Farouk CHI • Chi Ceramic Flat Iron by Farouk • Hair Styling Tools

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Saspants on 5/4/2013 9:53:00 PM more reviews by Saspants

Age: 44-55   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Green    

CRAP! That is the best description for the Chi brand straightening iron. These irons used to be top quality but due to mass production the quality has steadily gone down hill. I have owned 4 of these irons and they have all ended up in the trash. The last two I purchased, number 5 & 6, were impulse purchases. Number 5 was broken out of the box and would not turn on so it was immediately returned. Number 6 was purchased when I left my T3 iron at home during a trip so I ran into Ulta and grabbed a Chi. Used it once and it took numerous passes over the same section to calm the waves and frizz. The problem with this is that I have fine hair but I do have a lot of it and going over the same area over and over is very damaging. I returned it immediately and got my money back and used it to purchase a T3 compact iron for travel.

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*TOP REVIEWER* nattiekins05 on 4/22/2013 1:17:00 AM more reviews by nattiekins05

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Blond, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Green    

Now that I have a chi flat iron (and have had it fot about five years now)... I will NEVER go back to anything else. I know different brands and those lame kiosks at the mall like to think that they have the better product- they are wrong. I understand that this flat iron is pretty expensive and is not within everyones budget, bit its definatly an investment well worth every penny. I would buy the conair, revlon flat irons... but after 6 months to a year, they would short out or the heater would stop working. This gets really old because it always seems to happen when you really need it most. I never have to worry about that with my chi. Its ALWAYS dependable, heats up within a matter of seconds, and gets the job done in half the time it would take with any of my old flat irons. To those who are on the fence about making this pirchase... JUMP! it will be the best thing you do.

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*TOP REVIEWER* LeMinx on 3/29/2013 12:33:00 AM more reviews by LeMinx

Age: 30-35   Skin: Acne-prone, Tan, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Curly, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

A little background: I'm half black and half white which can be a blessing and a curse hair wise. Genetics is always a crap shoot and, depending on how you look at things, my hair is either fabulous or a total mess. My hair isn't exactly like a black woman's and it isn't exactly like a white woman's. That means that I could never do what either group can do to "fix" my hair. My hair is super curly (mostly tightly wound curls) and frizzy leaning towards the 'fro side if left to its own devices but basically very fine. Growing up I had two hairstyles - pig tails and a pony tail - because, well, that's all I could ever figure out to do with it because any thing else ended up in a mass of tangles. I can comb all the tangles out of my hair and, one minute later, turn my head and my hair gets tangled. I'm not being the slightest bit facetious when I say that either. Keeping my hair untangled when it's curly is impossible.


Back in the 80s and 90s, I generally tried every thing I could get my grubby hands on to "fix" my hair. By "fix" I mean get it under some kind of control so it's not a tangled mess so I could ditch the pony tail. I've tried drugstore flat irons which are generally useless to me. They basically smushed my hair into flat, funny smelling half curls that bounced right back after an hour. I also tried a regular iron which resulted in the same smushed, funny smelling tresses. I tried applying hair grease (got a good case of dandruff from that), no conditioner, lots of conditioner, no shampoo washes, egg/mayonnaise masks, over-the-counter-relaxers (got a good case of fried hair from those), hot curlers (why?), pin curlers (again, why?), silicone serums, and even activator (ie Jheri curl spray....not my idea, it was done by a well meaning babysitter). Natch, none of this mess worked so I figured my lot in life was just unmanageable, frizzball hair. Since technology is mostly wonderful, some genius finally figured out how to heat up ceramic to help vain, frizzy headed girls like myself. Enter the Chi.


I did loads of research before I purchased this flat iron. I chose the Chi mainly based on the generally positive reviews and the price. I wasn't about to spend $250 on something I wasn't sure would work or if I could even manage to get to work myself. I waited a week after buying it to finally use it because, honestly, who wants to be disappointed straight away after plopping down $100 for something? The first time I used it, it wasn't a complete success mainly because my technique was terrible and I didn't use any kind of product (I now use Redken Straight Lissage Align 12 Lotion along with a heat protectant). Despite my crap technique, I still managed to get my hair pretty darn straight. Even my mother, who has been there from day one on my terrible hair journey, was surprised.


