I was approached by a person who wanted me to test a flat iron for his company. I gave him my usual spiel about how I will not grant a good review just because someone sends me something to test, a condition he agreed to. I wanted to agree to test this product, but had to confess something, first.
"Sure, I'll test it", I said, "but I'm completely inept at using a flat iron. Is that going to be a problem?"
He assured me it would not.
I was nervous, still. Let me tell you why. First, I have fine hair, which is always slipping through tools, and that's a huge PITA. And my hair is straight, so what in the hell am I going to iron!? I mean, I guess I could get it really flat and stick-straight, but I can do that with my brushes and hairdryer - that's how straight my hair is to start. And I don't have frizz, so ... what's the point in the flat iron?
But I know a lot of people CURL their hair with a flat iron... and I am completely intrigued by that.
There's another reason to hesitate about accepting this challenge: I also have LOTS of hair, which makes curling it with a curling iron really tedious - I find it boring and time consuming to sit there with the hair clamped for a few moments resectioning, and repeating for what seems like hours!
Yes, I'm lazy. Plus, I'm pregnant and have a toddler. Let's be real: I don't have time to fuss over my hair for hours a day...
But what the hell, right? So I decided to test the flat iron.
Here's what I'm going for. Loose, "beachy" waves. Volume. Sexy!
Wanna hear how it ended up? Keep on reading...
When I opened my Hana iron, it came in a great tin box, which I thought was pretty cool. Besides, no irritating plastic case to cut into - - that's a much better calibre product than I'm used to when it comes to curling irons and flat irons! (Don't you hate those plastic encasements? UGH!)
This flat iron had a nice heft to it. Not cheap and light, but not overly heavy, either. After all, if you're going to be hanging around for awhile with your hands up in the air you don't want a heavy object in them, right!?
Also included is a lovely case to keep it nice and protected when traveling. I had a little chuckle with that - like I'm going to travel with a flat iron! I can't imagine ever thinking I want to tote around another tool. HA! (stay tuned... I will eat my words shortly)
And then, something that really impressed me: the heat-proof silicone mat. This will prevent me from scorching my counter, if not my hands. That in turn will prevent an argument with my husband over how the burn marks got on the countertop!
Here are the features:
- Advanced Tourmaline Ceramic Plates for Accelerated Ion Generation and Maximum Frizz-Free, Conditioning Shine
- Ceramic is naturally hygienic, protects color & retards fading
- Floating 1” Plates Auto-Adjust To Glide Over Any Hair Texture
- Curved Plate Edges For Versatile Styling - Curl, Flip or Straighten!
- Adjustable Temperature Dial - 5 Settings from 140-450° F for All Hair Types
- Flash Heats in Seconds with Instant Compensation for Heat Loss
- Ergonomic Handle Design with No-Slip Grip
- Smooth Grooves Keep Hair Strands Separate and Snag-Free
- Tangle-Free Salon Quality Cord Swivels 360°; Convenient Hanging Loop
- Energy Efficient at 38 Watts
- Independent On/Off Switch
- Includes Luxe Heat Proof Storage Pouch, Heat Proof Silicone Mat, & Special Edition Tin Case
- Made in Korea
- Two Year Warranty
So first I had to figure out what on earth I was doing with this thing.
My limited experience with flat irons involved futile straightening
adventures (see above - my hair IS straight). The irons I used were
cheap, and they were flimsy and the whole thing was pointless.
I even posted a cry for help on the blog! KATE and JESSICA B- your help was invaluable!
I took a look at a really great reader-suggested video, here, and it really made me feel more comfortable with the whole process.(THANK YOU JESSICA B!)
Misikko, the company who sent me the flat iron, also has some vidoes, and they're also excellent. Take a look. They cover how to straighten, flip, and curl your hair, and also cover things like how to take care of your ceramic flat iron.
So I followed the process outlined by Hair Thursday, and was surprised at how quickly the whole process went! It's much easier than using a curling iron, and the waves were much more soft-looking.
The key points I found:
- Don't start at the root - slide down a few inches or more before starting, depending on how curly you want your hair. If you start at the root, you're going to have big hair (fine if that's what you're going for -but I want beachy, soft).
- Don't squeeze.
- Don't go too fast, but don't go slow either. Slow could fry the hair or create a crimp, but fast doesn't do jack.
- Something I learned with curlers and curling irons: vary the curl a bit. Some a bit tighter than others - this looks more natural than completely uniform curls everywhere.
- Section the hair and start from the back, in the bottom layers. Pile everything else up on top of your head to get it out of the way.
- You may want another mirror, so you can see the back and make sure there aren't some funky straight holdouts back there!
- I found that going slower towards the ends of the hair helped prevent that funky straight kink that I see on some people.
Things I need to practice: getting the twisting motion right. And also not burning my fingers! DON'T ACCIDENTALLY TOUCH THE CERAMIC PLATE! Oops. This iron's plates are blue, so unless you're a moron like myself you shouldn't find your fingers on the edges of it.
SUMMARY:
I'm completely sold on this product:
- My hair has great, luscious curls that add a wonderful volume without dwarfing my small features or making me look like a doll.
- It's going to give me tons of options, which is really great because I'm getting to that point where my growing-out hair is starting to bore me. I'm a bit more curly than I was aiming for (learning curve) but I like this look, too, and so does my husband! So I can go straight, soft and tousled, or voluminous and curly - all with a tool that's meant to straighten hair! WHO KNEW!?
- I also see so much shine that I'm in love with my own hair.
- The curved plate edges helped me not create nasty crimps in my hair - thank goodness.
This tool was easy to use and with the various settings it's perfect for all different kinds of hair - and I don't have to worry about frying my fine, color-treated hair. And it went quickly - so I can do this regularly. YAY! And yes, I'll be traveling with this flat iron... I plan on rarely letting it out of my sight!
I give the Hana Professional Flat Iron an
And I give Hair Thursday an
And I also give the videos on Misikko's YouTube Channel an
Do
you use a flat iron? What brand? Do you straighten, flip or curl? Got
any advice for a novice? Any feedback on the Hana iron? Share with the
class!
Other hair reads on BeautySchool: