Chloe

Top 10 Mistakes You are Making with Your Hair Straightener

by

When it comes to gorgeous hair arguably the most desired look is long, sleek, shiny and perfectly straight hair. It’s pure and simple style that always manages to look chic along with anything from a little black dress to your lazy Sunday sweats.

Like most girls I love my monthly hairdresser appointment, a touch of color along with straightening. As all of you know there seems there’s no other point in that month my hair looks better. After only a few days though the frizz begins to return, my waves come back and the shine starts to fade away…

Fortunately my hair straightener keeps my in-between-hairdresser appointments a little more bearable. Don’t you just love your hair straightener? It’s the only beauty tool that stays on top of my dresser. However over the years I’ve realized I’ve been doing a lot of my routine incorrectly!

So after some conversations with beauty professionals I have compiled a list of the most common mistakes we make with our beloved flat irons and perfect the technique after implementing these into my own routine, my hair is straighter longer, no longer frizzes so damn quickly and has even shaved precious minutes off the whole shabang, so I can snooze in just a little longer ;-). Read on to see if you can too…

 

1. You’re not properly preparing your hair

Hair Straightening Preparatio

Your straightening routine is not beginning in the shower. For those of you who know me, I have tried tons of shampoos, conditioners are various other products to straighten my hair only to learn one thing – they do not work on their own and never will. For my particularly frizzy, thick hair I begin my straightening routine in the shower with a keratin shampoo.

Keratin is a protein which naturally exists in hair, it helps to protect against the heating of the flat iron and generally smooths it out. Other shampoos labeled with ‘smoothing’ may be able to help prepare the strands with moisture.

Rinse your hair gently, if you go nuts with the towel you will only enhance your natural curls. After rinsing, just pat your hair down gently, running your hair through the towel. Your aim should be about 80% dry throughout. At this point you might want apply a thermal protectant, then just let it air dry.

2. Your hair is not dry enough

Speaking of blowdrying, watch your blowdryer direction. Your hairdryer may be causing the most damage to your hair. To achieve the sleek finish, always keep the nozzle facing downwards.Hair Straightening - Dry hair first!

Many have looked for wet-to-dry [W2D] hair straighteners and whilst I have had no experience with these personally, from everything I have learned about using a flat iron, I don’t see how wet-to-dry straighteners can be either safe or effective. The ones I have researched say they only work if your hair is about 90% dry anyway, so why bother?! If you have used W2D straighteners, please let me know your experiences in the comments section at the bottom of this page.

If you use a brush, use a boar bristle brush not plastic brushes as they cause static and hence more frizz!

3. Its your precious hair, not your breakfast…

Whatever you do, don’t fry your hair. If you see steam or hear frizzle then immediately stop and assess the situation. The most common issue here is your hair your hair needs to be completely bone dry before straightening. If you hair is dry then it could be product build up on your flat iron, check the plates are completely clean you can use something like this iron cleaner from HSI.

Hair Straightening - Not too Hot!You should avoid applying anything to dry hair which is what makes straightening different than curling. Because the iron clamps down on the hair, there’s nowhere for the product to go. You’re pretty much boiling the product into the follicle, which isn’t a great idea, especially if it contains alcohol.

That 450 F setting on your flat iron was specifically added for professional stylists to straighten after performing a deep keratin treatment. This is waaayyy too hot for home use, did you know your hair burns at the same temperature as paper? That’s 451 F (233 C)! No matter how unmanageable your hair is, you should keep this setting safe at 400 F max, MAX!

With correct preparation (shower, correct blowdryer use etc) and technique, 400 F is plenty and will ensure you don’t do damage to your hair. Not hot enough then you’ll be taking a longer time with too many strokes to get your hair straight.

Hair Straightener Temperature Guide

4. You’re not sectioning your hair

Always section your hair, what I do is, brush the section first then follow right away with the flat iron. Keep it going, when you stop and start it’s far too easy to miss sections or even worse, overdo sections. Carefully select, brush, then straighten each section remember to not pull your hair as you go along just gentle strokes if you feel your hair pulling you’re clamping too tight or going too fast – this can be really easy to do when you’re in a hurry! Make sure you run your fingers through the section of hair, pulling gently down then following through with your iron right from the root.

5. You’re not using a thermal protectant

Hair - Heat Proecting Spray

OK, so you don’t want the hair to sizzle. In addition to keeping the temperature at an appropriate level, a thermal protectant such as these. Apply to hair when damp, then air dry before using your hair straightener.

6. Your iron is from the dark ages

Don't use a hair straightener that's very old

Yep, you heard it right. You could be doing all of the above correctly and still not getting the desired result. You may find that your straightening routine is taking longer and longer, and by the time you’ve finished your arms feel like you’ve just had a kettle-ball routine down the gym.

Both cheaper and older hair straighteners take longer and longer to return to the optimum temperature. Some older and cheaper irons take up to 90 seconds to return to the temp you’ve set.

Really old IronWith each stroke your iron cools down a little, then needs to heat back up again before the next stroke, so you either need to wait or just keep moving so that each hair section is not straightening at the best temperature for your hair type. Many flat iron models now show their ‘recovery time’ listed in the product features page, the shorter the better.

Alot has changed with flat iron technology. The plate material is very important, for example tourmaline is a crystal boron silicate mineral which is either coated on or baked into the plates. This stuff emits negative ions which help to counteract the positive ions in damaged hair. Even if your hair is undamaged, tourmaline helps to keep existing moisture in the strands.

For curly hair look for gold or titanium. Some brands even have ceramic/titanium blends which also has tourmaline baked in, an excellent combination.

7. Your iron is just too wide

When it comes to size, you should never need to go above 1½ inches. Thicker irons can help styling and allowing for wider sectioning however the wider the iron the more difficult it is to reach the root properly and for that lavish pure straight look, the iron needs to be right from root to tips.

8. You don’t use a brush

Before you take to each section with heat, brush out the hair to prepare each section, this not only takes care of any knots, but perfectly separates strands ready for the heat. This you won’t need to go back over each section as many times.

