How to style hair without damage
Heat, brushing, and tension are the styling habits the American Academy of Dermatology names. The page does not give a temperature or a trim calendar.
Guide Snapshot
Read time: 5 minPublished
Last Reviewed
Best For
- Replacing a temperature guess with the Academy’s flat-iron and curling-iron lines
- Dropping the 100-stroke brushing habit
- Knowing the wet-hair exception is tightly curled or textured hair, not every head
Avoid If
- You want a degree setting. This page does not print one
- You want a trim calendar. This page does not set one
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What the Academy’s styling page says
Hair styling without damage was retrieved on 8 November 2026. The copy on that fetch does not print a last-updated date. These are the lines on the page, not a salon schedule invented here.
- Dry hair by wrapping it in a towel, or let it air-dry.
- Let hair partially air-dry before you style or comb it. Blow-drying less often also limits damage.
- A flat iron goes on dry hair, on a low or medium heat setting, no more often than every other day.
- If you use a curling iron, leave it in place for a second or two.
- Excessive heat can damage hair, whatever the hair type. The page does not print a degree number.
Brushing and wet hair
Keep brushing to a minimum. Brushing your hair 100 strokes each day can cause split ends. That is the denial of the hundred-stroke habit, not a claim that some other stroke count is safe.
Most people should handle wet hair as little as possible, because wet hair breaks more easily when it is combed or brushed. The exception on this page is tightly curled or textured hair: brush it when wet to decrease the chance of breakage. The page does not turn that exception into a rule for straight hair.
Reduce “long-lasting hold” styling products. Using a comb to style the hair after you apply that product can break the hair, and the Academy says that can lead to hair loss over time.
Styles that pull
Do not continuously wear braids, cornrows, ponytails, or hair extensions. Those styles pull on the hair. The tension can cause breakage. If the tension continues, permanent hair loss can develop. The page does not say a single ponytail does that.
Questions about caring for your hair are a reason to see a board-certified dermatologist. That is how the Academy page closes.
What this page will not tell you
It does not set a trim interval, and it does not say a heat-protectant product is required on every pass. Washing stays on the wash guide. Growth stays on the hair length guide: about half an inch a month, from Johns Hopkins Medicine, and a cut does not make hair grow faster. A try-on can show a style on your photo. It cannot see breakage.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
How often can you use a flat iron?
The American Academy of Dermatology says a flat iron should be used on dry hair, on a low or medium heat setting, no more often than every other day. The page does not print a degree number.
Does brushing your hair 100 strokes a day help?
No. The same Academy page says to keep brushing to a minimum, because brushing your hair 100 strokes each day can cause split ends.
Should you brush wet hair?
Most people should handle wet hair as little as possible, because wet hair breaks more easily when it is combed or brushed. People with tightly curled or textured hair are the exception on that page: brush it when wet to decrease breakage.
More hair care
Styling damage is one decision. Washing and the chair are the next ones.