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Once your hair emerges out into the visible area of your scalp, you are dealing with a dead fibre. It is dead because there are no active growing cells in it. The implication here is that this fibre can only ever either stay in the condition it is as it emerges or wear down over time. There are no active cells within that part that has emerged to fix any damage.
If you can deal with the multiple textures and your hair is not breaking off in pieces, you can keep heat damaged hair. If the multiple textures are driving you insane, trimming is the only proven way forward.
I get these questions quite often, so I am featuring this one today from blog reader D. She writes
‘So I feel like I have a unique situation. I have heat damage but it’s not the kind you just trim off. The stylist actually weakened and compromised the integrity of my hair. Now that it’s cooler it’s even harder to keep my hair moisturized. I’ve added more protein in my regimen and I deep condition after every wash. Other than a wash n go, every other style stretches my curls and before my next wash day I’m left with straight pieces and waves all over, at least until I can get it into a long term protective style and re-transition back to my original curly coiled kinks. I feel like there’s no hope for my pattern to return. Doc is there anyway to come back from heat,weakened damaged hair? why or why not?’
‘So I feel like I have a unique situation. I have heat damage but it’s not the kind you just trim off. The stylist actually weakened and compromised the integrity of my hair. Now that it’s cooler it’s even harder to keep my hair moisturized. I’ve added more protein in my regimen and I deep condition after every wash. Other than a wash n go, every other style stretches my curls and before my next wash day I’m left with straight pieces and waves all over, at least until I can get it into a long term protective style and re-transition back to my original curly coiled kinks. I feel like there’s no hope for my pattern to return. Doc is there anyway to come back from heat,weakened damaged hair? why or why not?’
I hate to break it to you but the only permanent remedy to heat damaged hair is a trim. Here is why
1. Your hair is dead
2. High heat makes physical and irreversible changes to your hair at a molecular level
High or prolonged heat can physically and irreversibly change the natural structure of protein . Hair is made up of a protein called keratin. Keratin in hair has a natural twist in it called an alpha helix. This twist is present in all hair straight or curly. If you heat keratin to around 215-235°C ( 419-455F) the alpha helix starts to melt. This is a a physical change and it is irreversible, your hair will retain the shape of the melted keratin at a molecular level. Your hair shows you this molecular damage by not getting back into its natural curl or wave and staying straighter.
3. All damage to your hair is cumulative.
Remember you have no growing cells in the dead part of the hair so if the cuticle is broken, it will stay broken. If you heat treat and damage the cortex, it stays damaged. Your hair conditioner and gentle treatment can help prolong the life of the damaged hair but ultimately it is damaged and the damage will continue to progress.
Do you have to cut it off?
Ladies, what has your experience been with heat damage? Did you hang on to the damaged hair, or did you cut it?
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