Smile & Say CHI! ... For Slinky Hair
Written: Apr 28 '05 (Updated Jun 26 '05)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Very effective styling tool that causes minimal to no hair damage.
Cons: Pricey! Problems reported that it shorts out. Manufacturer will not honor warranty if purchased online.
The Bottom Line: The fabled Chi has performed well; extended use has proved significant less hair damage than ceramic-coated iron. But it's not the only "solid ceramic" iron there is, so shop around.
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| mashimaru's Full Review: Chi Turbo Ceramic Hairstyling Iron |
Note: Most flat irons come in two basic shapes: the X-shape (like scissors), and the V-shape (like tongs).
My Flat Iron History:
1. General Electric Curl Tamer - The Sad Half-Grown Perm
My hair is naturally straight. When I was 8th grade, I got a perm. It looked fine for a while, but then it started growing out, and then it looked terrible. My head looked like a broom! Instead of getting another curly perm, I planned to get a straight perm and put the whole mess behind me, but I needed to do something in the meantime. I tried using my curling iron to straighten my hair, but that didn't work. So I thought about ironing my hair, by laying my head on an ironing board and using an actual iron. I'm not kidding you, I saw Gidget do it to LaRue on TV. I asked my mom to help me, and she laughed and got me a flat iron, a GE Curl Tamer. Wow, I'd never seen one of those before. And it worked! My hair looked normal again. That got me through the next few weeks until I finally made it to the salon.
The Curl Tamer did the job, but it had problems. First of all, the flattening "plates" were nice and wide, but too short - the surface was practically square, like a flat spatula - so you could only straighten tiny pieces at a time. So it took forever to do my entire head. It didn't even had a power button, so you had to unplug it to turn it off. Also, it only had one heat setting, and that setting was "crispy." And since I didn't know anything about heat protectant products back then, I'm sure I was frying my hair daily. Anyway, once I got my straight perm, I never used it again.
2. Conair (Model ???) - The Worst Haircut Ever
A few years ago, I moved to a new city, and walked into a Fantastic Sam's. I'd never been to a Fantastic Sam's before, but it was there, and I just needed a trim, so I thought, "Why not?" Big mistake. I don't mean to rip on Fantastic Sam's in general, since this was my first (and last) time there. But the lady who cut my hair turned out to be terrible. She just grabbed my hair into two big chunks and lopped it off! I think she actually sawed at it at one point. Horrifying. I even paid and tipped her - I was pretty shy then, and hadn't yet learned to dress people down for sucking so bad. (I've since learned. That's another story.)
So I came home with the Worst Haircut I've Ever Had. I've had bad haircuts before, a couple of times because I cut my own hair. (Once after being inspired by the remake of Splendor in the Grass starring Melissa Gilbert. Don't judge me!) This was much worse. To this day, I can't help but shudder a little every time I pass by a Fantastic Sam's. Anyway, since I didn't know my way around this new city, and I was still in the process of settling in, I didn't have time to find another salon to fix my hair. So I was stuck with the bad hair for a while.
Lucky for me, one of my new roommates lent me her Conair flat iron. My hair was flipping in every direction (that's what happens when you chop it off like it's a log) and the flat iron really helped with that. I don't remember the model name/number of that flat iron, but it had metal plates with Teflon coating, and was V-shaped. It was pretty easy to use, much easier than my GE Curl Tamer, and tamed my horrible haircut just enough to not make people stare at me. (And when I did eventually find a decent hairdresser, he combed my hair out and then laughed and laughed at my weedwacker style.)
I haven't used any flat irons since then. I have straight hair, so why would I need one?
Why I Use A Flat Iron Now:
Even without bad haircuts or perm trauma, I sometimes have problems styling my hair because (1) I'm lazy, and (2) I usually wash my hair in the evenings. Most people look nicer when their hair is freshly washed and blow dried in the morning, including me. But I've always washed my hair every evening since I was a kid, so this is just my habit.
