My Results From The 30 Days Without Heat Challenge

Wow! How time does fly. It seems like only yesterday that October started. Now here we are officially in the fall season, Thanksgiving is a little more than three weeks away, snow has started to fall in the NC mountains (so thankful I don't live there), and the 30 Days without Heat Challenge has ended.

Yep. I did it. I went a full 30 days without using any direct heat on my hair. That meant no blow dryer and no curling iron. A little over a year ago going more than a week without using blow drying and flat ironing my hair on a daily basis probably would have given me hives.

It's amazing how things can change in a year. Now that I am striving for healthy hair the idea of going without my blow dryer or flat iron is no biggie. In fact, it's becoming my new normal.

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About the 30 Days Without Heat Challenge

So what was this hair challenge? Well, the 30 Days Without Heat Challenge was hosted by three hair bloggers - Relaxed Thairapy, Just Grow Already, and Grow It Girl. The challenge itself consisted of not using any direct heat tools (flat irons, curling irons, blow dryers, hot combs, etc.) for the month of October. The thought behind it it was you can have healthier hair by using less heat because excessive use of direct heat typically results in dry, dull hair, split ends, and breakage.

I was already on an unofficial break from direct heat but participating in the challenge made it official. My hope was that taking a break from using a blow dryer and flat iron on my hair would allow it to thrive and I would notice a positive change in my hair.

How I participated in the challenge

Used my hooded dryer to dry my hair

I mostly used the high air/cool heat setting which doesn't dry out my hair. I prefer to use my hooded dryer due to my hair is not a fan of air drying.

Related read: How To Avoid Heat Damage When Drying Your Hair

Used my conditioning cap for prep-pooing

I did this for all of my wash days except the last one for the month of October. My hair always feels so good after I pre-poo with the Hot Head Microwavable Deep Conditioning Cap plus it's a heat-safe way to condition my hair.

Wore heat-free styles

During the challenge, I wanted to still style my hair but I couldn't use a flat iron or curling iron. So I looked for ways that I could style my hair without using direct heat. So during the challenge, I did one braid out, wore buns a lot, and also opted for tucked under ponytails.

My results from the 30 Days Without Heat Challenge

My hair held moisture longer so I didn't need to moisturize my hair every single day. This was a plus for me as my hair was constantly dry when I was constantly using direct heat on my relaxed hair.

I noticed a decrease in split ends meaning I didn't notice any new ones. Using a lot of heat on your hair can dry it out and damage it to the point that split ends start.

There wasn't any major breakage. This is most likely due to my hair being more moisturized. While I would have liked to have seen no breakage I am on a relaxer stretch so having some breakage isn't avoidable. 

My hair looks and feels thicker. This is probably due to a few things. Because I'm not using direct heat my hair isn't looking bone straight which automatically makes it look thicker. Additionally, I didn't have a lot of breakage so there was more hair staying on my head.

This is a funny one. I've been mistaken for being natural!  I've had a few people question if I'm natural due to the texture they see in my hair. The way the question was asked it seemed like they were anticipating that I'd be offended, but I just laughed and told them I am relaxed, but I don't get my hair relaxed bone straight and I don't flat iron my hair often.