Everything you need to know about heat protection for hair

"Which heat protection spray should I use?" It's one of the most common questions we get at Paul Edmonds London salons. When you've taken the time to invest in a cut, colour, or treatment with our experts, it doesn't make sense to go home and fry your hair with heated styling!

We've put together this expert guide to help demystify the world of heat protection sprays and serums. Discover what heated styling really does to the hair and what the difference is between sprays and serums. We'll also reveal the best heat protectant for curly hair, fine hair, thick hair, and coloured hair.

Heat protection: why it's a haircare non-negotiable 

Most of us use heat tools in our hair styling. It's a given! Whether you give it a quick blast with a hairdryer, neaten your fringe with straighteners or go all in with the tongs, it's hard to imagine a hair routine without heat! Unfortunately, heat can be incredibly damaging to your hair, especially if you do it daily over a long period of time. 

Heated styling tools are one of the main reasons your hair splits and breaks. Not many of us stop to consider how hot our tools really are — heat over 180 degrees can break down the inner fibre of your hair and degrade its structure. As you can imagine, damage like this is hard to repair.

Luckily, heat protection for hair is easy to integrate into your styling routine. You'll be able to keep using your tongs and straighteners to achieve those lusciously long styles that are so en vogue right now. 

What's the difference between heat protection spray and heat protection serum?

Torn between a heat protecting serum or a spray? It can be hard to know which is better when so many fab products are available on the market. The real difference (apart from the texture!) is how you want to use the heat protection product in your styling routine. Here's the general rule of thumb, according to our experts:

Serum: the best choice if you plan to style your hair from wet. It protects against the heat from hairdryers and from ceramic brushes that might cause your locks to overheat.

Spray: if you're using tongs or straighteners on dry hair, start the styling process with a spritz of heat protection spray and get the added benefit of lasting hold. Our favourite is Shu Uemura Tsuki Shape.

Now that you know your serums from your sprays, let's look at the different hair types and which specific products are ideal for each.

Heat protection by hair type 

Here at Paul Edmonds, we're big fans of tailored, prescriptive hair care. We tailor everything we use in salons or recommend in a home care routine to your hair type and specific hair concerns. You won't be surprised to learn that we recommend the same approach with heat protection spray! Like the rest of the products in our exclusive online edit, these sprays and serums are loaded with extra benefits to help you hit those hair goals.

Fine hair

Kérastase Resistance Ciment Thermique Blow-Dry Primer

In our opinion, Resistance Ciment Thermique is the best heat protectant for fine hair. It's a blow-dry primer with thermo-seal glazing to defend against heat and breakage. Not only that — it adds protein to the hair, so you get extra body and shine in your finished style.

Thick hair

Kérastase Nutritive Nectar Thermique

Nectar Thermique has been formulated specifically for normal to dry hair. It contains Iris Royal Complex to deeply nourish dryness that thick hair is often prone to. It's a thermo-protecting milk, so it coats the hair in a light veil to prevent damage from blow drying or heated styling tools. 

Coloured hair

Kérastase Blond Absolu Cicaplasme

Although this gorgeous opalescent leave-in cream is marketed toward blondes, it's excellent for coloured hair of all shades. Its advanced formulation protects colour stability and is effective up to temperatures of 230 degrees. You'll also enjoy the added benefit of UV filters and protection from pollution deposits.

Frizzy hair

Kérastase Kératine Thermique Blow-Dry Cream is a go-to product for curly hair and hair prone to frizz. Its thermo-protecting agents seal the cuticle of the hair, so you can style in temperatures up to 180 degrees. It also has 'deep taming' properties to smooth unruly hair and keeps it silky for longer by defending against humidity.

Shu Uemura Netsu Design is also a great choice for unruly hair. It's a defining styling cream that protects up to 230 degrees. Not only is it a super effective primer, it also reactivates with heat, so you can reposition the hair into different looks for days afterwards.

Shop the heat protection edit

There you have it — you don't have to give up heated styling to maintain the condition and health of your hair. Add a nourishing heat protection product to your hair care routine and protect your luscious locks from being frazzled. Shop the edit online or book an appointment and get tailored advice as part of your hair service with us. We'd be delighted to help!