Do you use protection? Is your hair damaged? Dry? Have split ends? You might need heat protection.

Heat protectant is a hair care product that reduces damage to your hair when used before styling your hair with heat, yet it does not fully prevent your hair from damage.

Junior Kenna Cannon has naturally curly hair and she straightens it occasionally. 

“When I straighten my hair, heat protectant! Heat protectant! Heat protectant!” Cannon said. “But also I don’t think it really protects your hair that much because you’re still burning it.”

Although you are still burning your hair, some people can see significant differences in hair that does not have heat protection versus hair that does. 

“I usually straighten my hair every day,” sophomore Kate Williams said. “It is essential to use a heat protectant. If you don’t, it definitely shows and it makes your hair unhealthy.”

Many girls at PHS have the same opinion on heat protection, even those who don’t use heat on their hair.

“I don’t use heat on my hair,” senior Lachelle Lee said. “But if I were to, I would use heat protection just because without using it, it really damages your hair.”

Junior Jenessa Polson doesn’t use any heat to style her hair, yet she still uses heat protectant for a very good reason that most people don’t think of. 

“I don’t use heat on my hair, but I apply a heat protectant to protect against sun damage,” Polson said. “I pay special attention to the lower half of my hair to prevent split ends.”

There can be many benefits from using heat protectants, from preventing noticeably damaged hair to protecting your hair from sun damage. If you use heat products to style your hair on an everyday basis, you might want to ask yourself, do you use protection?