Unless you’ve been living under a rock, or you’re completely new to the beauty game (welcome, we love you already), then you probably know by now that heat protectant is vital with heat styling. It’s synonymous to using an umbrella when it’s raining, a condom during sex, and sunscreen when...just kidding — you should be using sunscreen all the time.
The point is, if you don’t use a protectant, you’re screwed. More specifically, your precious locks are, and we definitely can’t have that. But, what if someone were to come out and tell you that yours might not be, well, protecting? Not cool, not cool at all. So, to make sure your protectant is in fact, too legit to quit, we have a nifty little tip for all of you. “We used to get reps coming into our salon quite often," says beauty blogger and former hairstylist, Amy Edwards, "and one of the Paul Mitchell reps would get us to try this technique to prove how good their heat protectants were.”
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The technique in question involves spraying one of your palms with a hair protectant, waiting a minute for it to dry, then turning your blowdryer on high, and timing how long you can hold it over your hand. You then switch hands and hold the dryer over your unprotected one to see how long it takes for the heat to become unbearable.
If your heat protectant is a safeguard for all hair-damaging tools, you should feel a remarkable difference in the temperature of your hand with the protectant. “It was quite amazing to see the difference the heat protectant would make. We tried it with various different ranges and it really works,” says Edwards.
And, there you have it: a foolproof way to test whether your hair is actually being shielded. If you’re currently not using a heat protectant or you aren’t sure which ones are legit, now you've got a handy test to find out.
Which heat protectant do you use? Have you tried this test before? Let us know in the comments below!
Nexxus Heat Protexx Heat Protection Styling Spray, $10, available at Soap.com.
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