Just recieved my Solano straightener
Posted by Max on December 09, 2003 at 17:45:50: Previous Next
Hey all, just coming in to post my opinions my new straightener (SL-110). I ordered it from Goodman's on 12/4, and it got here today (it was scheduled to get here tomarrow, which surprised me). I don't have a camera, so I will describe the results to you as best as I can.
My natural hair type is sort of thick, wavy, with a little bit of curl at the bottom. I do occasionally battle the frizzies, but that is only if I came in from the rain or it is humid outside. I ordered it because I wanted to see what it is like to have straight hair, as I always wear my hair in its natural state. So before I used it, I let my hair dry naturally for about 4 hours. I did not use a blow dryer, because I thought that if the dryer does any damage, I wouldn't want to make it any worse by using the straightener afterwards.
Wow.....
Basically, everything you have read about these straighteners is true! The heat up time is quick (although I'm not sure how long it takes to fully heat up, because when I plugged it in I forgot about it for a half an hour), and this thing gets super hot. When I passed the iron through my hair, it instantly made it straight. People have also claimed that your hair could get so hot that it would burn your hand, and while my hair did get hot, it was nothing that would burn me. What I was surprised with was how smooth and soft it made my hair, and it added A LOT of extra shine (due to how straight my hair is now. Straight hair reflects light better than curly hair). I'm still trying to get over how soft it made my hair, I could defiantly describe it as "silk like". When I run my fingers through the hair, it just slides without hesitation. It also made my hair not as thick as it would be if I didn't do anything to it, which is a BIG plus for me.
However, as with anything, you are going to need practice. I should have broken the hair into little sections, but I didn't. If I were to have done that, it probably would have been easier for me to use the iron. And I didn't get close enough to the roots, so there is a tiny bit of frizz left (but if I were to take the iron to it, it would be gone). And one thing I was really pleased about was that I haven't noticed any damage to the hair whatsoever. I'm sure the products I used before hand had something to do with it, though. The first product I used was Anti-Snap leave-in treatment, and the second was Glass smoothing complex (concentrating on all parts of the hair, especially the ends). If you are going to use an iron, you are going to need to use some sort of heat protectant product to prevent damage.
The only thing I didn't like about this product was the price. After shipping, the total was $81.58 (OUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCCCHHHHHHHHHHH)! That defiantly left my wallet crying a little bit. But on the plus side, I won't have any more bad hair days with this thing.
Grade: B+ (because of the price)