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I honestly can’t believe I’m posting a pic of myself with my hair undone but for the sake of this post, I needed to. The folks at Folica.com sent me the CHI Fortifying Treatment (which I didn’t use this week and can totally tell and will not be straying from the program ever again) and the Sedu Revolution Tourmaline Styling Iron to review and I’ve spent the last 3 weeks falling in love with my hair again.

I only use flat irons on my hair, I stopped buying curling irons once I was in college because flat irons give me the best of both worlds. They curl and can straighten out my hair, especially when I need to get it chemically relaxed. I like the look I get with a flat iron over a curling iron but I’ve never considered investing in a higher priced iron because sometimes the prices can seem a bit much. So when I was offered the chance to test out a more expensive iron (the Sedu is on Folica.com for $160) I was really intrigued to see the difference.

First thing’s first. Here’s what my old flat iron looks like.

Not pretty, huh? I usually buy a new flat iron every year to 18 months for about $30-$50. They get beaten up and dropped and dragged everywhere and usually die out on me after a year. That’s just how it has always been with me.
Here’s the Sedu up close.

I have to admit I love the black plates (won’t show dirt as easily) but they also wipe clean very easily. The other big difference I noticed was that this iron is way lighter than any other flat iron I’ve had before. The smooth plates kept my hair from dragging or pulling and I feel like when I passed my hair through the plates it comes out shinier than with my older irons. It also have adjustable heat from 180°F – 450°F (I tend to go to the higher side of the spectrum) and it doesn’t smoke like my older iron (yes, it smokes when you put it on the highest setting and I still used it).

The ultimate test for me was when I took the iron to my hair dresser. She uses the same kinds of ceramic plate flat irons that I do and always believed the trick to flat irons was really in how the user handled it. The moment she picked up the Sedu, she was in love. She loved how light it was and how smooth the plates were, so if I’ve sold her I may have sold you too.

For me the next step will be in the longevity of this product. If I can have this iron for years, then it would totally justify the price because I spend that in the amount of flat irons I’ve bought over the last 3 years! So tell me, have you tried a Sedu iron? Have you opted for the more expensive flat irons? What are your thoughts?

I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’ve gradually chopped off more and more hair in the last year of my life. If I go any shorter, it’ll be a pixie cut. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned what works and what doesn’t for me and I’ve also learned that I get a bit bored with the same hair care routine. So when the folks at Folica.com asked me if I’d be interested in testing out a few products I jumped at the chance. I told them my biggest issue is that I have super thick, dry hair. If it isn’t moisturized, my hair will break off. I do have chemically relaxed hair (all the natural girls please keep all the booing and hissing to yourself) but I don’t color or highlight my hair and I deep condition almost weekly just to keep it hydrated. Especially in the summer.

One thing my hair is not, is soft. It isn’t brittle but I’ve never thought that my hair was soft and silky like other girls. So when I was asked to try the CHI (Cationic Hydration Interlink) Deep Brilliance Hair Silkeratin 17 Fortifying Treatment I said sure, why not? It contains silk and keratin which mimics your hair’s natural proteins and amino acids to give you softer, stronger, healthier and shinier hair. Sound good to me, but would it deliver what it claimed?

The directions are simple, shampoo and then spray hair with CHI and sit under a dryer for 15 minutes (with plastic cap on) and then rinse and style as usual. So I’ve done that for the last 3 weeks and my hair feels much softer, my mother and my hairdresser both said so. Even when I was about to get a relaxer and my hair is usually at it’s unruliest it felt soft and very fluffy, I was pleasantly surprised. I also feel like my hair doesn’t dull as quickly as it normally does in the high heat and humidity of a DC summer, the CHI helps it keep its sheen. A bonus with the CHI treatment, I haven’t noticed much shedding or breakage between shampoos that I would normally see (even with the short hair my hair was shedding like CRAZY!). Now THAT is enough to have me sold.

CHI retails for $30 on Folica.com and I have to say, I want to order the rest of the products in the series just to see how fabulous my hair can truly be.

So have you tried CHI? Thoughts?

I don’t talk about my hair much on The Art of Accessories, but in the last month I’ve been asked more questions about my hair than ever. Sooo…I’ll share more about what I use. So if you have thick hair, dry hair, I’m your girl and you’ll want to listen up.

The latest hair product that has been added to my beauty arsenal is from my mother and sister, Mizani Thermasmooth Shine Extend Anti-Humidity Spritz. I’m kind of in love with this product.

My mother loved it and my sister ABW picked it up but she felt it left her hair a bit oily so she passed it on to me. I use it before I flat iron my hair and I love the shine it gives my hair. In this heat I swear my hair can look a bit dull after being in the sun for an hour. I have very thick hair that can soak up oil, so I liked that it kinds of coats my strands with a bit of glossiness when I style it. It also has a light scent that isn’t overpowering and I hate when hair products smell too strong. ABW has fine hair but lots of it and I think this spritz weighed her hair down just a bit.

On the Mizani website they show an entire line of products in the Thermasmooth system (this is considered the last step). I may have to drive over to my local Sally Beauty Supply to  pick up the shampoo and conditioner to give them a test drive as well.

I had to smile when I saw the Torrid Black Mini Top Hat Headband because it’s one of those things that makes you laugh and then makes me want to get it for New Year’s Eve.

It’s a top hat attached to a headband, so 1. it will stay on my head 2. it will be cocked to the side and 3. no matter what I will be dressed to the nines! Oh this brings me so much joy. I need to find a bowtie next…

Feel free to send me links of anything festive you might find to go with this for New Year’s Eve.

I was in a Target in Buffalo on Saturday when I saw a lovely display of the cutest ceramic plate flat irons I’ve ever seen! Remington ceramic plate hair straighteners come in: Leopard, Flowers, Polka Dots, and Plaid! All of the patterns are too adorable for words, but what makes it even better?! THEY’RE $19!!!

My husband said because they were so inexpensive they probably wouldn’t work on my hair but the 1 inch plate straighteners go up to 400 degrees and that absolutely works for me. I love this size for bangs and getting the short underside of your hair, but it works for all lengths too. I resisted picking one up but I definitely wish I hadn’t.

dwj