How Flat Ironing Affects Your Hair Color
Hey there! If you're a fan of sleek, straight hair, you probably love your flat iron. But have you ever wondered if it’s messing with your hair color? Let's dive into whether flat ironing is a friend or foe to your hair hue.
Getting to Know Your Hair
Let’s talk hair basics. Your hair has layers: the cuticle (outer layer), cortex (middle layer where the magic of color happens), and medulla (innermost layer).
Whether you rock your natural shade or love experimenting with dyes, understanding how your color works with heat is key.
The Flat Ironing Routine
So, what happens when you flat iron your hair? It’s all about the heat. The high temperatures–typically between 300°F and 450°F–temporarily break the hydrogen bonds in your hair's keratin structure. This helps you achieve that sleek, smooth look.
The Not-So-Good News About Flat Ironing
Heat and hair? Not always the best combo. High temps can rough up your hair cuticle, which is bad news for keeping your color vibrant, especially if you dye your hair. Heat can make your gorgeous new color fade faster. Semi-permanent and permanent dyes react differently to heat.
This process also causes moisture loss, which can make your hair feel dry and brittle the more you do it. For color-treated hair, the heat can interact with dye molecules, causing them to break down or be stripped away, leading to faster fading and dullness. This is particularly true for those with semi-permanent dyes, which sit more on the hair's surface compared to those deeper-penetrating permanent dyes.
Even for natural hair color, repeated exposure to high temps can damage the hair cuticle. Over time, this can make your natural color appear duller or lighter. To minimize damage and maintain your color, I suggest using the lowest temperature, ideally below 350°F, and limit flat ironing to just a few times a week.
Keeping the Damage in Check
Meet your new best friends: heat protectants. Let me explain how they work and which ones are best for keeping your color safe. Hair heat protectants create a barrier between your hair and heat styling tools to help minimize damage. Quality heat protectants contain humectants, which preserves moisture and blocks frizz; amino acids (like keratin), to strengthen hair and provide antioxidants; and natural oils and extracts, which protect and seal the hair’s cuticle. While some products rely on silicones and water-based polymers, these ingredients can leave a film on some hair types and end up weighing it down.
When should you use Heat Protectant? Before you begin your blowout. This gives added protection from the blow dryer heat–before you use your hot tools.
Apply section by section, and comb through to distribute the product evenly.
Turn your flat iron down! Take a few more passes instead of turning that flat iron all the way up to 450°
Take smaller sections to avoid needing as much heat to achieve the same result.
My all round favorite heat protectors are Kevin Murphy Heated.Defense perfect for every hair type, and Goldie Locks Blow Dry Spray for a little more slip and detangling help – plus it’s “hair extension-friendly.”
Love your flat iron and your color? You can have both! Stop into Salon DeZEN to pick up these products or grab online, and schedule an appointment to get your hair summer-ready!
See Also: Why Your Hair Needs SPF, Too
