Flat Iron Review #7: HSI Ceramic Ionic Flat Iron (Designer Straightener for a Department Store Price)

Okay Ya’ll,

Picture going into Ulta, seeing the flat iron you want and the price tag says it costs $299. Dismayed though you are, you still carry on and take the straightener to the cashier to check out. Then when she scans it, the flat iron rings up to be under $50.

Oh the glee that would be on all your faces if this happened to any one of you. I know I would be hopping up and down, running out of the store before they could change their minds.

Fortunately, this supposedly hypothetical situation can not only happen but it gets better. You don’t even have to go to the store.  You can get it on Amazon. And hey the flat iron makes your hair kinda awesome too.

Now, I’m a bit ashamed to admit that once again, I’ve found a flat iron that I hadn’t really heard of until maybe a few months ago (me the so called flat iron guru). But no matter. As long as it knocks it out of the park, who cares?


The HSI Ceramic and Tourmaline Ionic Flat Iron (that comes with a free Biosilk Sample) is another straightener that is loved by its users. Yes this is the flat iron mentioned in my little scenario. Cool, right? I don’t know how it can be that cheap. Some things don’t need an explanation.

Flat Iron Description
Antways, here is the details for the HSI (my comments in red):

– Read more HSI flat iron reviews

The HSI flat iron is one of the best in its price category, according to its user reviews and ratings.  A flat iron that makes your hair silky and sleek for under $50? It doesn’t get much better than that.  Go ahead and read more about the HSI hair straightener and see what the big deal is.

P.S. Have you ever had bought something for way less than you thought it would be? Share your own glee in the comments below.

New Flat Iron Alert: The GHD Scarlett

Hello Everyone,
I just briefly wanted to share with you a new flat iron that I found. It’s the GHD Scarlett. It is a limited edition and it is very new so I haven’t seen any feedback on it. But based on what I’m reading,  I would definitely say I was on the fence.

 Part of the description says something about the flat iron plate’s “ceramic coating”. That makes me nervous. If I’m paying $225 for a flat iron it better have more than a ceramic coating, that’s for sure. Maybe I’m overreacting but I just don’t like that wording for such an expensive flat iron. It does say “Free of sharp edges that could catch on hair” so that’s good. No hair breakage.
But so far it seems to be mostly about style and how the flat iron looks glamorous. But go ahead and take a look at it: GHD Scarlett Flat Iron

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I’m not sure if the flat iron comes with the travel dryer or if that is extra. It doesn’t say that it does on Sephora’s site, so anywho…

Well, that’s all I have for this subject. Once again, don’t forget to sign up for our first flat iron giveaway to win a Babyliss Pro Diamond Titanium flat iron. Click the links to get the details.
More to come,

Straightening/Flat Iron Video Had to Share/Giveaway Reminder

Hey guys and dolls,
I am watching this great hair straightening video and I had to share it with ya’ll. She gives a great tutorial about what products and techniques to use to keep hair straight even in the rain. It’s super helpful and I know you guys will love it.

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Products She Used:
BaByliss Nano Titanium Blue Straightening Iron
Healthy Infusions by Wahl Pro Dryer
Sebastian Re-Shaper Humidity-Resistant Strong-Hold Hair Spray
Halo Mist Shine Spray

And of course do not forget about the Babyliss Flat Iron Giveaway going on right now. In fact, the girl in the video is using a Babyliss flat iron to get her hair silky straight and you could win a similar one for free. Here are the details for the contest. Very simple so don’t miss out.

That’s all for now, ya’ll.

Thanks for reading,

Hana Flat Iron Review Part 1: An Unexpected but Welcome Gift

  Hello All,

This is my absolute favorite time of year. The decorations are beautiful (and sometimes beautifully gaudy), the food is rich and cheesy and buttery and chocolately (not necessarily the same dish). The presents that you give and receive are over the top expensive and lavish. It’s decadently wonderful.

