Highlighted Hair and Home Straightening
A: This is a question that many people with color-treated hair face, and the answer isn't as straightforward as a simple yes or no. The warnings you're seeing on most home straightening kits are primarily directed toward individuals who have significantly lightened their hair through bleaching or heavy highlighting processes.
The key factor in determining whether you can safely use a home straightening kit depends largely on the specific type of coloring process you're using with your Nice & Easy products. Nice & Easy offers various formulations, and understanding how you're using these products on your hair is crucial for making an informed decision.
If you're using your hair color primarily to cover gray roots or to maintain your natural color at the same level or go slightly darker, your hair likely hasn't been significantly compromised structurally. In this case, you may be able to use certain types of straightening products with proper precautions. However, if you're using the Nice & Easy products to lighten your natural hair color by more than two to three shades, your hair has undergone a more intensive chemical process that could make it vulnerable to damage from additional chemical treatments.
But not all straightening systems are created equal, and some are specifically formulated to be gentler on chemically treated hair. There are straightening kits available on the market, such as the Ogilvie Home Straightening Kit and the EasyStraight Hair Straightening System, that use ammonium thioglycolate as their active ingredient. These particular straighteners utilize essentially the same chemical formulation found in permanent wave solutions.
Because these ammonium thioglycolate-based straighteners share their chemistry with perm solutions, they can often be used on highlighted or color-treated hair with the same level of safety as a perm would be. Hair salons regularly perform perms on highlighted hair, though they always assess the hair's condition first and may adjust processing times accordingly.
However, before proceeding with any chemical straightening process on color-treated hair, it's absolutely essential that your hair is in sufficiently good condition to withstand the additional chemical processing. Hair that feels dry, brittle, or shows signs of breakage should not be subjected to further chemical treatments until its health is restored.
The most important step you can take before using any straightening product is to perform a thorough strand test, as recommended in the package directions. This test involves applying the straightening product to a small, inconspicuous section of hair to observe how your specific hair reacts to the treatment.
If you decide to proceed with straightening, consider spacing out your chemical treatments appropriately. It's generally recommended to wait at least two weeks between different chemical processes to allow your hair time to recover. Additionally, invest in high-quality deep conditioning treatments and protein treatments to help maintain your hair's health throughout the process.
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See also:
Hair coloring
Hair straightening