Why Using Flat Irons on Natural Hair Will Cause Irreversible Damage

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Dianne Austin

Dianne is the co-founder of Natural Haircare News and Coils To Locs.com. She's been blogging about natural hair ever since she made the decision to break free of the creamy crack in 2012.

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Even the most diehard naturalista wants to change her look now and again. For some naturals, changing our look means applying heating tools to temporarily straighten our natural hair.

The problem is, many of us are under the mistaken impression that because we are not applying chemicals, and are using heat styling products only occasionally, that there isn’t any real damage that can be done. Nothing can be further from the truth.

Too high of a heat setting or regular straightening with blow dryers, curling irons and the like can damage your curl pattern. Damaged hair is easy to identify: It will no longer curl or coil and it will look dull, dry and frizzy no matter what types of products you apply to your hair.

Once this type of damage occurs, your only option is to start over by cutting off the heat-damaged hair.

An article in the Huffington Post highlights five ways that your flat iron can be harming your natural hair:

1. Hair is like skin, it can get burned – only you cannot feel it.

2. Whenever you use heat styling tools, your hair is depleted of its natural moisture

3. If you have thin, fine curls then the damage from excessive heat is even greater.

4. Ironing your curls frequently can lead to permanent hair loss.

5. Steam damage occurs when you try to heat style your hair while it is wet.

Read more about the true effects of straightening tools on your natural hair here.

“Changing attitudes about natural hair” is what we do at Natural Haircare News. Through informative articles, podcasts and videos, we go beyond just sharing the latest advice and tips on kinky, curly, wavy haircare – We shake things up and focus on the realities of wearing our hair natural.