Review by Ambular:

I shopped around on Amazon before buying this one because I had specific product requirements: ceramic hotplates, rounded edges so it wouldn't catch and tug/tear my hair, multiple heat settings and not overpriced. This one has all these features and it came with free shipping. So far I have not had any problems with it, it does exactly what it advertises and it makes my hair look great - I have thin hair but it has a lot of body/wave to it and this iron makes it sleek and it will stay for most of the day. Because my hair is thin I don't have the heat setting too high so I don't toast it, you can set it really hot, so if I was going out in the evening it only takes a couple of minutes to touch up. This thing heats up real fast too.

Review by ManicPanic:

I've had this flat iron for about a year - never had a problem. Gets seriously hot - my thick, ultra wavy hair is totally tamed by it. Slides through with no problem, and my hair actually feels HEALTHIER now - not the heat stroked, dryed out mess I feared after such long use.

10 minutes every other day and people actually think my hair is naturally straight! A couple of people even asked if I'd had a straight perm ... that is serious results for a girl who has been fighting with a flipping, curling, wavy mess her whole life.

I have medium hair and like the 1 inch - for anything longer than the shoulders I would get a 1.5 or 2 inch.

Review by M. Allen Greenbaum:

The Solia is the hair iron that the three bears would have chosen: Neither too hot or too cold, too cheap or too expensive, it's a product that's just right.

These irons can go for as little as or so, and on up to about 0 and more. The cheaper irons can damage your hair, and the more expensive ones can put holes in your hair. As described (very well) in the "features" section here at Amazon.com, the Solia combines ceramic with tourmaline, a gem that creates six times more negative ions than ceramic alone. These ions, combined with the heat (which the user can "dial" to a temperature between 140 and 450 degrees Fahrenheit) give you the capability to change the direction and texture of your hair.

More than just a hair straightener, the lightweight Solia can give you flips, curves (both towards your face and away), and generally shape your hair. It's lightweight and heats up quickly. I don't know exactly how the "patented Dynamic Alignment System®" works; I do know that the iron glides easily and without pain through short and long curly hair. Extra curly, thick hair will conform to the new straight look your stylist gave you, and there's a beautiful sheen due to the hairs' alignment. It comes with an instruction booklet; I'd also recommend the product's website at folica.com. A product that consistently works well at a resonable price make this an excellent value.

Review by noelhli:

This ceramic flat iron deserves more than 5 stars! Ever since I got it, it has been my best friend every morning. I no longer dread doing my hair in the morning; sometimes I even look forward to doing my hair, because I get to use this wonderful appliance!

Even though I have typical Asian hair (naturally very straight), my hair flips out on one side and flips in on the other side after I wash and blow-dry it. I have tried using a curling iron to fix this, but my curling iron doesn't give me enough control. This ceramic iron, on the other hand, gives me the control that I need. The result that I get is smooth hair that frames my face, nicely flipped in.

One thing that I can't figure out how to do is to curl my hair with this iron. I've seen a professional lady curl a girl's hair at the mall with a similarly looking iron, but my attempts have been futile so far. Any tips?

By the way, I ordered mine from Solia.com on Saturday and received it Tuesday. Speedy service!

*************EDIT*************

After using this hair straightener for a few months, I also want to add that you should purchase a type of styling spray that minimizes heat damage due to frequent uses of heat styling tools. The kind that I use is Tresemme's European Instant Heat Tamer, easily found in most local drugstores. Frequent uses of heat styling (hair straighteners, curling irons, blow dryers) cause split ends and/or damage to the hair, making it harder to achieve a sleek, smooth look.

Also, after much practice, I finally figured out how to curl my hair with this straightener. It's somewhat tricky at first, but you get the hang of it with more practice.

First, take a small section of hair and smooth it out. Then, clamp the straightener where you want the curl to start. As you slowly bring the strightener through your hair, carefully wrap the heated part of the hair around an upper part of the straightener. The trickiest part is wrapping the heated hair around the straightener, because you have to coordinate your hands to alternate as you continue wrapping your heated hair around the straightener. (Hint: If the strand of hair keeps slipping out from the top or the bottom of the heated plates, try clamping near the middle of the two heated plates.) Work diagonally, not up and down, or else the curl will have a tendency to "flop" up--avoid working at a parallel level to the floor, but more of a 45 degree angle to the floor.

If the hair slips out of the straightener halfway (even though you clamped near the middle of the two heated plates), just finish the curl by simply curling the bottom half of hair.

