Review: The Tulip Auto Curler by InStyler

If you haven't already tried the new Tulip Auto Curler by InStyler, prepare yourself.  It's advertised as a " lightweight, ergonomic, open barrel design with a groundbreaking dual rotating, ceramic barrel to crate natural, long lasting beautiful curls and waves", which of course sounds fabulous, but the question, is does it work?

 

Retail: $99.99

 

When I first set eyes on the Tulip Auto Curler at the launch event, I admit I was skeptical.  It's important to note that my hair is long, thick and naturally curly on its own, which can spell disaster with these auto tools.  Guests had the opportunity to try it out, and I was secretly glad that I was about to be supervised by a trained professional as I fed my hair into this slightly intimidating looking device.  Needless to say, I nervously sat down in the stylist's chair and watched her demo on a few strands.

 

The concept is pretty straightforward.  Place a one inch (no bigger) section of hair inside the slit marked with two gray dots, lay it to one side of the barrel, and press go.  Of course, you must also choose a heat setting, a timer setting and a direction setting, but all of that depends on the type of curl you want to create:  beachy waves, soft, loose curls, medium body curls, or tighter ringlets.   

 

Features:

 

- 2 Way Heated Rotating Barrel to help smooth hair and reduce frizz

- Open Barrel to maintain visibility of your hair while operating the device

- Cool Touch Safety Guard to allow for placement at the root without burning yourself

-  3 Rotations Settings to allow for changing the direction of your curls from right, left, and "auto" (which alternates from L-R on its own after each curl).

- Timer Switch- Timer settings of 3, 8, and 12 seconds 

- 3 Heat Settings up to 430 degrees Fahrenheit  

- Power Indicator Light

- Auto Safety Shut Off

 

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Twenty minutes later, I had tried about three sections on my own, and the stylist had went ahead and finished my entire head.

 

 

 

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, which is why I won't babble on about my amazement and overall satisfaction with the end result.  But I will say this: it's a pretty awesome tool and if you want curls, you should probably try it.  My hair was bouncy, glossy, super soft, all of the above.    

 

It's important to state though, that the few sections I did on my own, proved this was definitely something I was going to need practice on before being able to achieve this look by myself. I would recommend setting aside some time to play around with it, and not waiting until 20 minutes before you have to leave for work (like yours truly).  My issues were selecting the correct amount of hair to use, and then being able to line it up well enough to insert it between the gray dots. 

 

 

Easy fixes:  

 

 

1.) The "Sectioning Petal": A piece of cardboard with a slit in it to use as a guide.  The amount of hair you can fit through its slit should be the same amount you insert into the device.

 

 

 

 

2.) Practice.  The more I played with it, the easier it got.  (I'm still mastering the back of my head) but the good news is, its pretty impossible to get any hair caught. It detects immediately if hair is tangled and the barrel will automatically stop spinning so you can free your hair and keep it from burning. 

 

 

 

 

The various settings are fun because they let you create different types of curls.  But what I found really cool was the booklet demonstrated how unique placement of the hair around the barrel creates  more intricately styled curls (ie; the "Swirl Curl"), for when you have become more comfortable with the device. Fancy huh? :p 

 

Final thoughts? I'm sold.  As a girl who likes to work some sassy barrel curls, the Tulip Auto Curler makes the cut.