The Advice Sisters love the sunny and warm days of Summer, but heat and humidity bring many, a lot of  hair woes. Fortunately, there are some new and nifty hair tools that can make your life easier.  Here are four hair helpers that The Advice Sisters deem “must-haves” for Summer, and all year round:

FOR THE TRAVELER:  Whether you’re home or abroad, heat and humidity creates frizz. For most of us, it’s got to be tamed, and one way to get a sleeker look is with a flat iron.  That’s why I’m loving the FHI Heat Global Professional Volumizing Iron w/ Travel Bag QVC Price: $99.00 Shipping & Handling: $7.72

This lovely dual-voltage styler comes in a soft, paisley pattern, in purple, blue or pink and comes with a free gift — a thermal heat resistant carrying case and snap-off mat. It’s the perfect travel companion.  You expect a flat iron of this level to have tourmaline ceramic plates and rounded edges so you can multi-task a variety of looks–from smooth/sleek, to voluminous, to curly–all with one iron! I And you also expect it to be well made and sturdy. But this iron has something more, an auto dual-voltage function ideal for travel. How cool is that?!! Last year, when I was in Europe, I couldn’t find a full size flat iron with dual voltage, and seriously considered just buying one “over there” to use and ditch, but given the cost, I ended up just wearing a lot of headbands, and avoiding being in photos. If I had known about this FHI I would have been smiling, a lot more!

FHI HEAT is a salon favorite, for high performance and durability, with tourmaline and ceramic floating plates that move with hair and offer a boost of shine, while reducing frizz. The iron get HOT, up to 450F (if you go up this high, be sure to use a heat protectant with the iron).  I have included the FHI heat guide that you can also find on the QVC web site, because it’s also a good reference for all flat irons. There is also an automatic one-hour shutoff for safety. The ELT listed iron has a 2-year limited manufacturer’s warranty and, for those who can’t find an outlet very close, a lovely, 9′ ‘L cord.  I really like the subdued pattern on the iron and also the soft touch feel that makes it easy to grip. The controls are on the inside of the iron. On the plus side, this means your hand won’t grip the settings and mess them up by accident while you’re using the flat iron, but I would have preferred the controls on the outside, so I didn’t have to stick my hand close to the heated plates.   Other than that, It performed flawlessly, leaving my hair frizz free and shiny, and only stick straight if that’s the style I was going for. It curls, it waves, it straightens, and when you’re done you can just put it back into the thermal bag and you’re ready to hit the road. The 1# plates are good for almost every style.  Get it right now in time for travel season, at QVC: http://www.qvc.com/

FOR PICK-ME-UPS + DREAMY WAVES:  I love this multi-tasking “morning after” pick me up for hair that has gone flat, overnight.  The  Calista Tools Perfector Volumizing Heated Round Brush (Srp. $85.00)  is used on dry hair only. It’s a heat styler that can add volume, smooth frizz,. and of course, it can curl your hair, too.  But the key thing I like about this multi-tasker is that when you’re in a hurry and don’t have time to fuss, it can fix flat spots, make cowlicks literally cower, and add more bounce to a style that looks flat. The perfector is what it’s name says, a way to make your hair do what you need it to do, without fussing and spending a lot of time.  It works on all hair types–fine, coarse, thin, thick–all lengths, and layered or one-length hair.

Derived from the Greek kalos ‘beautiful‘, Calista means ‘most beautiful‘ and each Calista ‘Tool’ offers a specific hair solution. The name of each product describes exactly what the product does, so you know what to expect. The icon located on the front of the product lets you know if it is a shampoo, conditioner, wet styling, dry style or finishing spray product. The color of the icon represents the result; volume, moisture, smooth, texture, curl or treatment.

The Perfector Volumizing Heated Round Brush is a styling tool and a round brush with a heated core, that has soft-tipped bristles. If you are all thumbs using a blow dryer and a round brush to get smooth waves or curls, or even just to add volume, you’ll appreciate this all in one.  The main switch is on the handle, and there are two heat settings:  356 degrees (use this if your hair is damaged or compromised), and 392 degrees. The blinking pilot light tells you that you’re not quite at the temperature you want just yet, and when the light is steady, you know you’re ready. But, thank heavens, if you forget to turn it off (who hasn’t been distracted more than once while heat styling?), the device will shut off within an hour, by itself.  You also get a 60-day limited Manufacturer’s warranty.

