Is Your Hair Addicted To Your Flat Iron?

Hair icon Jennifer Aniston has naturally wavy hair, but is more often than not photographed with sleek, bone straight hair courtesy of flat ironing.

Her famous Rachel shag haircut from the TV series Friends continues to appear on all the top lists for best celebrity hairstyles.  Of course when Jennifer wore The Rachel her hair was heavily layered and either blown or hot ironed straight.

The Rachel Haircut Helped Sell Hot Irons

The Rachel along with popularity of other sleek hairstyles like the bob caused a slow, but steady increase in the popularity of flat irons which along with the blow dryer became more valued as a must-have hairstyling tool then hot rollers or traditional rollers used in conjunction with wet sets and hood dryers.

Hair industry experts estimate approximately 30-35% of all women own at least one hot iron with many owning several in a variety of sizes.  Even more interesting, those same hair experts suggest that one in five males own their own straightening irons as well. 

Of course hot irons come in three basic varieties including flat irons, curling irons and the crimping iron.   Some irons are multi-purpose and can be used to create all types of ironed hairstyles.

Heated irons used to straighten and smooth hair are nothing new.  Hot hair styling irons were used as far back as ancient Greek, Egyptian and Babylonian cultures.  The earliest hair irons were heated in fires or stoves.   Although very damaging to the hair, clothes irons were used on hair during the height of the Hippie era in the 60s.

Old fashion stove irons or clothing irons had to be used carefully to avoid burning the hair right off the head or causing serious burns to the scalp.  As modern technology evolved, so do hot irons which today are extremely sophisticated compared to the earliest irons heated in stoves.

Hot Iron Addiction

Unfortunately when hot irons are used on a daily basis to eliminate frizz and natural texture, the damage which occurs over time from continual hot iron use creates what is known as a Hot Iron Addiction cycle which can eventually result in hair becoming thin, dull, damaged and breaking off close to the scalp.

As hair damage from daily or very regular hot iron straightening accumulates on the hair, it becomes much frizzier, curlier, puffier and dull, dry, split and damaged.

The hot iron no longer becomes and optional hair styling tool, but an absolute requirement since the hair is so damaged that if not flat ironed would look horrible.

The more the iron is utilized over time, the more necessary it becomes to make the hair presentable and the more damaged the hair accumulates.

It's truly a never ending cycle which can only be broken by going completely cold turkey to give damaged, frizzy, dry, thin, fried hair a change to recover.

How To Tell If You're Addicted

How can you tell if you're addicted to your curling iron?  Ask yourself the following questions?

1.  Can you skip a day or even a few without using your hot iron without your hair becoming extremely frizzy, fuzzy, puffy or painfully dry looking?

2.  Do you keep spare irons in your car, your handbag, at work or stashed at friend's houses to make sure you always have access to an iron if your hair starts to act up in the middle of the day?

3.  Do you get impatient if your hair takes too long to dry and your use your iron while your hair is still a little damp to try and prevent frizz?

4.  Does your regular stylist warn you that your tresses are thinning and breaking off all over your head from iron damage?

5.  Do you continue to use your hot iron in secret after promising your spouse, friend or stylist you would stop?  Even worse, do you lie about still using your iron?

6.  Do you keep buying bigger, better,hot irons with all the latest gadgets hoping that any problems you're currently having with your iron will be fixed with the latest advancements?

7.  Does your favorite iron have a name that you call it?

8.  Do you talk to your iron when you're doing your hair every day?

Although some of these symptoms are extreme you probably already know if you're stuck in a hot iron addiction cycle.  Should you break the cycle?  Only you know for sure if you should step away from your irons.

More Information

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