Would You Try Cryotherapy For Hair? Turns Out, It's Easy To Do At Home

When I saw hairstylist Matt Newman run a flat-iron-looking contraption through his wet hair, I audibly screamed. I could practically hear the sizzle of fried hair bonds, feel the tears of a thousand hairdressers. It's heat-styling lesson No. 1, after all: Do not use an iron or curling wand on wet or even slightly damp hair, lest you damage your strands or burn them to a crisp. So you can understand my horror, yes?   

Essentially, that freezing tool helps close the hair cuticles almost immediately. "It's primarily about sealing the cuticle around moisture before it has a chance to evaporate naturally," says hairstylist Andrea Hans, owner of Broome Street Society in NYC. "[It] locks in hydration by using extremely cold temperatures to force the cuticle to close quickly around the product you choose to use on your hair." 

As we discussed, sealing down the cuticles helps lock moisture into the strand—and when your cuticles are flat, your hair is healthier, shinier, and smoother. While you might use heat and steam to open up these cuticles and make it easier for moisture to seep in, you want to seal down the cuticle after the hair soaks up all that moisture—if they stay lifted, your strands will be more prone to brittleness and frizz. 

"Anytime you close your hair cuticle, each strand feels smoother and appears shinier," says Hans. "Think about a velvet couch—you can push against the natural fiber direction, and it appears more dull. When you smooth it down in the opposite direction, it feels glassy and has a higher shine." 

Technically, you can use these ice tools on wet or dry hair, but according to Hans, you might want to wait until your hair is damp, not dripping. "Water expands as it freezes; if the cuticle of your hair is open and filled with water, the expansion that will happen when it freezes could put unnecessary pressure on your hair shaft and weaken the strand," she says. If you do plan to use a cryo-tool on an air-dry, many brands (like this ColdBrush by BaBylissPRO or this Inverse Hair Conditioning Kit) recommend you start on damp, towel-dried hair. 

You also want to make sure your cuticles are, in fact, open before exposing them to the freezing temperature. "The cryo-iron isn't going to open and then close the cuticle," says Hans. Meaning, there isn't really a benefit to clamping your hair with an ice tool whenever you feel like it. Rather, you want to use these tools to quickly seal the hair shaft—like, say, right after you heat style, apply a hot oil treatment, or if your hair is naturally porous or damaged. 

Any hair type can benefit from these cryo-tools—however, not everyone should use them with the same frequency. "Just like any extreme temperature exposure to our hair, skin, and nails, moderation is key," says Hans. Yes, these ice tools are A+ for locking in moisture, but it is possible to overdo it—especially if you frequently freeze your soaking wet strands.