Is Burning Hair The Best Option For Hair Treatment?

Burning hair, or in the native, Brazilian form, velaterapia is the latest trend in hair "care." The process involves running an open flame, typically from a candle, over strands of hair in order to singe away split ends. If you had come up to me in the past and asked me if I would set my hair on fire, I would have said you were crazy. After doing some research though, it doesn’t seem like it would be half bad for some people. It’s definitely not as outlandish as it sounds. It’s quickly becoming popular, especially in the world of high fashion. Women's hair gets damaged from using certain chemicals in it and a lot of people believe that burning their hair is the answer to getting smoother hair with fewer split ends without having to sacrifice length. Models such as Alessandra Ambrosia (pictured above) and Barbara Fialho (pictured below), as well as New York’s famous stylist Ricardo Gomes have popularized this treatment. Many proponents of burning hair claim that it has more good properties than bad. Ricardo Gomes even claims that the process shocks your hair so much that it actually grows back stronger than ever. However, many experts and just regular old skeptics alike claim that this is not true and that there are many other, better ways to achieve their hair goals.

Women all over the world have been singeing their hair in hopes that they will live a life without split ends and have shiny, glossy hair. If you've been struggling with frizzy hair and split ends, this may be the answer for you. But read on before you decide to undergo this treatment! There are many upsides to burning your hair, but there are also many, many downsides. Your mom always told you not to play with fire, so why are people voluntarily lighting their hair on fire? You must weigh all the potential outcomes of this treatment before you decide what right for you. In this article, I lay out all the good things about burning your hair and also all the bad things. Additionally, I will give you some ideas of ways to achieve the outcome you want without having to burn your hair.

Candle cutting, as it's become aptly known in the haircare industry, has been proven to have many benefits in the fight against split ends. This treatment has been used by women for decades in South America (and potentially in ancient history as far back as Cleopatra), but has only become a recent trend in the United States. Burning hair has been proven to leave hair shiny and smooth. It has been said that the treatment can open the pores on the hair, making it more accepting of deep conditioning. The flame singes away the split ends and leaves your hair feeling nice and smooth. Many supermodels swear by the process as it can be a good, quick fix to make their hair as pretty as possible without having to cut it at all since their hair is typically in bad shape from the chemicals and dyes they use for their work. Once the burning is done, you get to treat your hair to some deep conditioning. After the conditioning process, your hair will be all nice and shiny! The effects of candle cutting have been known to last for weeks on end between treatments.

There is not much research on this trend and it certainly has its fair share of critics. Many hair care experts say that regular haircuts are the best way to manage split ends, not burning them off. Most women’s hair is already exposed to unhealthy amounts of heat and burning hair can potentially be downright detrimental to the long-term health of the hair.

As mentioned above, candle cutting can ruin your hair cuticles and make your hair weaker than before. To many people, this would be a massive turnoff when thinking about undergoing this treatment. Matt Fugate related candle cutting to people using dangerous amounts of chemicals in their hair to counteract the bad side effects of burning hair. He said that burning your hair changes the entire chemical makeup of the hair and can leave it damaged beyond repair. Women's hair is delicate and should be treated as such. You should treat it with love, not with fire. That is why most experts highly recommend against candle cutting. Perhaps the worst downside? The smell. Burnt hair is one of the worst smells on the planet. This stench will haunt your dreams. Although many participants in candle cutting say otherwise, I can’t imagine the salon smelling anything better than terrible.

The process of the candle cutting trend begins by taking a few strands of hair. The stylist twists the hair tightly into one larger strand. At this point, many of the split ends are visible and exposed.

Next, the stylist takes a lit candle and slowly burns off the split ends. This part can take awhile (up to 3 hours!) and can be very daunting. When you’re getting this treatment, remember that patience is a virtue and you have smoother, silkier skin waiting for you on the other side. This is the scary part (check out the gif below) and it is why many people shy away from this treatment. The good part? Since it's only your hair, you won't feel any pain!

After the burning comes the deep conditioning. As noted earlier, burning hair results in pores on the hair opening up. Conditioning is key to helping close those pores back up and helping the hair begin its healing process and hopefully grow back stronger than ever. After conditioning, the pros run over the hair one final time with scissors. They try to snip away any rogue hairs or split ends that somehow survived the burning. Hopefully by the end of it all, you’ll be walking out of the salon looking like a model!

There are many ways to get shiny, healthy hair that doesn't include holding it above an open flame.

Regular “dusting,” or short trims every month or so can help make your hair grow longer, stronger, and healthier than it would be by candle cutting. Think of it as trimming your plants right before spring so they'll grow happy and healthy! Just like you take care of your plants, you should take care of your hair Heat can cause a great deal of damage to hair. When you blow dry or straighten your hair with a straightening iron, it can hurt your hair. Tack on the heat of an actual flame, and this can’t be good for your hair. Instead, you should use a deep conditioner frequently and resist bleaching or straightening your hair. Essentially, avoid anything that could be damaging to your hair. Your skin also plays a huge factor in the health of your hair. A clean diet and healthy dose of vitamins can play a large role. A good night’s sleep also helps. You won’t be able to see these results immediately but give it a few months, and you’ll notice happier healthier hair.

Luckily, we have the power of free will and can choose whatever we please when it comes to treating and taking care of our hair. If you ask the professionals, they'll give you mixed reviews. Some stylists highly recommend it and would say that it's a great way to add a little shine and smoothness to your hair. Others would say this is the worst thing you could do to your beautiful head of hair. In the end, it's your decision, but please make sure to think long and hard before you make this decision. You don't want to do anything you would regret. Hair grows back, but sometimes, you can damage it beyond repair. Be careful out there

In closing, I would not recommend candle cutting to anyone who asked. I personally hate the smell of burnt hair and the thought of me voluntarily burning my hair is not something I want to think about. Another reason I wouldn't recommend burning hair is because many of the experts warn heavily against it. I believe that the ends do not justify the means. If I had to go through life with heavily damaged hair just to make sure there aren't any split ends, I would probably regret doing it. I think I'll stick to conditioning and frequent hair cuts. While some stylists say there are many advantages to burning hair, most hair experts advise against it. Through my research, I've noticed far more experts advising against candle cutting than advocating for it. There are many *safe* ways to make yourself look like a model. I personally don't believe that this is one of them. Something about lighting my hair on fire just doesn't quite sit well with me... If you want smooth, silky hair without the fear of setting your beautiful mane aflame, you can always do it the old fashioned way. Like I mentioned earlier, stylists and other hair experts can rattle off countless, more natural ways to make your hair smoother and healthier. You can get healthier hair just by going out in the sun! Just being in the sun can add some much needed vitamin D that will cause your hair to grow fuller and smoother than ever before (just don't forget to throw on some sunscreen...)! You can also undergo deep conditioning treatment (think of it as going to the spa and getting a massage for your hair). This will revive your hair and make it more susceptible to growing and being healthy. And of course, frequent haircuts are key to killing off split ends without burning your hair. You're literally cutting the split ends off! All this to say, I don't recommend you light your hair on fire...