Do you really need a heat protectant every time you style your hair? Not necessarily. 

It depends on the type of heat you're using, how often you style, your technique and the condition of your hair.

If you regularly blow-dry, straighten or curl your hair, you’ve probably wondered whether you really need a heat protectant.

The answer isn’t quite as simple as yes or no.

It depends on the tools you’re using, how often you’re using them, the temperature you’re styling at — and, importantly, what the rest of your haircare routine looks like.

Because rather than thinking only about what you put on your hair immediately before heat styling, I think it’s helpful to understand what regular heat styling takes from the hair — and how you can support your hair before, during and after styling.

 

First, a small but honest disclaimer

I don’t love traditional heat protectants.

As a hairdresser, I completely understand their place. But personally, I never found one I really loved using on my own hair. Many rely heavily on silicones to create a protective coating around the hair shaft, and on my fine hair I often found they left it feeling heavy or oily.

I also tend to prefer hair that still has some of its natural texture rather than looking overly styled.

But if you were sitting in my chair and told me you couldn’t manage your hair without straightening or curling it after every wash, I wouldn’t simply tell you to stop.

I’d help you make the rest of your routine work harder for your hair.

 

What does regular heat styling actually do to your hair?

 

Repeated exposure to high temperatures can gradually leave hair feeling drier, weaker and more fragile.

So if you regularly heat style, there are two things I particularly want to see in your haircare routine:

Hydration and lipids to help keep the hair soft, supple and flexible.

Strengthening ingredients, such as proteins or keratin amino acids, to support the structure of the hair.

And there’s another benefit to keeping your hair well hydrated and conditioned: healthy, supple hair is generally easier to style.

If your hair responds more quickly to your brush, dryer or styling tool, you may not need to keep going over the same section again and again.

That matters.

 

The routine I’d recommend if you regularly heat style

 

1. Start with your shampoo and conditioner

Choose a shampoo and conditioner combination that gives you both hydration and strengthening support.

For hair that is regularly heat styled, Lengthening or Youthful would be my first picks, depending on your hair type and concerns.

But ultimately, you can choose the ROBE shampoo and conditioner combination that best suits your hair.

All of our ranges are designed around supporting the condition of the hair rather than simply making it feel temporarily coated.

 

2. Apply Elixir while your hair is damp

After washing, apply a few drops of the Elixir through your damp hair.

I like applying it at this stage because it gives the hair time to absorb that hydration before you start styling.

The result is hair that feels softer and more supple — and you may be surprised by how much easier it is to work with.

If the hair responds more easily, you can often take slightly larger sections or achieve the result you want with fewer passes of your brush or styling tool.

 

3. Add Leave-In Treatment if your hair needs more support

If your natural texture tends to be dry, coarse, curly or a little unruly, follow with a small amount of the Leave-In Treatment.

It works beautifully as both a blow-dry balm and curl cream and contains a combination of hydrating and strengthening ingredients, including keratin amino acids.

You don’t need a lot.

4. Use Sleek + Treat strategically

If you tend to get frizz around the hairline or other areas that you normally have to work particularly hard with your dryer or straightener, apply a small amount of the Sleek + Treat to those areas while your hair is still damp.

The aim isn’t just to smooth the finished hair.

By helping those areas behave more easily during styling, you may find you don’t need to repeatedly go over them with heat.

 

Technique matters more than you might think

One of the easiest ways to reduce your overall heat exposure is simply to reduce how long your hair needs to be under heat.

You don't necessarily need to round-brush your hair from soaking wet to completely dry.

Depending on your hair type and the result you want, you can let your hair partially — or sometimes almost completely — air-dry first, or use your dryer more gently to remove most of the moisture before going in with your round brush.

Then use more concentrated heat only for the part where you actually need it: creating shape, smoothing or finishing.

For finer hair, this can have another benefit. Taking some of the moisture out first can sometimes help you create more body and volume rather than repeatedly stretching fine hair from wet to dry under tension.

If your hair is coarse, curly or prone to frizz and you're trying to smooth it, you may want to work on the areas that need the most control earlier in the drying process.

There isn't one perfect blow-dry technique for every head of hair.

 

What about straighteners and curling irons?

This is where I become more inclined to recommend a dedicated heat protectant.

Straighteners and curling irons expose the hair to much higher direct temperatures than gentle air-drying or everyday blow-drying.

If you regularly use a straightener or curling iron, I’d recommend using a dedicated heat protectant with substantiated heat-protection claims.

And whatever product you use, temperature and technique still matter.

You shouldn't need to repeatedly pass a hot tool over the same piece of hair to get a result.

 

So, do you actually need a heat protectant?

If you’re already using good-quality haircare, keeping your hair hydrated and conditioned, and your usual styling is a round-brush blow-dry, drying with your hands, air-drying or only occasionally reaching for a curling wand or straightener, I personally wouldn’t obsess over using a dedicated heat protectant every single time.

I’d focus on the bigger picture: healthy hair, sensible temperatures, good technique and fewer unnecessary passes with heat.

If you regularly straighten or curl your hair at high temperatures, though, I would add a dedicated, tested heat protectant.

And whichever camp you fall into, try to counterbalance your heat-styling days with days where you allow your hair to be as natural as possible.

Your hair doesn’t have to look exactly the same every day.

Sometimes learning to work with your natural texture is one of the best things you can do for it.

Happy styling,
Lauren

 

Heat Protection FAQs

What makes a product a heat protectant?

A dedicated heat protectant is generally formulated specifically to reduce the damage caused by heat styling. Brands may also test their finished formulas at particular temperatures to substantiate heat-protection claims.

That’s different from simply containing an ingredient that may help protect or condition hair during heat exposure.

What’s the difference between a heat protectant and a product with heat-protective properties?

Some ingredients can help reduce some of the effects associated with heat styling. These can include certain oils, proteins, conditioning ingredients and silicone alternatives.

That doesn't automatically mean the finished product is a tested heat protectant.

Traditional silicones are also commonly used in heat-protection formulas because of the film they create over the hair fibre. If you prefer to avoid silicones, look for a product specifically formulated and tested for heat protection that suits that preference.

Why doesn’t ROBE make a dedicated heat protectant?

There are two reasons.

Firstly, one of my goals with ROBE is to create products that help you work with — and hopefully love — more of your natural hair texture, rather than feeling that you need to heat style it into submission after every wash.

Secondly, I made a conscious decision to formulate ROBE without silicones.

Instead, I focus on supporting the condition of the hair through hydration, strengthening ingredients and products that make your hair easier to work with.

f you regularly use high-temperature tools such as straighteners or curling irons, I’m very happy to recommend a dedicated heat protectant alongside your ROBE ritual. One silicone-free option I like is Davines MELU Hair Shield, which has been tested for heat protection up to 230°C.

 

Happy Styling,

Lauren x