The Story Behind Low Heat Styling
The idea behind low heat styling is that you get the benefits of straight hair without all the damage. Have you heard of the Coolway Flat iron? The makers of Cool Way claim that their flat iron* takes advantage of a special sensor technology that allows for early detection of moisture levels in your hair and can adjust the temperature of the iron* accordingly.
In addition to this they guarantee that the temperature will never exceed 299° F which means the elimination of damage caused by high heat, reduction of frizz, increased levels of hydration in your strands and the flat iron* can be used daily.
By no means is this an endorsement for that flat iron but rather just an observation that it’s certainly an exciting time in hair care in that people are thinking about ways to move away from high heat styling without totally abandoning heat all together.
For a lot of us curlies, our choices this far have been either to wear your hair curly all the time or risk heat damage when flat ironing to get super straight hair. But natural hair is about versatility I love the idea of wearing straight flowing hair one week and a shrunken braid n curl the following week.
Certainly the idea of straight hair without damage is fascinating but on the flip side if you hair is already damaged and not resilient to heat or much of anything, it doesn’t matter how low the flat iron* is set, more damage will definitely be done until the health of your hair is restored.
How to Prepare Your Hair For Low Heat Styling
Much like high heat styling your protein and moisture game needs to be on point if you choose to subject your hair to anything that may alter the bonds within the hair shaft.
Low temperatures does not necessarily guarantee less damage to your hair but healthy hair has a better chance of bouncing back (literally) when you return to curly.
To create resilience, try to deep condition your hair regularly and use proteins to build your hair shaft and keep your hair strong. Still keep heat styling to a minimum, I’m still not buying the idea that you can use any flat iron* daily. It will always be better to alternate between using heat and giving your hair a break because nothing done in excess is good for your hair.
So Could It Be The Next Big Thing In Black Hair Care?
Most certainly, we already have a group of closet heat users that are genuinely afraid to say “hey, I occasionally use a flat iron*’ and we have some individuals that are deathly afraid of using heat because the dangers of heat damage, but really want to try it. And then there a those that don’t give a flying fish about what anyone thinks and they use heat all the time but would love a guarantee of no damage.
Believe it or not black hair care especially natural hair care is still in it’s infancy in many circles and as women gain length you will find that as styling options go, flat ironing is a good method as any at keeping your hair stretched and reducing tangles and matting.
It is great to know that there are other options out there other than braids and rubber bands.
Bianca Dongen says
Super soft style
Franquesha Monea Williams says
Gina Bruner