How to Use Hot Tools Safely on Your Hair

There’s no denying how convenient hot tools can be when it comes to styling hair. However, there’s also no getting away from the fact that each time you use a heated styling tool, there’s a good chance that you’re causing some level of damage to your locks. Burns, breakages, split ends, and frizz are just a few of the issues that you could end up encountering if you use your hot tools incorrectly.

Does this mean that you need to stop heat styling your hair if you want to keep it looking healthy? Fortunately, no! There are several steps that you can take to ensure that you’re still getting the most out of your hot tools, yet without causing any harm to your hair. Read on as Nubi explains how to safely heat style your hair to perfection!

Choose the Right Tools

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First things first – not all hot tools are created equally. Just like every other product out there, some are far better than others, particularly when it comes to saving your hair from heat damage.

The first feature to keep an eye out for is a temperature dial. Many hot tools only offer a single temperature, which isn’t a problem if your hair is extremely thick or coarse. However, for everyone else, you’re unlikely to need quite so much heat to style your hair. Overdoing it on the heat will only cause unnecessary damage. The good news is that there are now more and more tools being created that offer an adjustable temperature, with Nubi’s Soft N’ Straight Ceramic 1.25” Purple Styler being one.

You’ll notice that our flat iron also comes with ceramic plates. This is known for being the gentlest plate material. It distributes heat evenly rather than creating hot spots that could burn your hair, making this something else to prioritize.

Many hot tools, including those from Nubi, also boast infrared heat and negative ion technologies. Both are geared toward heating the hair gently and safely, so as to prevent the appearance of heat damage.

Prep Your Hair

It’s easy to understand why many people choose to heat style hair that hasn’t been washed for a couple of days. It’s such a convenient way to give limp locks some extra shape and structure, enabling you to hold off on wash day for a bit longer. However, using hot tools on dirty hair is one of the worst things that you could be doing for your locks…

Why? Because when the high heat comes into contact with the dirt, sebum, product buildup, and everything else that’s lingering on your strands, it essentially ‘bakes’ those impurities into your hair. Not only will this leave your hair looking even more lifeless but those impurities are likely to end up burning, which will then leave the hairs that they’re attached to burnt as well. Plus, you also run the risk of spreading that excess sebum and dirt through your locks, therefore spreading the potential damage around too.

This is why hot tools should, ideally, only be used on clean hair. Start by washing your hair with a gentle shampoo and then follow up with a rich conditioner. Look for one that has been designed to leave the hair feeling stronger and more resilient. This will help your hair to hold up better when faced with heat.

Protect Your Hair

Heat protectants play such an important role in heat styling. Sure, you can style your hair without using one but this will only leave your locks susceptible to damage. If you want to heat style safely, a heat protectant is a must.

What exactly do heat protectants do? They give each strand of hair a protective coating. This coating then receives the full brunt of the heat from your hot tools. If any burning occurs, your heat protectant will take the damage, saving your strands from suffering the same fate.

Heat protectants are available in a variety of forms, from sprays and creams to mousses and serums. Whichever you choose, aim to apply your heat protectant while your hair is still damp. This is when it’s most permeable, which will allow your heat protectant to work to its full potential.

Use the Correct Blow Drying Technique

When hot tools are mentioned, people usually think of flat irons and curling wands. However, a hair dryer counts as a heated styling tool too. Just like those other tools, a hair dryer is also capable of damaging your locks…unless you know how to use it correctly.

This begins by making sure that your hair is about 80% dry before even reaching for your blow dryer. Why? Because if you start blow drying while your hair is soaking wet, this means that it’s going to be exposed to heat for a much longer period of time. Wait until your hair is almost dry and you won’t need to subject it to quite as much heat in order to finish the job.

Studies have also found that a distance of 15cm is optimum when using a blow dryer. This enables your hair to receive enough heat to dry it but without the heat being so close that it damages individual strands.

Section Your Hair Before Heat Styling

Whether you’re blow drying, straightening, or curling, it always helps to start by sectioning your hair. Many assume that this is just for convenience but it actually impacts the safety of your strands too.

How? For starters, section off your hair before applying your heat protectant and you’ll be much more likely to distribute the product evenly through your locks. Sections will also make it much easier and faster to actually heat style your hair. You won’t waste time running your hot tools over the same piece of hair again and again, which would have also caused some serious damage to your strands. When working with small sections, you’ll be able to give each one the full attention it requires. 

Keep it Moving

Localized heat damage is extremely common when using hot tools. This occurs when a heated styling tool is held over a section of hair for too long. Rather than the heat being evenly distributed through the hair, it ends up focusing on one area, resulting in burns and breakages.

This is why it’s so important to keep your hot tools moving as you work your way through your hair, particularly when using a flat iron. 

Regularly Clean Your Hot Tools

Whether your go-to styling tool is a hair straightener, a curling iron, or anything else, keeping your hot tools clean is so important if you want to continue to use them safely. After all, each time you use a heated styling tool, dirt, sebum, dead skin cells, product residue, bacteria, and more will end up transferring over from your hair to that tool. The next time you use that tool, not only will you then be pressing all of those impurities onto your clean hair, but they’ll also prevent you from achieving a smooth, silky, and snag-free finish.

How should you clean your hot tools? This depends on the tools that you use:

• Flat irons – once cool, try soaking a washcloth in some warm water and a gentle soap before running this over your flat iron plates. Rubbing alcohol on a cotton pad can also be very effective at removing stubborn residue. However, be gentle so that you don’t damage your flat iron’s plates while you’re cleaning them.
• Curling irons/wands – again, rubbing alcohol is a great way to clean a curling iron/wand. If yours is holding on to hard clumps of hairspray or other styling products, baking soda is another good way to clear this away. However, again, be gentle!
• Blow dryers – dust is the biggest issue when it comes to keeping a blow dryer clean. In most cases, you’ll be able to remove the back panel, making it easy to clear away dust. If yours is fixed on, you may need to use a pair of tweezers to extract any dust from your blow dryer’s dust fan.

Safeguard Your Strands While You Sleep

After putting time and effort into heat styling your hair, the last thing that you want is to have to start all over again the next morning. Fortunately, there are a few steps that you can take to safeguard your strands, encouraging them to retain the beautiful style you’ve shaped them in.

Protective hairstyles are the most popular method. A loose braid will save you from messing up your strands, as will gently wrapping your hair in a silk scarf.

Speaking of silk, this should be the material of choice for your pillowcase. It doesn’t absorb moisture in the way that other fabrics do. This will save your hair, as well as your skin, from feeling dry and dehydrated in the morning. Silk will also reduce the amount of friction that’s created when your hair rubs against your pillow. This will go a long way in preventing the appearance of frizz.

Give Your Hair a Break

As convenient as heat styling may be, it’s not something that you should be doing every day. Going overboard with how much heat you subject your hair to is only going to lead to inevitable damage, even if you’re careful with how you heat style.

To keep your strands safe, give them regular breaks from the heat. Experiment with a few heat-free hairstyles so that you’re able to beautifully style your hair without needing to turn to hot tools.

Summary

Hot tools can be a big game-changer when it comes to keeping your hair looking its best. However, there’s a dark side to these tools too. Use them incorrectly and your strands could end up suffering from damage that could take years to repair. 

Fortunately, the tips that we’ve shared above will keep you on the right track. Follow our advice the next time you’re using hot tools on your mane and you’ll be able to keep the appearance of damage to a minimum, ensuring locks that look sleek, soft, and wonderfully healthy!

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