My daughter is turning 15 in December and she wants a high-end flat iron for her birthday. She has long (mid-back) wavy dark blonde hair that is on the fine side in texture but she has a TON of it. She has a $25 wet-to-dry flat iron now that works okay but it takes her a very long time to get her hair really straight with it. Her friend has a Chi and she used it and said it got her hair super-straight in just minutes. However, all the reviews I've seen for the Chi say they break down after a short time--almost as though they are designed to get you just outside of the 1 year warranty. The more research I do, it seems that all the high-end flat irons have some kind of issue--they don't last, they get so hot they are hard to work with, they snag the hair, they fry the hair, etc., etc. So, do any of you (or your daughters) have a nice, professional quality flat iron that you've had good results with? Thanks!
I bought my daughter a cortex from the mall for about 80.00 works great. I heard from a stylist that she gets hers from amazon. I bought my other daughter the exact same brand from amazon for 30.00 free shipping. I also heard bad things about the chi.
I've had a Chi for about 5 years now and no problems. My hair dresser did tell me not to wrap the cord around it, as that is what usually causes problems. I just unplug it and let the cord hang over the edge of the counter. I have thick, but fine, very curly hair and I have been very pleased with my Chi. It is the first and only flat iron I have ever owned, so I don't have anything to compare it to. You can get a good price at Ulta when they have 20% off coupons.
We had a chi, it worked great but only lasted a year. The Paul Mitchell ones get great reviews but are very expensive.
CHI is the best. and it is true about not wrapping the cord, it will make any appliance break faster. I have extremely thick unruly hair, and the CHI makes my hair nice and straight, takes away the frizz and I dont have to add any product or anything. just use the iron and my hair looks great. as long as she doesnt wrap the cord and takes care of it it should be great. I've had mine 3 years and my ex SIL had hers 6 before it went out.
I say get a CHI. I have had mine for about 6-7 yrs now & haven't had a problem with it. I know they are making the CHI's a little different now, but I would still purchase a CHI. My sister bought one 2 yrs ago & her's is still going as well. Little bit of advice, with a CHI you're going to spend over $110. If you don't then it's not a real CHI or a cheaper made one.
I have a chi. Works great. First one lasted about 4 years. However my hair stylist uses babybliss (spelling?) and highly recommends that one compared to a chi. They are about the same price so I'm going to get that one next.
T3! I have two teenage daughters-both with tons of wavy, fine, longggg blonde hair. My oldest bought her first T3 about 4 years ago after doing some research. They have a TWO year warranty which is very liberal. It says only for defects in workmanship but my daughter STEPPED on hers, cracked the handle and they replaced it cheerfully at no cost. Even overnighted it to her. I only called because I was hoping it could be repaired for cheaper than replacing, confessed to what had happened and they still replaced it.
My younger daughter has a Chi. Works fine and cost a tiny bit less. It did break within the first year-just quit working- and I took it back to the store where they replaced it.
Both girls say the T3 works better. I just got my oldest a new T3-the wider almost 2 inch one-and ordered it online for a better price than my local Sephora. Her older one is still working but it is the narrower one so it takes too long to do all of her hair now that it almost reaches her waist.
I'm sold on T3.
My sister and I have both had Chi irons for about 6 years and neither of us have had problems. You can get a great deal on them at Christmas time at Ulta, especially if you have one of their 20% off coupons.
I just got my daughter a "KOR" straightening iron. its 100% ceramic and softens the hair. She used it to curl too. She has become quite the little hair artist with it. Shes 8, so i wanted something that was adjustable and less damaging. I also got her the stuff you put in your hair to protect from the heat.
Ive had my chi for over 7 years, very dependable, but i like this machine for her.
I am a hairstylist. I also have a chi and have had it for years, but I don't use it on a daily basis. I can see that it does now require a few more passes to totally straighten. Babyliss is also very good quality. One reason flat irons don't seem to work as well after the first year is because people use them wrong.
What will help, if she airdries her hair about 75%, then blow drys it with a flat brush. Then, she should take very small and thin sections of hair. Spray each section with a heat protectant, such as Paul Mitchell's Seal and Shine. Not only does it help protect the hair from getting fried as quickly, but it also helps the flattening occur faster and has more longevity throughout the day. So, she is not needing to do constant repeat passes on sections of hair, thus damaging hair faster and wearing out the iron faster.
CHI. Worth the money. I don't flat iron my hair (don't have to... it is straight as a board) Daughter does flat iron hers on occasion.
She is still using her original CHI from at least 4 maybe more years ago.
They are pricey... you get what you pay for!!
Sometimes you can get a deal through JC Penney or Bed Bath and Beyond
I have had my Chi for six years. My daughter has had hers for four years. I've also heard you should not wrap the cord. We both do it. But we have sleeves that the hot iron can go in to (so you don't have to wait for it to cool to pack it or put it away) and we wrap the cords loosely around the sleeve. I've also heard good things about GHD.
I have a Royale and love it! It 100% ceramic so it won't burn your hair and it always leaves mine so shiney :) i had a chi and it lasted only about a year.
