Pro; Makes hair look *amazing* and glossy, hair feels instantly smooth and looks extremely healty after use.
Con; Expensive as hell (over $100 unless you find a deal somewhere), In case you experience dryness, it’s wise to use a leave-in conditioner and spray designed for use with a flat iron when using the Maxiglide.
I just received my Maxiglide today, and used it on my hair. It took me about 20-25 minutes for me to complete, mainly because my hair is layered and almost to my waist, and it’s a bit thick. My hair is naturally straight but always tends to frizz and look less than silky once it’s washed and blow-dried. My hair is also color treated (blonde) and highlighted on the top, crown area, so that hair is exceptionally fragile to anything very harsh.
My advice to ANYONE who colors, perms, or treats their hair with ANY type of chemical (in other words, you do not have virgin hair), do not turn that dial all the way up to the hottest settings I used were settings 4 and then 5 (the dial goes up to 10), and even touching my hair after it came out of the maxiglide, I nearly scalded my fingers on my hair. If your hair is not extremely course, unruly, terribly curly, etc., you really don’t need to have the heat up that high unless you want to fry your hair. This flattening iron is THAT intense.
I know in the infomercials they boast how you can’t burn your fingers because the outside stays cool, and yes the outside DOES stay cool, but if you’re planning on doing shorter hair, such as bangs that frame your face (like I have), be careful. When I was trying to clamp the device over my bangs to style them, the hot plates were able to touch my knuckles/fingers as I tried to hold the hair in place. The MINIglide (smaller/thinner version of the MAXIglide) might be a better bet for shorter hair or bangs, if that’s all you’re planning on using it for.
The MAXI glide, I have to admit, IS a very cool hair product. I love the way it made my hair look, but it was just a bit awkward to handle, it’s kind of big and bulky/heavy, and it’s not extremely easy to manage 100% of the time. Plus it’s difficult to get the hang of having to remove your hand from holding the ends of the device in order to spray the steam (to prevent burning yourself). It’s pretty heavy so trying to glide that thing one-handed through your hair is a bit tricky.
For some reason, also, on a few occasions my hair seemed to “catch” in the clamps, maybe tangling in the pins (?), and I couldn’t move the iron down any further. As a result I ended up with a ‘pleat’ in that spot on my hair and had to try that section all over again. I also figure every time it got stuck like that, that part of my hair got a good dose of heat damage as well. : ( I combed my hair out before each use, so I can’t really explain why it happened each time. It just did. Maybe it was the flat ironing spray I had to use prior to each go at the iron, and the dampness caused the ’sticking’. So if that’s the case, its probably best to have completely DRY hair and apply products a bit earlier in the process.
Also, I wouldn’t recommend using the MAXIglide on damp hair at all if you have damaged/weak hair, because wet hair is WEAKER hair, and the chances of severely screwing your hair up just go through the roof. Words to live by; stick with dry hair.
As I said, the device is a bit bulky and ’awkward’ at first but I suspect with time I will get used to using it and it will become easier for me, as it would undoubtedly be for anyone else getting one. I love how it makes my hair look and feel, my hair is pin straight with an ultra, ultra smooth texture and a sheen/gloss that it normally doesn’t take on without the aid of shine agents or glossing polishes (which after a day or two, glossing agents make the hair greasy looking). So I am very happy with the MAXIglide overall. I was even surprised to find how utterly smooth the iron made the coarser, highlighted hair around the top of my head, as well.
The iron comes with a cool black travel/carrying bagto hold/store the iron in, and an additional plate (flat with no pins or holes) as well for touch up’s. Also included is the short instructional DVD which wasn’t confusing at all. I did not get the kit with “The end” or the other Maxius products that are sold to work with the iron, but I used my own products instead. I used a basic leave in “protein” conditioner and a flat-ironing conditioning spray, and my hair came out beautiful.
In a nutshell, use caution when you’re still getting used to the iron, condition your hair with a leave-in conditioner to ensure you maintain moisture in your hair if you’re using the MAXIglide on a weekly basis, and find a good flat-ironing spray or balm that is made for use with irons (you can find them in the shampoo and conditioning isle of any drug or grocery store, or a beauty supply store). If you have fine or even normal textured hair or hair that has been treated with any sort of chemical process (coloring, highlights, perming), do not turn the dial beyond 5. I stuck with 4/5 throughout my whole first use, and it was intense enough.
I will probably update this in the near future with how my hair is doing and such since using the MAXIglide on a weekly basis, since I fully intend to, I am very happy with it!
>>>PRODUCT UPDATE; A day after using my MAXIglide for the first time, after sleeping overnight I figured I would have to wake up to some pleats or ‘waves’ in my hair, but nothing! My hair is still silky, smooth and as pin straight as when I did it 24 hours ago! Normally I have to struggle through my hair and put all kinds of smoothing products in it and then the old ‘wet to straight’ flattening iron I was using, just to walk out the door feeling decent.. It’s time consuming and annoying when I’ve got a schedule to keep, and I find especially problematic the hair that frames my face, which gets a little more ‘frizzy’ looking than anywhere else, and of course that’s what people see first and foremost! I found that even that hair was still smooth and managable! Before leaving the house, all I really had to do was brush my hair really quick and it took like 20 seconds, leaving me so much more time to concentrate on cosmetics and clothes. Needless to say, this makes me ecstatic! I will definitely be posting more updats on this in the near future. I can’t tell you how happy I am with this product!
>>Second update; After my first wash and dry, I am happy to say that my hairs condition hasn’t been affected in a bad way at all. I had been concerned prior to using the Maxiglide, as to whether or not such an intense iron would harm my hair in any way.. In my experience, there was absolutely no damage, no signs of weakness or breakage, or even any excessive dryness. I dried my hair as usual with a blow dryer and checked my hair over again, my hair was fine : ) I used the maxiglide again and this time, having a better hang of it, I was done in half the time it took me last time (so about -13 minutes), and my hair is once again glossy, smooth and beautiful! I am no longer sure you have to abide by the ‘once a week’ use, any longer. I’m not saying do it every day and crank it up to a high setting. My average is every 4 days and no higher than 5 (an average of 3 this time). I touched up my hair once after the first use, and that was 2 days later. I didn’t even really *need* to, rather I did it because I was going out and felt like doing a quick touch up. All in all, I recommend this product- it’s WORTH the money and it’s a life-saver to me!! : )
1-10 rating (1 bad, 10 outstanding) Product packaging; 10++, product performance; 10+++++++++++
