Look of the Week - Faux Reality Bob

I admit it, I watched the Hills finale last night. And with the exception of the bizarre Little Bo Peep flower crown worn by Whitney Port, I thought the reality stars looked lovely.

Naturally, Lauren Conrad went all out in a sparkly mini with this chic mini bob that seems to be all the rage lately. (Note: also seen on Rosario Dawson at the Seven Pounds premiere.)

This hair style requires a bit more concentration than Kate Winslet's curly waves but it can be done. You will need a good styler, a lot of bobby pins, some sculpting spray and patience.

Given that it's the holidays and I'm short on time. I'll tell you that I've tried this look before and for me I wash, condition, moussed and dried as usual. For mousse, lately I've been using Rene Furterer Anti-Dehydrating Volumizing Mousse because it makes my hair super shiny and big without being sticky.

Next step is to pin the majority of long layers under, while leaving the shorter layers loose for a bit of light curling. Pin the back up higher to give the illusion of a stacked bob with the longer front pieces framing the face.

Again using a styler like the Sedu Revolution or Amika Pro-Styler, being creating light waves on the bottom half of the loose pieces. It should look a bit piecey and messy, falling gently over the pinned up sections to disguise what's underneath.

Finish up the look with a lighter-weight sculpting spray such as Aveda Witch Hazel Light Hold Hair Spray or Aveda Brilliant Medium Hold Hair Spray. Pair with some red lips and you're ready for holiday partying.

Where to Buy: Folica.com, Aveda.com, LoveAmika.com

Look of the Week - Revolutionary Waves

Every the epitome of classy style, Kate Winslet wore this hair style to the recent Revolutionary Road premiere. A simple look, it would be easy to recreate with the help of a styler such as the Sedu Revolution or Amika Pro-Styler. I'd start by washing and conditioning hair, adding a little mousse and drying. Then, use the 1" styler of your choice to flip out sections of hair away from the face into wavy curls. Vary the section size to create larger or smaller curls to your liking. Spray and set the style with a lightweight product to avoid looking stiff.

Where to Buy: Folica.com
Where to Watch: December 26th, 2008 (US Release)

Flat Iron Frenzy – Sedu vs. GHD

I’m going to shelve the CHI comparisons for a little while to shift my focus on to Sedu and GHD. Both irons receive high marks, so let’s see how they match up against one another based on styling, technology, material and cost. This entry serves as a shopping guide for each flat iron, rather than direct comparison.

This round features the Sedu Revolution styler vs. GHD IV styler.

Styler Defined

First off, it seems that lately most hair appliance companies are producing “stylers”. One might ask, what is a styler?

Stylers are a specific form of flat irons that are designed to not only straighten hair but also to curl, flip, wave, twist or whatever else you can imagine. Sedu features rounded plates and a rounder barrel, GHD offers a rounded barrel.

Since both the Sedu Revolution and GHD IV are stylers, one point for each.

Sedu - 1, GHD -1

Futuristic Favor

Both the Sedu and GHD claim to be the next wave of styling, but is one more technologically advanced than the other?

The Sedu Revolution’s big technology selling point is the Freestyle Guiding System, which features anti-slip edges which prevent hairs from slipping and snagging. This FGS also promotes the styling capability discussed in the section above. The Sedu also offers dual voltage for usage in a number of countries.

On the other hand, the GHD MK IV touts its safety functions, including sleep mode after 15 minutes, and automatic shut off after 30 minutes. Also, the GHD flat iron offers shiver mode to combat condensation in rooms less than 41 degrees. Plus, the GHD has universal voltage, making it ideal for heavy travelers.

The question remains, which is more advanced? The Sedu Revolution technology is more hair styling based while the GHD technology is safety-centered. Should you purchase styling over safety or safety over styling? It seems likely there’s an audience for both. This round is too close to call, another draw, and one point each.

Sedu – 2, GHD – 2

Make Up or Made Up

The materials used in flat irons seem to constantly be changing. Are the Sedu Revolution and GHD Mark IV identical, or can one outperform the other?

Both the Sedu and GHD are ceramic. However, that seems to where the similarities end.

The GHD is just ceramic, but the Sedu Revolution also includes tourmaline and nano technologies. The addition of these two other materials makes the Sedu Revolution more ionic than its GHD counterpart. Sedu wins this round.

Sedu – 3, GHD - 2

Cost and Review

I looked on Folica.com, because they sell both items as part of value packs complete with how-to DVDs and two-year warranties. The Sedu Revolution also includes a heat proof flat iron combo mat and pouch.

