Easy, Fast but not great with long hair (BaByliss Straight & Shine Steam Straightener)

Member Name: e-ruby

Product:	BaByliss Straight & Shine Steam Straightener
Date:	26/01/04 (513 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Compact and light, Uses steam that protects hair, Moderately cheap

Disadvantages: Has Small plates, Not suitable for very long hair

Having straight, sleek, shiny beautiful hair at the comfort of your own home and without having to visit expensive hair-salons is what I call ?every girl?s dream?.

Most of us are not satisfied with how our hair looks and having a ?tool? to help you change your hair style quickly and painlessly should not be a luxury.

To achieve this straight look you have 4 options:

1. Permanent straightening treatment: + permanent , - extremely damaging to hair
2. Salon coiffure: + professional, - expensive,
3. Brush + hairdryer: - takes ages, not easy when you have long hair
4. Straightening Irons + fast and really effective, - could damage your hair if used too often

Unless you want a permanent solution, the obvious answer is using Hair. Straightening Irons.

As I have semi-curly, wavy long hair, at one point I got so tired of having it frizzy I decided to do something about it! I went to my local electric appliances shop and after I had a look on what was on offer, I decided to buy the Babyliss Straight & Shine Steam Straightener. The main reasons that I chose the Babyliss as opposed to any other Straightener were mainly the innovative use of steam and, of course, the price.

The box it came with was compact and very light. It came with thorough instructions.

When I got home I just had to try it straight away!! After reading the easy to follow instructions I had to wait a relatively short amount of time for the irons and the water compartment to heat and I was on my way to having beautiful straight hair! Wohoo!

It took about 20 minutes to do the whole head (my hair was dry), and I can say that although it was the first time I was using it, after the first 1-2 strands of hair I got used to it and it took no more effort than slowly brushing your hair.

After I was finished my hair was really soft and Straight!!!

I have to admit that it was kindof difficult to do the ver

y back strands of my haid but that's because I have very long hair. I should say that it's best suited for medium/semi-long hair.

It?s actually very easy to use: You fill the detachable compartment with water (preferably distilled), re-attach it on the iron with a click, place the irons on a non-flammable surface and plug it in. While waiting for it to heat up, you brush your hair thoroughly so as to avoid painful pulling due to combs later. You then select a moderately thick strand of hair and use the irons from the top to the bottom of the strand going a bit slow so as to let it work and not having to redo it again. The plates come with a detachable comb and with the combination of steam, they help effectiveness of straightening as they simply glide to the bottom of the strand with ease. When you are finished with a section, you move on to a next one without disturbing the previous one as it needs to cool down.

Depending on your hair type and length, it should take about 15-30 min tops to do the whole head.

Advantages

- Easy to use
- Compact and light (can take it with you on trips/holidays)
- Uses steam that makes it less harmful for your hair, but can be used without it as well
- Has detachable combs on the plates to help it glide through the hair and de-combing it
- Very quick to use when in need to just freshening up your hair-do

Disadvantages

- Small plates, doesn?t work too well with long hair
- Even though it claims it doesn?t do damage to your hair, it will do if you use it too often - it?s not for every - day but that is true for all straightners / curlers.
- The Results won?t last too long if you live in a damp environment

Summary: