CHI

 Lava 4D 1" Hairstyling Iron

I have had two of these. The first lost the coating on the outer plates after 6 months so i sent it back to chi and received a new one. This one has not had the same issue so maybe they fixed it?? It does make beautiful curls and straightens as well as any other chi. Its a bit hard to learn how to curl as the curl will turn different ways depending on how its curled which was a learning curve for me. After a year im still watching youtube videos on how to hold my flat iron to curl my hair. I dont believe the iron damaged my hair that much when the coating was removed any more than another iron would. I still used it everyday since it curls so well. If you are using a high heat, even with a good protector, your hair will get damaged. I try to just flat iron it more often because the amount of time of heat on each section is much less than when curling it. My hair is long, a bit past my boobs and highlighted with a slight natural wave. Not straight but not really wavy either (plus i have greys so those are wire-y and need to be flattened out and straightened) and it needs to be styled to look good and i use this iron all the time. I also have the babyliss prima which also has plates on the outside but i like this one better, the babyliss crimps my hair no matter what i do and it gets super hot which is not what i need or want. I use my dyson airwrap to blowdry and then this iron after. The dyson doesnt hold the curl at all, such a shame.. ALSO, i read someone using the lock function to hold the hair in place when curling.. that is not what it is for and would not hold anyones hair in place. You will need to hold the plates together while pulling the hair through. The lock is really just for storage to hold the plates in place. Well good luck and def try this out if you have hair like mine. It really is a great iron.

For the first 6 months, this was wonderful. I have thin hair so i use the lowest setting. 7 months in, I notices these white spots and assumed it was product build up from my heat protectant. While trying to wipe it up, i realize it was actually pieces of the plating chipping off! After trying to curl my hair, i realize it was actually damaging my hair by shaving pieces off from me! I was so upset for my hair and remembering how much this tool costs. Do not get this straighter, it will damage you hair and you will lose money.

Overall, I really like this straightener! It heats up quickly and glides through my hair nicely, leaving it smooth and polished without needing a ton of passes. I also love that the heated plates extend to the outside, so you can use it to create curls and waves in addition to straightening—which makes it much more versatile. My only downside is that it's a little bulky and heavier than I expected, especially compared with a traditional flat iron. It took me a little time to get used to handling it, but once I did, I was happy with the results. If it were slightly lighter, it would easily be five stars for me!

I have a medium shag and wanted fun flippy waves, looking like a lost member of Motley Crue LOL! My stylist uses the babyliss pro but the chi lava 4D looked a little more user friendly. Babyliss looks like I would burn my fingers multiple times while trying to style the back of my head. With the Lava 4D, The outside plates don't get very hot, and while you do get "crease free" curls, this straightener creates more of a beachy wave. Being a 1" iron, it is thicker than I thought, because of the wrap around barrel, and ultimately creates a very loose wave. This would probably be amazing on longer hair. The locking mechanism doesn't work very well as it does not create that "tight" grip so my hair slips out and I really have to pinch the grips. The cord is comically long and the iron is a bit bulky. Too be honest, if you are curious about this iron, wait for a sale. I am disappointed with this purchase and feel it is over priced. I get the same effects using my conair infiniti pro curling iron.

I've purchased A LOT of stylers and this one I'm keeping! I have fine, shoulder length hair… finally, the volume and look I wanted.