And we are barely in the middle of Christmas season and already I have received an unexpected gift.  I set up a new email account some months ago (contactme@toprateflatironreviews.com) hoping to get an email from a reader, a hater of me or this blog, ANYONE…I mean I would take spam at this point.

Then one day, I got an email from some guy named John with the subject Product Review. My ears perked up and  my eyes got wide.  I’m telling you. If you are only going to get one email, this is the one to get.  I was super excited.
He introduced himself as John from the flat iron website Misikko.com and asked me if I was interested in reviewing one of their flat irons (hmmm, let me think??).  Needless to say, I readily agreed as I was always a big fan of Misikko.com anyway. Their website has a look and feel to it that I’ve always loved.
We exchanged a few more emails and before long I was notified that my flat iron was on its way. The flat iron that he sent was the  Hana flat iron, which is their site’s biggest seller. And it got to my house VERY quickly. It was mailed on the 14th and it was delivered on the 17th  of November.
When I got it, I didn’t open it for a few days because I was busy.  So when I opened it on a Saturday just to see what the flat iron looked like I got a bit of a surprise.
OMG!
I was not expecting everything that I saw when I opened that box. The way it was arranged was so adorable. And the freebies…there were tons. I felt like I had gotten a swag bag backstage at the Grammys or something.
I had to take pictures so ya’ll could see it. I only had my iphone at the time to take a pictures of the box. Trust me, it doesn’t do it justice but you’ll get the idea.

This is a breakdown of everything that I got:
1) a Hana  VIP Card 2) A Ionic round brush 3)Lip gloss 4) Mascara 5) Sleep Eye Mask 6) Silicone mat 7) Leather Storage Case 8) Bottle of Hana Shine Serum/Heat Protectant 9) Hana flat iron storage tin. 10) 2 carrying cases
And a Hana Professional flat iron, of course.
Can you say “Dang Gina”? That is a whole lot of free stuff. And the packaging came in my favorite color too (purple). I emailed John to thank him for everything and asked him if they usually package everything like that and he said they did so be prepared to get your own swag when you order a Hana flat iron from Misikko.
But as nice as all that is, it means nothing if the actual flat iron isn’t good. I still hadn’t even used it but I was already in love. I had to calm myself down and actually try the product and soon.
Then, one day later that week,  I came up with a brilliant idea. A devilishly wickedly brilliant idea (as wicked and devilish an idea about flat irons can be).
But ya’ll have to come back tomorrow to see what my idea was b/c this post is already quite long. So I shall see you on the morrow when I will reveal this brilliant idea with all of you.
Prepare for possible amazement,

Hana Flat Iron Review Part 2: My Brilliant Flat Ironing Idea

So,
If you haven’t already, go ahead and read this post first. Then you will understand the idea that I”m about to share with you.

I have been reading flat iron reviews for years. I have seen a million flat iron review videos.  A lot of the time, these videos don’t even show the reviewer using the flat iron. Or that reviewers’ hair is already straight or just barely “wavy” and supposedly very “thick”. Then they show you how that  flat iron magically transforms their “wavy” and “thick” hair to sleek and straight in about 3 or 4 passes.
I’m sorry, that’s not very impressive to me. How hard is it for a flat iron to straighten nearly straight hair when you pass over each section 10 times. Forget that.
This is not really challenging these flat irons. That’s not showing me how well they work. The $10 Conair from Walmart can straighten that type of hair.
But, what if we really put a flat iron to the test? What if we actually made them sing for their supper. It’s time for a flat iron review that really shows you how effective it is.
In other words, its fine to see how well a flat iron does when you do everything right.
But wouldn’t you like to know how well a flat iron does if you do EVERY thing wrong?
So, I decided I was going to do just that. Instead of…
1) Using a straightening shampoo 2) Using a straightening conditioner 3) Blow drying my hair with a straightening serum and… 4) Flat ironing each section of my hair 3 or 4 times
I was going to throw all of the rules out the window. I was going to flat iron my hair in its current condition, no blow drying, no washing or conditioning, no leave-ins, no rollersets…nothing.
It’s just me, my hair, round brush, two sided brush, shine serum/heat protectant, and the flat iron. Nothing else.
Now, let’s see what this flat iron can really do.
Oh and let me explain about my hair. I don’t have “wavy” and “thick” hair. No love. I have THICK, coarse, curly and coily 4a/4b hair (find out what that means here).
It is not easy to get my hair straight at all. In fact, I have claimed the sole title of having the “hardest hair to straighten in the world”. My hair has laughed at many a flat iron and hair relaxer. Has my hair finally met its flat iron match?
To fully appreciate this transformation, you have to see just how coily and thick my hair was before I flat ironed it. Now I only did a few sections because I didn’t want to flat iron all of my hair like that in case it was damaging but you will be able to see the difference:
Before pics

