Have you ever thought about using a heat protectant alternative or making a DIY heat protectant? Well, let us tell you if it’s possible!
What Does a Heat Protectant Do?
Heat protectants are designed to help you to reduce high heat damage caused by your styling tools such as blow dryer, flat iron, and hot curler.
By using a hair heat protectant, you can add a protective finish to your stands. And there will be a barrier between your hair and the heat. So your hair won’t get too dry easily, which can maintain the moisture in your hair cortex and hair cuticles.
A quality heat protectant can protect your hair up to 450 °F, which is higher than most flat iron’s maximum temperature.
Are There Any Heat Protectant Alternatives?
Yes, to get your hair protected, you don’t necessarily need a professional hair protectant. There are some products that can be used as a heat protectant.
But you should know they are not as effective as a real heat protectant. What’s the difference? You can jump to heat protectant alternatives vs. real heat protectant. Now, let’s see these heat protectant substitutes first.
Argan oil
Made from the natural kernels on the argan tree, argan oil is a type of natural oil that is commonly used as a protector for heat.
The sought-after argan oil is found in Morroco originally. It is an excellent heat protectant alternative as it can protect your hair up to 420 °F, which is almost as powerful as a professional heat protectant spray.
Also, argan oil can make your hair smooth and shiny as it contains many fatty acids and vitamin E. So it can work as a conditioner as well when you are applying heat to your hair.
Shea Butter
If you are tired of using those heat protectants with silicones, shea butter can help.
Shea butter is excellent in providing hair heat protection as it has pretty good thermal conductivity.
As a natural and popular ingredient for many skincare products and hair products, shea butter contains high concentrations of fatty acids and vitamins.
And shea butter can work with various oils to enhance its performance, you can add avocado oil, argan oil, coconut oil to it and achieve a better styling result.
Coconut Oil
If you are a hair lover, you must have heard how great coconut oil is.
Coconut oil is another organic natural heat protectant as it comes with a relatively high smoke point (360 degrees).
Although it might be not enough to handle the heat coming from your flat-iron, it can work perfectly as a blow dryer heat protectant for sure.
The best part of coconut oil is not about how great the thermal conductivity is, coconut oil is a very friendly product to dry hair and brittle hair. Its nourishing properties are going to make your hair silky and smooth, repairing damaged hair like a breeze.
Besides, coconut oil is also a very useful ingredient for people who have dandruff problems. Compared to other hair oil, coconut oil is not the best when it comes to heat protection, but it is a top pick in terms of hair care.
Almond Oil
With great abilities for heat protection, almond oil is another source that is prevalently used in nowadays heat protectants.
Almond oil contains rich vitamins and these vitamins can fully nourish your hair and make your hair more healthy.
Besides giving you ultimate protection to your hair, Almond oil also leaves your hair tangle-free and frizz-free.
If you happen to have a bottle of almond oil at home, it should be your natural go-to heat protectant alternative.
Grapeseed Oil
Like a well-performance heat protectant, you only need a few drops of grapeseed oil to get what you need – a very protective finish.
Grapeseed oil is a nice ingredient that has a very high smoke point at 420ºF and it can block the heat damage effectively.
Grapeseed oil’s supreme thermal conductivity and great smoothing performance have made it a very popular hair product on the market.
Grapeseed oil can be a powerful hair styler since it will give an oil finish that makes your hair more manageable. So grapeseed oil is an organic heat protectant alternative for people who have thick curly hair, especially 4b & 4c hair.
Can These Heat Protectant Alternatives Fully Replace Heat Protectors?
Although we have talked about how great these natural heat protectant alternatives can be, it does not change the fact that they are not as professional as a real heat protectant.
Here are the reasons:
Some of Them Can’t Handle High Heat
If you are looking for a heat protector alternative that can handle the heat from a flat iron, knowing the product’s smoke point is vital.
Normally a flat iron is the hottest styling tool that we will use, and the temperature from a flat iron can reach 400 degrees.
So, if you are a flat ironing lover, make sure the product you are going to use as a heat protectant has a high smoke point. Otherwise, you may find your hair is easy to be fried by the iron.
For example, coconut oil is more like a blow dryer heat protectant as its smoke point is 350°F, and you should not use it as a flat iron heat protectant.
These Heat Protectant Alternatives are Oily
If you have oily hair, you should be careful with this: using these alternative oils can make your hair even more greasy.
Because heat protectants are usually designed to be lightweight, and heat protectant spray formula is not going to weigh your hair down.
But it might be different when using a DIY heat protectant alternative. These alternatives can generate an oily barrier that has serum-like consistency, making your hair harder to dry. And you may find your hair is easy to get buildup and grease, especially for people who have thin hair.