9. You don’t let your hair cool

 

Heat is naturally great at doing the styling work, however don’t for get that cool sets it. So let your hear cool before putting it in a ponytail or a clip after straightening it.

10. You don’t clean your iron

Any product you apply to your hair, such as heat protectants, residue from keratin shampoos and not to mention dust etc will eventually build up on your flat iron plates. The cleaner the plates, the better the heat transfer to your hair, clean your plates regularly to keep it in tip-top shape and save you time and effort.

11. BONUS Tip!

A flat iron is just that, an iron you can use it on collars, ribbons, craft supplies and more! For this stuff your flat iron is perfect and provides a better level of control than your clothes iron.

 

Using these tips will save you time, frustration and maybe even a little money too!  Check out my reviews here and you can check out the infographic for these tips too.

Rusk RSK686/RSK732 Str8 Iron Review

by

“Take baby steps to hair straightening perfection”

 

There was absolutely no way that I was going to get through writing a review for the Rusk RSK732 Professional Str8 Titanium-Infused Ceramic Flat Iron without succumbing to a bit of word play with the word ‘Rusk’ so I’m getting it out of the way early. With a rusk being an iconic baby finger food that was very popular a generation ago, will the Rusk RSK732 Professional Str8 Titanium-Infused Ceramic Flat Iron become a famous straightener of our time, with the next generation reminiscing on just how good it was ‘way back when’?

Smooth Operator

Much is made in the world of Straighteners marketing hype about plates and, of course, as the main attraction, so there should be. The latest buzz is all about titanium, with this Rusk model being ‘infused, with titanium. So should you enthuse about the titanium infuse?

My hair is increasingly dry as I get older and due to damage and breakage, unless I use a straightening iron on it, I literally look like the proverbial bag of spanners. To put it simply, I need a bit of a miracle when it comes to my straighteners.

The Rusk gave me good results. In fact, the first time I used it on a portion of hair at the side that has a habit of flicking it, I had to do a double take. It was amazing. But. When I used it on more layered sections that admittedly need the split ends trimming, it struggled to do anything with the ends – and I am meaning anything. Now I have admitted that my hair needs split ends sorting, but other straighteners have made a better job than these. Maybe for hair that is in a much better state than mind would produce a much better result and indeed, if you check out other reviews, a fair few users truly do enthuse about the infuse, but I’m just left a bit neutral I’m afraid.

Hello Gel-lo

When people think about gel in connection with hair, they instantly think of the styling product, and if you’re of a more mature age, may even think of cheap plastic pots filled with transparent green slime. But the Rusk RSK732 Professional Str8 Titanium-Infused Ceramic Flat Iron is having none of that 1980’s stuff, as gel here refers to sol-gel technology. But what actually is sol-gel technology? Well to put it bluntly, I have absolutely no idea, but what I do know is that the idea is that it makes it easier for your hair to pull through the straightening plates.

Now call me a cynic, but as we have come so far in terms of technological advancements in straightening irons that actually I now expect any pair of straighteners to come with this as standard. In fact, I don’t expect it to be touted as a feature that I should be getting excited about. It’s as if unless it is listed as a feature, I should expect my hair to get tangled in the straightener as if that’s the norm. Let’s be honest, when we are ironing clothes do we expect the iron to get a little stuck and create a burn mark as if that’s just how it is? NO!!! That being said, yes, my hair did go through the plates smoothly – as it should – it’s a straightening iron.

Easy, peasy, lemon squeezy

I am a girl who appreciates the simpler things in life (you should meet my husband) and electronic gadgets that are easy to use please me. Not only am I busy, very busy, but also my mind has been a little frazzled from years of strong meds. This isn’t an excuse for my lack of ability to work out complicated things, but just a fact. So I like my straightening irons to be easy to use and deliver superlative results. For me, this is where the Rusk RSK732 starts to impress.

The buttons are easy to use and the super, duper digital display means you know what temperature you’re at – I’m a real fan of a digital display as it makes me feel all hi-tech so I’m loving this element of the Rusk. Other people have moaned about the fact that the temperature resets each time you switch it on but I expect this. When I get in my car I don’t expect it to turn left as I turned left into my drive. When I put my oven on I put the temperature on again. I just don’t see the problem.

Could a pair of straighteners cause you to have a meltdown?

Well hopefully not, but the Rusk RSK732’s have no automatic shut-off – dramatic pause – I can actually hear a stony silence from the readers of this review. Yes, we all now kinda expect straighteners to come with this feature, and even though we are highly unlikely to need it, the fact that it isn’t there does make me feel a little nervous. In fact, it’s one of those things that I will be worrying so much about leaving the straighteners on, that I will accidentally leave them on even though usually I am meticulous about these kind of things. It’s a bizarre fact, but then I do think it is bizarre in this age of technology for a manufacturer to leave this feature out. It annoys me – deeply.

So you will probably now be able to confidently guess what one of the cons of these straighteners is, but here’s the rest too.

PROS – nice looking straighteners with a professional vibe, digital display is a hi-tech winner for me, hair glides through the plates really well

CONS – NO AUTO SHUT-OFF!!! & Average straightening results on damaged hair

So do I actually like the Rusk RSK732 Professional Str8 Titanium-Infused Ceramic Flat Iron? Well actually yes – the review probably makes things sound a bit more negative than they were when using the straighteners. But I wouldn’t buy them – sorry, they just weren’t for me.

Turboion Croc Classic Straightener Review

by

“Hopping and Bopping to the Crocodile Rock”

Woah! If you ever wanted a set of straighteners to mess with those eye to brain visual messages then this is it. Straightening irons are meant to be – well, er – straight are they not? Well not the Turboion Rbb Croc Classic Straightener with its unusual shaping, but quirky looks or not, are they actually all about the alternative shape, or is there also a nifty pair of ironing plates underneath that mis-shapen exterior too?

Beauty comes in all shapes and sizes

Yes, just as your Mother told you, beauty comes in all shapes and sizes. Whilst my temptation with any review is to perhaps go for the actually straightening results first, there’s just no getting past the difference in shape with these and as it is the dominant feature, let’s go for it.

