Maintaining Your Heat Damage

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I Have An Addiction
I will admit it, My name is Bryanna and I'm addicted to hair length. If there is ever a such thing as Long Hair Anonymous I would be the president. Ever since I was a child, I would dream of having super long hair like Rapunzel, except I would be the chocolate-girl with afro hair version LOL. Now, as a disclaimer I have always had "long" hair, my hair has always been past my shoulders touching the middle of my back. However in 2010-2011 I decided to experiment with heat styling and flat ironing, and as a result my hair experienced MAJOR breakage. Then to top it off, I have an obsession with hair color, especially red hair dye (I guess my inspiration change to princess-mermaid Ariel?). So imagine hair that is already damaged and then plopping hair color on it. Nonetheless, I was still able to maintain length while changing my hair color a couple of times my hair reached a max of 16 inches before I had a hair dye disaster that turned my hair green and involved the use of too much hair bleach. Sigh, I know, this is what happens when your young and reckless with your hair, but I learned from my mistakes though.

Earlier this year, my hair decided to give up on me, it gave its last attempt in the month of January to stay alive, and I have been trying to revive it ever since! Breakage, breakage, and more breakage! Not to mention the feeling of roughness like my hair had the Brillo pad as it's distant cousin. Therefore, as a result, I chopped of 4 inches of hair *tear*. Was I sad? Heck yeah! Although my trail and error with straight hair and hair dye was a lesson to be learned, and I was trying everything to hold on to those SUPER damaged ends, it had to be done. So as my new found best friend (Yeah I'm talking to you!) I will give you advice in maintaining length while you have heat damage.  Let my experience be a lesson for you! <3

CURLS 'AINT POPPIN!
When you think of heat damage, think of a relaxer except without the chemicals your curls have been altered by heat. Therefore, some of your curls may come back, some may not, and you may result into cutting them off because the two textures become difficult to maintain. I was lucky enough to have a slight alteration in my curl pattern, your experience may be different.
With heat damage, the cuticle of the hair is damaged and won't hold onto moisture as well as you regular hair. Don't panic, make sure to do weekly deep conditioning's as well as weekly protein treatments (until your heat damaged hair feels healthier). You will need to use a sealant (click here for a great homemade recipe for a hair butter) to help lock in the moisture that you put in the hair. Another great tip is to stay away from anything that will cause damage, i.e. using heat, hair color, and even allowing your hair to rub against harsh fabrics.

PROTECTIVE STYLING
Damaged hair needs love and care, and protective styling like braid outs and twist outs allow you to give your hair a break while trying to regain some strength. The style of braid outs and twist outs also allow you to blend the damaged hair with the healthier hair, making it easier to maintain. Below are some of my favorite styles. P.s. notice the change in hair colors!

CLIP, CLIP, CLIP!!
Yes it is possible to maintain the heat damage so that you won't have to go around looking crazy or cutting your hair really short, but eventually you will have to trim those ends. One of my problems was that i was trying to hold on to what needed to be let go of in the first place. You will find that there will be some strands that won't revive. These dead, straggly, and straight ends tend to tangle in to your curly hair and pose a threat when it comes to detangling.

GIVE YOURSELF A TIME LIMIT
Promote healthy hair growth by eating right, drinking lots of water (everyday!!) and styling your hair in a way that uses less heat. However, just like mentioned before, you will have to pick up the trimming sheers. You just don't have to do it all at once. Start with a regime like "every 2 months I'm going to trim off 1/2 an inch" , this way you will still be gaining length (depending on how fast your hair grows) while making your hair healthier by removing damaged ends.

Hopes this helps! Did I leave anything out? Comment Below so I can make sure I mention it in my next post.

THIS BLOG POST IS SPONSERED BY URBAN PRESTIGE, COME CHECK US OUT