Also, I rarely blow my hair out at home. When I get my hair cut at the salon, they blow it out for me, and it always looks nice. So I tried doing that at home, I even bought a fancy round boar's bristle brush for the job. But dang, it is a pain! I have to turn the dryer off, and reposition each new section with my brush. How do people do this every day? I only have two hands! So I usually only bother doing this when I need to look extra-spiffy. On most days, instead of painstaking styling rituals, I usually just rely on good conditioners and smoothing products. And of course, ponytails are my friend. So my attitude towards my hair is strictly wash-and-go.
A few months ago, my cousin gave me her Wigo ceramic flat iron (Model: WG5311) after buying herself a Chi. It's an X-shape iron that looks a lot like a curling iron, because it's a split-barrel with a flat (3/4") surface in the middle. The ceramic is wrapped around the entire barrel, so you can use it as a curling iron, too.
So I started using the flat iron just because it was there ... and I really liked it! When I used it on my dry hair in the morning, it made my hair look like I had freshly washed and styled it. It got rid of any weird frizzing or twists, and made it look smooth and sleek. Awesome!
So I don't have curly hair, but I've found that a flat iron is a very useful tool to help me tame "bedhead" hair and cowlicks.
Then the Chi came into my life.
Chi! Chi! Chi!
I bought the Chi probably the way many people do: peer pressure, because they are pricey little things! A friend and I were browsing at Ulta, and we passed by the Chi, and she began to rave. "I have that! It is the best!" Before I knew it, other women began to gather in the Chi aisle:
"Oh, that's the Chi! I heard about those!"
"I used my friend's and I loved it!"
"Oh my gosh, it's so expensive!"
"Which size should I get?"
Before I knew it, three women quickly grabbed one and lined up to pay. One of them was me. Word-of-mouth sure is powerful stuff! So the combination of curiosity and frivolous shopping spirit made me buy the Chi Turbo 1" for $149.95 (plus tax) which is $20 off their usual price. But a part of me wondered: Am I being stupid? How good can it really be?
Ceramic is Magic?
Conventional wisdom about hair is that using heat-styling tools will always dry it out. You can help decrease the damage by using products, but using dryers and irons will eventually cause some damage. But then your hair is always growing and you're always cutting it, so it's okay, I guess. In any case, I'm kind of used to feeling my hair becoming damaged and dried out at least a little as a result of using curling irons and blow dryers. (That's one of my excuses for being lazy about styling my hair! Ha!)
The claim about ceramic irons is that it will actually make your hair better! That it will make it shinier and healthier. It will "seal the cuticle" of each shaft of your hair. It will use "moist heat" to seal the moisture into your hair. It will even help mend your split ends. (Whoa.) It will help you lose weight and clear up your skin, too. Okay, just kidding. But ceramic styling tools are all the rage these days.
And what people say about the Chi, and other super-pricey flat irons, is that they use plates that are solid ceramic, while other cheaper irons use metal plates that are simply coated with ceramic.
My Wigo WG5311 is a ceramic iron, but it's coated with ceramic, and not solid ceramic - there is a diagram on the package of the layers.
Solid Ceramic Does Make A Difference!
The Chi is great. The plates are long enough to work with pretty big sections of hair. It's easy to smooth out my hair in the mornings, almost as easy as just brushing it. Chi heats up (and cools down) fast! Also, when I put my hair in a ponytail or up with barrettes, and then decide to wear it down, I get that weird bend in my hair, and ... Chi to the rescue! Chi is great for all kinds of shaping: it can fix frizzy hair, hat hair, and hair that needs cutting. Yeap! You know how you really need a haircut but just get too busy, so your hair looks all scraggly for a while? Chi will help you look a little nicer until you finally get your appointment with your hairdresser.
So Chi is good for fixing all the weird twists in my hair, but it's also good for creating sleek, pin-straight styles. Requires a few more passes and setting products, though. I love ironing my hair stick-straight and then swinging my head back and forth and pretend I'm a wind chime! (Okay, so I'm a weirdo.)
