Expert Q&A for How to Protect Hair from Heat

It's best to use a professionally-formulated thermal protectant. If you have fine hair, a spray works best. For coarser hair, try a protective cream.

An oil alone won't work well as a thermal protectant. Some oils break down at high temperatures and others simply don't provide a strong enough barrier.

This depends on your hair texture. If you have fine hair, you may not want to use heat above 300 degrees F. All hair textures will experience damage if heated above 450 degrees F.

Straightening your hair every day is likely to cause damage even if you are using appropriate products and the right settings for your hair. If you want to wear your hair straight all the time, try to wash it just once or twice a week and only use heat tools after washing and drying your hair.

Using a thermal protectant can protect your hair from the heat when blow drying and styling. When blow drying, be sure to use a nozzle for additional protection.

Ultimately, a healthy haircut is the only way to repair damaged hair. You can camouflage damaged hair or hair that has breakage but you cannot bring the dead hair back to life.