Firstly, do I like the look? On first appearances personally it’s a no from me. On looks alone, they look heavy, and those pointy bits in all honesty look a bit sharp. They conjure up visions of those raised bits cutting into my finger joints and it the straightening irons being ultra-hard to hold.

But, hang on…did your Mother not also say that beauty is skin deep and warned you to not to judge a book by its cover? Well with that in mind, when you actually hold these it is a whole different kettle of fish. I have dexterity issues and without boring you with the finer detail, I live in severe pain so lifting straightening irons to my hair as well as manoeuvring them to style is not easy, with some days being worse than others.

These were amazing – I would go so far as to say ergonomic perfection..ish. This was helped also by the fact that they had a comfortable soft grip too. The ability to be able to hold my straightening irons this easily very definitely enhanced my styling ability. But why an ish? These are quite a slim iron. Again, for me with my issues they were too thin but that would probably not be a problem for others and could actually be a positive but I am sure you will know what is best for you.

Finger clickin’ heat

Today’s straightening irons are all about instant heat and the Turboion Rbb Croc Classic Straightener clearly wants that to be a major selling feature. My thick, coarse, damaged etc hair likes a lot of heat to make it do as it’s told and my body does not like to be kept waiting. These heat up impressively quickly meaning that I’m not having to be a master of multi-tasking, whilst admitting that this is actually a real skill of mine. Other reviews on the internet seem to say similar so well done Croc.

The Turboion Rbb Croc Classic Straightener is an actual mind-reader

Ok, it sounds like a sensational headline, but this is the first straightener I have come across that when you actually find a temperature that truly works for your hair, when you turn on your straightening irons the next day, it will remember that exact temperature. This feels like a huge bonus. But I stress feels. I’m a bit of a stresser and double-checker so for me, I don’t trust technology all the time and may be tempted to double check myself which kind of defeats the whole object I suppose. I like fiddly bits on my gadgets and like fiddling with it all otherwise what’s the advantage having it there? But that’s me…

Digga Digga Digga Dig The Digital

…But whether you like the memory facility or not, the digital display is a clear winner, with the use of the word clear being used intentionally. The display is very easy to read, being located on the top of the unit and a quick glance and you know exactly where you’re at – nice!

Straight as a strand of dry spaghetti

I like my hair straight – salon straight. I don’t want to look like a try hard who sat at home with her straightening irons trying her best but didn’t quite pull it off. I was really impressed at the result with these and actually surprised. As the straighteners are thin I suppose I made the mental assumption that the plates would be too but this is not the case. My hair passed through the Titanium coated ceramic plates easily and my hair is not the best condition as well as being mighty thick. Condition was definitely looking improved but hand on heart I have had better results from other straightening irons when it comes to shine.

One thing the Turboion Rbb Croc Classic Straightener’s did struggle with was curls. Admittedly my dexterity issues can get in the way but I feel it was more those pesky crocodile bumps that caused the problem. I just couldn’t get them in a good enough way to get the straighteners in a prime curling position. Sad. But true. I did manage a flick or two, but would say that if you are looking at the Turboion Rbb Croc Classic Straightener as a multi-functional styler then you may be heading for disappointment.

The review seems like a bit of a swamp full of crocodile highs and lows so let’s have a look at the Pros and Cons.

PROS – the croc style ergonomic shape is a really comfortable experience especially if you have dexterity issues, the plates produce a very straight straightening result, the ability to ‘lock-in’ your optimum temperature as it remembers it from last usage

CONS – curls are not great with this unit (this may be due to the ergonomic design), some people may not like the shape of the Turboion Rbb Croc Classic Straightener, no added extras like travel case
I do like these straighteners but would suggest that these are not for everyone at all. They do take a bit of getting used to and they don’t really rock as a multi-purpose styler. They are a higher price point and I’m just not convinced they are worth it, but at a slightly lower cost they’d be more of a winner.

Sorry, no Crocs on Amazon UK 🙁

Solia Tourmaline Ion Flat Iron Review

by

“Color by numbers”

Think back to your childhood days – using a pencil to do dot to dot, spending hours on jigsaw puzzles only to find 1 piece missing, making Lego bricks into very random looking houses and of course, the simple but very effective and enjoyable pastime of coloring in. As a child, bright colors go a long way in terms of stimulating the senses, and as there’s no rule that says it can’t be the same when you’re an adult, is it time to ditch the black and silver and go bold and vibrant with the Solia Tourmaline Ceramic Ion Flat Iron?

A tour of the tourmaline

In terms of plates on straightening irons, tourmaline is definitely the new kid on the block. Full of ions that counteract the negative elements of the hair’s structure, the science is proving to be a success in terms of great-looking hair. If like me you like to break the rules, you will love the Solia Tourmaline flat iron. It’s time for tourmaline to have its own fashion makeover as if your choice of the purchase is the black pair of irons, the plate comes in a wondrous electric blue.

Yes, I know it’s all about performance, but I’m loving this attention to detail. And talking of performance, panic not, as the tourmaline plates are a one-pass wonder. Honestly, with one pass, my hair was straight, shiny, and looked full of health. Ta da! This is a really impressive result and I would go so far as to say superior compared to the result I have had with some other straightening irons. Could it be that intelligence and good looks can come in the same package?

A real rollercoaster of heat options

Having variable heat controls that actually deliver significantly different variants is one of the most sought-after features with a straightening iron. Just as thicker hair craves the extreme heat of the mid-400s, thinner hair would run away and hide from anything other than a temperature in the mid-300s or lower. The Solia Tourmaline flat iron has an admirable heat control that gives real options for real hair. This is a straightening iron that wants to please and wants to be everyone’s styling best pal.

On my thick, drier and damaged hair, I felt confident that the higher heat wasn’t going to result in increased damage. This gave me the confidence to style away to my heart’s content.

