Use Natural Hair Care Products? Make Sure You're Not Doing This

A few years ago, I became obsessed with hair oils, of all kinds. Wake up? Slick back fly-aways with coconut oil. At work on my lunch break? Whip out my travel bottle of argan oil to hydrate my ends. Before bed? Apply castor oil. On the weekend? DIY olive oil mask. I wanted to tend to my dry, dehydrated hair, and vats of oils were my solution.

Here's the problem: During that time in my ever-evolving hair journey, I was also doing plenty of heat styling with blowtorch-like dryers and searing flatirons.

"It's when the strand has been compromised by using a very intense heat source," says hairstylist Sal Misseri. "This could be both after a single use of extreme heat or repetitive use."

"Heat protectants are simply products designed to withstand high temperatures by creating a barrier around the hair shaft and protecting the hair's cuticle," says Misseri. Ideally, too, your heat protectant will also have hair healing actives as well. "There are many different ingredients used, but you should look for options formulated with antioxidants as well as proteins to help strengthen the hair."

And with heat styling, your technique matters just as much as your products: As you are applying, make sure your hair is fully saturated with the product. "Every strand that isn't coated with the product isn't getting protected," says Misseri. Most people simply coat the top, front layer, and forget about the rest of the head. Instead, divide your hair into small individual sections to apply thoroughly.

Here's where things get interesting! If you are a dedicated oil user, not all options are off limits: You just need to use appropriately. For any foodie out there, you probably know that different oils have different burning points. It's why if you cook with olive oil, your kitchen will smoke up faster than if you did, say, sunflower seed oil: Olive oil can start burning at temperatures as low as 320°F while sunflower seed oil burns at around 440°F.

And there are a few popular oils that have high smoke points that are also great for hair: We recommend sunflower seed, grapeseed, argan, and avocado oils.