1. Dirty Flat Iron
Iron plates may look clean and shiny, but they could be harboring bacteria that are secretly ruining your hair.
“Every time you iron your hair, a little bit of gunk gets stuck on that iron, just like with your hairbrush,” Wenzel says. This can happen even with clean hair; so if you’re doing this with dirty hair, the “gunk” is a lot more even if it's not visible to the eye.
To remove the dirt, Wenzel instructs to grab a washcloth, wet it with some hot water, and clean the flat iron plates.
2. Drying, Waiting, Styling
Believe it or not, letting your hair dry as you finish chores around the house will make your locks look “worse” when it's time to style.
“That is a major problem because every second your hair is drying, it's going to look worse by the time you finally get around to styling it,” he notes. Wenzel adds that allowing your hair to dry unevenly is not a good idea and recommends you start styling when it’s still wet.
3. Fake Heat Protectants
While heat protectants are supposed to shield your hair from damage, this habit is a “silent killer and will destroy your hair without warning.”
“Fake heat protectants are products that do other things, but they put heat protection on the label hoping that you’ll see it,” and become convinced to purchase the product.
Marketing pros can add just 1% of heat protectant into the product and sell it, but it “doesn’t do anything.”
Wenzel notes that if you’re blow-drying, use a blow-dry cream for protection. If you’re using a flat iron, use a thermal protectant.
4. Viral Blow Dry Brushes
Is your TikTok For You Page full of hair styling videos promoting a styling tool? If so, think again before you get influenced to purchase the product they’re endorsing.
In many cases, these creators have styled their hair professionally in between cuts of the video to make it seem as if it’s the product that helped them achieve the look. Don't be fooled so easily and do your research before spending your hard-earned money on these tools.
Wenzel also adds that it's extremely important that your hair is wet before using styling tools such as a blow dryer brush because drying hair that is already dry will just end up “cooking” your strands.
5. Tape-In Extensions
Wenzel says that the issue with tape-in extensions is that “they get really sticky. Everything is fine at first, but imagine having tape sitting in your hair for weeks.” As you wash, the adhesive will start to leak and spread all over your hair, leading to an unpleasant look while also causing damage. When it's time to take them out, your real hair can rip out along with the extensions, leading to mild hair loss.
“The longer you continue to keep putting in and taking out these extensions, the more real hair you’re losing by ripping it out; eventually it gets to the point where you can’t even take them out,” causing you to cut your hair.
He suggests opting for beaded wefts or hand-tied extensions.