Handy handling

I like my straighteners to make life easy for me in every way. This means that I like them to be easy to hold as this means it is easy to style. Many straightening irons forfeit ergonomic structure over straightening capability, but I’m a firm believer that the two should go hand in hand. It may be that as I am someone with dexterity issues I take the issue of easy handling a bit too seriously but, whether I’m on a bit of a personal campaign or not, I think that if you can hold your straighteners in a good position, then you should be able to straighten, flick and curl like a salon professional.

The Solia Tourmaline flat iron also has beveled edges. As well as sounding pretty impressive, the idea here is that functionality is improved. Don’t be tempted to see this as a minor feature, as you will certainly see a positive difference if you come to use them yourself. The shape just fits your hand like a glove and the process has obviously had some thought into it and I like that. Thanks Solia!

I can sing a rainbow

Anything that spreads a little happiness in the world is fine by me and when colors are as bright and cheery as these, smiles can’t help but follow. As well as the sort of expected black, although this is styled so well that even that looks amazing, the straightener also comes in pink, purple and red. The colors are not metallic but nicely bold and vivid so manage to get the right balance of contemporary but eye-catching. It’s a real wow from me and I actually would be ecstatically happy with any one of the color choices.

DAS what?

D.A.S, or in other words Dynamic Alignment System, is a new one on me but I absolutely see the logic. The idea is that the plates close together in perfect harmony. This means the hair is kept in the absolute optimum position for styling and your result will be more even and straight. As much as I like my straightening irons to be the proud owners of fancy sounding features, my only issue with this is that surely ALL straightening irons should have plates that close exactly? Does it really need to have fancy sounding words for something that in reality should be standard? I’m not so sure that the Dynamic Alignment System is as impressive as Solia hope it will sound, but this doesn’t detract from the straightener’s solid performance so I’ll move on to the PROs and CONs.

On to the PROs and CONs.

PROS – gorgeous looking straightening irons that come in a selection of colors that combine the contemporary look with class, superior straightening results with impressive variable temperature control, straightening irons that are really comfortable to handle without needing to sell themselves as ergonomic

CONS – Dynamic Alignment System seems less of an impressive feature and more of a standard feature that has been worded to sound better than it is. Is it just a bit of a marketing ploy?

As you can clearly tell from the positives versus the negatives, there is little about the Solia Tourmaline Ceramic Ion Flat Iron to really dislike. I am totally won over by how these look but I do believe that the performance is more than a match for the wow from the bright colors. If you are looking for a straightener that is an all-round winner, then it’s time to consider whether you should have the Solia Tourmaline Ceramic Ion Flat Iron in your life.

Sorry, not available on Amazon UK or CA

Remington Wet 2 Straight Review

by

“Wet 2, well…err…kinda straight?”

I’m a suspicious kind of person. Yes, it’s my natural personality but also years of purchasing experience have made me ‘buyer-beware’. I have grown used to marketeering along with all the hype that comes with it. In other words, just because a product says it will do something, I don’t always truly believe that will be the case. So, with this is mind, I admit that I approached reviewing the Remington Wet 2 Straight with a bit of cynical trepidation. Could it really make my hair go from wet to straight? Really, really?

Ooh, I love a vent!

The Remington Wet 2 Straight comes with steam vents. These are not, as the name may suggest, something to help calm when your hair won’t style properly, but the idea is that they are drying the hair whilst the plates do their job of straightening. Think of it like someone drying the dishes while you’re still washing up. In other words, there are two things happening at once here, with the sincere intention of saving you time and making your life just that little bit easier. Unfortunately, however, my experience of such multi-functioning gadgets has not been wholly positive.

I remember the washer-dryer where the washer unit failed and so I couldn’t dry, and the TV/DVD player where, as soon as the DVD got stuck, the TV gave up also. When it comes to my gadgets, I’m a one purpose kind of gal, and the Remington Wet 2 Straight has done nothing to dispel that feeling. Yes, it dried my hair, but the straightened look was left a little frizzy at the end. In fact, I had to get out my go-to straightening iron to rectify the finished look, so saved no time whatsoever. Not impressed. Admittedly, my hair is thick (very thick) with damage and split ends, but I’ve had much better straightening results from even the cheapest of straightening irons.

Not the finest looking apple on the tree

The Remington Wet 2 Straight comes at a cheaper price point than many of its competitors. And it shows in the way it looks. For me, I don’t see that a cheaper cost equates to naff looks, but that is certainly the case here. The Wet 2 Straight logo, in an old-fashioned font, is overly large, and the numerical ‘2’ instead of its written equivalent is a little elementary school for my liking. Since when did abbreviated text talk become the next contemporary thing when it came to electrical gadget design? Grrr.

Dodgy signage aside, the Remington Wet 2 Straight just looks inferior – inferior as the materials that it’s made with look cheap, and inferior as in everything just looks a little small. I can’t put my finger on it – actually I can put my finger on it as opposed to my hand, as they just don’t seem to be as wide or as long as other straighteners I have reviewed. When it comes to comfortable handling of your straightening irons, size matters.

Ceramic…ish

Much is made nowadays of what straightening plates are made of. Are they titanium? Tourmaline-infused? Sugar-coated, frosted with a cherry on top? Or maybe just plain old ceramic? Well actually, plain old ceramic is known to give a smooth glide, adding health and shine. But as the plates of the Remington Wet 2 Straight are only ceramic-coated (so only ceramic ish), then it means that the results are only ish too. So the hair goes through the plates ish, the final result looks straight ish, and the hair looks shiny ish. But I’m a vain old goat, and always want maximum value for my hard-earned dollar. So ish simply isn’t good enough. Why did Remington not just go the whole ceramic hog? I understand that companies work to tight budgets, but customer perception of a product takes precedence.

Aha! A plus point.

Thank goodness for the auto shut-off feature! Not all is lost. The auto shut-off feature is one of those things that people don’t think they need, and may well never use, but if it isn’t there, it just makes you feel a little nervous. What if I forget to turn my straighteners off? Will I fry the dog? Will my straighteners embed into the wooden flooring? A bit like that annoying little sister that keeps borrowing your clothes, but who if she left home you’d be lost without. I believe that every set of straightening irons in the world should have an auto shut-off feature. The fact that the Remington Wet 2 Straight comes with this has made me feel that not all is lost when it comes to this brand, but with the pros and cons list looming, I still feel that these straightening irons would have to do a lot of work to leave me even slightly impressed.