In terms of price, there’s about $100 dollars between both value packs. The Sedu Revolution 2009 edition retails for $139.95, while the GHD pack is going for $239.95. A pretty hefty price difference.

As far as reviews go, the Sedu Revolution pack has around 140 reviews, ranking at 4.63 out of 5. The GHD MK IV value pack has 30 reviews, and ranks 4.57 out of 5. Another close round, but this one goes to Sedu based on affordability and a slight edge in customer ranking.

Sedu – 4, GHD - 2
Final Say

Having compared the technologies, materials and cost of these stylers, I have to pick the Sedu Revolution. It seems to be more bang for your buck.

For more info on each brand, plus ordering information visit the Sedu and GHD homepages.

Flat Iron Frenzy - Sedu vs. Sedu

Sedu vs. Sedu? What?

This go-around meant to clarify the differences between the two main Sedu lines - Sedu Ionic vs. the newer Sedu Revolution. I’ve seen a lot of people questioning the difference between these two flat irons so I thought I’d shift the focus for a moment.

I emailed Sedu Beauty to get to the scoop. Click the image below to read the Sedu response:


Basically, Sedu Beauty says the main differences between the two lines include plate shape, plate size offerings, and temperature settings.

The Sedu Revolution is a styler, with rounded plates for creating curly or wavy styles, and has the ability to heat all the way up to 450 degrees. It also offers the Freestyle Guiding System which makes it possible to glide over hair in one pass, without snagging strands. BUT, the Revolution is only featured in a 1" plate size.

On the other hand, the Sedu Ionic comes in both 1" and 1-1/2" plate sizes, and offers more squared plates designed specifically for straightening hair. The temperature settings max out at 410 degrees.

So, both irons can straighten all hair types, get incredibly hot, and offer the same ceramic, ionic, and tourmaline technologies.

End result - if you just need a flat iron, both the Sedu Ionic and Sedu Revolution will get the job done. If you are more interested in creating multiple hair styles with one tool, go directly for the Sedu Revolution.

For more information, visit Sedu Beauty.

To purchase online, visit Folica.

To find out where to purchase near you, click Where to Buy.

Hair Health - Thermal Styling Protection

Let’s talk about hair health. I think its common knowledge at this point that the environment, coloring, and heat styling can all damage hair. But it’s this last element that I want to focus on, damage from heat styling.

Obviously, applying heat to your hair everyday will eventually fry your strands, leaving them messy and injured. However, it’s easy to protect your hair while styling.

One of the latest hair trends is the heat protection sprays, with many flat iron companies, like CHI and FHI, producing their own protection sprays. The majority of these sprays contain a combination of proteins or herbs meant to shield hair from heat styling damage while improving hair’s shine and overall health. Here’s a rundown of some of the top heat protectants I researched.

1. FHI Heat Hot Sauce – This moisture-based protectant seeks to penetrate the hair follicle during heat styling, rather than simply coat the hair shaft. Using heat-activated jojoba crystals that dissolve into hair, the Hot Sauce formula also includes algae, shea butter, wheat protein, rosemary and witch hazel. Hot Sauce still contains alcohol and silicones, which many claim to cause further damage, but don’t seem to detract from the ultimate effect of the product.

In total, Hot Sauce received 4.24 out of 5 stars on Folica.com. Available in 2 oz. bottles for purchase from Folica.com and Stylebell.com, and other sites.

2. Sedu Moisturizing Heat Protecting Boost – Sedu offers several heat protecting boosts, but for the purposes of investigation, I’m choosing to only compare the moisturizing one. For normal to dry hair, the Moisturizing Heat Protecting Boost benefits from heat-activated Crodosone W wheat proteins, to infuse damaged hair with humidity resistant moisture to resist and repair damage. Downside, this boost may be a bit oily for certain hair types.

This Sedu Boost rates 4 out of 5 stars, and is available only from Folica.com in 8 ounce bottles.

3. CHI 44 Iron Guard Thermal Protection Spray – From the incredibly popular Farouk Systems, the creation of a thermal styling tool that combines ceramic technology with CHI quality. This spray intends to hydrate damaged hair from the inside out while increasing shine and luster. Some customers complain it rests a bit heavily on the hair, almost like hairspray – comes in an 8.5 ounce size.

Average rating is 3.54 out of 5 stars, available from Folica.com and BeautyChoice.com.