The barrel is fairly wide, but the amount of hair you use, and the length of your hair, and how “bouncy” you want the result to be, takes some experimentation.  If you want big hair with big volume, you’ll still need plenty of styling product and hair spray. I really think it’s best for adding some additional “oomph” when you can’t find the time for hot rollers or to completely re-do your hair.  If you’ve been stuck in the rain, for example, it will smooth out some of the frizz so you don’t look like you didn’t make an effort.  I’d still use a more powerful curling tool or flat iron for styling on day one. But it really depends upon what look you’re going for, and the length and type of hair you have.  On my thick, somewhat coarse and frizzy hair, I tried to use smaller sections, but when I got lazy and used a thick chunk, it not only got stuck, but it ended up flipping in a strange way. The way you are supposed to use the brush is similar to the way you’d use any round styling brush, For volume, hold for 3-8 seconds lifting the crown, or flipping the ends under. Practice makes perfect. This brush initially sold out on QVC and consumers were sad that it was discontinued, so they’re bringing it back!   Learn more at: http://www.calistatools.com/  and also www.qvc.com 

A FAVORITE, FRIZZ-FIGHTER: One of my all time favorite flat irons was a Remington Frizz-fighting flat iron that I reviewed back in 2010.  It was like a magic wand that eliminated frizz and smoothed my hair,  making it soft and shiny. And, it wasn’t expensive. But now, Remington has a newer version of the  Remington Style Therapy: Frizz Therapy 1” Flat Iron that is still affordable, at  a suggested retail price  at just $49.00.  Many, if not most, flat iron now use ceramic plates, but this new flat iron has plates that are infused with special, porous properties — a blend of frizz resistant and micro conditioners, that are emitted as you use the iron but leave absolutely no oily residue. When the plates are heated, the frizz fighters come to the surface of the plates, and are transmitted onto your hair as you style it. The result, is up to 65% less frizz all day (as compared to traditional flat irons). This is supposed to also give you 15 hour humidity protection.

It might sound too good to be true, but take it from a beauty reviewer who has thick hair that frizzes at the humidity of a sneeze, this works. The new Remington Style Therapy: Frizz Therapy 1” Flat Iron not only helps your style last during a normally humid day (rain forest humidity however, is another story), the frizz resistant micro-conditioners last the entire life of the product.

The iron is sleek and nicely styled with curved edges, so you don’t end up with stick straight hair unless that’s what you want. And the temperature goes up to 450F  for those with really hard to tame tresses.  There is a Turbo Boost feature that rockets you to the highest setting.  And, there’s a nice, decently sized swivel cord so you can move from one side of your head to the other without struggling. The iron heats up in about 30 seconds, and has a 60-minute auto-shutoff in case you forget to turn it off. The digital read-out is on the top of the iron, so you can see just how the iron is. I wouldn’t have believed that this flat iron would do what it claims, until I tried it. Then, I became a believer. Get yours at http://www.remingtonproducts.com or at mass market retailers like Walmart.

  

 

FOR STORAGE & FURNITURE SAVING PROTECTION: Who hasn’t left a heat styler on by mistake or left it still hot, on a surface not meant to withstand that kind of heat? Whether you’re traveling or back home,  there’s a clever and affordable way to protect your furniture from heat styling damage. The Hot Iron Holster was offered to The Advice Sisters at a  Beauty & Lifestyle Editors Showcase held at the Marriott in Times Square.  It seemed simple enough, a heat resistant silicone holder for hot styling tools that stick to almost every surface. The pocket is just the place to put your still hot tools, or store them, if you wish.  The Hot Iron Holster® comes in an original size (holds one tool) for $29.99 and there is a larger professional $39.99 model. Choose from hot pink, cocoa, black, white or purple to match your decor.

So what makes this Hot Iron Holster, so nifty? First of all, it is heat resistant to 500 degrees, and the flexible silicone pocket hold all manner of heat tools, including curling irons, flat irons or even hair dryers. It is made of 100% silicone and consists of two parts: A roomy pocket for holding styling tools and a flap that grips household surfaces.  The specially formulated silicone clings to any (dry) smooth, non-porous surfaces (e.g.  non-porous surface including tile, wood, laminate, granite, metal, glass, vinyl, porcelain, plastic, leather), and yet you just have to lift it up, to remove it! The holster doesn’t use adhesives or suction cups and isn’t permanent, so it won’t mess up the surface of your furniture or sink. But the stickiness of the flap is permanent. In my house, lint and cat hair needs to be removed now and then, but all I have to do is rinse the holster with water or clean it with rubbing alcohol.  may reduce performance but can be easily removed by rinsing with water or cleaning with rubbing alcohol.

The hot iron holster is so simple, but simply, sensational. Fold it up and take it with you anywhere.  Get yours at Learn more and get yours at The Hot Iron Holster site: www.hotironholster.com or www.qvc.com