If you have a special event coming up and you want to look your best for it, you’re probably considering dying your hair so it looks fabulous. Maybe you already have an appointment at the salon to get that amazing color you want.
However, coloring your hair is only half the challenge of achieving a great hairstyle. The other half has to do with getting the right style for the occasion. Achieving the perfect hairstyle may leave you wondering, can you flat iron your hair following color? Read on to learn why you shouldn’t heat style your hair right after coloring it.
What is Heat Styling?
First, to know if you should flat iron your hair after coloring it, you need to know exactly what heat styling is and how it affects your hair. Heat styling uses appliances such as blow dryers, flat irons and curling irons to change the shape of your hair.
Heat styling techniques require temperatures of 300 degrees Fahrenheit or applied to your hair strands. This application of heat allows the keratin in the nails of the hair to pass from alpha-keratin (the natural structure of the hair) to beta-keratin, which makes it possible to reshape the natural shape of the hair to the desired one.
Can you flat iron your hair right after coloring it?
You can flat iron your hair after coloring your hair, but this is not recommended by hair colorists in general.
Now let’s discuss why you shouldn’t style your hair with heat immediately after coloring it. For the first 72 hours after coloring your hair, the hair cuticles remain raised; This 72-hour window is when your hair color is most at risk for change.
To avoid a change in hair color, you should avoid activities that will cause the hair to change; This three-day rule of thumb includes shampooing, avoiding excessive sun exposure, and heat styling.
How to heat dyed hair safely?
It is also important to note that even after the 72 hour window, applying high heat to your hair strands will fade your hair color. Color fading due to heat styling is especially true for dyed hair.
So it’s essential that if you like to heat style your hair often, you should use a good heat protection product before and after to minimize the fading effects that flat ironing will cause.
So, can you flat iron your hair right after coloring it?
Now that you know if you can flat iron your hair after coloring, you can better prepare for that special event you’re planning or that trip to the salon. Avoid using heat on newly colored hair for 72 hours afterwards.
Common questions
If you still have unanswered questions, below are some of the most frequently asked questions.
It doesn’t matter if your hair is colored or not; Heat can damage it. Especially if you over-style your hair using heat. Normal heat styling can damage the outer layer of the hair (cuticle), causing it to lose moisture, become dry and brittle and more prone to breakage and split ends.
The general rule is to wait at least 72 hours before styling your hair with any heating equipment as this window gives your hair’s cuticles enough time to close and lock in the hair color. However, some stylists will suggest waiting up to a week to be safe.
Yes, luckily there are many products available to help protect your hair from the damaging effects or color fading of heat styling. However, it is important to note that using these products as directed is essential to effectively protect your hair.
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