Hot water dehydrates the skin (your scalp) and reduces moisture in the hair, a huge no-no for textured hair (our curls need moisture to thrive). It can also dry your hair out making it brittle, in turn causing your hair to weaken and break.
The hotter the water temperature, the more likely to remove your curl's moisture. It can also cause breakage. It's best to cleanse your hair with warm water to lift the cuticle layer and gently dissolve dirt and product build up.
Friction, heat-styling, chemical processing, and using the wrong styling products can all turn those gorgeous curls into a frizzy mess.
Most hairstylists agree that using warm water during the cleansing phase, and then colder water for the conditioning phase is ideal. This cold rinse at the end also helps to lock in moisture, preventing frizz.
This is because cold water closes the hair cuticles and pores in the scalp. This process adds luster and shine to the hair as the cuticles have been closed. It helps in sealing in the hair's moisture and also helps in clumping your coils and curls together for even more definition.
"Rinsing with cold water helps close hair cuticles after your hair is washed," she says. "It gives your hair a better chance of staying shiny, healthy and frizz-free."
The Reason Hard Water Damages Hair
It can also make hair dull, frizzy, stiff, and more prone to tangles. These effects are heightened when hair is washed with hard water over a long period of time. The buildup may be more difficult to penetrate with serums, masks, or other treatments.
CON: Causes Frizz
Heat causes frizzy hair, and hot water is no exception. No matter what your hair type, the hair needs moisture to stay frizz free. Because hot water can strip the hair of natural oils, moisture escapes the hair shaft and results in frizz.
If you have curly hair, you should use warm water instead. This will help loosen the curls and make them more manageable. If you have thick hair, feel free to wash it with either cold or warm water – it's up to you. No matter what your hair type is, it's important to avoid hot water.
Rubbing your towel on your hair is the most common cause of frizz; instead, use a T-shirt, pillow cover or microfibre cloth—these are softer on the hair and do the least damage on wet strands, which is when they're at their weakest.
One of the main causes of frizzy curly hair is lack of moisture. When curly hair lacks moisture it will reach out into the atmosphere to find it instead. Author of Curly Girl: The Handbook, Lorraine Massey, famously says that “frizz is just a curl waiting to happen”, and that all it needs is moisture.
One of the main causes of unwanted frizz is a lack of moisture or hydration. Finding the right hair stylers for curly hair is the first step and when moisturized and healthy, frizz can be created from fluffing, shaking, and picking your curls to increase volume, achieve style, and to embrace the dance of your strands.
If you have curly hair and have ever brushed through it, you'll know it can really easily become a frizz ball. However, many women with looser curl patterns are just discovering that their hair isn't actually frizzy, it's curly and they've just been treating it wrong.
Soft water might be the best solution to resolve your now frizzy, naturally curly hair.
One obvious sign of curly hair heat damage is damaged curls; you may notice your curls look straighter or looser with your first wash after heat styling. Your curl pattern may also appear and feel completely different after heat damage, with you struggling to get your bouncy curl back.
Much like skin, hot water can dry hair out. While it feels luxurious to run hot water through your hair, the heat can strip your hair of essential oils. Wash with lukewarm or room temperature water instead, and finish with a cool rinse.
Curly hair requires some special considerations, since it's so prone to dryness. Experts recommend washing your hair no more than every other day if you can, and as little as once per week if your hair is particularly parched.
Yes, you can wet natural hair everyday, and it is actually advised to do so to maintain moisture. Let's be clear though: by wetting your hair, we don't meanwashing it. We simply mean rinsing natural hair either in the shower or spritzing water over your hair.
Dry, frizzy hair is another sign you're probably shampooing your hair too often. Washing your hair too often can also impact the texture of your hair. "A total lack of moisture from stripping oils can also cause a dry, flaky scalp and as your scalp dries out so does your hair," she said.