Q: When updating your styling tools, what products should you avoid?

I recommend staying away from nylon bristle round brushes. They can start to melt and bend when coming in contact with heat. Using these types of brushes often cause hair to tangle during your blowout creating split ends and breakage. Also, I recommend staying away from non-ionic blow dryers. They are extremely damaging to your hair. Avoid using a blow dryer that is more than 15 years old. It may contain asbestos, which was formerly used as a heat resistant material in the power cord.

Gina Pieper is the Artistic Director at Empire Beauty Schools, the nation’s largest provider of cosmetology education in North America.