Excessive Heat
High heat is necessary for the best performance from a blower, flat iron, curling iron, and hairdryer. However, if used improperly or excessively, there’s a possibility that the cuticle may damage due to high heat. Humid and hot weather may also cause hair to become brittle and dry.
Giving the hair at least once a week vacation from all styling equipment is one strategy to prevent general heat damage. Choose ceramic-style tools to lessen the heat damage caused by hair styling equipment because they heat up more evenly and are sometimes stuck on the same portions of the hair.
The hair’s keratin strands change structure when exposed to extreme heat. Overheating causes the ⍺-keratin to be converted to the β-keratin, weakening the hair, making it less elastic, and more vulnerable to breakage. The hair retains that shape when the keratin is melted, and the process is irreversible.
When the moisture in the hair is heated and converted to steam, bubbles form inside the hair shaft, indicating thermal damage. Clinically, the hair appears kinked and breaks off; the condition may progress to regional alopecia with time.
