Product Review - Turbo Ion's Croc Flat Iron Wet to Dry 1" Flat Iron

I am reposting this post on this blog after many emails and questions regarding the new flat iron I have been using on my hair. Hope this helps!! I must admit, up until a year or two ago I didn’t think much about my hair. I got a haircut maybe every six months professionally, I often hacked at split ends with cuticle scissors and was known to randomly chop my hair myself or dye it at 4am when I was feeling bored/frustrated/antsy (wish I could find a picture of my home-made asymmetrical haircut of 2002… let’s just say I used Kelly Osbourne for inspiration). With this lack of care for my hair style, I was equally lackadaisical with purchasing styling tools. Hair dryer died? Well I’ll purchase the one on clearance at Target. Want my hair straight? I’ll just go all 60s and use my iron on the Wool setting! I started to realize that bad hair with good clothing was a bad mix; the raggedy layers and limp locks didn’t fit my polished wardrobe and I sought out a stylist who understood my hair and personality. She taught me that good products will keep my hair healthy and my color bright. I have been slowly replacing the drugstore brands for shampoos and styling products that will baby my hair and have been wanting to replace my Conair cast-offs as money will allow. I have always noticed how much nicer my hair looks after being straightened with my stylist’s nice flat iron than with the one I found on clearance at CVS (or my Black & Decker Press ‘n Dress), but didn’t know if it was the tool, or the lack of skill on my part to wield a hot scary device so close to my scalp. I recently received Turbo Ion's Croc Flat Iron Wet to Dry 1" Flat Iron from Misikko and was excited to see if it was quality or technique that was leaving me feeling blah about a proper hair straightener tool. About the Turbo Ion Croc Wet to Dry (from the Misikko website): Turbo Ion's Croc flat iron is earning excellent reviews by the industry's most discerning professional stylists and celebrities. This iron is primarily designed for professional use, and features a patent pending, built-in turbo ion generator. This generator emits 5 million negative ions per square centimeter. The 100% ceramic plates generate 6 times more ions then regular irons, and seal the cuticles of hair to prevent split ends, reduce frizz and retain hair's natural moisture, oil and color. It's top-of-the-line Nano fine ceramic heating element allows for quick heating, quick cooling and an even distribution of heat across the plates. All in all, The Croc offers the best quality in hair-straighteners for an excellent price. Features & Benefits of The Croc flat iron: • Inflated infra-red heat being pushed out through holes • Industry's most advanced "Nano-fine Ceramic Heating Element" • Infra-red heat and negative ion ventilating holes (10 large, 94 small) • Nano silver coated dual cover keeps the temperature of the handle to a minimum • Easy to use temperature control and digital display • Safe on wet hair! The iron is a great size in the hand and built so you can get really close to the scalp for a smooth look. It has buttons to adjust the temperature by degrees (default of 430 degrees is what I used for all my rests) and the longest and sturdiest cord – no chance of this baby kinking or twisting up on itself and enough length to move all over your bathroom. I store it in a drawer in my bathroom and love how I can yank it out and that thick cord easily snakes out from the rest of the jumble, ready to go. I first tried it on already dried hair, semi-straightened with a round brush. The Croc got the hair very straight without making it limp, and I didn’t have to hold the iron on the hair long. A few swipes through the strands got rid of any extra frizziness and kept it smooth through a misty winter day. Next, I tried the Croc’s Wet-to-Dry feature. My old hair straightener had a wet-to-dry feature as well, but was extremely noisy (louder than a hair dryer) and it took FOREVER for it to straighten the hair. In the time it took, I could probably dry it with a dryer and then use the iron to smooth while reading the latest issue of Elle. On top of that, I always seemed to burn off strands. The instructions with the Croc iron suggest you attempt this method without any styling products. I washed and conditioned as usual and then used the iron on small sections, running through to straighten and dry. Even though it sounded like bacon frying in my bathroom, there was no smell of singed hair and my hair felt and looked healthy after the process. I think it looked MORE healthy than if I did the traditional method of straightening already dry hair. Combining the two steps also saved a ton of time – I think straightening the hair in this method took less time than a typical hair-drying session with a brush. This was another wet day in the Nations Capital – after a day of actual rain I came home to hair that had a few waves, but was still far straighter than I would normally have with my old hair straightening processes. I also tried straightening my naturally thin yet many strands/wavy but curly underneath hair after letting it air-dry overnight. When I do this, my hair resembles hair-band rockers of the 80s (never needed to get myself a body wave in high school, just some mousse and a diffuser and I was stylin’). The Croc Iron handled this just fine, smoothing without burning and keeping it straight all day without getting limp. The instructions with the iron teach you how to get waves, curls and flips with the iron. Being only 1’ wide, The Croc is far easier to play with the iron to get the look you desire. My stylist Kathleen uses her iron to get waves and soft curls in my hair and I was excited to replicate this look. It wasn’t too difficult to follow the directions, and I was able to round the ends of my hair and add a few waves to switch up the look. I was pleasantly surprised by this flat iron; it really did outperform my Conair ceramic hair straightener in regard to speed and final product, and it was far gentler on my hair than either the Conair or the Black & Decker. I loved the shine that came along with the smoothness and the ability to last a rainy day or a night of tossing and turning without ending up with a complete frizzy head. Happy feeling and looking hair? Check. Long-lasting shine and straightened hair? Check. Quality equal to the cost of the item? Check. Am I a convert to high-quality hair styling tools? Check. The Turbo Ion's Croc Flat Iron Wet to Dry 1" Flat Iron is worth the money? Check. Head over to Misikko for this and other great hair straightening and other styling tools!