I'm 32 And Only Just Learned To Straighten My Hair

Anyone out there who has an older, more talented sibling will understand my dilemma. Growing up, I never had to do my own hair; my older sister was always there ready to braid or curl or straighten my hair as desired. At the time, I knew how lucky I was - it was like having a live-in stylist.

But then things changed. We grew up, moved out of home, and all of a sudden I was confronted with the fact that I have no skill in styling hair. 

I’m not lying when I say that even a sleek ponytail eludes me and my hair styling skills. Lucky for me, my hair has some nice texture to it, so I can get away with wearing it naturally and it kind of looks "done". But that can get pretty boring.  

As much as I loved the idea, I always assumed that using a flat iron wasn’t for someone like me. In fact, in my 32 years, I've never really bothered to experiment much with heat tools - until now.

Knowing that I lacked any skill or understanding, our haircare buyer asked me to try out the Hot Tools Black Gold Evolve Flat Iron. At first I said no, fancy tools aren’t really in my wheelhouse. But after some convincing, I took it home for a play. Not only did I become absolutely obsessed with it, but I racked up a tonne of compliments at work the next day with my sleek new 'do.

Not all heat tools are made equal, my friends. You probably already knew that, but I didn't quite understand what a good quality flat iron could do for your hair. This new one by Hot Tools has some seriously cool new features which position it as one of the best on the market (I can't really compare, but I can tell you I've had a good experience).

When it came to my result, it was part tool, part technique. Firstly, using such a versatile tool helped me to achieve the exact look I wanted. In the past, I've found nonadjustable heat settings frustrating, and the plates too rigid to run through my hair without snagging (hence me giving up time after time).

After some tips from my colleagues, I ensured I properly sectioned my hair (which I didn't used to do), used a heat protectant to limit long term damage to my hair, and ran the iron through each section slowly, instead of quickly and repetitively over the same strand. This can help to evenly distribute the heat, and minimise breakage caused by pulling.

The plate is a perfect thickness. My hair is pretty thick and straightening can take forever (although sectioning has helped a bit with that).  The wider plate on this flat iron makes straightening much quicker and easier for thicker hair types.

The cylindrical design really helps with curling. When attempting to use other flat irons to curl my hair, I found the curls they gave me were tight and almost kinked. I don't have an issue with the Hot Tools one because the rounded design creates a seamless curl and gives a lot of body to your waves. And you can also really easily flip your edges in or out (a trick I took full advantage of last Halloween when I recreated Uma Thurman’s flicked under bob from Pulp Fiction!)

It feels nice in your hand. This might sound weird and slightly creepy, but I like holding this bad boy. It has a lovely soft-touch finish that makes it really pleasant to hold whilst styling, and it's not heavy either, so styling doesn't strain your wrist.

There are a lot of heat settings.  When I want to be kind to my hair, I can set the heat really low (making a selection for 26 different heat settings), and when I value sleek locks over long term hair health, I flick this back boy up to 230°C for instant straight hair.  

The stylish design. I have next to no storage in my house, so all my tools have to sit on my dresser. Luckily, the black and gold design of this flat iron are very chic so so I am more than happy to have it on display).