How to style your hair without causing damage
Let’s face it, life’s just more fun when you’re feeling good about your hairdo. And while there’s nothing wrong with leaving it loose and natural whenever you want, styling can help increase your confidence and give you that extra bit of pep in your step, right when you need it.
The problem most people face with hair styling is that doing it excessively can often cause irreversible damage. There’s nothing wrong with getting the heat tools out every once in a while, but if you enjoy using them to create cool looks on a daily basis, you might find that your hair ends up lacking moisture as a result, leading to dryness, brittleness, and the dreaded split ends.
Of course, there’s no way to ever prevent damage from styling to hair – and why would you want to? That would be like cutting out all chocolate because you know it’s bad for you, instead of just moderating your intake. But there are things you can do to lessen the effect of styling, without having to quit altogether. Here are just a few ideas:
1. Minimise wet hair styling
When your hair is wet, each strand is weaker, more fragile and more susceptible to breakage. While using your normal brush to get the knots out would normally be totally acceptable, with wet hair, try to avoid doing so until it’s dry. If you really need to get styling, try to wait at least five to ten minutes after you’ve finished showering, then use a wide-tooth comb. You’ll find that it’s a lot kinder to your hair than most hairbrushes.
2. Ditch the hairdryer
We know, we know – sometimes, when you’ve slept through your alarm or spent slightly too long scrolling through Facebook, there’s just no time to air-dry your hair in the morning. Before you reach for the hairdryer, though, try out a few of these handy fast air-drying techniques first.
After you’ve gently patted your hair with a towel to get rid of some of the moisture, take a few paper towels (kitchen towel will do) and dab them on your hair to soak up the moisture. It’s not really surprising that kitchen towel quickly soaks up water from hair – that is its job, after all. You can also use your hairdryer on cold to minimise heat damage. It won’t feel cosy and homey, no, but it’ll help you dry your hair fast without having to resort to heat.
3. Use scrunchies for tying back wet hair
Need to get your hair into a pony or bun, but don’t have the time to wait for it to dry after showering? That’s okay, as long as you go for the kinder alternative to elasticated bobbles: the humble scrunchie. Not only are scrunchies a godsend for quickly and harmlessly styling wet hair, they’re also bang on trend, too. Double points for you if you already use them.
4. Go back to the braid-basics
Remember the innocent primary school days of plaiting your hair the night before school for irresistible waves (or frizz, if you went at it with a hairbrush) the next day? Well, we vote for those days to be brought well and truly back into the present. Braiding your hair is kinder to the hair than, say, a curling iron, and the bonus is that you can do it in advance, meaning when you’re rushing around in the morning, all you have to do is unravel your plaits and you’re good to go.
5. Smarten up your colouring
Hair dye is one of the coolest ways to stand out, but be wary of doing too much, too soon. Generally, try not to go three shades lighter or darker than your current shade if you want to avoid too much damage. Also, when you’re topping up a shade, you need only focus on your roots if your overall colour hasn’t faded too badly. Remember, a hairdresser can help you achieve your desired shade through the safest and hair-happiest means.
6. Straighten hair naturally
There’s no denying that there’s something inexplicably appealing about sleek, straight hair, but how can you achieve the look without resorting to heat tools? To straighten your hair without heat, simply wash your hair with a straightening shampoo and conditioner (you can find plenty of them in your local beauty shop), then cover it with an extra-absorbent microfiber towel. Leave until it's mostly dry, then blow dry it on the coldest setting, using a flat paddle brush to keep your hair straight.