You thought you’d heard it all from the heat protectant spectrum: defend your hair from heat, from damage! Your friends warn you constantly. All those utensils you’re using can really kill your locks! They say. Use this conditioner, this product! Everyone has her own advice and her own horror story.

So you know how to protect your hair. You’ve been through the ropes, and you have the shiny tresses to prove it. But now you must move on to caring about a different element of your styling and beauty day-to-day routine: you must begin to maintain the utensil, the very curling wand that has twisted your look on its side and really done something for the shape of your face — if you do say so yourself. You must use your curling wand correctly and keep the utensil in tip-top shape for many more years of your healthy morning routine. After all, your styling tool is an investment, and you can have a quality one in your hands for a long time — if you treat it correctly.

So these products you’re using to protect your hair from the damaging curling wand are actually doing bad things to your tool, hindering its long life. All that gel and product can build up on the barrel, causing it not to work properly and eventually triggering it to, in turn, burn your hair. Ah! The very thing you want to avoid! Therefore, make sure to clean your wand properly after every use.

Follow These Simple Aftercare Rules

Make sure to wait to clean it after it has cooled down; pouring anything on a heated utensil can be dangerous for you and can also cause more damage. Find yourself a soft cloth and a particular cleaner spray. Some users also recommend using rubbing alcohol and cotton swabs; this works as well.

Other beneficial items around your ice good for scrubbing off that residue are nail polish remover and ammonia. Please remember never to submerge your curling wand in water to clean it — the wand can contain cracks which are not resistant to the strain and rust water can cause. And don’t use any sort of cleaner you’d use on your sink or your bathtub; it usually leaves a grimy, sticky build up you need to avoid. This utensil is expensive and particular. Treat it as such.

Your Best Friend on the Road

And remember to take care of your curling wand when you take it on the road. Never, ever coil the electric cord around the wand. This can cause disaster. It didn’t come in its case that way, did it? No. And the extensive coiling can cause your curling wand to short out. And trust me, you can’t add an electric cord to your beloved styling tool after you make this mistake. Grab a ponytail holder or something — you know you have one around — and wrap it around the coil.

Make sure to never throw your hot wand into your bag when taking it on the road, as well. It could burn and ruin several of your clothes, melt items in your bag, and just generally ruin your life. If it’s a last minute trip: you’re running out the door and you just don’t have the time to wait for your tool to cool down before leaving, you can toss it easily in curling wand bag. They can usually withstand up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Which is the approximate temperature I set my oven at to cook pizzas. So, there you go.

If you want to maintain a high level of confidence in your beauty routine, you must follow these rules to give good aftercare to curling wand, pretty much the same way you look after your hair. Always clean it of the gel gunk residue your hair has dropped off on its sleek body. Always store it correctly, and don’t coil its electric cord pell mell. Quit pretending this item in your hands — your curling wand — doesn’t make or break your style every single day of the year. Give it some respect!

Photo Credit: melohel