Monday, May 21, 2012

Haionic Super Lightweight Blow Dryer Review!

Haionic Super Lightweight Hair Dryer


Truth: I have never owned a blow-dryer that costs over $30.

Why? Well, I always figured that blow-driers simply don’t mix well with the texture of my hair, so I never felt like I had to invest in a good one. I also didn’t want to use additional heat on my hair. Considering I use heat on my hair on a regular basis (curling iron and flat iron), I try to limit the amount of heat on my hair as much as I can. So, I resort to washing my hair at night, letting it air dry and styling it the following morning. It works fine for me, but on days where I didn’t have time to wash my hair at night, I have to suffer the consequences of having to spend hours on my hair in the morning – between the blow-dryer and flat iron.

*To clarify: There is nothing wrong with not shoveling out the big bucks for pricey styling tools. Expensive doesn’t always equal better. With that said, by no means am I putting down the less expensive brands or trying to encourage you to invest in a product you may not need. We all have different hair needs, so what may work perfectly for you may not work for me, and vise versa. None of the blow-driers I’ve used worked well for me (granted I haven’t tried them all), but they may work wonderfully for others!

Let me tell you a little bit about my hair. It’s long (below the chest), thick, curly (not tight curls, though –more along the lines of wavy) and fine. I shed more than a golden retriever and God help me if I ever let my hair air dry and then go in public.

Since we’re getting all comfy here, let me tell you another truth. The reason I avoid hair salons at all costs is because I cannot stand how long it takes them to blow dry my hair. Honest to God, I feel so bad every time I’ve gone to a salon (the small handful of times in the past 10 years) and the hair stylist can barely hold her arms up anymore with her round brush, tugging through my thick-ass-hair. My Mom went through the same torture doing my hair in the mornings when I was growing up, and when the blow drier was involved, the result was usually a frizzy mess. I use to go through Johnson’s detangler like nobody’s business, and a comb? Sure, buddy. Once those went in, they didn’t come back out. But hey, I’m not complaining. I love my difficult hair!

The Blow Dryer that Changed my Outlook on At-Home Blowouts

I recently got my hands on a Hai HAIonic Super Lightweight Dryer from Folica.com. I’ve been using it about 2-3 times per week and quickly came to my first realization that hey, they don't all dry out and burn my hair!

The HAIonic Super Lightweight Dryer comes with a bunch of different features, and is said to actually improve the condition of your hair. It uses negative ion technology, which helps seal moisture in your hair, protecting it from heat damage and making it feel soft and shiny. The body is lightweight with a motor that’s less noisy than it’s competitors, and it’s easy to clean with a flip-open vent.


Product Features
• 1800 watts
• 2 speed settings and 2 heat settings
• Extra large cold shot button to set style
• Lightweight design with excellent balance
• Flip open vent for easy cleaning
• Concentrator included
• 9 foot cord with cord hook
• 1 year warranty. Please register your product with HAI to obtain full benefits of the warranty.
• Operates on 120 volts



There is nothing worse than a heavy blow-dryer (no arm strength here!), and thankfully, this blow-dryer is incredibly lightweight. I can blow-dry all of my hair without having to set it down and give my arm a rest or switch hands.

The Haionic Blow-dryer is very simple to use. There are two switches, with two speed settings (slow and fast) and two heat settings (warm and hot). There is also a cold-shot button, which when pressed; the blow-dryer will disperse cold air. To change it back to warm/hot, you have to press the button again. Like I said, because the body is lightweight, it makes blow-drying my hair a breeze, and it has a thick cord, so it doesn't get tangled up during use.

Putting the blow-dryer to use
My usual routine is washing and conditioning my hair and then applying It's a 10 Leave-in Treatment throughout my hair. Sometimes I'll add a drop of Chi Silk Infusion or Organix Moroccan Argan Oil Treatment, working it through the bottom half of my hair. Then, I usually let my hair air dry for as long as I have time for to limit the amount of heat on my hair - since I don't always have all the time in the world, I generally wait so it's damp, and not wet (it takes less time when it's damp). Then I clip my hair in sections (around 6-8) and start with the underside of my hair first. I use a paddle brush made with Boar Bristles, and holding the brush under the section of my hair at my roots, and using my other hand to hold the blow-dryer, I line the blow-dryer attachment to the top of the strand of hair and slowly bring the brush and dryer down the strand of hair. Then, repeat until dry. It usually takes a few passes per section of hair. Lastly, I'll blow my hair with cold air for around a minute for added shine and to set the style.

Overall Performance
The Haionic Blow-dryer is the best blow dryer I have used. There's no joke that it cuts my dry time in half. It takes around 20-25 minutes to blow-dry my hair, which would normally take me one hour with my previous dryer. I actually use it on the low heat and low speed setting, so I'm sure if I used it higher, it'd dry faster, but like I mentioned earlier, I'd like to limit the heat on my hair to minimize dryness and breakage. What I love is that I don't have to linger in one area too long, and I don't have to go over one strand 100 times. My hair is usually a frizzy mess after a blow dry, and the amount of frizz is very minimal and my hair looks shiny and smooth. When I'm done blow-drying my hair, it's so incredibly manageable that the amount of time I usually take to curl/flat iron my hair is dramatically reduced as well. I couldn't be more thrilled.


The Round-up

Pros:
• Lightweight Design
• Thick cord doesn't get tangled or in-the-way during use
• Comes with a concentrator nozzle attachment
• Easy to use
• Makes my hair soft and shiny
• Doesn't dry out my hair - reduces breakage of ends
• Reduces frizz
• Makes hair manageable
• Is fairly quiet on low setting

Cons:
• The actual appearance isn't that aesthetically pleasing for those who prefer girly or chic appliances
• The warranty is only for a year, as opposed to two (two is typical with many high end blow dryers) so, it makes me wonder if the quality is inferior, or if it's going to last
• Expensive; the price is right up there with Solano and Sedu - slightly less expensive, and less expensive than the popular T3 blow dryers.

Price: $125, Folica.

6 comments:

  1. Wow this looks great! I really never thought it would make a difference! great review

    xo Jenn

    imperfection-isbeauty.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. For the longest time I thought that all blow dryers were created equal until I got my hands on the Hana blow dryer. You know you've got a quality product when your hair doesn't smell like it's on fire lol.
    On a side note, I definitely feel you on the thick hair pains. I don't complain about it anymore since I've discovered keratin treatments though :)

    Xo

    ReplyDelete
  3. your hair looks gorgeous, and wow I thought I had thick hair but mine has never taken an hour to blow dry aha

    x

    http://bellambeauty.blogspot.com.au/

    ReplyDelete
  4. looks good but I prefer the one I use, it's the Karmin G3 Salon Pro Hair Dryer which dries really fast and keeps my hair in well condition, shiny, frizz less and soft. :D

    ReplyDelete