I air-dry my hair whenever possible — not necessarily to avoid damage but because I work from home and I’m lazy. If I’m not going anywhere, I’m not going to spend up to 20 minutes blow-drying my hair just to sit at my desk.
Because of this, my hair is pretty healthy (or so I’m told by my stylist). So when I do use hot tools, I’d like to inflict as little damage as possible. That’s why infrared technology in hot tools, a growing category, recently caught my attention. Brands claim these tools dry and style hair more efficiently with potentially less damage.
My first experience with an infrared tool was with the Sutra IR Infrared Blowout Brush, which I tested for a hair-tools story earlier this year and have continued to use. I’ve used some blow-dry brushes over the years that felt way too hot on my fine hair, and my teens have had visible breakage from using one frequently. This one can get up to 450 degrees, but I find it smooths and shapes my hair well at much lower temperatures. I’ve been using it on almost-dry hair (it’s recommended to use it on hair that’s 70 percent dry) when I want to look more polished, and I haven’t noticed any new breakage or other signs of damage.
So how exactly is infrared heat different from conventional heat? I asked hairstylist and SRI Labs consultant Jessica Rose and trichologist Laura C. Vople, founder of Maneink Trichology and Scalp Spa to help me sort out the science and what it actually means for the health of hair.
