John Frieda Sleek Finish Flat Iron | Review

Unfortunately I forgot my beloved Nume flat iron at my parents house the last time I visited, which is about 4 hours away from where I live. Knowing that I would be back up to see them in a few weeks, I decided to test out a new flat iron to see if I liked that any more than my Nume flat iron. While in Target (where else would I be?) I saw that John Frieda had a flat iron that looked a little bit higher quality than many of the others that Target offered. The flat iron was a decent pricepoint, $39.99 (On sale through Cartwheel App for $34.99). I should mention that I have naturally curly, dry, frizzy, and color treated hair. I generally always have my hair curled to hide some of the damage, but the hair around my ears / face always need to be straightened whether I wear my hair straight or curly. 

I'll make this short and sweet - save your money, look for something else.

If you want to read my pros (spoiler: there is only 1) and cons, I'll explain them below.

Pro #1: The thing heats up FAST. Very fast. I know this is a universal trait for flat irons now, and anything that doesn't heat up in 15 seconds is straight from the ice age, but this sucker is very fast. 

And...that's it for pros!  

Con #1: The on/off and temperature buttons are literally in the worst place on the flat iron they could be. Depending on how you hold the flat iron, the buttons are either being pressed against the palm of your hand, or right where your fingers wrap around and hold the iron. Either way you hold it, you will press the buttons without meaning to, and you will do it often. This might not seem like a huge issue, but when you accidentally turn the iron off half way through straightening your hair, it's extremely frustrating. Why the buttons weren't placed on the inside, I'm not sure. (See below photos)

Con #2: The plates catch and pull your hair out. I'm not saying every piece of hair comes out, but the plates and edges are extremely rough and pull out individual pieces of hair as you pass over a section you are trying to straighten. 

Con #3: The plates don't smooth the hair as the packaging says they would. Like I mentioned before, my hair is thick and sometimes unruly, but this flat iron does nothing in comparison to my Nume iron. I could pass over a 1 inch section of hair 5+ times and it would not do the work that my previous iron could do in one pass. 

Con #4: (Not as crucial of a detail in my decision making - but something I wanted to mention...)
I noticed after plugging this in for the first time that this iron makes a faint clicking noise. Now, I get ready very early and it's very quiet in my house, so maybe it wouldn't bother anyone else, but I can't stand hearing the noise it makes. Unfortunately, I don't think there is a way to make it completely quiet, but again, might not be an issue for you! 

Overall, I would highly suggest waiting for a sale on Nume's website. I snagged an amazing deal, which they have often, where all of their flat irons were $40. I bought mine over three years ago and it still works just as well as the day I got it in the mail.
My order from Nume also came with an amazing carrying pouch, where you can put your 400 degree iron in, fold the pouch around it and go. The lining of the pouch is designed to withstand super hot temperatures so you never have to worry about waiting for your tools to cool down before moving them. I also received a very large bottle of Argan Oil with my purchase, which I am still using and have more than half a bottle of left. 

I highly recommend doing your research on flat irons before purchasing! Read reviews from people who actually have used the items and aren't being paid to promote an item. 

That being said, I'm not being paid for this review, I was just so disappointed that I wanted someone else to know the details if they were considering purchasing this product! 

XOXO, 
E