Like many women, I have a love/hate relationship with my hair.  On the one hand, I love that I have natural, bouncy curls with a ton of volume.  On the other, I wish it wasn’t such a chore to get it straight and frizz-free.  Now, after testing the Hana Elite Flat Iron, I know that it doesn’t have to be.

With my thick hair, I’m always struggling with my Hot Tools flat iron to get it to behave.  To get semi-decent results, I have to go over each section three to four times, squeezing as hard as I can, and even then, it ends up looking pretty parched and requires a lot of shine serum. So I end up spending a good half hour to 45 minutes primping.  For me, that’s just way too much of a hassle, so I probably only do it two times a year.

What I didn’t realize was that the problem wasn’t my hair – it was the iron.

Until now, I’ve always thought that all salon-purchased flat irons were pretty much the same.  I figured I spent a good $40 on my iron, so how much better could they possibly get with an inflated price tag?  Apparently, a lot.

From frizz…

The moment I opened up the package from the kind folks at Hana Salon, who sent me the product to test, I knew this was a tool to be reckoned with.  It was securely encased in a travel pouch within a compact tin box that also contained a heat proof silicone mat.  The iron itself boasts 100 percent ceramic plates (many ceramic irons really just have a coating over metal plates), a sturdy swiveling cord, and an adjustable temperature dial ranging from 140-450° F.  As a bonus, the beveled edge allows you to create flips (out or in) or full-blown curls in addition to straight styles.

But would it tame my curly tresses?  I decided to put the Hana Elite to the ultimate test.

…to fab!

The day before, I amped up my naturally curly hair as much as possible using Sexy Hair curl products (these work wonders, by the way).  Then, I twisted those curls up into a messy bun before I went to sleep.  The result?  In the morning, I had the kinkiest, frizziest, messiest “poodle hair” possible.

With my newly-kinky curls ready for action, I turned on the Hana Elite and let it warm up for about a minute (I set it at the maximum temperature).  I held my breath as I picked up the iron and slid it through my messy mane.

Oh. My. God.  It worked!!  After one swipe (and not even an incredibly slow swipe), my hair straightened instantly – and it was shiny!  Unbelievable.  I quickly ran the iron through the rest of my hair, and within 10 minutes, I looked like I was born with naturally stick-straight hair.  I also played around a bit to test out the curling action, and that works like a dream too.

The Bottom Line

I can’t stress enough how amazing this iron is.  It’s worked better than anything I’ve ever used, and, truth be told, anything my hairdressers have ever used. Plus, I know that if I do a decent blow-out ahead of time, I can cut the styling time down even more.

The only consideration is that the price of the Hana Elite 1″ flat iron reflects its prowess – it retails for $260. But with a one-year warranty, a lack of headaches (and hand cramps), and the fact that you’ll actually WANT to use it, in my opinion, it’s well worth the cost.  You can get your hands on one online at http://www.misikko.com.