We all love that fresh-from-the-salon feeling, but did you know your favorite hair styling routine might be impacting your indoor air quality? The sizzle of a flat iron, the mist of hairspray – while creating beautiful hair, these can also release harmful ultrafine particles into your home's air.
Consumer Reports article "Make Sure You Have Good Air Circulation While Styling Your Hair, Experts Say” and a recent Purdue University study, titled "Indoor Nanoparticle Emissions and Exposures during Heat-Based Hair Styling Activities" reveal that everyday heat-based hair styling—using tools like flat irons or curling irons with products containing siloxanes—releases billions of ultrafine nanoparticles into indoor air. A typical 10–20 minute routine can produce concentrations rivaling busy traffic pollution, leading to over 10 billion particles potentially inhaled and deposited deep in the lungs. This highlights hair styling as an overlooked source of indoor air pollution, emphasizing the need for better ventilation.
The Challenge of Styling
For many, the choice between desired hairstyles and cleaner air can seem like a tough one. As the article notes, "High heat is especially important for some Black hair textures, which often require more intense heat to straighten or style effectively." But the good news is, you don't have to compromise!
Three Expert-Recommended Ways to Ventilate Your Space
Maintaining a healthy home while styling is easier than you think. Experts suggest these three methods to improve air circulation:
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Open the Door: Styling with the door open lets cleaner air from the rest of your home enter, reducing the concentration of new particles.
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Use Bathroom Fans: Although often used for steam, these fans effectively move airborne pollutants out of the room.
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Air Out After Styling: Elissia Franklin, PhD, a scientist at Silent Spring Institute, advises continuing to "air out your space even after you finish styling to get as many airborne toxins out as possible".
To maximize protection during heat-based hair styling, consider using a high-quality air purifier with HEPA filtration to capture ultrafine particles and activated carbon to adsorb VOCs.
Rabbit Air's MinusA2 and A3 models are excellent options. Their BioGS® HEPA filters effectively trap ultrafine particles, while the dual-hive charcoal-based activated carbon filter helps reduce odors and VOCs from beauty products.
For enhanced performance, select the Toxin Absorber customized filter, which is specially designed to trap and reduce volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and other chemicals.