I've had my Chi for at least two years now and, thankfully, my technique has improved. I used to let my hair air dry and then I would straightened it but I (finally) learned to blow dry my hair properly and then use the Chi. This routine gets me straighter results more quickly. Yes, I do have to go over sections more than once but since my hair is super curly this is a given. Even when I go to a salon, the stylists have to do that as well. The Chi gets my hair super straight and it stays that way. I cheat a bit and typically only wash my hair every few days so I don't have to do the blow dry/straighten routine on a daily basis and this works for me.


All that said, there are probably better/faster irons out there but I'm of the "if it ain't broke" mindset mainly because my Chi still works. I've never had a problem with it conking out or performing in a way that disappoints me. It still takes only a few seconds to get super hot. It also hasn't fried my hair but I'm pretty diligent about using a heat protectant when I blow dry and iron my hair. I'll even go so far as to say the Chi saved my life. My hair life anyway. I now have hair that's actually under control and easy to deal with. No more tangled mess and pony tails!


While I do get lazy sometimes and chuck my whole routine to give my hair and my arm a break, I always go back because the results are fabulous. I'm still on the fence about buying another Chi because I've read that other irons (like the GHD) are better but I would recommend the Chi to others. If it can tame my wild mane, I'm confident it can help other people.

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beautycalls09 on 3/23/2013 1:23:00 AM more reviews by beautycalls09

Age: 19-24   Skin: Normal, Olive   Hair: Brunette, Curly, Coarse   Eyes: Blue    

I have the type of hair that drug-store flat irons cannot hope to tame. It's curly, it's coarse, it's thick, and there's a freaking ton of it. The CHI makes it completely smooth, completely frizz-free (which is something of a miracle for me, haha) and my hair stays straight for days.

If I'm being honest, I don't know if this is unique to the CHI itself, or to all high-end flat irons--I've only ever used the CHI, and my hairdresser uses the "Superstar" which also works well. I've found it's price pretty competitive--it usually runs about $100, but you can usually find it on sale somewhere. Many other irons of it's calibre run between $130-$150 or so.

I am on my second CHI iron--the first one died after about a year of frequent use (3-4 times/week.) I've had my second one for 4 years and counting. I have noticed that their efficacy decreases with time--when I first got it, it took about 25 minutes to do my entire head, and now it takes 30-40. However, that's still a fraction of the time it takes me with other irons, so I consider it well worth it. To be safe, I'd buy it from a store with a generous return policy/warranty.

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RosesRoses on 3/22/2013 7:54:00 PM more reviews by RosesRoses

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair, Cool   Hair: Blond, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Hazel    

This is a great beginner flat iron. The ceramic plates distribute heat evenly, making it harder to damage hair. It heats up fast, retains heat well, and leaves hair looking healthy and shiny. I used drugstore brand flat irons before switching to Chi, and the biggest difference I observed was the decrease in crunchy, over-processed ends, even when I used the iron several times a week.


I got my first Chi in 2009, and it cost around $100. Although it's still going strong, I recently looked up the prices of a replacement on Amazon and Ebay. It's definitely gotten to cheaper to buy. Now, it's around $50 dollars. For that price, I'd recommend buying it immediately. It's a really good flat iron to experiment with, and it's fairly affordable, in comparison to other, higher end flat iron brands.

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lichi79 on 2/10/2013 3:10:00 AM more reviews by lichi79

Age: 30-35   Skin: Sensitive, Fair   Hair: Brunette, Curly, Medium   Eyes: Hazel    

This is a good flat iron, but at this price it is overpriced. It is very comfortable to hold, looks chic and comes in a big variety of colors. It comes with a pouch too. The cord is professional length, and has floating plates. The one I am talking about has temperature settings, which the ultra chi does not. What I did not like was that when you open and close the flat iron it squeaks. It is a little too square, so your curls won't come out as perfectly round spirals. For a flat iron this price it should have auto shut off at least, even the cheap Remington at the drugstore has one hour auto shut off, digital temperature control, and looks super sleek too. . Don't waste your time and money.