The Chi has a V-shaped design, which I've concluded is a superior design for straight irons, after using the X-shaped Wigo. It seems the X-shape can put more pressure on the piece of hair you're working on, and cause it to pinch the hair and snag. I've definitely experienced snagging with my Wigo, so I always had to remember to not press too hard. I have had no snagging problems with the Chi - the hair just glides through.
I still like my Wigo, which I intend to keep around as a backup. But I've found that the Chi is easier to use, and doesn't snag at all. It gets super-hot, so the hair just flattens on contact, and it glides through, so it's zip zip zip! And the more I use it, the easier it gets. Definitely easier than trying to blow my hair out, and the results are the same. How could I not love it?
After having used the Wigo flat iron for a while, I can tell you with confidence that the Chi has been much better for my hair. My hair has not gotten more dried out or damaged since I began using the Chi. After I style it with the Chi, it looks smooth and feels very soft. But after using my Wigo, my hair definitely became damaged over time: my hair tangled easier, and it was harder to run my fingers through. This didn't happen with the Chi.
I usually use heat protectant sprays that help prevent damage. But sometimes, I forget. Without heat protectant sprays, the Wigo would definitely burn my hair, even when I use lower settings. (I could smell it.) With the Chi, my hair doesn't burn at all, even when I don't use products, and still feels soft and silky afterwards. Products are always a good idea, but I've found that the Chi will not damage my hair even without it!
Where To Buy Chi?
Chi is sold at many online stores, and also on Ebay. Most of the online sites are cheaper than what I paid for my Chi at Ulta. One thing I am concerned about is according to reviews I've read on a few other sites, the Chi Turbo can short out and just die. (No!!!) And the manufacturer's website (www.farouk.com) says that they will not honor their 1-year warranty if the Chi is bought anywhere online. Bummer!
If you're interested in buying it online, I've found this site:
- www.folica.com (Although you can't send back your Chi to the manufacturer [Farouk], you can send it directly back to Folica.com within a year, and they will fix it for you. Sounds good to me! You can also get a 6% rebate if you use ebates.com.)
- On Ebay, you can get the Chi Turbo 1" for less than $100 (incl. S/H) from a member named: AndreaBell255. It seems she specializes in Chi's, and says she will honor the 1-year warranty.
Chi Turbo or Chi Classic?
There are two models of Chi flat irons that I know of, the Original Chi and the Chi Turbo. The significant differences are that the Chi Turbo has red felt on the exterior. It also supposedly heats up faster (hence "Turbo"). Also, the original Chi has only one heat setting, while the Turbo has three (Low, Medium, High).
Is Chi All There Is?
There are a lot of brands of flat irons out there now - it's become a very popular item. You can get one as cheap as $15 (e.g., @ Target), and as much as $200+. Chi is definitely one of the more expensive.
A few factors to consider:
CERAMIC: As I've mentioned above, I've found that solid ceramic plates definitely outperforms ceramic-coated plates. My Wigo damaged my hair and made it feel more like straw after repeated use. And the retail value of my Wigo is $50-70, so it's not even the cheapest flat iron there is. But when I switched to solid ceramic plates, I noticed an immediate difference.
SHAPE: For flat irons, I would generally recommend getting a V-shape, instead of the X-shape. I've found that it's easier to use, and easier on the hair.
WIDTH: I've found that for me, the width of the plate isn't too important, because I run it along the length of my hair. (My hair is layered and down my back.) So both the 3/4" of the Wigo and the 1" of the Chi are adequate, even though my hair is pretty long. And since it's pretty skinny, it's easier to maneuver the iron and get it closer to the root of the hair, or work with shorter pieces, like bangs. Also, the skinnier irons are supposed to make it easier for flipping or curling your hair, if you're interested in doing that.
