Concept: Unseen heat damage

One of my recent articles stimulated discussion about whether damage can be happening without it being seen immediately. In my response, I described overheating bread in the microwave. So I decided to literally put my theory to the test.

I purchased two Kaiser rolls. Both rolls started out soft. I wrapped one in a dry paper towel and put it in the microwave. I set the microwave to about a minute and a half. I pressed the "on" button, and the roll was off to heating. At the forty-five second point, I started seeing steam. At the minute point, the microwave glass looked foggy and I smelled the bread "cooking." Finally, a very long minute and a half ended. I left the microwave untouched for about 3 minutes to write down my notes. Then I open the microwave to discover that 50% of the bread was "hard as a rock." The dry paper towel that the roll was wrapped in was then very damp. The roll got harder as it continued cooling down.

You can see the before and after pictures of the two rolls. The picture with the damp paper towel is the after picture. There is some visible change in the surface of the kaiser roll that was overcooked, but it is far from burnt. If you did not touch the roll, then no one could see a difference between the microwaved roll and the fresh roll.

I had to use a knife to cut the microwaved roll. It was dry and crumbling. The fresh roll was easy to pull apart and to eat. I did not attempt to eat the overheated roll.

I researched microwaves, and they concentrate on water molecules. "Microwaves" are "electromagnetic waves." They work based on negative and positive charges similar to flat irons. The technology in the flat irons is a little different. Please research the technology differences at your convenience.

My main point was to show that damage can happen without necessarily seeing it on the surface. I am still caution about potential unseen ionic flat iron damage.

Another "food for thought" article. Ha Ha Ha. No pun intended, but the fresh Kaiser roll was delicious!

Flat Iron recommendations from year 2010

I stumbled across this article in a Woman's Day magazine dated November 17, 2010, page 50. Can you believe that it says "Whatever you do, never set the (flat) iron over 400 degrees - it can cause hair to dry out and break."? The kinkier the hair; typically, the higher the heat that is used; but this article says high heat like "450 degrees" is damaging to all hair.

I remember some of the adjustable Chi (Farouk) Turbo flat irons did not get hotter than 356 degrees. This temperature was not hot enough to straighten kinkier hair, but it makes sense now that the flat iron was not designed to damage hair. The hair industry kept asking for higher heat temperatures for styling purposes; however, maintaining the health of the hair took a seat on the "backburner." Not good.

If you are still using a flat iron, then hopefully, you are using it for minor touch-up on the ends and on low heat!

Flat iron damage: Plate Burn Pattern

Occasionally, people are selling used flat irons on line such as this one pictured. Do you see a solid black area running down the center of the flat iron plate? Well, this is a sign that you are frying your hair by not using enough heat protection serums/sprays prior to using this flat iron. Although, this is not the worst picture I have seen, but this was the only picture I found during the time of me composing this article.

I may add a few more pictures as I run into them on the Internet to give you a better idea of "frying hair." I recently sold four professional flat irons online. All were used and not one had a "burn pattern." They all looked brand new. I had to remove heat protector "clingy" residue from the side ridges of my flat irons, but the plates stayed a uniform, consistent color unlike the picture I obtained from the Internet in this article. The fact that my "used" flat irons had no burn patterns were a sigh of relief. It let me know that while I still feel that ionic flat irons "microwave" hair, I was using adequate heat protection serums to prolong as much short-term damage as possible.

Remember once the hair is extremely damaged; it will eventually break off. Please see my article on the flat iron free pledge and consider going back to the curling irons.

Fried versus Fro'ed as in Afro!

(Photo credit: pgbeautygroomingscience.com) Judging by the all over texture of this head of hair, I would say that this model has "fried" her hair. There is straight, long hair, and then there is short, frizzy hair all present on the same head.

I do prefer to have an afro in lieu of fried hair. The "fried hair" typically will not smooth out no matter how much treatment, leave-in conditioner or heat that is applied.

Fried hair can be caused by heat (probably in this case) or by chemical. If you over-relax the hair by excessive overlapping then it will erode the cuticle. If you add pure protein treatment to the hair on the same day as a relaxer then the already slightly opened cuticles will absorb too much protein and blow the cuticle wide open where it will not close up. Chemicals involving peroxide which includes lightener and haircolor can potentially overprocess hair as well. Peroxide is designed to elevate the hair cuticle to remove pigment or deposit color.

Chemicals are designed to manipulate hair cuticles to alter the internal hair shaft. You don't want to blow the cuticles wide open such that the hair breaks or one can not close the cuticle back down.

The only way to know if your hair is frizzy because it has texture in it (i.e. underprocessed) versus being overprocessed is by its ability to straighten and smooth out. If hair will not smooth out - then no more chemicals nor heat need to be applied. Try extra curl hairstyles until one can grow out the overprocessed areas. Otherwise, if the frizzy hair smooths down, and is re- activated by humidity or sweat, then it is underprocessed. Underprocessed hair is like a raw vegetable . . . you can continue cooking carefully making sure that you do not lose all of its firmness.

The Best Detangler for all natural hair types!

Type 4c hair? No worries! Mixed Chicks deep conditioner softens all healthy hair types! So if you are naturally curly and not too "heat trained" then this conditioner works very quickly to detangle without any heat. 30 seconds to 5 minutes and rinse!
Mixed Chicks Deep conditioner works great on hair with tightly closed cuticles, and it will not weigh it down. On hair where the cuticle is eroded from heat damage, I have found this conditioner to not absorb into the hair. However, once the damaged hair has begun to heal and the natural curl pattern starts to return, then this conditioner will absorb and work fine. The use of "organic" coconut oil that is bought from a "Organic Specialty" type store is recommended as a pre-shampoo treatment if you think that your hair is heat damaged. Note: Organic Root Stimulant product line has a "coconut oil" blend, but this is not the same as a more "pure organic coconut oil." Also, many other product lines are adding coconut oil to their ingredients.

Organic specialty stores include places like The Vitamin Shoppe, Earthfare, Healthy Home Market, Trader Joes, and Whole Foods stores. Please search for my separate article on coconut oil.

Looking for Mixed Chicks Deep Conditioner? Beauty supply stores nationwide are starting to carry it or just purchase online from the Mixed Chicks website.

Heat Trained Hair: Heat damaged hair?

Are you thinking cut or not to cut? Loving the extra length when sporting the "straight look?" But challenged by the straightness of the ends when desiring to wear the "naturally curly look?" It is definitely time to review the topics of "heat trained" and "heat damaged." Please start by reviewing this youtube link:
Heat Trained may mean "heat damaged" hair.
Click on this link above to watch a youtube video story that was very profound. According to her story, in as few as three flat iron visits . . . her hair became almost relaxed. She says a lot of "ums" throughout the video, but her story is interesting. Why? If flat ironing naturally curly hair will "heat damage" it then what if you have already relaxed hair and you flat iron it?

Any extreme heat source can cause damage including hard presses. This is a "food for thought" article.

If clicking on the embedded link does not work, then please copy/paste this url address: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvO3VD78xeA

The photo attached is owned by me and is a separate visual from the youtube link. I do not own the video in the youtube link. As long as it remains on youtube, then the link to it should work.