This blog is designed to allow me to discuss the many products that I purchase and test. Please feel free to leave comments or email me at product_junkie_queen@yahoo.com
Not too many years ago I was a curling iron junkie. I would whip out the curling iron in a second to wrangle my hair into submission. Over time, my hair became more and more lifeless until I banned heat from my hair almost entirely. At the time, I thought all heat styling tools would cause damage, so I released the heat and found other styling alternatives. What I have come to realize is that there are tools that can allow you to style your hair without making it look like dried out limp noodles.
Sultra, the uber famous brand of heat styling tools, specially designs their flat irons to ensure that your hair is protected. By using kyocera ceramic plates, the Sultra Wicked Gold Decadence Wave & Straight flat iron is able to provide consistent and constant heat throughout the plates as you style your hair. Sultra also claims that the infrared rays are able to seal the cuticles of your hair strands. When I did use this tool on all of my hair, it looked silky straight without any prickly ends standing at attention so that may be an indication that my hair strands were in a more relaxed state ( I hope that makes sense). Here is a picture from the box showing what your hair may look like before and after using the flat iron if you have damaged cuticles.
Using the Iron
I was surprised and to be honest a little nervous when I discovered that there is no way to regulate the heat on the flat iron. It heats up to 375 degrees and you simply can not control that aspect of the device. On the other hand, the ceramic plates make for an even distribution of the heat, I also had to keep in mind that this is a one pass flat iron. Some irons may feature temperature controls and some people turn it down to a temperature lower than 375 but I have seen those same people ( on youtube) pass over a section of hair numerous times. So when you balance it all out, a single pass at 375 may be comparable or even better than a lower setting that requires a number of passes over your hair. For those of you who use flat irons, what temperature setting do you use?
My experience
While flat ironing my hair, I didn't attempt to get curls or a wavy pattern, I simply wanted to straighten my hair. I know some of you are mumbling...."doesn't she have a relaxer?" The answer is yes, however my hair flat ironed looks different from my heat free tresses under normal conditions. I don't usually use any heat on my hair so especially after air drying my hair, looks beyond poofy. I don't mind looking like a lioness so I just work with what I have, but there are times when I want clearly defined parts in my hair depending on the style that I've created. Also I may go months and months between relaxers, so as my roots are growing out I have a large amount of chemical free hair that I can't treat in the same manner in which I would treat my relaxed hair. I have to admit that when using the wicked gold flat iron I thought if I decided to go even longer between relaxers or completely transition, this flat iron could prove to be an essential part of my transition.
Results
My hair was shiny for roughly 3 days but the straight and silky feeling lasted all week long.
I flat ironed my hair but then I used my standard magnetic rollers to further style my hair, my hair was very straight so I found that my curls were not as tight as they usually are but that actually makes sense. This leads me to believe that if I would have used the iron to get waves or curls it would have similarly left my hair with waves and curls that would stay in place. However, since I straightened my hair only, it did it's best to maintain the straight look.
What I was most impressed with is the fact that my hair was never crunchy or brittle. I did't get any weird scents like I was burning my hair. The obsessive part of my being caused me to hold my hair up to the light to see if any split ends emerged after my flat ironing experience and I am please to report that my hair appeared to have remained the same.
The package
You will receive a gold clutch- like heat resistant pouch for your iron which is perfect for traveling or easy storage at home. You also get a complimentary heat resistant cloth that you can place on counter tops as you are flat ironing your hair.
Where to Buy
Currently this iron is available in pink and black but as of November 1st you can get your own limited edition Wicked GOLD Decadence Wave & Straight flat iron from Sultra.
This $165 flat iron can be found directly through the Sultra's site . You can also purchase Sultra products through Sephora and other retailers, but I am not certain that they will have this chic limited edition gold flat iron.
Conclusion
Although I won't use heat daily I have to say that my interest has been piqued and I am no longer scared of using the proper heat styling tools to achieve a specific look.
If I can ever get my sister to agree to let me flat iron her natural 4a/b hair then I will certainly post the results.
Below is a video that basically reviews the iron. There is a brief demo at the end of the video showcasing the iron in action on my hair.
Have you used Sultra products? If so please let me know about your experience.
***Thanks for allowing me to test this wickedly good flat iron!!!**
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