BRAND: While I really like my Chi and am happy with my purchase, I don't think it's a must-buy, since there are other brands of solid-ceramic irons out there. Other brands besides Chi I've heard of are: Sedu, Solia, and T3.
My hair dresser happens to use a Solia iron on my hair, which I've found is quite good as well. And the same iron is much cheaper than the Chi on www.folica.com. If I was a smarter shopper, I may have bought that instead of the Chi from Ulta and saved myself a little money.
And while my hair dresser uses a Solia, my salon also sells several types of a brand called Create which my hair dresser also likes. (www.icreatemagic.com) In addition to those, they also sell some obscure Japanese brands I've never seen anywhere else. They're all pretty expensive, but it's interesting to know there are Chi-alternatives out there.
The Search For the Un-Chi
My friend Katrina has beautiful long curly hair. Styled properly, it can become ringlets! Pretty. But Katrina also likes to blow it out straight. The other day at the gym after we showered, she began complaining about what a pain it is to blow her hair out. I immediately grabbed her shoulders and shook her violently, screaming, "Eeeee! Let me do your hair!"
So I used my Chi to straighten her hair. It was so much fun to straighten really curly hair, the results are so much more dramatic. And Katrina was quite impressed. She ran her fingers through her hair and said, "Oooh! Aaah!" Of course, I got her hooked and of course, she wanted her own.
We dropped by Ulta where I bought mine, but the price was now $169.95, which was waaaay too much. Katrina was not dead-set on a Chi and wanted to spend less. I had done some online research, so I knew there were other options:
- Folica.com sells Sedu and Solia which are the most popular on that site. What's unique about Sedu & Solia are that they have tourmaline in their plates. Tourmaline is supposed to generate more negative ions, which is supposed to help your hair become even more shiny and smooth. At $118.95 for the Sedu 1", it wasn't much less expensive than the Chi Turbo 1" which is $129.99 on Folica.com. The Solia costs $88 which is a better deal.
- Beauty.com and Sephora.com sells T3 irons, which also have tourmaline in them. At $160, it's still pricey. But free shipping, no tax, coupons and freebies can sweeten the deal.
- In the end, Katrina bought a HairArt H3000 from Beauty.com. It was $80, but I had a $20 coupon for a $150 purchase, so we piggy-backed it with some other stuff that we wanted. The HairArt H3000 is a solid ceramic iron which costs $99.99 at my local beauty supply store, so I think we got a good deal.
Katrina is quite happy with her new HairArt iron, and when she uses it to straighten her hair, it looks great. We've traded irons to compare, so I know that it's comparable to my Chi Turbo. There was no noticeable damage to my hair, my hair stays straight and frizz-free, and feels smooth and silky. At less than 1/2 the price I paid, I think the HairArt H3000 from Beauty.com is a great value and I would recommend it.
(Another interesting thing about the HairArt is that it looks identical to the Solia that my hairdresser uses on my hair. She also told me that they look identical to the FHI. The only difference is the color of the plates. Solia is supposed to have tourmaline in their plates, so I guess that's one difference, but they look otherwise the same. I guess that's neither here nor there ...)
From this experience, I think a solid ceramic iron from a reputable brand is worth buying instead of a Chi if you can get a good price for it. Other brands I've heard of are Hai, FHI, and Corioliss. If you can find good deals on these irons, I think they may be great money-saving alternatives to the Chi.
Conclusion:
After having used a few different "ceramic" flat irons, I can say with confidence that an iron with solid ceramic plates is significantly better for my hair than one with ceramic-coated plates. If you use flat irons on a regular basis, and are willing to pay more for a good one, I'd highly recommend a solid ceramic iron.
The Chi Turbo has worked well for me. One thing I'm not jazzed about is the consumer complaints that it can short out, or that the manufacturer will not honor the warranty if purchased anywhere online.
Recommended:
Yes
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mashimaru
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 in Electronics |
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Location: California
Reviews written: 116
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About Me:
"Heavy is the head that eats the crayons!"
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