PROs – the wet to straight feature would be an excellent idea if only it produced wearable results; auto shut-off feature

CONs – a cheaper-looking model with results that match; drying and straightening at the same time just didn’t work on my thick, frizzy hair; cheaper price point equates to poorer performance.

At the end of this review, I admit to feeling a little heavy-hearted. I am sure that if I bought a pair of Remington straightening irons and a Remington hairdryer, I would get better results. So I am left wondering why bother trying to bring the two together if it doesn’t work well enough. I can understand it’s a time saver on paper, but sadly the reality is very different indeed. In fact, it probably ended up taking me an extra 20 minutes by having to get my preferred brand of straighteners back out to go over the results the Remington had left me with.

ISA Tourmaline Professional Flat Iron Review

by

“Professional does it for more every time”

I admit I’m a bit of a sucker for marketing hype. I am also prone to taking things fairly literally. So if a straightener is happy to state that it is professional in the title, then I am drawn in to expecting that it will produce styling results that are pretty impressive. I know I’m not even remotely up to calling myself as good as a trained professional, but I would hope that the straightening irons would help me to achieve a look that’s superior to that obtained with a straightener that doesn’t have professional in the title. So after that jumble of words, it’s down to the nitty-gritty – does the ISA Professional Digital LCD Ceramic Flat Iron Hair Straightener deserve its name?

“Red – a world about to dawn! Black – the night that ends at last!”

OK, I’ve gone for lyrics from the musical ‘Les Misérables’ here but with very good reason, as there’s definitely nothing ‘miserable’ about the look of the ISA Professional Digital LCD Ceramic Flat Iron Hair Straightener.

My ‘go-to’ brand of straighteners come in matte black and in my head, my vision of the perfect professional pair of straighteners has that look or similar. Go to a salon and rarely do the stylists have luminous pink metallic ones, my theory being that if a pair of straightening irons are amazing, they don’t need fancy colors to do the talking. In fact, turn that idea on its head, and if straighteners have gone over the top on their looks, then I even start to think that they have something to hide.

The ISA Professional Digital LCD Ceramic Flat Iron Hair Straightener are one of the best looking on the market. I absolutely love them. Yes, my preferred ‘professional’ matte black look is there but it is interspersed with adorable red sections, and I do mean adorable. Even the plates are rocking the look – wow! As well as this stunning appearance, these were also a bit of an ergonomic hit, too. Due to dexterity issues, I need a straightener that wills me to hold it just as the manufacturer intended, and the ISA Professional Flat Iron Straightener does just that.

Shape, rattle and roll

The ISA Professional Digital LCD Ceramic Flat Iron has a shape that has clearly been well thought through – I have visions of team huddles, boardroom meetings and working lunches, seriously. It just seems to be the perfect size whichever way you’re looking at it. Not only does this help to produce superlative straightening results, but for the first time in a long while, I could flick and curl and produce results I was happy to leave the house with. This was very definitely down to the fact that the ISA Professional Ceramic Flat Iron has the rare ability to be suited for use by both left and right-handed people. With my dexterity issues, this was a dream scenario. Add to this a long swivel cord, and for the first time since childhood I was playing professional hair stylist.

Ceramic dramatic

Handsome though these straightening irons are, it’s all much ado about nothing if my hair ends up looking like I’ve delved into a trash can. Ceramic has long been the preferred straightener plate option and it definitely delivers here. It may sound an odd thing to say, but the plates are actually fully ceramic – we’re not talking ceramic-coated, ceramic-infused, ceramic-sprinkled here – and I think it is this that meant that my mass of thick and color-damaged hair was transformed once again into my crowning glory. Well OK, I admit, maybe not the desired just-walked-out-of-the-salon look, but hand on heart I was truly chuffed at the result. The plates glided through my hair with ease, with minimal passes necessary – I call that a good result! But in case that isn’t enough for you in a straightening iron, does the ISA Professional Digital LCD Ceramic Flat Iron Hair Straightener comes with any nifty little extras?

Lock it or lose it

You know when you get your straighteners to that optimum temperature but then accidentally nudge the button and it’s back to square one? Well have no fear, the ISA Professional Ceramic Flat Iron is here! I absolutely love the fact that you can lock your buttons into place, so never losing all those stressful minutes (OK, maybe seconds) spent trying to find the best temperature for your individual hair needs. In fact, I would go so far as to say that each and every pair of straightening irons in the whole world should have this as part of their basic set-up. Manufacturers please listen!

Raving about the neon

I remember the 1990s, when neon was a fashion must. And to bring that bang up-to-date, I’m happy to rave about neon in my straightening iron. The ISA Professional Digital LCD Ceramic Flat Iron Hair Straightener has a neon-lit digital temperature display, and as much as you may think ‘Ha! Why do I need that?’, once you’ve seen it you will understand my excitement. It just makes things a whole lot clearer/simple, and I love it for that.

Talking of love, will the pros and cons list show that I love this straightener or hate it, although I think it’s fairly obvious which way this will go.

PROs – love the two-tone look, especially the attention to detail on the plates; at last I got great results straightening and curling; this was by far the easiest pair of straightening irons to handle and maneuverer

CONs – oh my goodness, I simply cannot think of a single one!

I conclude this review by saying that I really don’t think you can go wrong with this pair of straightening irons. What I really like about them is the fact that every detail is done with the same care and consideration, meaning that everybody’s styling needs, however small, have been addressed. Thank you ISA!

Sorry Not available on Amazon UK or CA….

Remington S5500 Digital Hair Straightener Review

by

“Do I like these enough to buy the company?”

 

For those of you old enough to remember, Remington became quite famous in the 1970’s 1980’s for his men’s shavers that contained the quote “I liked it so much, I bought the company.” But as well as me using it as a witty way of starting this review, the point I’m also trying to make is that Remington were known then as a premium brand synonymous with quality goods – can we say the same for the Remington S5500 Digital Anti-Static Ceramic Hair Straightener?

