Curling
irons and heated rollers
Electrically
heated hair rollers and similar are usually made of heavy plastic
or rubber and are heated prior to use using a container specifically
designed for the job. If the container is functioning properly,
the rollers should be heated to a certain temperature before the
heating is automatically switched off. At the right temperature
the rollers may be hot to handle but not so how that they damage
hair. Unfortunately, some electric hair rollers are heated by faulty
machines and the rollers become too hot. If so then there will
be
more chance of hair damage and even skin burns if the rollers are
really hot. Keeping electric rollers and the machine used to heat
them in good working order is important. If electric heated rollers
are used too frequently they can have a drying effect on the hair.
The best result comes from use every few days and if the rollers
are applied to wet hair.
Curling irons have been around for a long time. Traditionally curling
irons were just rods of metal heated by the fire. Now the irons
contain electric elements to heat the metal rod from the inside,
but the principle is the same. Modern electric curling irons have
a thermostat to ensure the irons are not too hot or too cold. If
the thermostat is adjustable then you have to experiment a little
to find the right heat settling to style your hair without damaging
it. If the heat is too low your hair will not be curled properly.
If the heat is too high your hair will become damaged, dry and fragile.
As a rough rule, if the curling iron is hot enough to burn your
fingers it will burn your hair.
In general, curling irons are hotter than electric rollers so extra
care has to be taken with a curling iron. Generally they are used
on dry hair rather than wet hair which is partly why they need to
be hotter than rollers. However, the extra heat means they can be
more damaging for hair, especially if used excessively.
Hot
pressing hair
Hot
pressing or combing to straighten hair was developed around 1910
and since then has become a very popular practice. Initially conducted
exclusively in salons and beauty parlors, the technique is now popular
for at home use. The method is straight forward if time consuming.
First the hair is washed and partially dried with a towel. A small
amount of pressing oil is combed through the hair. This oil is for
lubrication to allow the comb to pass through the hair more easily
and also to act as a conductor of heat from the comb to the hair.
A metal pressing comb is heated to between 300 and 500 degrees Fahrenheit
and is passed quickly through the hair. The high temperature breaks
the biochemical disulfide bonds between and within the keratin proteins
and allows the hair to be straightened through the tension applied
to the hair during the combing procedure. After the comb has passed
through the hair the temperature drops rapidly and this allows the
broken biochemical bonds in the hair to reconnect and fix their
new position. This reformation of the bonds holds the hair in its
new, straightened shape.
This hair straightening method will hold the hair in a new shape
for a while, but it is not a permanent procedure and the hot combing
has to be reconducted at regular intervals to maintain the look.
Exposure of the hair to water, high humidity and even to excessive
perspiration can cause the hot combed hair to revert back to its
original curly shape. There is then a temptation to overuse the
hot comb process, but this can lead to dry and damaged hair as the
cuticle will break down and expose the softer underlying cortex
if it receives too much heat too frequently. If the comb is too
hot or applied for too long the hair can be burned. This causes
severe damage and leads to patches of hair where breakage occurs
and can give the appearance of patchy hair loss. The most significant
risk from hot combing is skin burns. With care in application skin
burns can be avoided, but if the heat is applied to the scalp for
too long skin burning will happen. If the burn is severe enough
it may damage the hair follicles in the skin. In response the hair
follicles may shut down and enter telogen until the skin and affected
hair follicles are repaired. If the burn is really bad it may permanently
damage the hair follicles.
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