The truth about straightening your hair every day

Let’s jump straight in – the short answer is, “Yes, you could straighten your hair every day, but it’s eventually going to cause some damage your hair”. Thankfully Mofubelu says, “There are things you can do to minimise the wear and tear - by investing in the right tools and products”. Here are three ways you can still straighten your hair every day, but limit the damage.

Choose your weapon

When it comes to picking out a straightening iron, Mofubelu says you should look for something that has ceramic plates and an adjustable temperature control. You want to find the lowest setting that’s still able to effectively straighten your hair and stick to it. “Less heat means less damage”, he says. Also, ceramic plates are your friend as they distribute the heat evenly instead of developing lava-like hot spots.

As far as hairdryers go, pick one that has multiple heat settings with a high wattage. Again, this allows you to get the job done using the lowest temperature possible, but you can pick a high speed to do it fast. Ionic hair dryers are good at creating a speedier blow dry, which is great, but can over dry your hair, so rather choose a ceramic hair drier. These emit a particular type of infra-red heat that is less damaging. 

Serve and protect

If you’re using heat to style your hair, be it from a hair dryer or straightening iron, Mofubelu says you should always use a heat protectant product – most rely on silicone to do the shielding. It creates a seal around the hair shaft that increases its resistance to heat while trapping moisture. 

If you’ve got fine, flyaway hair, he suggests you look out for a lightweight spritz-on product. Those with thicker or curly hair would benefit from a heavier, serum-like formulation. 

Care and repair

Your product arsenal shouldn’t just stop at heat protection. Mofubelu says too much exposure to heat means that hair loses some of its natural moisture and damage is typified by a loss of keratin, the protein that gives hair its strength. “If you’re heat styling every day, you need use a hydrating, reparative shampoo and conditioner and treat your hair with a mask at least twice a week,” he says.

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