Purple Rain

It’s not often that I feel I need to start a review by mentioning the color but I am doing so here as it’s probably my favorite thing about these straightening irons. The purple is definitely ‘bang on trend’ and not tacky or forced. In fact it is almost somewhat understated and that makes it look kinda classy. As my teen daughter is always saying, “that looks so Tumblr”, and if you leave these out to cool, they look almost ornamental. I normally prefer the black, salon professional look so my love for these purple beauties has taken me back a bit, but it is definitely love – well done Remington. But now to performance …

MMM bop

Well it’s ‘MMM bop’ but without the ‘Ba Duba Dop’ for me. There’s a UK saying that goes “all fur coat and no knickers” and the Remington S5500 Digital Anti-Static Ceramic Hair Straightener reminds me of that. The straighteners look all fantastic, but underneath that showy purple exterior a just a bit lack lustre. Sure they have all the features that a lot of the more expensive straightening irons have, like floating plates, but it’s less float and more, well, nothing actually. Of course these irons straighten as when you add high heat to hair and capture between two plates that is pretty much inevitable, but the results are not salon standard at all. But in the Remington’s defence, neither is the price tag which is almost like buying a couple of rolls of candy, so you can’t expect it to be amazing surely?

Long and slow wins the race

In order to get good enough results, I found that it was better to go really slow with your passes. The ceramic plates are fairly long and I sort of thought that by giving the heat enough time to work its straightening magic, it would counteract the Remington’s relatively weak performance. So if you’re on a budget, these straighteners can definitely do the job they are designed for, but allow yourself a lot longer to style your hair, and I do mean like double the usual time.

I’m going digital, di-digital, just watch me

Well if Justin Bieber can sing about digital, I can very definitely write about. Again, my apologies for my personality being a bit shallow when it comes to things like me liking the color purple for my straighteners, but in a similar vein, I love a digital display. I am totally aware that they do not have a direct impact on performance, other than if they are wholly accurate they will give you an excellent indicator of the temperature of the plates but I love them anyway. But assuming they are accurate, the advantage of a digital display is actually helps with a few things. Firstly, it means you can adjust the temperature depending on what your hair type is which minimizes damage.

Thinner hair is likely to need lower temperature and thicker a higher temperature. And it also helps with versatility, especially if you change your look from straight to curls and vice versa. When you find a temperature that works for you, simply file it into your memory bank then you know exactly what to aim for with the digital display next time which makes life just that little bit easier. And the digital display means that you get to your preferred heat quicker without having to ‘guess’ where you’re at. So it’s actually a useful as well as nifty bit of kit.

It all hinges on the hinge

Sometimes the smallest of details that would usually pass you by as being insignificant can make a big difference. Such is the Remington S5500 Digital Anti-Static Ceramic Hair Straightener’s hinge lock. Being able to keep your straighteners, well, straight, is a huge bonus to me, especially for storing and when on the move. The hinge lock keeps them compact when not in use and that’s a feature I truly love.

Shut-off a your face Remington S5500 Digital Anti-Static Ceramic Hair Straightener

What’s a matter you, hey? Gotta no respect? Well maybe you’ll respect the Remington S5500 Digital Anti-Static Ceramic Hair Straightener’s a whole lot more when you find out that they have an auto-shut off feature. Whether you are prone to extreme or even minimal forgetfulness, this feature is always reassuring to have. These straighteners will shut off after an hour, so assuming you trust the technology, your house won’t burn down. Well not from the straighteners anyway…

So with a mixed bag of my opinions here, just what do I think are the major PROS and CONS?

PROS – love the contemporary purple color that is a touch of class as well as youthful vibrance, the digital display is a really useful addition and helps with your styling regime, the hinge lock rocks!

CONS – The Remington S5500 Digital Anti-Static Ceramic Hair Straighteners are just not the best on performance, they take time to get a good result and not many of us have that on our hands

So in conclusion, I would sum the Remington S5500 Digital Anti-Static Ceramic Hair Straighteners up as saying they are a budget performance at a budget price, but for some that is enough. It’s just that as my hair as fairly thick, these are not really straighteners that are up to that job. If your hair is fine, then they may well be.

Onei MK-I Halo Flat Iron Review

by

“Carnival time if you are a ‘Brazilian’”

2018 Update, this model is no longer available!!

The Onei MK-I Halo Ceramic Flat Iron is different than the majority of other straightening iron reviews I have done as it is actually states that it is for use on hair that has had the Brazilian Keratin treatment done on it. Now for those of you who are not regular salon goers or are simply not aware, the Brazilian Keratin treatment is a bit like a perm in reverse – in other words it makes hair straight for a period of around 3 months.

Unlike other treatments that rely on chemicals to change the hair’s structure, The ‘Brazilian Blowout’ uses keratin to restore the hair to a state of health, shine and vitality which naturally looks straighter. Easy to manage and with frizz minimized, hair is soft, frizz-free, manageable and just like you’ve stepped out of the salon.

So with this fantastic treatment seemingly answering everyone’s straightening prayers, why should we need the Onei MK-I Halo Ceramic Flat Iron too?

The heat is on

Straighteners that heat up quick are a big plus for me – I’m a bit manic in my life, and work to the ethos that if you are awake and breathing, then use that time effectively. There is a whole psychological back-drop to why I am the way I am and I won’t waste the review space boring you with it, but suffice to say that I don’t want to waste any amount of time waiting for my straightening irons to heat up – it’s irritating at least, and while I’m tapping my fingers on the dressing table waiting for the straightener heat to crank up, I could have emptied the dishwasher.

The Onei MK-I Halo Ceramic Flat Iron gets rid of the problem for me and nowadays I think this kind of heating up time should be a standard feature. It is that important.

How low can you go?

Much is made of high heat when it comes to straighteners but not so much about low heat. If your hair is fine or prone to snapping, low heat can be a real bonus. The Onei MK-I Halo Ceramic Flat Iron goes as low as 140 degrees and this may well be how it earns its reputation as being a good straightener for the Brazilian treatment.