You can control how curly your hair gets by two ways: 1) lowering the temperature will lessen the amount of curl, and raising the temperature will increase the amount of curl. 2) bringing your hair faster through the two heated plates will create more of a body wave, and bringing your hair slower through the two heated plates will create tighter curls.

Curling your hair with this straightener is much easier than curling your hair with a normal curling iron. Plus, there is no need to purchase different barrel sizes, because you can control the amount of curliness you achieve.

Before trying this for the first time on your own hair, I would recommend that you practice on a friend's hair. Once you feel comfortable with this technique, practice A LOT on your own hair.

One more thing--curls look best when they alternate directions, so when you're wrapping the heated hair around the straightener, alternate directions by going clockwise one time and then counter-clockwise the next.

Have fun curling your hair with a straightener!

Review by Melaka Fray:

I just bought a chi.. this chi to be exact. It's the goddess of all flat irons. I had a cheap Wal Mart hair iron. I used to have to wash my hair, take it into section, blow dry w/ a round brush THEN go over every piece of hair w/ my cra**y flat iron, again and again. And when I went outside, if it was rainy or humid, forget it, my hair would fuzz out all over again. I don't have curly curly hair more like really thick, frizzy, wavy sorta curly but not hair. Totally NOT cute. With the chi, my hair is super soft and looks like I was born with perfectly straight beautiful shiny hair. HA! Now I shower, towel dry and take the chii to it. It takes about 15 min. STAYS ALL DAY LONG and feels really great. I don't even need to use any anti frizz serum or anything like that. It is a bit pricey but worth every penny.

Review by Nenahq:

I got it and couldn't wait to use it, so the first time I used it my hair looks great. People at work notice the difference. They thought I went to the Beauty Salon. There is a world of difference between a cheap one and THE CHI. Ok, so for the "no warranty issue", Amazon sells it for .00, other places sell it for 5.00. If you have a problem with it you can mail it along with .00 and they will fix or replace (per the website), so I took the risk, and anyway, the warranty is only for a year, so after that you have to pay the extra .00 if it breaks. Mine works great.

Review by Hair we are:

Was looking for an affordable and effective flat iron that was wide and light enough to straighten my 16-18inch hair and this was what the doctor ordered.

Smaller 1inch and 1-1/4inch flat irons take forever to smooth out long tresses. At 2.5inches this iron definitely gets the work done in half the time. It

It's porcelain plates glides over ones hair effortlessly and it made my hair super straight, silky and shiny. It has different settings, so don't worry about frying your hair.

Also, The iron works really well with hair extensions( silky, wet and wavy and body waves) and all types of coarse hair.

It's a very effective and inexpensive ( well not as expensive as the Chi's and the FHI's) product and it looks more expensive than it costs and more importantly does a superb job. Don't hesitate to get it if you have long hair and cant stand using those itty bitty 1 inch contraptions.

Review by Bargain Shopper:

I absolutely love this flat iron. I have had a few over the years but this is the best iron ever. I have really thick hair and this iron allowed me to flat iron my entire head in less than 20 minutes. It allows me to wash my hair and let it air dry and then I flat iron it with this iron and it leaves my hair straight, silky and light. I have had so many compliments on how healthy my hair is and how good it looks from using this iron. This is the best investment you will ever make. My friend paid over 0 for hers and I got mine for .99 and it is the best flat iron around.

Review by Queen:

I just bought this iron and it is the greatest one I have ever used. I usually go to a professional to get my hair styled but I wanted this one to use in between visits. At first I was going to buy the HAI one until the store I went to didn't carry that brand. I looked at this one and it was the same exact iron just with a lower price! I was a little skeptical at first because of this but by skepticism went out the window when I used it. My hair looked like it was professionally styled! My hair usually gets frizzy by the end of the day but not with this iron. It even curls your hair! I had a nice flipped hairstyle in no time, and the day after, I used it again and got a nice straight do. This iron heats up very quickly and did not burn my thin and freshly relaxed hair. It even has grooves on the outside of the iron that act as a comb when you turn it to curl the ends of your hair. I am very happy with this product. The only thing I wish is that I would have bought it off of this website first. I paid at the beauty supply store. Oh well it is worth every penny!

Review by J. Morris:

I have been using this flat iron for almost a year and have liked it for the most part. It gets very hot and keeps it's heat fairly well. The adjustable temp is nice, too. The rounded edges are perfect for hair styles that flip up or under without having to use the curling iron as well. I could only give it three stars instead of four because my hair gets caught in the edge where the iron meets the plastic housing. This is a common problem with this brand from what my stylist says. It could be more prone with my type of hair...long and wavy/coarse. However, if you want a good ceramic flat iron at a decent price, this is a good choice.