I have the straightest hair ever. I don’t know why since both my parents had very curly hair and all my siblings have ringlets. Not me, ohhh no. I have to pay if I want curly hair and I did for years. I had perm after perm and, after I realized that the damage to my hair was getting very noticeable and that I was starting to resemble a poodle, I decided to give up and let my hair do its thing. Which is…sit there like spaghetti strands.

I have learned to deal with my fine, straight hair but there are times when I want a little sass, a little curl, a little body. I bought several curling irons and hot rollers but none really gave me a good lasting look. I then tried Sharper Image Ceramic Spiral Styler CA890. This curling iron is super cool (and hot)!

The Official Word

This is from www.sharperimage.com:
• Extra-long 14-inch curling iron has a 3/4-inch diameter ceramic barrel.
• Ready to curl hair in just 60 seconds.
• Uniform Heat Recovery System with thermostat applies a consistent temperature throughout process.
• Select from 25 different heat settings for every type of hair.

My Experience

I hate to fuss. I hate to curl my hair and waste time but, sometimes I want to experiment with waves and curls. This curling iron is unique because it is a spiral curling iron. It has spiral wiring around the barrel so that when you curl your hair, you get a spiral curl, not a traditional flip up or down one. I like that because it’s much less like a “hair do” when my hair is casually spiraled rather than set in traditional curls.

The curling iron is long – 14 inches. This is great for me because I have long hair and can get almost all of the length of my hair in the barrel at one time. It heats up in a minute. That’s another awesome feature. I do everything on the run, so plugging in a curling iron and waiting 10 minutes for it to heat up is maddening. 60 seconds, I can do. It gets very hot and I caution everyone to be extra careful when using this iron especially if there are kids around. The ceramic barrel holds heat so well that anyone could get a nasty burn if they grabbed the wrong end.

There are 25 heat settings which I find ridiculous. I mean, how many people NEED 25 different settings? I can see maybe five but 25? I usually set it one of the higher heat settings because my hair is stubborn and needs to be forced to curl. I suppose professional hairdressers would know what setting is best for each person they use the iron on but for a normal, everyday person, 25 settings is overkill. It does come with a pamphlet explaining which heat settings are good for certain types of hair and that helped me to realize I needed the higher setting.

I am no pro at using curing irons, but this was easy. I just grasped some hair, wound it around the barrel and waited about seven seconds. The barrel shuts tightly, clamping down hard so the iron doesn’t slip through fine hair. In a matter of 10 seconds, I have a bouncy spiral curl.

It takes about 15 minutes to do my whole head if I am being really particular. Sometimes, a few well-placed spirals intermingled with the straight hair and then fluffed up and mussed a bit looks really natural and gives a ton of body to my hair. I find it takes a total of five minutes from plug in to finish when I am looking for a little extra body and a few spirals to intermingle with the straight strands.

A plus, as well, to this iron is that it has a 6-foot cord. I can’t stand appliances with tiny cords that force you to stand on top of the outlet to use. This one gives me a bit of freedom to plug it in and actually get to a mirror where I can see what I am doing. The cord never tangles because the bottom swivels as you turn the barrel, another good feature.

I’m very happy with this curling iron and was not disappointed that I paid almost $40.00 for it. However, I now see that it is reduced by several dollars to only $10. Now, I’m sorry I paid $40 for it…

Still, at any price, this is a great spiral iron. Ceramic holds heat so much better than traditional irons and the multiple heat settings assure that you will find the exact setting for you. Add the fact that it has a fast one minute heat up time, long barrel, comfortable handle, and cool looking results and this is a winner.

There are many spiral curling irons on the market and I have a cheap one that I got at Kmart years ago. Ugh. It didn’t work. It slid right through my hair and left indents in my hair that were very unnatural looking. This one does none of that. It’s worth the price, especially right now, to get a better iron.

One note: Although this heats up fast, it doesn’t cool down fast. Take every precaution to allow it to cool down before storing it. It is mega watt hot for a while but then cools down to warm after about five minutes. It doesn’t completely cool for another five minutes. I usually just unplug it and leave it on the sink to cool. When I get around to it, I put it away. Then again, I do that with any styling tool I used because I’m lazy like that. Heh.

Buying Info

You can see this curling iron and purchase it at www.sharperimage.com. It is available at a number of online websites and, everywhere I looked, it was only $9.00 or $10.00. That’s a steal for this high quality product.

Conclusion

I like the look of spiral curls and I like the way this iron performs. It heats up very fast, has many (too many!) heating levels, and a nice, long cord. It has an extra long 14” barrel that really is great for anyone with longer hair and it works well. The manual will give you all the info you need on which setting is best for your hair type and it also gives other good tips. If you’re looking for something a little different from ordinary flip curls or hot rollers, give this a try. It’s on sale every where right now and it’s well worth even the $40 I paid. Now, at a fraction of the price, it’s a steal you shouldn’t pass up.

The only true caveat is that it gets VERY hot. This could be a concern for anyone with children who may be into reaching up and grabbing things or even for adults who mistakenly tough the outer barrel. It also takes a while to cool down so you can’t put it away immediately.

Otherwise, this is an amazing hair styling tool that can make you go from flat to fluffy in minutes. Four stars!


Recommended: Yes

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