But as with everything, heated hair styling tools come with both benefits and drawbacks. Although hair straighteners, curling wands, and other tools allow us to shape and set our hair in the way we want, they can also cause severe heat damage if we’re not careful. This is why using a heat protection spray for hair or heat protectant of some sort is crucial for your hair care routine—but more on how to use a heat protection spray for hair later.
Index
What Can Cause Heat Damage In Hair?
So what can cause heat damage in hair? And how can a heat protection spray for hair help?
Excessive Use of Hair Styling Tools
As we’ve already mentioned, your hair can become split, frayed, and dried out if you use too much heat on it while styling. Whether you’re blow-drying too often or spending hours flat-ironing your hair until it’s stick straight, applying too much direct heat onto your strands without using a heat protection spray for hair is a one-way ticket to dry and damaged hair. Not a good look.
Sun Exposure
We all know that too much sun can cause skin damage—so why would your hair be any different? Yep, it turns out that too much exposure to harsh sunlight can have a decidedly negative effect on the quality of your hair.
Thankfully there are several ways you can prevent heat damage from ever happening in the first place, with perhaps the best way being to use a heat protection spray for hair, like Thermal Shield Heat Protectant. In the summer, opt for Sun Defense Hair Mist to protect from the damaging UV-rays.
What Is Heat Protectant?
Essentially, a heat protectant or hair protector is a product that helps reduce potential damage to your hair when applied before using a heated tool. Some come in the form of heat protection spray for hair, while others may be a cream or leave-in treatment.
Benefits Of Using A Heat Protectant
Generally, a heat protection spray for hair or other heat protectant works by creating a barrier of sorts between your hair and whatever heat source you’re exposing it to.
Heat Protectant Benefit #1: Restores Moisture
Needless to say, heat styling tools dry out your hair—that’s how they get your hairstyle to stay in place. But by using a hair protector or heat protection spray for hair, you add extra moisture to your hair, keeping it silky smooth (even with your favorite heat-created styles).
Heat Protectant Benefit #2: Prevents Moisture Loss
Similarly, when you use a heat protection spray for hair or other hair protector, you prevent moisture from being lost, thereby keeping your hair healthier.
Heat Protectant Benefit #3: Damage & Frizz Control
A hair protector does exactly what its name implies: it protects your hair from unwanted damage! As an added benefit, the barrier created by your heat protection spray for hair defends against frizz too! Heat protectant for the win!
Heat Protectant Benefit #4: Smooth Cuticles
The hair cuticle is the outermost part of the hair shaft, which strengthens and protects the inner hair shaft. Normally the cuticle can become damaged by heat, but a hair protector keeps your hair cuticles soft and smooth, leaving your locks looking lovely.
Did you know that coconut oil is one of the most moisturizing oils or hair? It helps to restore the moisture balance of hair.
What Does a Good Heat Protection Spray for Hair Contain?
As with any product you’re using on your hair, skin, or nails, you want to make sure the heat protection spray for hair that you use is chock full of all-natural and hair-loving ingredients. Here are some of the top ingredients you should keep on the lookout for when you’re shopping for a heat protection spray for hair.
DayMoist CLR™
This natural, plant derived ingredient supports hydration flow in the outer layers of skin and hair. DayMoist CLR™ has been shown to effectively protect hair against direct heat when applied during heat styling. This makes it the star ingredient in Thermal Shield Heat Protectant!
Aquaxyl™
This sugar-derived compound provides deep (yet lightweight) moisture for hair, skin and scalp. By preventing water loss through evaporation, AQUAXYL™ helps hair and scalp to maintain their moisture level for 8+ hours. This ultra moisturising ingredient is a must-have in your heat protectant.
Beet Root Extract
Beet root extract is a powder made of the root of the Beta Vulgaris plant. It functions as a moisturizing and protecting ingredient in hair care products. Beet root is very rich in antioxidants and vitamins that protect against external aggressors, such as extreme heat.
Apricot Oil
Apricot oil is rich in essential and nutrient-dense fatty acids, vitamins A, C, and E. Additionally, a heat protection spray for hair with apricot oil will contain powerful antioxidants that help keep your hair safe from free radicals and oxidative stress.
Coconut Oil
When mixed properly with other ingredients, coconut oil can provide great nourishment in a heat protection spray for hair, leaving your tresses with a protective barrier that helps fight split ends and breakage.
Argan Oil
Jam packed with vitamin E and Omega-6 fatty acids, argan oil is a natural heat protectant that softens and tames frizzy hair. No wonder it’s so easy to find heat protection sprays for hair with argan oil in them!
My Picks: The Best Heat Protectants
My warmest recommendation as the best heat protection spray goes to Thermal Shield Heat Protectant formulated with DayMoist CLR™, Aquaxyl™, and beet root extract along with multiple other deeply hydrating and protecting organic ingredients that your hair will love. This silicone free heat protectant prevents from heat damage up to 200°C.
Another excellent option for those who prefer an hair oil rather than a heat protection spray is Split Fix™ Hair Oil, which is naturally UV and heat protective. This hair oil is suitable for all hair types and made with some of the most effective organic oils for hair. It is rich in nourishing organic coconut oil, argan oil and apricot kernel oil, which all are recommended above.
