Published 09:29 IST, October 14th 2019
Haircare tips: Here is why you need to stop using a hair straightener
Using hair appliances, especially hair straighteners can have some alarming effects on the structure of your hair. Here are haircare tips that you need to know.
Every girl dreams of smooth, silky and straight hair that sways along with the wind. No matter how dreamy it sounds, everybody is not lucky to get naturally straight hair. For such people, the obvious solution seems like hair straightening at home using an iron. Before you straighten your hair the next time, here are some pointers or side effects as given by a popular lifestyle magazine that you need to know.
1. Dryness
Do you see that steam that comes out when you use a hair straightener? It is the iron sucking out all the moisture from your hair. Every hair straightener works like this to secure the style in place. This makes your hair extremely dry and brittle.
2. Frizz
If you thought that straightening is a good solution to those frizzy and unmanageable tresses, you are wrong. The dryness caused due to the heating appliance makes the hair even more frizzy. Hence, the best way to get rid of your unmanageable hair is to use a good moisturising conditioner instead.
3. Hair fall/breakage
The next time you are using a straightener, place a white cloth on the ground, sit on it and then do it. After you are done, look at the amount of hair that has fallen which makes you one step closer to baldness. The heat that is applied to your hair is of a very high level and this disrupts the entire structure of your hair. This leads to more hair breakage or hair fall in the long run.
4. Dullness
With dryness and frizz, your hair is bound to lose the shine. The natural oils that are secreted from the scalp are in charge of the shine in your hair. A hair straightener makes sure that those oils do not exist. This leaves you with extremely dry and lifeless hair.
5. Itchy scalp
Since the oils in your scalp no longer exist, it is bound to leave you with a dry scalp. A dry scalp also means the inception of dry and flaky dandruff. If you fail to get this under control, there is also a chance of developing an itchy scalp or neck. The hair straightener kills your hair follicles which subsequently leads to an underproduction of natural oils on the scalp.
How to avoid these side effects
- The most obvious answer is to put away the hair straightener and embrace your natural hair. You can also limit the usage to once a week or even better, twice a month and on special occasions
- Always use a hair conditioner and serum
- Do not use hair appliances on wet hair as it is more prone to damage
- Pamper your hair to a weekly hair oil massage or a moisturising hair mask
Updated 19:23 IST, October 14th 2019