You’ve seen my hair, so let me explain to you the steps I took. There’s not many. This is what i did:
1) I parted my hair 2) I took a small section of my hair and I brushed it gently with the round ionic brush that was sent with the flat iron. 3) I used the Hana shine serum/heat protectant they sent me. 4) Then I flat ironed that section of the hair very slowly, using a two sided brush for the chase method, 1.5 times. (meaning I did one pass very slowly and then did another quick pass to bump the ends of my hair)
Result?


My hair was straighter and silkier than it had ever gotten with ANY other flat iron. No I am not exaggerating. No I am not being melodramatic. No I am not just saying this because I got a free flat iron. I am under no obligation to say I liked it. Fortunately, I loved it. Now, I could have gone over the sections multiple times and made it even sleeker and smoother but I wanted you to see just how straight it could get my hair in one (point five) passes.  And remember this is without really any of my usual flat ironing preparation.  This is about as straight as it gets in less than two passes.
Let me make a little confession. Even though I am a flat iron reviewer extraordinaire (as I like to think) I have personally never used a flat iron that cost more than $100. I’ve come close but no cigar.
This flat iron is $119 on misikko.com and it is worth every penny. I thought it made a difference to get a more expensive flat iron vs one from Sally’s. But now I know for sure.
It makes a huge difference.
This is personally the best flat iron I have ever used. And this is not even the best Hana flat iron they have. I can only imagine how well the others work. This one is more than good enough for me.
I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this flat iron to anyone. If it worked on my hair type then it will most likely work for yours too. You can get the Hana flat iron at Misikko.com or Hanasalon.com
Have you ever tried any of the Hana brand flat irons? What is your experience? Did you like it as much as I did or did you just have a so so experience with it? I would love to hear from you. Let me know about it in the comment section.
And stay tuned for the flat iron battle posts coming soon.
Thanks for reading,

Update: I have since used the Hana flat iron over all of my hair. While my hair did feel great initially, my hair did quickly revert back to its original state. My hair didn’t maintain its silky look for long. I do think this flat iron would work with some hair types but unfortunately, it didn’t work with mine for long. I do have hope that it would work well for someone with less coarse hair than mine because it was able to make my hair straight for a while just not very long.

Flat Iron Review Battle #1: The Sedu Pro Ionic (Beautiful Hair for Under $150)

In this corner,

We have the Sedu Pro Ionic Flat Iron that is battling against the Solia (which I will discuss in the next post). Yesterday I talked about the “battle” between the Sedu and the Solia so I’m putting them both to the test. I want to know which flat iron is really the best.  I want to know if the Solia can kick the Sedu’s butt even being $40 less. I mean, is there really even any competition between them or does one just blow the other out of the water?

I don’t know but I’m fixing to find out…

What’s The Big Deal About The Sedu Anyway?

