Customer Reviews

The Original InStyler Rotating Hot Iron Hair Straightener

5 star:		(156)
4 star:		(78)
3 star:		(54)
2 star:		(56)
1 star:		(146)

 

 

I have had this styler for about 6 months and I love it. I was skeptical at first, to say the least, but it has turned out to be my can't-live-without iron. I can style my shoulder length hair in 10 minutes, or less if I'm rushed, instead of 20 minutes with my other irons. I read through many web reviews before I bought it. Here are a few things that bothered people and my take on them:

*It is loud - Since it has a motor, it is not silent like the infomercials imply. Although it is a bit noisy, it is not loud enough to bother me.
*It burns - It does get HOT, even on the lowest setting and, yes, if you touch it you will get burned like with any other hair iron. You will probably get scorched a time or two or three..., as I did, especially when getting used to it. Be careful!
*It only rotates in one direction - This is true and it takes time to get used to. I have learned to use both my left and right hands to straighten my hair in the direction of the rotation. I slowed down a segment in the infomercial and one model smoothed her hair against the rotation. It turned out great, so I guess it's okay but I haven't tried it myself.
*It doesn't work on very short hair - This styler works wonders on my medium length hair but I cannot use it on my 2 inch long bangs. It makes them stick out weird. Based on that, I don't think those with very short hair would benefit from it unless they come out with a smaller barrel.
*Hair gets stuck in the barrel - This has never happened to me and I use it almost every day.
*Hair gets damaged - Most hot tools will cause some type of damage to hair. Although my hair does seem a little drier because I use the styler so often, my hairstylist says it is still healthy. I use conditioner and thermal spray to minimize damage.

While not perfect, this is the best styler I've ever used, hence the 5 stars. I am even getting one for my sister.

I always start out watching infomercials as a rational, even slightly cynical, viewer. About 10 minutes in, I'm sold and how could I have possibly lived THIS long without this product. The Instyler was no different. I ordered online and caught a 2 for 1 special and bought the professional, rapid heat-up model, shown above.

The first one I tried would stay on for two minute bursts and then shut off without warning. So, I tried the second one. This one stayed on, but what a disappointment. I'm no novice at using styling products. I've been battling my thick, wavy hair for 30+ years now. I've used all manner of styling products, irons, dryers, diffusers, and curlers and I have to say I found this product to be *extremely* awkward to use. (I might be wrong, but it seems to have been designed from the perspective of someone doing someone else's hair, rather than one using it on herself.)

The spring on the hinge didn't hold my hair tight enough to the spinning barrel for the bristles of the brush to separate the strands and it didn't hold the hair to the barrel tightly enough to smooth the cuticle. Overall, it seemed gimmicky and cheap, especially for carrying such a hefty price tag.

I've only used mine a couple of times but would like to return it. The company won't take it back, though, because it's past 30 days. *sigh* Guess it's mine to keep! Buyer beware -- I have several burns on my left hand from the Instyler, mostly from trying to use it on the back of my hair. There is no safe spot on the end of the curler to help you move it through your hair evenly. Doing the back of my hair is very difficult since I can only use one hand to hold the Instyler.
A safer design would provide some kind of handle on the end of the iron to hold with your left hand while you use your right hand to move it through your hair.
I wish I had called them 10 days ago, so that I could get my money back!!!

I ordered the professional Instyler and received it promptly. I loved the way my hair looked after using it. Not only did it straighten my hair but left it with lots of body that stayed! Unfortunately after using it daily for approximately 4 months I plugged it in and it was dead. I contacted the company is it has a one year warranty. I paid to ship it back and within 10 days received a replacment one that came with a legal statment discussing arbitration. My replacement Instyler last only about half as long as the first one and again it just quit working one day. As much as I love how it makes my hair look it's not worth the hassle of a product that doesn't work. I didn't bother returning the second Instyler but threw it into the trash. It's a great idea but the product obviously has some flaws and I now understand why a legal statement was included as this seems to be a recurring problem. Very disappointed especially for the cost.

My granddaughter has very tight, kinky curls and the Instyler doesn't get close enough to the scalp to straighten her hair completely. Also be sure to have a safe surface to put the Instyler down on while you are getting the next section of hair ready. It doesn't stand up or anything so it will burn anything you put it on that isn't hard and heat resistant. All in all, we are disappointed and glad we didn't pay the full website price for it.

The InStyler malfunctioned from day one. Sometimes it wouldn't turn on, or would turn itself off without warning, even worse, once it wouldn't turn off and pulled out a section of my hair. When it did work, it took FOREVER to style my hair, and the results were similar to those I got with a large barrel curling iron. My advice: Don't bother.

I bought a fake Instyler on Ebay (unknowingly) and it sucked! Did not work correctly, made my hair a frizzy mess. Then I found a reputable seller on Ebay as well and bought a real one for $80 (offbetti is the seller's name) and IT IS AMAZING!!!!
I have frizzy damaged fine hair and on the lowest setting it took me 5 minutes to do my entire head with a result that looked as good as a salon blowout. I suck at blowdrying and straightening irons make my hair to fake-flat. But the Instyler polished it and gave me an amazing shiny flip on the ends. I just can't get over how great it works -- just like the infomercial.
Once again BEWARE OF FAKES!! ON THIS SITE AND ON EBAY

I have extremely thick, course hair with a bit of a natural wave and a tendency to go a little crazy when it gets humid (which is always since I live in the Ohio River Valley). I've had many straighteners before, but the only time I've ever gotten the results I wanted was when I splurged and went to an exorbitantly expensive and exclusive salon and had the stylist spend over an hour hard at work with a professional, super-hot straightening iron. I never wanted to wash my hair again after that trip to the salon because I knew it would never look that good again...until I ordered my InStyler. Now I have that hair ever time I use it. I'm really pleased with the product. It does exactly what the infomercial promised.

I had to have this tool. It is much easier to use than a flat iron and brush were. The InStyler straightens my extremely long hair in record time. My only complaint is that my hair does have a lot of split ends that weren't there before. But then again, I have never used a heating iron that didn't cause some damage. It could just be that this product is so easy to use that I find myself straightening my hair more than I did before with old methods. The price is a little high, but I'm sure in time this tool will get more affordable.

This product has no protection from the heated portion. The round portion of the styler is the part that goes toward your body if you want your hair to either be straight or to curl in a little, as I was looking to do. That is the portion that heats. There's nothing on the outside of that protecting from the heat. When you take the item and put it near your hair, you are really close to your body. I have shorter strands of hair near the front of my head and, when I went to straighten those, I burned my forehead. I burned my hand once by accident. And when I went to straighten the side near my ear, I burned my neck. Even on the lowest setting, this is a very hot product.

After trying it the first time and suffering two burns, I assumed (stupidly) that it was just a matter of being more careful. This was why I tried the product again and burned myself twice. I then decided that was enough. The product works only moderately well. Yes, it straightens my hair, but it makes it a little fly-away.

I have used other straighteners in the past without ever getting burned. This is a good concept, but it needs work.

I will say, however, that I like Amazon. I explained to them what I did not like about the product. They sent me a return shipping label and they are taking it back for me. Thanks Amazon.