I recently ran a little test to help explain heat protectors a little better. I’ve included a diagram with photo’s following the testing procedure.
I took one* swatch of hair, coloured it with a Tone on Tone/Demi colour and then split the swatch in half. One half was shampooed with ME&MY Damage Reversal Cleanser and no heat protector was applied, the other half was also shampooed with ME&MY Damage Reversal Cleanser but Angel Magic Moisture was applied before every blow dry. The swatch was then blow dried and rewashed a number of times. The results were very quickly seen in terms of colour fade but also the condition of the hair was rougher and had less shine with the half that had no heat protector.
Why it’s important to use a heat protector before styling hair using heat.
So, why do we need them and how do heat protectors actually work?
Heat protectors do exactly that – protect hair from heat which is typically generated from blow drying, straightening, curling with tongs/hot rollers etc. Heat styling temperatures can exceed 200 degrees celsius and continued exposure to heats this high can easily damage hair. The use of a product like Angel Magic Moisture helps prevent damage caused by heat styling.
Heat protectors work in a few ways –
- Add a protective layer that shields hair from intense heat.
- Seal/close the cuticle (outer surface of the hair) in order to reduce colour fade, environmental stress and increase shine.
- Add moisture to the hair structure to help avoid hair drying out and becoming brittle during the heat styling process.
- Increase elasticity of the hair so that hair can stretch further before breakage occurs.
Needless to say I ALWAYS recommend the use of a heat protector!
Sara x
*NB: One swatch was used to ensure hair conditions were identical in both test results.