  I jacked this quote straight from Folica.com “Rated the best hair straightener on the market…”. It also won Totalbeauty.com’s 2010 Editor’s choice for best straightener. Now I don’t know who rated it the best hair straightener in the world but someone did so that’s plus one for the Sedu…

The Sedu’s Specs

Full Name: Sedu Ionic Ceramic Tourmaline Flat Iron Hair Straightener 1.5 Inch

The Sedu’s Claim to fame: “Ultra smooth ceramic and tourmaline plates guarantee smooth straightening motion without pulling or breaking of hair”

Have you ever used a flat iron that:

a) You could actually hear it as you were swiping sections of your hair because the plates were that rough

And/Or

b) Yanked individual strands of your hair out?

I have had both of these things happen and both of them disturbed me down to my product junkie soul. So, I love the idea of the plates gliding silently  across each section of your hair while not plucking any hairs out of your scalp. So far so good.

Reduces static and frizz- Yea! Because there is nothing cute about looking like you just rubbed a balloon all over your head.

1.5” plates– This is good if you have longer hair because you can do wider sections of hair and finish faster…however, this is not so good if you want to curl your hair.

2 Year Warranty– This is good. Many only give you a one year warranty and don’t manufacture them to last much longer than that.

“Exclusive” Infrared heat– Hmmmm…okay then…whatever. If you read my email series Five Flat Iron Fairy Tales then you will know that there is nothing exclusive about infrared heat. All flat irons with a ceramic heating unit have one http://www.misikko.com/true-flat-iron.html… Next

Exclusive heat optimization technology– I don’t really know what this means except that it is supposed to help protect your hair from heat damage which is great but I don’t know how exclusive it is…I found another flat iron that claims the same technology…maybe they are made by the same company or something.

Ergonomic and light weight– Yeeesss….some flat irons get so heavy especially when you have tons of hair like I do and it takes 2 hours get finished….that last hour can really do your arms in so having these features are a major plus for me.

Adjustable temperature 240- 410 degrees– This is great but pretty standard. Only flat irons like the original chi and older models don’t give you this option.

Faster heat times– Sweet!

Professional grade cord and length 9 Feet– This is good because I hate companies that skimp on the cord. It is tre annoying. It is also good that it is durable because that can be a fire hazard.   Price Range- Designer: $100-350)

So we’ve heard what the company has to say but what about the people. . .Do the users thinkthis is the best flat iron on the market or are they equally unimpressed?

User Reviews

So I’ve read through a lot of the reviews for the Sedu and I’ve done two things. I’ve paraphrased comments about the flat iron that stood out to me whether positive or negative and I’ve always come up with a ratings system. I’ll explain later how it works. For now here are what the users think of the Sedu…

Positive Comments About The Sedu

-The Sedu gave many users soft and straight hair that stays straight even in humidity. This is very significant because many flat irons can give you straight hair for an hour or two but can then quickly revert back at the first sign of moisture. This shows that the flat iron can protect against the elements.

– One user said the flat iron gave her results better than a Dominican blow out. I don’t know if you have see a Dominican blow out but the results are amazing. They can take the curliest hair and make it soft and bouncy. Here is a video:

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– One user said it changed their life. Trust me girl, I understand.

-Some claim it is better than the Chi which is saying a lot because the Chi is also considered to be one of the best on the market

– One said that the Sedu does not make her hair staticy (full of static)

– One said they had tried the  Chi, the GHD, the GVP, the Croc, and the Sedu was far and away the best.

– A woman with 4b natural hair said that she only had to pass over each section twice and it was super straight.

read more

Negatives Comments About The Sedu

– Some users found that it took much longer to straighten their hair using the Sedu so that must mean she had to do a lot of passes on each section.

–  One user had several complaints of burnt fingers, straightness that didn’t last and eventually become puffy and frizzy. She also said that you can’t get to the roots. Then the iron broke on the same day she got it. Not a good experience. Hopefully a lemon. – Some users said it made her hair dull and did not last in humidity after about an hour.