I’m no hair expert (just someone who wants my hair to look as if it’s been styled daily by an expert) but I’m thinking that a hair treatment that restores health, shine and vitality does not then want to be dried out by high heat, as well as hair that has had a straightening effect treatment would not need as much heat to get a good effect as you would on curly hair – simple. But any way you look at it, low heat is a much appreciated extra, although no good for my frizzy, thick mop.

As pretty as a picture

As I keep saying, and I’m sorry if I get boring, I like my straighteners to look nice. My reasoning behind this is as you need to leave your straightening irons out after use to cool, they do end up being ‘part of the furniture’ and adding to the décor. So as such, it is great if they look as if they are part of your bedroom ‘vibe’.

The Onei MK-I Halo Ceramic Flat Iron comes in a white-silver that manages to maintain the professional look despite not being matte black, although it hedges its bets a bit by having some black on the top too, but this is for grip and to prevent burning hands. I really love the different look as Onei haven’t decided to go all bling and choose metallic pink or purple to make them stand out.

Digitise your life

What also adds to the look is the side digital display although, of course, this is far more than a pretty addition. The heat controls being near it make it really easy to adjust as you are styling. This is reassuring as if I feel things are getting a little heated I want action to be taken straight away, not a few seconds later when my hair has been frazzled. I feel it is important to also say that the controls were easy for me to use. I have dexterity issues so this was a much appreciated design feature and made me fall in love with the Onei MK-I Halo Ceramic Flat Iron just that little bit more.

Last but totally not least

So I’ve gone on about a few nifty features but what about the actual results? I’ve considered having a Brazilian blowout but haven’t due to the ongoing cost and actually more so, finding the time. So I am looking at the Onei MK-I Halo Ceramic Flat Iron as an ongoing straightener just as any other. Firstly, the plates went through my hair very smoothly. This is a plus point by itself, but actually the results made me smile too. I actually got great looking hair at 400 degrees where as I normally need 450. For me this is a positive as I am getting superior results without being at the maximum temperature so in theory I still have a bit of heat leeway. However, this could also suggest that the straighteners heat is a bit higher than the display suggests so it’s a bit of a ‘styler beware’ warning too.

So to PROS and CONS

PROS – The low heat may not work on my thick hair but for others it is great to at last have an option that minimizes hair damage, very quick heat up time and I love the heat control position on the straightening irons, nice looking stylers that don’t go down the usual matte black or metallic bling route.
CONS – the heat seems to be a little high for the stated temperature, these are an expensive straightening iron
Looking at cost as a con, I actually do feel they are worth the higher than average price tag, but looking around the internet, and currently it is easy to get these at a much discounted cost. This makes them extremely brilliant value for money!

Sorry this model no longer available

Karmin G3 Salon Professional Review

by

“Karma, Karma, Karma Karmin”

 

Of we all love a good 1980’s classic, almost as much as we love a good play on words, so if the song lyrics of Culture Club’s ‘Karma Chameleon’ are true, do the Karmin G3 Salon Professional straighteners ‘Come and Go’? Are they like a chameleon by changing temperature all the time and creating inconsistent heat spots? And is it true to say that ‘ev’ry day is like survival’ or are these straightening irons simply a styling gadget that you can’t live without.

Well let’s crack on and see…

What a passion for fashion

Straighteners that look good, perform better – well actually of course not, but there is a mind-boggling kind of thinking that we assume items will perform better if they look good.

Well lucky for the Karmin it’s a darn fine looking thang, with all that black and textured detailing. If I didn’t know better, I would say that this set of straighteners had been designed to look like one Karmin’s competitors who are famous for their amazing results. But that’s just me being a cynic (even though they do REALLY look like this brand of straightener from a distance). However, moving on from that, the Karmin G3 looks like a quality item with a sleek, classy facade and as it is touted as a salon professional piece of kit, it also looks the part. I’m happy. In fact I’m even tempted to put the box on display.

Send your hair to the dry cleaners

Well of course not literally, but you know when you send your favorite clothing to the dry cleaning store and it comes back looking even better than when it was new? Well this is what it was like for me when I took my hair to the Karmin G3 store, speaking metaphorically of course! My hair has been damaged from years of applying hair dye (I started coloring when I was 13), taking some serious medication and an admittedly poor diet (I’m a painfully fussy eater). Add to this the fact that it’s thick and straight, and even my preferred pair of ‘go-to’ straighteners can’t make my hair look amazing. So I was actually surprised at the results I got here. Karmin sell these straighteners as salon professional and they live up to the hype. Search other reviews and it’s a similar story, so surely we can’t all be wrong?

Hooray, Hooray, it’s a holi-, holiday

I’m no international jet setter, but I work hard and do like that iconic annual vacation. I’ve tried taking travel straighteners that, apart from taking about 30 minutes of hard work to get a result that means that you don’t need to wear a bag on your head, are a bit like playing Barbie in my 40’s. And I’ve horror of horrors, even tried to go without – that was the holiday where my hair was tied up in a ponytail EVERY day and EVERY night.

But I’ll tell you what I want (what I really, really want) is to be able to take my own, fully-functioning and all singing and dancing straighteners with me. Simple. That’s all I ask. And I don’t think it’s a big ask to look and feel nice when you’re on vacation. So the fact that the Karmin G3 has a dual voltage setting means more to me than some other features. And the other advantage of this that isn’t often mentioned is that straightener’s costs can vary the world over.

For example, buy the Karmin G3 in the UK and you’re it’s highly probable that you’ll pay a comparative fortune than you would in the U.S. Of course if you live in the US, this is great, but what if you want to treat your best friend since birth a pair and they don’t live in the U.S.? Yes, I know it’s not an everyday situation that we will all appreciate, but actually what it says to me also is that Karmin are a company that cares enough to want to keep their customers happy, wherever they are, and that to me also means they will want everything about the straightener to be bang on.

Locomotor Mortis!