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magnifiquee on 2/3/2013 6:15:00 AM more reviews by magnifiquee

Age: 19-24   Skin: Sensitive, Medium, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

A quick description of my hair: thick, wavy and curly. This straightener works really awesome in the first couple of months and then it goes to pure garbage. I have gone through, and I kid you not 5 of these. I would go back to my salon and just exchange it for a new one and then eventually I just gave up and they even told me since the demand for these irons are so high the quality of them has decreased significantly. My first chi was amazing until it just never turned on again, my new ones all snagged onto my hair breaking it off, and I had to go over my hair a lot to get it pin straight. ALSO it took me literally 2 hours to straighten all of my hair which is pretty ridiculous because my new iron takes me about 40 mins now. I would never recommend this to anyone who loves their hair because this seriously ruins it and it is a waste of money because they constantly just die out of nowhere.

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memorton on 1/2/2013 2:07:00 PM more reviews by memorton

Age: 19-24   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Blue    

These last forever and are hands down the best straightener you can buy!

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feedmekarats on 1/2/2013 1:32:00 PM more reviews by feedmekarats

Age: 19-24   Skin: Normal, Olive   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Black    

I have had this for about 4 years now (the original black chi) and this is The best flat iron I have ever used. Hair is pin straight and leaves your hair shiny and silky. Do not forget to use a heat protector because this iron gets very hot. You can even curl with it. It's around 100$ at ulta but its worth it.

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Ananasbloesem on 12/2/2012 1:25:00 PM more reviews by Ananasbloesem

Age: 25-29   Skin: Normal, Fair   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Blue    

Simply the best! Even in the Netherlands.

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camille002 on 11/7/2012 1:38:00 PM more reviews by camille002

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Neutral   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Hazel    

literally the best flat iron out there. i have a ghd and a chi, and they're both amazing. my hair is verrryyy thick, long and wavy, and this does the job in less than 30 minutes! a must have! can't go wrong with chi!

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*TOP REVIEWER* JaneWhit99 on 11/1/2012 5:39:00 PM more reviews by JaneWhit99

Age: 30-35   Skin: Normal, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Blue    

I love my chi and its a great straightener! the only problem I have found with it is there are no settings for how hot you want it so you can burn it out pretty fast. This is been a general problem that a lot of my girls have experienced, although I have been using the same one for 4 years!

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crazypinkhair on 10/10/2012 3:31:00 PM more reviews by crazypinkhair

Age: 30-35   Skin: Other   Hair: Black   Eyes: Other    

This iron is slender, chic, hot enuff and amazing. my hair is not easy going but this iron con really control it. I got mine at toronto hair care, corner of spadina college. they got tons of stuff there and amazing deals.

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MsScarlet on 8/8/2012 9:40:00 AM more reviews by MsScarlet

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Blue    

*this is a review for the original 1" Farouk CHI ceramic flat iron only*

I used a CHI for the first time 5 years ago after asking a friend how her hair was always so shiny and smooth every day. She let me borrow her iron for a few days and by the end of my "trial" I didn't want to give it back! My hair is very thick, wavy, a bit coarse in the back and extremely prone to frizz. This iron changed all that. It made my hair smooth, shiny, manageable, and nearly frizz-proof. As soon as I could afford it (Chi irons were about 3-4x the price then that they are now-I think they retail for roughly $50 now) I bought one for myself. Thus a long love affair began.

My first iron lasted about a year and would have lasted longer but I ended up killing it overseas using the wrong voltage. I broke down in tears when that happened-that's how good this iron is. I tried a few knockoff versions but they never worked as well so I bought a second one. My second Chi iron has lasted since 2009 and seems to not be petering out anytime soon.

I use my CHI several times a week (usually on work days) and let my hair "rest" in between but I have used it daily in the past. While the glossy, mangeable hair I get from the CHI is addictive, too much heat styling can ravage your hair. It is super important to use heat protectant products to shield the hair from damage, and to never EVER use an iron on wet or damp hair. When I do use it, there is nothing easier and faster to get my hair looking tamed and professional. I only use it from midshaft to ends, flipping it a bit toward the end of my hair to get a curled end. My hair glides through the iron with ease and the heat is just enough to smooth my hair without frying it.

