Blow your hair straight (Babyliss 5720U Beliss 2X Hair Straightening Dryer)

Member Name: mezer3000

Product:	Babyliss 5720U Beliss 2X Hair Straightening Dryer
Date:	06/02/09 (385 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Makes your hair styling routine faster

Disadvantages: You still need to use your straighteners

My hair is slightly longer than shoulder length. It is naturally really wavey, but whenever I try to dry it in nice curls, it always ends up as a shoulder length afro!!! Now the shoulder length afro is not such an attractive look, so I tend to straighten my hair.

I saw this hair dryer advertised on tv, and thought it sounded like just what I needed:

*****Babyliss 5720U Beliss 2X Hair Straightening Dryer*****
I bought mine from Boots - and at the time of writing it is available for £34.25.

Features:
2000W
Concentrator nozzle
Straightening nozzle - more about this later
6 heat/speed settings
Cool shot
Ionic drying

It claims to "Straighten, smooth and shine as you dry"

*****As a hair dryer*****

As a hair dryer, this is a good product. It is 2000W so drys your hair really quickly - although does consume a lot of electric. The concentrator nozzle really does direct the air flow - which helps with creating a smooth blow dry. As for shine......well i'm not so sure how well it makes your hair shiney. I tend to use lots of products, so it is difficult for me to tell how much of the shine is from those.

*****As a straightening tool*****
To use the hair dryer as a straightener, you have to change the attachment. The straightening attachment comprises of a comb to detangle wet hair, one row of ceramic straightening plates, a ceramic smoothing plate through which the hot air blows through, and a second row of straightening plates.

The idea is that you draw a section of hair through the comb and the straightening plates, and it gets blow dried straight and smooth. There is a dial (between 1 and 4) on the attachment that allows you to alter the grip of the straightening plates. Apparently when you put the straightening attachment on, the hairdryer automatically adjusts the temperature and airflow to give optimum straightening and drying.

*****Verdict*****
As a hair dryer this is a brilliant product. As a straightening tool I am not as convinced.

The straightening attachment grips the hair well, providing you put small enough sections through it. However when it passes over the air it tends to get blown away and go frizzy. It takes quite a lot of practice to use it well and to get the hang of it. Following the instructions doesn't help!

I've found that the best way to use this is to mostly dry my hair with it as a normaly hair dryer and then use the straightening attachment to blow dry it straight.
Now this does produce quite a straight result, but nowhere near straight enough for me to wear my hair down. After using it I still have to use my straighteners, just to take smooth it and flatten it down.
The Babyliss Beliss 2X replaces the "blow dry straight" part of your routine.

Summary: Great as a hair dryer, but you'll still need your straighteners if you want poker straight hair