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It doesn’t matter if your hair is long or short, after washing your hair you probably use a hair dryer or a straightening iron, which is very good for the hairstyle, but not for the hair cuticle: it is damaged by high temperatures. Why do I need thermal protection for hair and which one is better to choose?
What is thermal protection for hair
The most common problems that girls face as a result of the constant use of thermal tools:
dryness;
split ends;
fragility;
dull color;
excessive fluffiness;
electrified hair;
loss of gloss and brightness of color.
This happens for the most part from the fact that under the influence of high temperatures the hair structure is injured. Thus, protection for hair from flat irons and hair dryers becomes a popular request, and the corresponding products become a kind of lifesaver for everyone who does bitter styling.
There are two types of thermal protectors:
Washable. These include shampoos, balms, conditioners and masks, which include substances that fight the effects of exposure to high temperatures.
Leave-in. Oils, conditioners, sprays, foams and mousses are applied immediately before hot styling or blow-drying and do not require rinsing. As a rule, these thermal protection products for hair envelop it, protecting it from the damaging effects of high-temperature gadgets, and at the same time help to retain moisture.
According to the editors of Healthy-Food, the best thermal protection works thanks to silicones, polymer compounds, amino acids, vitamins and other substances in the composition of the products. They help smooth the hair cuticle. Hot tools glide more easily over a protected surface and curls are less injured.
Leave-in products are much more effective than rinse-off ones, as they form a kind of protective barrier on the hair from the tips to the roots.
Types of thermal protective agents
In order for the heat protectant to work effectively and not become a cause for disappointment, it is worth choosing the type of product that best suits your specific hair type. What formats should be considered?
Thermal spray
Thermal protection spray for hair is more suitable for those who have soft, but rather capricious and naughty curls. Heat-protective hair spray is applied to clean, damp strands immediately before blow-drying, or to dry ones before ironing or curling. In addition to protecting against high temperatures, the spray as a bonus often tames the obstinate strands, making them submissive and smooth, fixes the hairstyle, moisturizes the curls and sometimes even adds visual volume to them.
Cream
The cream is an excellent heat protectant for curly strands. In the composition of creams with a thermal protective effect, as a rule, there are many useful substances that prevent hair brittleness and overdrying. These products moisturize and soften curls, simplifying the styling process. And they also help maintain a healthy hair structure, give the strands smoothness and shine. The most commonly used active ingredients are:
keratin;
vitamins of group B;
plant extracts (for example, calendula).
Oil
The best thermal protection for hair, according to the editors, can be safely attributed to such a format as oil. This is the perfect choice for dry, overly fine and frizzy hair. Oil helps to reduce all their problems to a minimum – promotes shine and provides enhanced nutrition. The main thing is to use the product correctly. Rub a drop of oil with your fingertips and lightly distribute it over the tips of dry or wet strands or, if necessary, along the entire length, in no case rubbing the oil into the scalp.
Foam or mousse
A versatile product suitable for all hair types. The main function is thermal protection. But with the modern cult of multifunctionality, such a tool often has additional useful properties, for example, it adds volume. Mousse or foam should be applied only to the hair, not to the scalp.
Lotions
These heat protectants are great for damaged hair. Often, thermal protection becomes just an additional function, and a rich nutritional composition primarily restores hair, neutralizes the electrified strands, and thanks to vitamins and proteins (if they are part of it), they help retain moisture. But be careful when choosing a product and study the label – some lotions are not suitable for working with irons and curling irons.
Serums for blondes
Special serums for highlighted and colored hair protect not only from high temperatures and color fading, but also from the sun. Most often, they do not fix the hairstyle, but they effectively support the color.
Any beauty product should be used for its intended purpose. To provide hair with full thermal protection, it is necessary to choose products in which this function will be among the main ones.
Review: The Best Thermal Hair Protection Products
The best hair protection products, according to the editors of Healthy-Food, are oils and creams. We really love it when such products also provide additional care, not only protection.
Cream from fragility Elseve “Checked with a comb. Ultra Strength, L’Oréal Paris
This leave-in cream is suitable for weak, prone to hair loss. The formula of the product, where the main roles are played by biotin, vitamin B5 and arginine, helps to protect and strengthen curls. Thermal protection – up to 230 °C.
The oil is suitable for all hair types. Thanks to its light, non-greasy texture, it is easily distributed and quickly absorbed, providing curls with intense nutrition and shine. The result is soft, smooth and flowing curls, which are also protected from the heat of hot styling.
Revitalizing cream-oil “Royal milk and propolis” Botanic Therapy, Garnier
For very damaged hair, this cream-oil is a real find! Restores their beauty and restores along the entire length, from roots to tips. The agent also has an antistatic effect, and also protects against thermal effects up to 230 ° C. Thanks to the cream-oil, the strands become soft to the touch, shiny and easy to style.
Firming cream-oil “Castor oil and almonds” Botanic Therapy, Garnier
As the name suggests, the ingredients include castor oil and almonds (almond oil). Cream-oil strengthens and nourishes the hair without weighing it down. Protects from high temperatures up to 230°C.
How to choose protection for hair from ironing and hair dryer
How to choose thermal protection for hair? Our answer is to carefully read product labels and select products according to the condition of the strands and the arsenal of thermal tools that you use.
Since many people use both a hair dryer and irons, it is not uncommon for several different thermal protection products to coexist on a shelf in the bathroom.
For a hair dryer are more suitable:
butter;
thermospray;
lotion;
mousse or foam.
Thermal protection from irons or curling irons:
cream;
cream butter;
spray.
Of course, there are no strict restrictions in this matter. Pay attention to how your hair looks and feels. Damaged, tangled, naughty curls are more suitable for all kinds of creams, and for normal and strong curls – thermal sprays.
How to use thermal protection
Usually, thermal protection products are applied to clean hair – it is unlikely that anyone will think of styling with an unwashed head. If you have to work with a hairdryer, then a small amount of the product is distributed directly over wet curls. For straightening or getting a cool curl, the product is applied along the entire length of dry hair. If the curls are not thermally exposed along the entire length, then the thermal protection agent is applied to that part of the strand that will be straightened with an iron or twisted with a curling iron, unless, of course, this agent does not combine the functions of hair care – nutrition, moisturizing, smoothing, etc. d.
Drying with a hairdryer
We are sure that most of those who are now reading this article use a hair dryer every time after washing their hair. Now check yourself if you are preparing your hair correctly for this simple procedure.
Do you use oil before blow-drying?
Do you oil your ends?
Hold the hair dryer at a distance of 20-25 cm from the hair?
If you answered yes to all the questions, congratulations – exactly what you should do.
When using an iron or curling iron
A completely different matter is hot appliances that heat up to 250 ˚С. We are talking about irons, curling irons, straighteners, etc. When they work, the thermal (and damaging) effect on the hair increases significantly, and additional protective equipment becomes an urgent need.
Apply a heat protectant and start styling right away. How to check if thermal protection is working? Just look at your strands after the procedure – shiny and even, they will tell you everything.