Do you have curly hair? If you don't like to air dry your hair every time but prefer to use a hair dryer with a diffuser, you should definitely not skip using a heat protectant. Instead of a heat protection spray, you can opt for Curl Crush™ Defining Gel that besides giving your curls definition, hold and shine protects them from heat damage and frizz.
How Do You Use A Heat Protectant?
So now that you know all the juicy benefits of using a good heat protection spray for hair, it’s time to test your skills. Here’s how to actually use a hair protector once you find the right one for you.
Start with Wet Hair
Gotta start with a clean canvas, right? Go ahead and shower and wash your hair as normal. For extra nourishment and moisture, we recommend Hairlust Split Fix™ Duo which keeps hair strong and silky smooth.
Detangle Your Hair
After gently patting your hair down with a towel or old t-shirt, it’s time to detangle everything. To make sure you don’t end up pulling your hair or causing breakage, use our Wet Hair Detangler Brush to easily get out any knots or clumps. Plus, the specially designed brush tips will give you a bit of a scalp massage too!
Apply a Heat Protection Spray For Hair
Now it’s time for the main event. While your hair is still damp, go ahead and grab your heat protection spray for hair. Spritz evenly across your head to ensure the product is well dispersed, focusing on the ends. Thermal Shield Heat Protectant can of course be used on dry hair in between wash days as well.
Now you’re prepped, primed, and ready to style.
Start Styling with Reduced Heat
Instead of going all-out like you might normally do, try styling your hair with ¾ or even ½ of the heat you usually use after using your heat protection spray for hair. Most of the time, you don’t need to set your heat tools on the highest setting anyway, so by dialing back the heat, you’ll be letting your heat protectant do its job better.
Finish Off with Styling Products
Lastly, finish off your style for little added protection and hold with these styling products.
Split Fix™ Hair Oil is the perfect final touch after styling with a heat protection spray for hair. Rich in nourishing organic coconut oil, argan oil, and apricot kernel oil, this lightweight hair oil effectively nourishes and moisturizes even frizzy and dry hair.
Final Touch Hair Spray is a non-aerosol, anti-frizz hair spray that gives hair medium hold and weightless shine without flaky residue. Thanks to its antioxidant-rich formula, this natural hair spray protects hair while it holds your style in place.
If you prefer a hair wax to give your hair hold and texture then I can give my recommendation for Mineral Clay Wax. This 100% natural, perfume-free styling wax offers firm styling to your hair with a dry, matte finish, while providing moisturizing and conditioning benefits.
Get to know our full collection of natural hair styling products here. No matter the look you want to go for there is something for everyone!
And voilà—you’re all done! Using a heat protection spray for hair really isn’t that hard, which is why it should be a routine part of everyone’s hair care routine.
A Heat Protection Spray for Hair Can’t Do It Alone Though
When it comes to keeping your hair safe from heat damage, a quality heat protection spray for hair is your best line of defense. But at the end of the day, it’s just one part of keeping a healthy hair care routine.
If you want to really keep your hair in top condition, a heat protection spray for hair alone isn’t going to cut it. Here’s a few extra tips and tricks you can incorporate into your routine to ensure your hair is as healthy as possible.
1. Start with Cleansing Your Scalp
Healthy hair starts at the scalp. Make sure you’re promoting good blood flow by gently massaging your scalp with your fingertips when shampooing in the shower.
You can also use a Scalp Delight™ Detox Scrub once a week to slough away any dead skin or product buildup that may have been causing your hair to appear dull and limp.
By taking care of your scalp, you’re helping build a healthy foundation for your hair protector and heat protection spray for hair to work even better.
2. Treat Your Hair with a Weekly Hair Mask
In addition to treating your strands with a heat protection spray for hair and your scalp with a detox scrub, it’s important to also treat your hair to a little mask action every now and then.
If you want to strengthen your hair and give a little added boost to your favorite heat protection spray for hair, try Split Fix™ Hair Mask. Formulated with aloe vera, açai, and oatmeal extract, it’s a great extra treatment for keeping hair resilient and shiny.
3. Use Low Temperatures or Let Your Hair Air Dry
One of our last tips on how to get the most out of your heat protection spray for hair is to simply dial down the heat.
Perhaps you can let your hair air dry every other wash or even go a few days of the week without putting any heat on your hair at all (after all, we love it when people rock their natural texture!). You can try using some no-heat styling options such as Bamboo Heatless Curls Kit to create gorgeous curls without any heat damage!
If you simply can’t bear the thought of going out without perfectly styled hair, simply try using your heat tools on a lower setting. Like we mentioned before, if you can bake a cookie at the same temperature your tool is on, you should turn it down. No amount of heat protection spray for hair is going to unfry your hair, so let’s not even go there.
All in all, heat protection spray for hair is a vital part of keeping your gorgeous locks looking and feeling great on the daily. And if you’ve gotten this far, you’ll know that it’s not just about having a great heat protectant, but taking the necessary steps before, during, and after styling to ensure your hair stays healthy and strong, no matter what style you’re going for.
