Create any kind of curl, almost instantly (yes, you can) @KissProducts, #Beauty, Hair

create any kind of curl, almost instantly with the Kiss InstaWave

In Chapter 3 of the book  Little Women by Louisa May Alcott  there is a scene where the sisters are invited to a New Years dance. One of the sisters wants some curls around her face, so they wrap her hair in papers and her sister Jo uses a pair of hot tongs to pinch it. This is the nineteenth-century version of a curling iron. Unfortunately. Jo waits too long and burns the hair right off! A ribbon barely hides the  burned patch  *(if you haven’t, go directly to this link on Amazon and either download it (this Little Women: Original & Unabridged)
Kindle version even has a free audio book with it) or get the hard copy book Little Women (everyone should read this classic).

Obviously, we’ve come a long way from the days where you put a hot iron in the fire and then wrap it around your hair, hoping you don’t leave it there long enough to burn it off!  But one that automatically curls hair in literally seconds, perfectly (no worries about burning or damaging your hair) is the InstaWave Automatic Curler by Kiss.

I have always been fascinated by “as seen on TV items.” Some work better than others. Snicker if you must, but when I saw this one on television I really was impressed with the results. Furthermore, it is a member of the “Kiss Products” family, and their products are often innovative.  But I did wonder how it would work.

When my unit for review arrived, the first thing I did was consider it’s construction. It has all the right stuff: ceramic Ionic construction, 2 heat settings, 2 curl directions, and a maximum heat of 420 degrees.  Not just that, but it has “Diamond-Ceramic Iconic Infused technology” that makes the InstaWave more durable, helps maintain the ionic benefits, and even helps you hair look less frizzy with infrared heat and negative ions. It seems to be reasonably well built (you don’t want your investment breaking after a few uses).

When I consider any new heat styling tool (and I’ve reviewed many of them), I also look to see if it takes a genius to operate it.  This one is easy, just one button (high, low, off) with an indicator light clearly shown on the front of the tool. A big grey button is clearly market with a right and left arrow which controls the direction of the curl.  The swivel cord on the device also makes it much easier to move the curling tool from one side of your head to the other and you can use either hand (a victory for the left handed ladies). With a spooling curler you don’t need a clamp (so no crimps in your hair) and unlike a marcel-type curling wand, you won’t burn yourself as you don’t have to wrap your hair around the wand with your hand,
Once you get the hang of holding the InstWave vertically and realize your hair won’t get tangled in the InstaWave (it seems scary but if it did get tangled which is unlikely, push the button in the other direction and the tool, unspools), you simply hold the tool in place and then pull the barrel straight down to release the curl. Don’t pull it diagonally  — you don’t want your tool getting caught in other strands.

This is really simple to use, but getting the exact look you want with the hair you have, takes experimentation.  Do you want a soft, wave? celebrity curls? tight curls?  You can have it all, but the type of curl you make depends upon the length and texture of your hair, and how long you hold the InstaWave in place. If your hair curls easily and all you want is a soft wave, a few seconds on each section should do it. If you want tight lamb curls and your hair is normally resistant, you’ll have to use smaller sections and experiment to see how long you need to achieve that look.   My advice is to try different things on a day when you’re about to wash your hair anyway, and certainly not for the first time when you’re about to go out on that hot date.  You will quickly see how much time you need to get the look you want, but I’m providing some tips from the Kiss InstWave website just in case you want some additional information before you try it on your own.

There are also some  Kiss InstaWave videos that show you how to make different looks.

All in all, it’s a fun tool to use, an an easy way to eliminate hat hair, create any kind of wave or curl you want, quickly and easily, and the best part is that it is just $50.00 at drugstores and mass market retailers nationwide. Check out the Kiss InstaWave website for plenty of information and links to sales sites.