There’s no secret that heat works miracles for taming our crazy, frizzy, manes. Whether it’s blow drying, straightening or curling, most women are always treating their hair with the heat. Yet, more often than not, women misuse these hot tools and make their hair look like it’s in need of a bit of rehabilitation.

There is such thing as too much heat as well as bad heat. The good news is there are alternatives to damaging your hair each and every day.

If you’ve noticed that you’re a bit of a hot hair tool addict, it may be time to take a break. Studies have shown that a day or two between hot treatment allows your hair to rest and recover. When heat is applied day after day, your hair cannot retain the moisture it needs to keep a composed shape. Therefore, by resting every other day you prevent damage and breakage. Try a stylish bun, braid or ponytail on your off day if you aren’t a fan of the natural hair look.

On heat-friendly hair days, ladies with fine hair should use the lowest temperature setting because it will get the job done without frying. Thick haired ladies can use a higher setting, but you should never use the highest settings when styling at home. A general rule of thumb is that if your device burns your hand, it burns your hair - also, no smoke; that’s just too hot.

When blow drying your hair, the dryer you choose from the start makes a big difference. You can control the temperatures all you want, but with cheap dryers, you’re going to get a cheap dry. The secret to great hair drying is using a blow dryer that pushes out negative ions because they lock in moisture for softer, shinier hair. Positive ions encourage dehydration and frizz. Furthermore, a diffuser attachment is effective for equally distributing the heat so it doesn’t concentrate in one area. This will give an even, healthy dry.