Hair dryers, curling irons, flat irons and more --- the many products you use to style your hair can cause damage that leaves your locks looking less-than-lustrous. Because you rely on styling tools to look good, protect your hair with a shampoo designed to treat and reduce the incidence of heat-damaged hair. Knowing which products work best for your hair type can help you to best protect your hair.
Significance
Your hair is composed of dead protein strands protected by shingle-like pieces of keratin proteins. When you apply heat styling products to the hair, the heat can damage or destroy the proteins, according to The Beauty Brains, a haircare educational resource web site. It also can strip the hair of natural oils and moisture that keep the hair strands healthy and thick. While heat styling affects different hair types in various ways, frequent use is likely to affect most hair types.
Types
Two types of heat-protecting shampoos exist, according to The Beauty Brains. The first are heat-activated shampoos, whose ingredients, such as fragrance or protecting oils, are released when heat is applied. The Beauty Brains finds these products are less effective at protecting hair than heat-protecting shampoos. These heat-protecting products coat the hair to protect it against damage from heat styling. However, a number of products can achieve this protective effect --- not solely heat-styling products.
Ingredients
Shampoos for heat-damaged hair typically contain ingredients like proteins and humectants to protect your hair, according to the Daily Glow. Humectants help to hold moisture in your hair while added proteins work to rebuild your hair's structure. Because heat damage can damage the cuticle, leaving it ragged, the proteins work to fill in the damaged areas of the hair cuticle.
Use
Using a heat-protecting shampoo followed by a heat-protecting conditioner can help to reduce damage and reduce buildup, according to "Good Housekeeping." To seal in added moisture, rinse your hair with cold water after you shampoo and condition --- this will help to prevent the conditioning agents from being stripped away.
Time Frame
Remember that heat-protecting shampoos are only a temporary fix to treating your damaged hair, according to Salon Web, a haircare informational web site. If you continue heat styling, yet discontinue your shampoo, you can experience damaged hair once again. For this reason, you may consider more permanent solutions, such as reducing the frequency by which you use heat styling products.
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