Finally, a few cons toward the CHI: there is no temperature adjustment or varied heat settings, so girls with finer hair should use extreme caution. The iron gets very hot and it's infrared indicator light is inconveniently located on the inside of the iron; you'd have to look down a bit to see it and it's not very noticeable anyway. I knocked a lip off of my review for that reason; even though I am used to it and I love the iron, a newbie could accudentally burn themselves because the indicator is hard to see.
Like all hair irons, the CHI takes some practice to maneuver to avoid burning your neck/fingers. Also like most hair irons it can leave creases in your hair if you use too much pressure clamping down, giving you a "pancaked" effect. The iron dramatically reduces volume and will leave your hair pretty flat, which isn't a problem for me because I have a lot if natural volume in my hair.

Despite my qualms about the indicator light and safety, this is an exceptional product. I'm sure there are better/more high tech/$$$$ier irons out there but this one works great for me.

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Rouge7Femi on 7/19/2012 12:25:00 PM more reviews by Rouge7Femi

Age: 19-24   Skin: Normal, Fair-Medium   Hair: Red   Eyes: Hazel    

Cue the church choir! This straightener is AMAZING! When you run it over your hair i swear it flows like water, and you dont have to go over the same piece over and over again to get a result. For the price it really is worth it, it's long lasting, works like magic and is so slim and cute you can find space for it anywhere! I highly recommend investing in this little slice of hair styling heaven :)

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CaitlinsCreativeCorner on 7/18/2012 11:23:00 PM more reviews by CaitlinsCreativeCorner

Age: 19-24   Skin: Other, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

I love my chi. It is the only straightener I use, ever since my friend curled my hair with her straightener. Since then I have turned my mom onto Chi as well. I love it, it straightens my hair quite amazingly, especially because I have very long wavy hair. It also curls my hair very well!

I saw one in TJ Maxx that was Holographic! I wanted it so bad, but my chi is still in commission, so I don't need to buy another one. lol.

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gurlypowa on 5/15/2012 2:13:00 AM more reviews by gurlypowa

Age: 30-35   Skin: Normal, Fair   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

im on my second chi straightening iron right now. (i dont remember what happend to the first one, was it lost or broke?). this is the only high end straightner ive ever used, but let me tell you, it is WAAAAY better than any of the cheaper brands you buy at the drug store. it heats up almost instantly, and transforms my crinkly, frizzy hair into the smooth shiny hair i've always wanted. when i first started using it, i got compliments from nearly everyone i knew. some said i looked like i just stepped out of a salon!!

it's so easy to use, and the results are quick, you wont find yourself redoing each chunk of hair 982357 times to achieve the desired look, since it heats up so much hotter than the cheap irons. i also found it very easy to do ringlets, tho i usually just run it down in a slight curve, and hook it at the end (this adds more volume than just doing it poker straight). it does a great job, so i may repurchase, tho im also consider trying one of the other expensive brands. GHD maybe?

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8ubble6umpink on 5/4/2012 12:47:00 AM more reviews by 8ubble6umpink

Age: 25-29   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

Heats fast, does a good job at straightening, I just wish it could come on a 2 inch barrel that would make my straightening faster. I think it's too pricey for what it is.

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xChii on 4/19/2012 1:34:00 PM more reviews by xChii

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Black, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

I've had this for about 4 years now and it's still working perfectly fine!
I don't straighten my hair as often now unless it's a bad hair day, but i admit, this straightener can get really hot. I used it everyday back when i was in high school, and i never notice how damaged my hair is till now. If it breaks i probably would buy an inexpensive alternative one.

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sabrinalovesmakeup on 3/5/2012 9:45:00 PM more reviews by sabrinalovesmakeup

Age: 19-24   Skin: Very Dry, Fair   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Blue    

I went to cosmetology school thinking that nothing was better than chi but I was wrong, I love my chi the only thing I dont like is it doesn't have a temperature settings so it can burn out real fast and you will have to get another one! Ive had one for over 8 years and it works perfect brand new same as when I bought it and I've moved several times with it so yeah... Million wonders how it didn't end up broke!!! I would tell anyone to try this out because it truly is an amazing product

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