We wash, dry, brush, style, and then go out to the scorchingly hot Cairo summer sun. And then we complain our hair might be a little dry.

Newsflash: Heat damages hair. It’s simple, but we often ignore it, and we are often less than knowledgeable about the unhealthy relationship between your hair and heat of all sorts.

So if you have been less than kind to your hair, read on for tips on how to avoid and repair heat damages.

 

How to Avoid Damages:

1. Silicone protection: Always use silicone-based heat protection serums or creams to form a shield around the hair and protect it from excessive styling, the sun and heat. Make sure to use a clarifying shampoo once every two weeks, however, to get rid of silicone build up which can weigh your hair down. Try TIGI Bed Head’s Spoil Me, Moroccan Oil Hydrating Styling Cream or Kerastase’s Elixir Ultime or Oleo Relax serum.

2. Dry before styling: Never straighten or curl the hair when it’s wet as it stretches the hair and causes breakage. Instead, blow dry on the coldest setting without brushing or let it air dry until about 70% dry and then style. Similarly, do not rough it up with the towel and touch it as little as you can while wet as this is when it’s most vulnerable.

3. Choose lowest heat possible: If you’re not a professional stylist — and we’re suspecting you’re not — avoid high heat settings and opt for lower than 400 degrees. A good styling tool — be it an iron or a blowdryer — will have several heat settings.

4. Know your hair: You need to know the minimum heat necessary to style your hair, if you have soft, fine hair, you need lower heat than a person with thicket, coarser hair.

5. Blow dry and avoid iron stylers: If you can do without an iron curler or straightener, opt for a blow dryer, which are gentler on the hair.

6. Be quick: Try to be the quickest you can and never spend over four seconds on the same section.

7. Splurge: Get the most expensive, most professional blow dryer you can afford.

8. Choose the right dryer: Opt for a dryer with a nozzle and a diffuser attachments to control air flow and heat distribution.

9. Minimize sun exposure: Just like your skin, your hair needs protection against the sun, so if you’re going to stay outdoors for a while, make sure you apply a serum with sun protection or wear a scarf or a hat; scarves are in this season so that’s always a good excuse to protect your hair.

 

How to Repair Damages:

10. Trim it: Sometimes trimming  your hair is one of the key solutions to hair damages. If you can notice visible split ends, it means you need to take an appointment and cut them out. Do not believe products that claim they can fix split ends, they might be able to protect it, but it’s unlikely they can glue it back together. You need a small trim every month, so be honest about the last time you let the scissors touch your ends, despite your hairdressers many pleas.

11. Try deep conditioning treatments: Try L’Oreal Total Repair, the range is specifically set to repair damaged hair, so opt for one that best suits your needs and give it a go.

General tip for deep conditioning and oil treatments: Wrap your hair in a hot towel for half an your to allow it to absorb the treatment. 

12. Condition with oil: Home remedies can be great for conditioning and repair. Try applying coconut or almond oil a couple of hours before showering or before bedtime.

13. Yoghurt and honey: Honey is great for your hair, try applying four tablespoons of honey to a couple of spoons of yoghurt and leave the mask on for and hour or two before showering.

14. Avocados: Mush up avocados and apply with a carrier oil like almond or coconut and apply to hair before showering.

15. Eat right: Eat plenty of fruits, veggies, nuts, fish, and eggs.