– One said it made their hair too soft and staticy. Weird.

– Others said the iron didn’t last longer than a year.

My New Flat Iron Ratings System Explained

Now the ratings system I’m using is of my own making. What I did was go to websites like Amazon, Ulta, Flat Iron Experts, etc. I added all of the 4 and 5 star ratings from these sites together and counted them as “likes”. The 3 star ratings are neutrals. And the 1 and 2 star ratings are counted as dislikes.

The Sedu’s Rating

This is how the Sedu fared:

Likes- 1,773
Neutrals-27
Dislikes- 30
Total- 1,830

Before and After Videos

This is my personal opinion but the Sedu before and after pictures that I saw were like so amazing. I was hating on them so bad lol. They really did look like they had gotten their hair done at a salon. Most of the b&a pics I saw had really shiny hair.  Just look at these videos…

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Final Thoughts

 This is going to be a tough flat iron for the Solia to beat. For there to be only 30 dislikes and 27 neutrals out of 1,830 reviews is amazing and unheard of. The Sedu Ionic Pro is an amazing flat iron that gives you shiny salon like results. It truly is at least one of the best flat irons on the market (not sure if it is the very best but a case could be made for it).

And the price? You can spend $200 going to the beauty salon once you’ve gotten your washed, cut, colored, and styled (and don’t forget the tip). Why not spend the money on a good hair straightener and have it at home where you can use it anytime you want?

It’s almost a no brainer but if you are still not sold be sure to come back a see what the Solia is all about.

Tomorrow I will review the Solia to see if it has a fighting chance against the Sedu.

Don’t miss it,

Flat Iron Review Battle: Sedu vs Solia (Who’s the Winner?)

And the moment you’ve been waiting for, 

The winner of the Sedu vs Solia flat iron review battle is….the flat iron that made its user’s hair look like they stepped  out of a salon. It is the flat iron that made its user’s hair look like silk.  It is the flat iron that had the best before and after pictures. It is the flat iron that…okay okay so I’m not quite ready to tell you what it is yet.

 You see, I want ya’ll to guess which one the winner is. I’m going to provide links to before and after pictures for both flat irons. If you can, don’t look at which flat iron is being reviewed. Instead, just look at the pictures and see which links show the users with the shiniest, sleekest, and healthiest looking hair.

Once you’ve looked at the pics and made your decision, come back and see if you agree with me.

Deal?

Flat Iron #1

Flat Iron #2

Well, I’ve got my pick. How’ bout you?

The winner of Top Rated Flat Iron Review’s very first flat iron battle is…

The Sedu!

Why is the Sedu flat iron the winner?

1) Ratings- Using my ratings system, the Sedu had a 93% positive rating vs the Solia’s 80%.

2) Before and After Pics- A pic is worth a thousand words and in this case the Sedu’s after pictures spoke volumes. The Sedu’s “after” pictures showed results shinier, straighter, and sleeker than the Solia.

It’s true not everyone loved the Sedu Flat Iron but overall, it is the clear winner. I would recommend it to anyone.

If you are on a tighter budget the Solia is not a bad choice. However, if you are ready to make an investment, the Sedu Flat Iron is the best pick of the two and the winner of our epic battle. Time to get the salon quality hair you’ve always dreamed of.

Whew…glad that’s settled. But if you’re still not convinced, take a look at these other popular flat irons:

Be sure to come back and read my upcoming review on the GHD flat iron.

Thanks for reading and following me on Twitter,

Flat Iron Review Battle #1: The Solia (Beautiful Hair Under $100)

And in the other corner,

We have the challenger, the Solia!

This is the second part in the flat iron review battle the Sedu vs the Solia. If you are slightly confused, reference the first flat iron review post and the introduction to this battle.

Okay so hopefully you read my Sedu post and let me tell you, it is going to be tough to beat. The Sedu is one bad flat iron so the Solia needs to step it up. Let’s go straight into it…

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