Cellular Technology Of A Different Variety
I have a long commute to work every morning. Like, a long one! Luckily I don’t do the driving, I just get to the carpool, sit in the back seat and read or listen to music. I spend a lot of time wondering what I could get away with if I could do my hair in the car on the way though.
It would be so nice to get the extra time in bed rather than having to do my hair, and I would be more than willing to freak out my fellow carpoolers to get that little extra pocket of time. What can I say? I like to sleep!
Anyway, I went on the hunt for an iron that would let me curl my hair without having to plug into a power outlet, and I think I found it in the form of the ThermaCell Conair Compact Curling Iron. It’s a tiny iron that runs on replaceable batteries, so it can be used anywhere. I’m sure it’s not designed to be used in the car and it might even be a bad idea to do so, so let’s assume I wouldn’t actually do it. That being said, batteries can go anywhere, and if I was in a pinch…
Heats Up Without Plugging In
I’m a little baffled that this iron can heat up quickly without a power cord, but it totally can. In fact, it gets to its optimum heat in less than a minute! Some of the irons I have right now that plug into the wall take longer than that.
No Batteries
Ok I told a little white lie just now, the ThermaCell does not run on batteries. It actually runs on a tiny butane cartridge that plugs into the bottom of the iron. Now I know this, it’s not anything I would ever use in the car, and you shouldn’t either. That’s a hazard, and not anything you (or I) want to mess with.
Travel With It – Store It
The pink iron comes with a matching case, and I love things that coordinate. I also really like pink, so clearly I’m smitten with this beast. That being said, I do like the case because it’s a place to put a hot iron when you’re on the go.
Full Sized And Months On One Charge
This is a full-sized iron without a power cord which I haven’t seen before. You aren’t sacrificing any access because you can use it just about everywhere. Beyond that, it actually heats up REALLY quickly. Like, super quickly. And it gets as hot as most regular sized irons. What is this magic??
Oh, and to add something else, the butane power source lasts for months. Not days. Not weeks. MONTHS! And it will last longer if you don’t use it all that often.
Don’t Leave It On Or Be Ready To Replace
One of the realities of an iron powered this way is the battery will eventually die. Portable power has to be changed or charged. While it’s easy to change the battery, you’ll have to do it a lot more often if you forget to turn it off before storing it. I know how hard it can be to remember to turn off my wall-powered irons, so I imagine that portable irons are similar.
Not Quite Full
While the information on the iron says it’s full sized it’s actually slightly smaller than a standard 3/4 inch iron, and that means you’re more likely to get smaller curls. I don’t mind little curls except that I have SO MUCH hair it takes forever to curl it all. If you’re looking for a more subtle style or larger curls, this probably isn’t the tool for you.
Thick And Coarse? Not So Much
Unless you have fine hair, you probably won’t like the ThermaCell. I’m not sure if it’s because it doesn’t get hot enough or because it just can’t get the power it needs from the battery, but the general feeling is it will take forever to work with thick locks. My hair is like that, but my mom’s hair isn’t. I imagine she’d probably get the look she wants with it, but I might not be able to make it work for me.
Stops In Its Tracks
One of the recurrent issues with these irons is they appear to “die” fairly quickly, but this could be because of the power source. If this happens try replacing the battery before doing anything else. If a known battery brand doesn’t help, it’s probably a bad iron. That being said, out of all the comments I’ve read this problem isn’t widespread. However, I felt it prudent to mention just in case it’s a major deal breaker for you.
Can’t Complain For The Price
Even with some of the drawbacks this iron is still only $15. How can you complain about something that probably won’t catch fire and costs less than lunch out for two people? The problem with it not working extends to a lot of different irons, so I can’t really hold it against this one. That being said, I still think it would work much better for my mom than it probably will for me simply because of the difference in hair type. You never know mom, one of these could be under the Christmas tree this year!