This Top Stylist Says That Heat Protectant Is a Sham

ICYMI: Last week, we debunked the whole “shampoo is bad for you” idea on The Glow Up. This week, we’re here with some more beauty news that challenges another long-held idea we’ve had about hair and that’s the importance of heat protectant. 

Conventional wisdom (and pretty much every stylist we’ve ever interviewed) tells us that when heat styling your hair (i.e., using a blow-dryer, flatiron or curling iron), you should always use a heat protectant first.

Well, one hairstylist disagrees: Jon Reyman, a seasoned celebrity hairstylist, the founder of Spoke & Weal salons and the global styling ambassador for Dyson. (In sum, the man knows hair.)Between the usual chatter about upcoming trends and styling tricks, he said something that made us choke on our coffee. Y’all ready for it?

According to Reyman, heat protectant is a sham. (OK, those are our words, not his.) He explained to us that we don’t actually need heat protectant because, theoretically, any styling product you’re applying to your hair before applying heat qualifies as a heat protectant. “The goal is just to create a barrier between your strands and the heat, so any leave-in conditioner, serum, cream or oil can achieve that,” said Reyman.  

Bottom line: If you already use a styling or conditioning product like the ones we just listed above, you don’t need a separate heat protectant. But if you don’t use any other styling product before blow-drying or ironing your hair, then by all means, use some heat protectant.

And if you’re in the market for some new styling products, shop some of our favorite picks below.