands and flat irons, but they can be a nightmare for your hair. Use them every day without protection, and your hair will be fried faster than you can blink.

• Staying out in the sun: Sun worshippers will hate to hear this, but staying in the sun without a hat can cause serious heat damage to your hair. It can also burn your scalp, which is never fun when you come to brush your hair. Ouch.

• Dying your hair over and over: That colour looks amazing on you, but it can take a toll on your tresses. Bleaching and dying can cause real damage, making your hair straw like and prone to breakage.

• Perming: Perming your hair requires you to use chemicals to break the inner bonds of the hair shaft, in order to reshape it. If you do this often enough, it can cause irreversible damage to your locks.

When your hair has had enough

When your hair has become damaged, there's no real way of bringing it back. The only 100% successful cure is to cut the damaged hair off and start again. If you don't want to do that, you can use products and techniques to reduce further damage, but you won't be able to bring it back to the way it was.

Can you use a flat iron on damaged hair?

It is actually possible to use a hair iron set or professional curlers on hair that has suffered damage. That'll be a great relief to those of you who thought you wouldn't be able to style your hair until it had grown out. Now you can still grow it out, while looking good. The key is to limit the use of the heated styling tools on your hair while you're growing the damage out.

That may not be what you want to hear, but now is the time to start experimenting with up does and styles that don't require the use of heat. You may well find a new favorite way to wear your hair!

How to reduce further damage when styling

Still want to use your flat irons? No problem. Here's a few tips to avoid any further damage when you're styling your hair.

• Section your hair before you start: This will help you make sure you've got every section of hair as you're styling, and stop you from going over the same sections again and again.

• Use a smooth motion: When straightening a section of your hair, use one fluid, smooth motion as you pull your hair through the irons. This means you won't stop at any one section for too long, causing more heat damage.

• Avoid the blow dryer if possible: Sometimes, you need to give your hair the day off. This may sound like torture, especially if you don't feel your look is completed without a great 'do, but your hair will thank you for it. Try it if you're having a cosy day indoors watching Netflix!

• Use protectant products: There's lots of hair protecting sprays and serums on the market that you should try out. They protect your hair from heat damage by leaving a fine layer of silicone on the hair shaft, meaning there's a barrier between your hair and the flat irons. They'll protect your hair from further damage, so they're well worth checking out.

• Watch the heat settings: If you have a good tool, you'll have a range of heat settings that you can choose from. A lot of people just put the heat up to maximum when they use them, but don't! That's a sure fire way to cook your hair. Instead, keep it as low as you can go while still getting the results you want.

If you've damaged your lovely hair, all is not lost. You can still use your flat irons if you're careful to avoid further damage. Keep up some good hair care habits, and you'll never have fried hair again.