4. GHD Thermal Protector Spray – The GHD line is designed for hair types, offering heat protection for dry/coarse, normal to fine or weak/damaged hair. Each version comes in a 5.1 ounce bottle, and touts 50% extra protection during heat styling. All three contain sunflower seed oil and provide UVA protection against further damage up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Typical complaint is that the spray is bit stiff.

Receives mixed reviews, offers GHD name and expertise. Available for purchase from Folica.com and ShearUp.com.

Flat Iron Frenzy - CHI vs. Sedu

Here’s an interesting showdown between two powerhouse professional flat irons. Do you Sedu? Or CHI? Ok, so for this round it’s the CHI Ceramic Original 1” versus the Sedu Ionic Ceramic Tourmaline 1”. Up for comparison will be temperature, materials, convenience, reviews and cost.

Temperature Rising

CHI offers a set temperature of 370 degrees, which the iron achieves within a matter of seconds. At this fixed setting, CHI users get intense heat that can straighten in almost every hair type. However, some users may find the CHI temperature setting too hot for their hair and complain of damage, while other find that is not effective enough for their thick locks.

Sedu offers five variable temperature settings between 240 and 410 degrees. The lowest settings are ideal for fragile or bleached hair with the higher temperatures suitable for thicker and coarser styles. So, you get styling versatility without damage? Sedu, please. For more info on styling temperatures, refer to my last post.

CHI – 0, Sedu – 1

Material World

This post is beginning to sound a lot like the CHI vs. SOLIA comparison! Maybe I should do SOLIA vs. Sedu. Either way, CHI uses ceramic plate technology which is an improvement over tradtional metal plates, since ceramic technology provides moisturizing heat without damaging locks.

Sedu, also uses ceramic plate technology, improving it with the addition of tourmaline. Tourmaline is a mineral/semi-precious stone that emits potent negative ions to soothe the frizziest strands, infusing them with far infrared heat helping strengthen and protect hair from the inner core to outer layers.

Tourmaline helps Sedu edge out CHI, but this was a close call, ceramic technology is definitely a major asset for both styling tools. I’ll give CHI half a point for a good effort, and Sedu a full point for ceramic and tourmaline.

CHI – ½, Sedu – 2

The Greatest of Ease

Flat iron styling is both a skill and an art form. Getting sleek straight hair or voluminous curls takes practice, but having a versatile tool is the easiest place to start. With flash heating and swivel cord, the CHI is ready to go within seconds, but achieving your perfect look might take awhile. Slim, small and weighing in at two pounds, the CHI Original makes curls, waves, and flips but without the ionic boost from tourmaline styling is a slower process.

The Sedu also offers flash heating and a sleek design, but has slightly more rounded edges meant for versatile styling, giving customers greater styling ease in a third of the time. And the Sedu is about a half pound so it’s extremely lightweight, and has a 9’ swivel cord for maneuverability.
This round is a tough call, both irons straighten and style but Sedu wins for speed. So CHI gets ½ point and Sedu a full point.

CHI – 1, Sedu – 3

Judgment Day

Using the reviews on Folica.com, the CHI and Sedu get different marks. Both flat irons have almost the same number of reviews, hovering around 1300. The CHI ranks 4.14 out of 5 stars while the Sedu receives 4.53 of 5 stars.

To get to the bottom of what customers really thought, I read through the first 15 pages of reviews on both flat irons. Most CHI customers seem to either love their product or completely hate it. The top complaints on the product were durability and hair damage. Many users loved the product while others claimed it broke within a few months or damaged their hair irreparably, and with only 1-year worth of warranty coverage, CHI customers seem to be left disappointed with broken flat irons.

The reviews on the Sedu fare better, with most customers seeming thrilled with hair health and styling capabilities. There are still a few reviews complaining about mechanical problems but since the Sedu warranty covers two years there seems to be a lot more general customer satisfaction.

CHI- 1, Sedu – 4

Cost

Right now the CHI is available on Folica.com for $79.99 making it the cheaper of the two irons. The Sedu retails for $169.95 but is currently $108.95 and comes with a free iron holder (a $20 value). Both irons receive free shipping from Folica.

The CHI is available in salons and on a number of websites, while Sedu is only available through salons and online at Folica. CHI wins for cost and availability.

CHI – 2, Sedu – 4

And the Winner is…

Sedu wins for temperature settings, tourmaline plating, styling convenience, customer satisfaction and warranty coverage CHI comes in second, again.

The final score is CHI – 2, Sedu – 4.

I use Folica.com for most of my information; you can go there to purchase or go to the brand pages for a complete listing of where to buy.

http://www.chiretail.com/

http://www.sedubeauty.com/