The Instyler MAX

The InstylerMax. I always wanted one of these things, but I was hesitant to buy it. Of course, the InstylerMAX works wonders on naturally straight, shiny, quote-on-quote manageable hair…but will it work on my thick, curly so-called unmanageable kinky hair? I figured why not just try it out, maybe the commercials are real and the InstylerMax will work for me. So I went on the Instyler website and purchased two Instylers for pretty much the price of one. Long story short, I finally got them in the mail today and I can’t wait to try them out *happy dance*. So without further ado, here’s an open and honest review of the InstylerMax for curly, thick-haired girls like me.

My First Thoughts:

The InstylerMax has an assortment of really cool features: Tourmaline Ceramic Plates, 30-second rapid heat up, 4 heat settings and automatic shut-off. However, what most stands out about the Instyler Max are the ionic bristles and the heated barrel, that not only rotates, but can rotate in both directions…that’s really neat—no more contorting your body to curl or straighten your hair in different directions. The Instyler package also came with a wide-tooth comb and a small place mat to safely place your Instyler down when not in use— I can’t tell you how many times I’ve burnt my table when “hot-styling” my hair, so this will definitely come in handy.

So far so good…but I do have a few concerns. It states in the instructions manual that the Instyler should be used on freshly washed hair, free from oil-based products. For me this causes a bit of a problem… washing my hair is no easy task. As soon as my hair is wet, it curls and tangles, making it a chore to then comb through and style. For this reason I usually go to my hairstylist and have her do all the grunt work 😛 So for me having to wash my hair before using the Instyler is a little bit of a drawback. Also, because my hair often becomes dry, I use a lot of essential oils to keep it moisturized and healthy, which seems to be a huge no-no for the Instyler. I guess any product residue or dirt left in your hair can become trapped in the ionic bristles, and can damage the Instyler (which would not be a good thing).

This being said, although concerned, I am still willing to give the InstylerMax a try and hopefully I won’t come out looking like a clown at the end of this.

The Process:

Using the #Instyler was fairly easy. The only difficult part was figuring out which way to hold the Instyler, and what direction to have the iron rotate. Once figuring that out, I was good to go. Thankfully I “pre-parted” my hair the night before, so the straightening process went pretty smoothly. I was able to get through my entire head in roughly 1hr 10mins, definitely not bad compared to how long it usually takes me to straighten my hair, and it was my first time using the InstylerMax. Check out the vid below:

The Verdict:

*Drum roll please*

I give the Instyler a rate of 8.5 or 9 out of 10. I am pleasantly pleased by how easy it is for the Instyler to straighten my hair. As I mentioned earlier, I have pretty thick hair, so I am happy that it still worked. To make things even better, the Instyler works fast. With two or three passes through my hair, I am able to move on to the next section, making styling much more enjoyable!

Why not a perfect 10? While I absolutely love my InstylerMAX, there were some drawbacks:

1. The brush part of the Instyler MAX is very thick, making it difficult to get close to the root of my hair.
2. A few if the ionic bristles bent. I noticed while straighten that the bristles closest to the hot iron bent. I’m not sure if this is caused by the heat, or the thickness of my hair, but this left me with come concern—hopefully the bending of these bristles will not damage the Instyler.
3. While my hair is straight, it is not as straight as it could be. There is still a little puff to my hair, however, if you style it right you can pass that puffiness off as volume. Remember, I’m using the Instyler for the first time, so I’m sure this gets better with practice!

Conclusion:

Go buy the InstylerMAX. It’s a nice tool to use in between visits to the hair salon. It’s fast and easy, and it adds volume to your hair. I think it’s pretty good at getting the job done, especially if you plan on using it to maintain styles done at the salon or simply want a “new-do”. Definitely worth the investment—can’t wait to use it again!!!

PinkCaboodle

Maya is owner of Pink Caboodle, specializing in Fashion and Body Positivity.