Khloé Kardashian's Hairstylist Makes a Solid Case for Splurging on Hair Tools
Celebrity hairstylist Justine Marjan got an earful from me when we met at a salon in New York City, but anyone who’s dealt with several bad hair days in a row would have done the same. No matter how many deep conditioning treatments and masks I use, and despite totally cutting out bleaching my hair for months on end, I’m still dealing with serious hair breakage. (Like, I could have bangs behind my head at this point.)
I knew the stylist (who works with celebrities like Khloé Kardashian, btw) would have great advice, but her solution was not what I expected.
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Instead of telling me to cut out my weekly shampoos or invest in a pricey hair mask, she immediately warned me of the damaging affects of using sub-par, high heat tools like blow dryers and curling irons (which I regularly do in the gym locker room all the time).
"It’s a myth that the hotter the tool the better it works," she told me. While the term "high heat" lures you in, you actually don't need your curling iron to get to 600 degrees (or apparently even 450) in order to wear waves that last all day.
"The ideal temperature to restyle hair is actually 365 degrees the same temperature used to melt and reshape glass without it breaking. If the temperature gets above that for hair, it blows out the cuticle too much, which leads to damage, fragile hair, and breakage," Marjan explained.
In fact, according to research from heat tools brand ghd, a temperature of 410 (or higher!) has been shown to result in permanent damage to the hair.
While cutting back on using heat tools in general will help my situation, the other solution is investing in a wand, iron, or blow-dryer that keeps healthy levels of temperature in mind.
Marjan, an ambassador for ghd, recommends the brand's irons because they have a technology that readjusts the temperature so that it's always at 365 degrees, and they're made with ceramic plates that don't snag on the hair shaft.
Another good option? An iron or a blow dryer that allows you to manually set the temperature, like T3's Single Pass Curling Iron. The only downside is that these tools tend to be more expensive than $25 a pop, so you'll have to think of it as an investment for healthier hair.
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The products I use weren't totally out of Marjan's prescription, though. She recommends a weekly deep conditioning mask, as well as styling products that actually nourish, protect, and hydrate the hair, like the TRESemmé Moisture Rich Detangling Spray, which can be applied on damp hair before breaking out the tools.
Some other InStyle favorites are Alterna CAVIAR Anti-Aging Perfect Iron Spray and Leonor Greyl Sérum de Soie Sublimateur Nourishing Hair Serum.
The good news is now I finally have a plan of action for my poor head of hair. The bad news? My gym bag just got even heavier.
