Permanent Hair Straightening: Everything You Need To Know

Let’s face it, everyone who doesn’t have naturally straight hair fantasizes about having poker straight tresses that sway freely in the breeze. We understand. We understand your want, desire, and utter need to straighten your hair. Hair straightening, whether done at home with a straightening iron or in a salon with a chemical treatment, has a slew of negative side effects that can ruin your hair. “WHAT ARE THE SIDE EFFECTS?” You must be wondering aloud, “WHAT DISASTER?” So, here’s everything you need to know. Side Effects Of Hair Straightening.

What Are The Consequences Of Straightening Your Hair?

Permanent hair straightening and at-home straightening include a variety of adverse effects, ranging from dullness to hair loss (1).

Permanent Hair Straightening: Everything You Need To Know

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1. Lack of moisture

When straightening your hair, have you ever observed smoke emerging from it? That’s not smoke; that’s steam. To straighten your hair and keep the style in place, a straightening iron works by sucking all of the moisture out of it. And the only way for your hair’s moisture to leave is for it to evaporate and turn into steam. This is why, once you wash your hair, it returns to its natural form since moisture is restored.

Using heat styling equipment and chemical treatments on a daily basis, according to Dr. K. Harish Kumar, MD, DVL, can deplete your hair’s natural oils and make it excessively dry and brittle.

2. Frizzy hair

So you thought straightening your hair was the most effective approach to eliminate frizz? Hair straightening, unfortunately, is extremely counter-intuitive in this scenario (1). This is because the dryness induced by constantly straightening your hair causes more frizz rather than less.

3. Defectiveness

It’s reasonable to claim that temporary and permanent hair straightening weaken the structure of your hair strands now that you know they can cause excessive dryness (1). As a result, your hair’s individual strands become more prone to breaking right in the middle.

4. Separated Ends

Split ends occur when your weakened hair begins to break from the middle (1). They not only show how fragile your hair is, but they also make your tresses look unattractive.

5. Boredom

The lovely, healthy sheen of your hair is due to the natural oils from your scalp and the moisture in your hair (1). Straightening your hair removes these two components, leaving you with dull, lifeless tresses.

6. Hair Loss

Heat damage not only your hair but also your hair follicles when used on a frequent basis (1). Permanent hair straightening chemicals cause irreversible harm to your roots. What happens if your roots are weak? Of course, your hair begins to fall out!

7. Hair Loss That Is Permanent

You’re mistaken if you think you can straighten your hair for years and then restore its health by just putting your straightening iron away one day. Using chemical relaxants and heat styling equipment on a regular basis might destroy your hair follicles, resulting in permanent hair loss (1).

8. Itchy Scalp

The death of your hair follicles also causes a reduction in the production of natural oils that keep your scalp hydrated. As a result, your scalp will become dry, flaky, and itchy, which may spread to your forehead and neck.

9. Permanent Changes in Hair Texture

Permanent hair straightening uses chemical compounds that can permanently change the texture of your hair (1). There are no hair care solutions or masks that can assist you to reclaim your naturally healthy hair strands. At this point, your only alternative is to let your natural hair grow out entirely.

10. Hair Growth Is Slower

Regularly straightening your hair without applying a heat protectant might permanently damage your hair cuticles, resulting in slower hair growth (1).

11. Unattractive Roots Regrowth

What’s worse than having your hair permanently straightened? I’m waiting for it to mature. Your roots (obviously!) grow out in their natural texture, leaving you with wavy/curly top hair and straight bottom hair.

Itchiness on your body is number twelve.
When some smoothing creams come into touch with heat before straightening your hair, they create formaldehyde gas (2). (3). Exposure to this toxic gas on a regular basis might irritate your skin, nose, eyes, and lungs. It has the potential to cause asthma (4).

Allergic Reaction No. 13

You could be allergic to the chemicals used in permanent hair straightening procedures without even realizing it. These chemicals can cause irritation on your scalp and skin, rashes, and redness and inflammation in your eyes, which can happen right after the treatment or a few days later.

Hair straightening’s side effects seem terrible. However, if you don’t want to fully avoid straightening your hair, it’s understandable. To avoid the negative consequences of hair straightening, adopt the following precautions.

How To Avoid Hair Straightening Side Effects
To keep your hair from being fully fried by your straightener, use a heat protectant before straightening it.
Limit yourself to straightening your hair only twice a week. At all costs, avoid doing it on a daily basis.
Use a low or medium temperature setting on your straightening iron.
When your hair is wet, it is at its weakest and most prone to breaking, so never straighten it (1).
To restore moisture to your hair, oil it and use a conditioner every time you wash it. You may also deep condition your hair every two weeks to give it an extra boost of hydration (1).
Every other week, use a natural hair mask comprised of yogurt, coconut milk, honey, and olive oil to hydrate your hair.
To restore your hair’s luster, rinse it with apple cider vinegar (two tablespoons ACV in a cup of water).

You may avoid the negative side effects of any hair straightening procedure, whether permanent or temporary, by following these basic measures. Leave a comment below to tell us how you care for your straightened hair.

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