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If you’re anything like me, you’ll keep yourself posted just about every little thing that has to do with hair grooming and styling. You would have heard the buzz about Tyme straightener. It’s a flat iron with a luxurious and high-end look about it. I know, you don’t judge a flat iron by its appearance, but you can’t deny that Tyme Iron Pro is a looker. It doubles as a versatile curling wand which makes the videos about it all the more enviable. Yet people who have bought and used the product have mixed reviews about it.
It costs around $200, which isn’t exactly what I’d call cheap. So if you’re on the fence about buying it, I totally understand your dilemma. The intent of this full review is to help you make an informed decision. Allow me to show you this product’s functions and features, its pros and cons, and what I think about it overall. Eventually the decision would be yours, but you would then know better than you do at this point.
Functions of the Tyme straightener
Tyme Iron Pro
is the latest version of Tyme Iron which first came out in 2014. Both the Pro and the earlier version are tools for straightening hair. Their added value comes in their ability to curl your hair, too. And not just one type of curl, mind you, but many different curl styles.
I know and have used other flat irons for curling hair, too. The difference, though, is that with ordinary flat irons all you will get are gentle waves or one-sized curls at best. With the Tyme flat iron, you can create casual beachy waves, relaxed flips, and bouncy curls of different sizes.
Tyme’s body is uniquely designed in such a way that there’s no need to awkwardly twist your wrist to achieve the desired curls. Instead, you have to learn some tricks, such as the proper wrist motions and the correct angle to tighten curls. The rounded barrel and uniquely-shaped curling edge will do the major job of hair-twisting and flipping for you.
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Features of Tyme Iron Pro
The earlier model of Tyme flat had some flaws, which Type Iron Pro has improved on. These are:
- 5 temp settings – the temp, which was fixed at 400°F before, can now be adjusted from 300°F and 400°F.
- Automatic shut-off – this safety feature turns the unit off if it detects non-use for 30 minutes.
The other features are the same as the original model, such as:
- Gold-plated titanium plates – this allows the Tyme straightener to heat up and work fast. Titanium is regarded as the smoothest metal that can be used for flat irons. It is inherently a superior heat conductor, being a metal. The added gold plating adds to the smoothness and reduces frizz.
- 55 seconds heating time – to be honest, 55 seconds isn’t fast. What’s important, I think, is that while it takes a while to heat up to your desired setting, it keeps the heat consistent after that. It will also remember the last setting you used. This memory is convenient especially if you’re the only person using this tool. That way you don’t need to set the temp each time.
- 360° swivel cord – it makes the tool easier to use and more intuitive to the user’s movements. Styling and curling often involve changing position and wrist techniques, so this rotating cord is a thoughtful idea.
- Heat sleeve – your Tyme straightener can go wherever you go, and fast! That’s because it comes with a heat sleeve. You can safely pack it with you even when you’ve just used it and it hasn’t cooled down yet – saves you time.
Pros
- Versatile curling tool – like I’ve said, there seems to be no limit to the curling styles you can do with Tyme. You just need to be patient before you fully enjoy all its potentials.
- Straightness or curls will stay longer – for some hairs, the straightness or curls set using this straightener will stay longer. By that, I mean that the result will stay through the night and well into the third day. Of course, that also means no washing of hair in between.
This works on the principle that when heated hair is allowed to cool on a surface, it takes the shape of that surface and stays that way longer. So the titanium plates will heat hair to make it more pliable to straightening or shaping. If you pull your hair down and allow it to cool in that shape, it will stay that way. If you twist your hair around the iron’s barrel to cool down, the result will be gorgeous ringlets and waves that stay in shape longer.
- It works fast – whether you’re straightening or curling your hair, it will generally take you half an hour or less. That’s true once you’ve used it long enough. Straightening will be so much simpler to learn. After several practice, straightening a long wavy hair may take 15 minutes only. If it’s your sole purpose for this hair styling device, you’ll learn it fairly quick. For the curling techniques, it will take you a while.
There are Youtube videos available for each technique, and my advice is for you to pick one and spend time practicing until you’ve mastered it. If you try to learn more than one video at a time, this will only increase the chance of failing and getting frustrated.
- Durable – this model does cost a lot, but it’s built to last. Getting your money’s worth should be the least of your worries.
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Cons
- Long and steep learning curve – this is probably one of the most difficult straightening irons to master. Why else would its maker offer free one-on-one tutorial and countless videos if it weren’t that difficult to learn?
True, you’ll get so much use for it, but only if you also invest time learning how to properly use it. If you don’t think you have the time to sit many hours watching videos then this is definitely not one for you. Just to give you an idea, some users took months to master the hairstyles that looked so effortless to create on the videos.
- Can get very hot – this is both good and bad. The thing with temperature is that you should know what to expect. You will need the high temp for you styling efforts to work. What’s important is that you should figure out the best temp that works for your hair. If you’re new to this, then it’s a basic lesson to start at the lowest temp to prevent scorching your hair.
- May not work on some hair types – ultra-fine hair may not be able to take so much heat. The result may even be frizzy hair instead of smooth. The curliness or straightness, if successful at all, will be short-lived. You may also need to re-curl the side where you sleep on.
You will have to account for humidity, too. Humidity is notorious for causing straightened or curled hair to revert to its natural state. User errors will also affect the end-result.
Remember, though, that these last two factors are not faults of the product, and will affect even the best flat iron out there.
Conclusion
As you can see, the biggest draw of Tyme straightener is in its versatility as a curling tool. Its biggest drawback, on the other hand, is the learning curve associated with it. I’d also like to add – the cost. If you’re not ready to invest the time needed to learn how to use it, then there’s no reason to invest money in it as well.
However, the difficulty is in the different techniques that you’ll need to learn for curling hair. If you intend to use it solely for straightening hair, then it shouldn’t be all that difficult to learn. But will you be able to justify the cost if you didn’t make use of its versatility and curling functions?
Like I said, the question goes back to you. Are you willing to invest time and learn about all the user techniques? Will you be using the flat iron mainly for straightening hair, or also for curling? Your answer to these questions will help you to finally make a decision.
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