During my journey of embracing my natural texture back in 2010, I've used heat all of 3-4 times and took extreme precautions when I did so to prevent heat damage. What is heat damage? Heat damage is when the protein bond in the hair has been permanently damaged due to either, heat or chemicals such as colorants, dyes, relaxers or texturizers. Because the protein bond has been damaged, it is irreversible damage, so the best method, should this occur, is not to beat yourself up as hair will always grow back and either gradually trim the damaged hair (as in transitioning from relaxed to natural), or clip the damage all at once. I've blogged a few times on using heat to help with preventing heat damage, especially if you are choosing to apply heat to your own hair yourself...hey, I'm with ya, a stylist hasn't touched my tresses in over 8 years now.

At the present time, I am on a loc journey and have been for almost a year now, but I do have many social media supporters and customers who enjoy a little heat from time to time and I love to help share any information that will aid in keeping those tresses healthy.

MY HEAT DAMAGE FREE REGIMEN

STEP 1: Cleanse, cleanse, cleanse the hair. Applying heat to unclean hair increases the risk of heat damage due to the buildup, oil and dirt that's on the hair, so be sure to clean it. Try to avoid shampoos that contain sulfates (harsh foaming agents that are drying to the hair). Here's what I use: DUDU OSUM SHAMPOO

STEP 2: Deep Condition the hair as it improves the moisture and elasticity of the hair. Be sure to rinse the deep conditioner thoroughly to prevent buildup creating a 'smoky' atmosphere when straightening the hair. Here's what I use, NOURISHING DEEP CONDITIONER

STEP 3: Moisturize the hair to aid in protecting the hair against so much heat. Here's what I use: NATTY MOIST LEAVE IN CONDITIONER

STEP 4: Apply a sealant to the hair to help minimize exposure to so much heat, aiding in drying out the hair and causing heat damage. Here's what I use as a heat protectant and sealant, NATTY BUTTER HAIR + BODY BUTTER

STEP 5: Ok, so this is completely optional. I place my hair into two strand twists to allow to dry to at least 75-80%. This lessens how much heat needed from the blow dryer. TIP: Blow drying on sopping wet hair aids in using much more heat than needed.

STEP 6: Once my hair is 75-80% dry, working one twist at a time, I untwist then use a brush such as a denman brush to comb out the curls from the twists, then I apply very little NATTY BUTTER HAIR + BODY BUTTER as a heat protectant. Holding the blow dryer 4-5" inches away from my hair or use a dryer with a comb attachment...if you do not have one, gently glide a comb downward as you are blowdrying the hair. Optional, with a temperature setting no higher than 375 degrees (TIP: hair will burn and be exposed to possible heat damage at temperatures of 450 degrees or more), I slowly work my flat iron from root to ends. I do this until I have applied heat to all of the hair that was in twists.

My hair in twists prior to using heat              My hair after applying heat

SOME HELPFUL TIPS:

When using heat, I do not strive for bone straight, as I do not want to risk damage. My hair is very thick, so this took about 3-1/2 - 4 hours to do as I took my time so as not to rush. I also trimmed each section as I straightened. As I mentioned earlier, I've used heat 4 times since I did my big chop in 2010 and my hair has thrived with very minimal heat, healthy diet, good water intake, protective styling and healthy products. For more information on the DO'S and DONT'S of using heat, click the link HERE

For details on my Healthy Hair Regimen throughout my journey, check out the blog post HERE

As always, I hope this helps

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