I have been using the same hair straightener for about 5 years now. That straightener went with me through some of high school, all of college, married life, and traveled to places like Hawaii, the Bahamas, Norway and Florida. Said straightener also only cost me maybe $20 and worked like a $20 straightener would. The cord was forever twisted, it pulled and tugged at my hair, and I had to straighten each section over and over again to even start to get it close to straight. Pretty much, it was cheap and old. I think I put up with it for so long because it was pink 😉
I knew that my because my hair has some natural waves and is really thick, it makes it a lot harder to straighten. But it shouldn’t take me hours to do. I’m a mom, for heaven’s sake! I don’t have hours to spend on hair. Actually, I’m lucky if I have five minutes. My “go-to” hairstyle (if I get around to doing my hair for the day) is simply adding a few curls. It’s easy, I don’t have to deal with straightening my hair over and over again, and the curls stay really well.
About a month ago, I was finally fed up with my straightener. I’ve been fed up with it before, but now I was serious! I started researching straighteners and swore I would not end up with another junky one. I was determined to find the best hair straightener. While perusing Amazon, I found a few HSI ceramic flat irons that had received really good reviews. I continued to browse their website and was really impressed. So I did something I never do. I emailed the company! Normally, I’m not this brave, but I told them of my hair troubles and asked if I could review their product. Guess what!? They said YES. I was floored!
I was really excited, beyond excited, to try my new straightener, but I was still somewhat skeptical. I mean, my hair is known for being a bit crazy. I posted this photo on instagram a few months ago of my bangs. See what I mean, my hair is nuts! If I let my hair air dry (which typically happens around here in the morning) it ends up looking like the photo below. Not quite as wild, but my previous straightener still could not handle it!
On a side note, as soon as I pulled out the camera and set it on the self timer, Ellie immediately climbed in my lap and said “cheeese!” Thankfully all her hair needs in the morning is some detangler and water.
That morning, a miracle took place. I used the HSI Elite Flat Iron, and lo and behold, my hair cooperated. Hallelujahs were heard about the land! You may think I’m exaggerating for the sake of this post, but I assure you, this has never happened before. Who knew my hair actually knew how to cooperate? It was amazing. Want to know the best part? It only took me 6 minutes, start to finish. SIX! Just for fun, here’s a before and after photo.
Like, I said, I was amazed. Instead of getting snagged and tugged, my hair was actually smooth! And sleek! I wish you could see the “before” close up of my hair. It was pretty frizzy and did not feel smooth at all. I loved that I could control the temperature. The swivel cord didn’t get twisted up and it straightened out all the waves. I was seriously in awe!
I decided to experiment again. My little sister Erin and her friend Haley had taken a road trip up our neck of the woods for the weekend. (That’s another post for another day. Seriously, so fun to have those two and hear their crazy stories) One night after they had gone to a concert, they showered and went to bed with wet hair. When they woke up, it was wild! I wanted to see how well it worked on their crazy hair. Lo and behold, the miracles continued! See for yourself:
Erin told me that she had never been able to get her hair this straight before. Both of them were really impressed at how well and how fast the straightener worked. Erin has always had the same problems that I have. She has to straighten her hair at least three times to get it straight. This time, she only had to go over each section once!
Since trying out this straightener for the first time, I haven’t curled my hair once. Straightening it has become so much easier and faster! If anyone’s asking, I give this product a 10/10. You can find more HSI flat irons on their website and on Amazon (you can usually find a pretty good deal on Amazon). Each flat iron comes professionally packaged and includes a heat pouch (so handy!), heat glove, and Argan oil (leave in conditioner). Goodbye bad hair days!
P.S. I am anxious to try curling my hair with a flat iron. Anybody have any tips or suggestions on how to do so? Thanks!
I lovelovelove curling my hair with a flat iron! I have a 1" Hot Tools iron and it is amazing! There are tons of youtube videos with different styling tips! Personally, I like to just do three/four pieces on each side of my head and then have big loose curls! You are Ellie are totally gorgeous! Miss you!
Next time I need a new straightener, I will keep this one in mind! Also, I used to curl my hair LOTS with a straightener (like before December 2013 when I got a real curling iron). Mine worked great. You have to be quick or else it will flatten weird parts of the curl! Or the curls will be uneven. I found that it was easier to curl my hair when it was shorter, but that might just be because I have pretty heavy hair.
Here are a couple posts where I curled with a flat iron:
rachelsayumi.com/2013/11/not-so-mrs-claus.html
rachelsayumi.com/2013/08/dressy-florals-with-luluscom-cool-colors.html
What I great post! I love love love it when I find something great! So glad you were able to try out this flat iron. Next week, I'm coming up to try it out.
ps I'm really glad you got rid of the pink straightener. it was due time!
You look lovely! I think you should email companies about reviews more often–you have a loyal following that trusts your opinion and you write really well. 🙂
I've tried a lot of different higher end straighteners (CHI, PYT Andis), but I always have to go over each section of my hair several times. I think it's just because I have really thick, really coarse hair. I might just have to try this one out when my current straightener quits on me!
I'm convinced!
hahahah! SERIOUSLY this is how i look when i wake up! no false advertising here! it works!
I love how Ellie loves to say "cheese"
I have to tell you…. after reading this post I was inspired to try to review a product (for free) too! Haha so I've emailed a couple companies, we'll see if I even hear back from them but it's worth a shot! You are so smart, I love that you took the initiative to just email them! You and your little girl are just so cute!
Looks great!
thegirlinredlipstick.blogspot.com/
I agree with Jana. Some bloggers I know who review products I have a hard time believing because I don't really trust them. I feel like they're just saying that the product is amazing because they don't want the company to hate them and stop sending them free stuff. You, I trust. The before and after pictures help, too. I think the key is to only review a few things every once in a while. If you are in need of a certain item/product and you do research and find one that looks promising, write a review for the rest of us!
Also, I've had the same straightener for a long time, so I'll be checking this one out. 🙂 Thanks! And Ellie is adorable!
Your hair is gorgeous!!!