Now let’s get down to the magic behind these great results. ‘Locomotor Mortis’ in the world of Harry Potter actually is a totally irrelevant to this article curse that locks the legs of your opponent, but the Karmin G3’s magic comes courtesy of firstly, the fact that they have tourmaline covered plates which balance out the negative and positive ions present in the hair, restoring it to a neutral state which allows it to be healthy naturally. And the micro-porous technology and infrared heat means that the hair retains its moisture and looks shiny, glossy, full of vitality, and all because it actually is.

With straighteners having a reputation for drying the hair out and creating heat damage, it seems like technological advances are reversing that school of thought well and truly. So in Harry Potter terms, the straighteners ‘Impervius!’ – they repel water and encourage moisture to stay in the hair where it belongs. ‘Repairo!’ will help to repair any former damage that’s been done to the hair. And last but not least, ‘Rictumsempra!’ – ahh, maybe not that one – it means to tickle the opponent…

So is the Karmin G3 worth the premium price point?

PROS – does what it says on the tin by creating a professional salon finish with relative ease, nice looking piece of kit that looks like a serious piece of kit with even the packaging having a superior look, helps to keep the hair in good condition without the drying out that is often associated with straightening.

CONS – There’s been a few reports of intermittent power issues with the model (this is an issue with many straightener brands), be aware that Karmin’s claims of the product causing no damage to the hair is maybe a bit too bold as all styling products can cause some damage even if it is minimal

But weighing everything up, the Karmin G3 has messed with my mind, as I’m now thinking these may be better than my favorite brand…decisions, decisions…

Izutech KTX 450 Pure Titanium Review

by

“Hey, big spender, are you really a hot contender?”

I’m a huge fan of a certain quality brand of straightener and whether consciously or not, am always comparing any straighteners I review to my go-to brand. I’ll hold my hand up and say that Izutech is not a brand I have even heard of before so I approached this review with a certain amount of trepidation. It has a fairly weighty price point so surely that makes it a hot contender for being a brilliant pair of straightening irons?

Big plates, better portions?

We all know what bigger plates mean – more food, or to metaphor this into a hair styling review, bigger plates should mean more ease of styling. The Izutech KTX 450 LT Pure Titanium Digital Flat Iron is proud of its not just wider plates, but longer plates too. My hair is not an easy beast to tame with it’s thicker than thick consistency and damaged ends, but these bad boys managed to get a lot of hair into one pass. This is a huge bonus for me and as the results were pretty impressive from attempt 1, my perception of the Izutech was already on the up. In fact, if I was to be hand on heart honest, the results were better than my ‘best’ straightening irons.

You know when your tummy does a flip because you love something? Well the Izutech did just that – cross my heart, hope to die, if I ever tell a lie. Was it that I actually had found a straightener to rival my precious preferred brand? Wider plates mean that as you can fit more hair into each pass that results are quicker, and for more, the results were more even too. I sometimes have to go over my hair again as I’ve missed a small section out, but these definitely made things easy.

T-T-T-Titanium!

I know that sounded a bit like a sneeze, but the power of Titanium is made out in marketing terms to be as powerful as a sneeze (in case you are interested a sneeze may produce exit velocities in excess of 650 miles per hour). Now I have previously been a bit on the fence when it comes to Titanium, but actually the Izutech KTX 450 LT Pure Titanium Digital Flat Iron has been a bit of a revelation.

Previously with other Titanium infused irons I’ve had mixed results, but with the Izutech at last I could see what all the fuss was about. My hair looked healthier whereas usually even if I get a good straightening result, I never get the enhanced shine/health look that many brands of straightening iron bang on about. I keep saying that my hair is a bit dull anyway due to damage, years of coloring and bleaching, years of strong meds and not great health, so to get a result with added shine was actually quite emotional for me. Thanks Izutech!

Black is Black – I got my baby back

With apologies for the reference to the 1970’s song lyrics, especially if you are of a generation where the 1970’s are like AGES ago, there’s something about a pair of black straightening irons that I really like. To me, the understated look is quite classy, but also I work on the theory that if a brand don’t feel the need to bling the color up, then it means two things -:

  • They feel confident enough in the straightening iron’s performance that there is no need to make it stand out on a shelf.
  • The company are investing the real money in the technology and performance, NOT superficial looks.

As well as a really nice look, the Izutech KTX 450 LT Pure Titanium Digital Flat Iron has another interesting feature. The outer ‘shell’ has a DuPont construction which basically means that if the unit gets really, REALLY hot, it won’t warp. Now I’ve never actually heard of a unit that DID warp, but maybe it is a manufacturing issue Izutech KTX 450 LT Pure Titanium Digital Flat Iron that us mere mortals never knew about. To be honest, it doesn’t impress or interest me, but it’s there anyway.

Dial-a-digit

Or maybe that should read use your digits to dial up the temperature, as the Izutech has a cute little inner dial to control the temperature. On an average pair of straightening irons this wouldn’t bother me, but it’s amazing how when you like the performance of a straightening iron, suddenly you think that the dial feature is the bees knees.

The dial goes from 250-450 degrees Fahrenheit, with the upper limit being pretty standard nowadays for the maximum heat. I doubt that things can get much higher than this to be honest without risking damaging hair but 450 should get through even coarse heads of hair.

And the dial is a nifty little thing that is easy to use and easy to control. Backed up by the digital display which is another much appreciated feature, it just cranks up the functionality of the straightening irons as well as it’s believability as a premium product too.

So PROS and CONS – I’ve sort of hinted that I’ve enjoyed using it, but is that enough to secure a positive outcome?

PROS – the wider and longer plates are superb and produced great results on even my manic mop, titanium technology made my usually dull looking hair shine, the dial and digital display were really useful when on a product that really works, nice looking straightening irons that exude class.

CONS – the warp technology sounds effective but actually do we really need it, high price tag means it is beyond the affordability level for some people but it is worth it.

Well what can I say – I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the Izutech KTX 450 LT Pure Titanium Digital Flat Iron. I actually didn’t expect to, but I am definitely going on the record to say that they are on a par with my previous favorite premium brand’s straighteners. I am going to use both, but will not be surprised if I end up using the Izutech as my ‘go-to’ pair of straightening irons.