The Best High-End Hair Tools-MainPhoto

The Best High-End Hair Tools-MainPhoto

A decade ago I was obsessed with all things Martha Stewart. My cheapie clothes iron had just died, and Martha said the best iron in the world was made by a century-old German home garment care company called Rowenta. That’s the only iron she would ever use, said Martha. Naturally, I went right to her catalog and ordered one for a staggering $100. This is the kind of thing you’d never admit to your significant other, right? But another confession? This iron changed my life and I still use it every day, especially now in late summer, when T-shirts, white jeans, and cotton sundresses always need a good pressing before wearing.

So imagine my excitement when I recently discovered that Rowenta has branched out into hair tools. If they’re anywhere near the quality of the iron, I thought, I must experience them immediately. Rowenta’s new, truly different, salon-quality blow dryer, flat iron, curling iron, and styling iron have, like their clothes iron cousin, changed my life. These are the Mercedes-Benzes of hot tools, with fancy prices to match. But, they are extraordinary, give extraordinary results, and last for 1600 hours of nonstop use. In other words, once you go there, you’ll never go back.

Read Related: Hair Tools for Every Budget

The Best High-End Hair Tools-Photo2

As a beauty reviewer, I’m used to sampling tons of products, some great, some good, and some nothing to write home about. And it’s not often that I gush about a line of products as I’m about to do, but I have my reasons. Why are the Rowenta hair tools so marvelous? Let me count the ways:

  1. Power: With 1875W in its professional AC motors (one for heat and another for air flow), The Infini Pro Dryer ($159.99) has 35% more airflow and a 20% faster drying time than average leading brands. This is major. Who wants to spend extra time blow-drying hair in a steamy bathroom? The dryer also comes with an ultra-thin concentrator and a diffuser to cover all hair types and styles.

  2. Technology: If there’s such a thing as a Smart Hair Tool, this dryer is it. It can’t text—yet —but it automatically turns itself off when you set it down (energy saving and safety minded); and its ceramic tourmaline coating dispenses pure negative ions (less static electricity equals less frizz, more shine, and virtually zero heat damage).

  3. Teeth: Ready for super-smoothing action in 30 seconds, the Straight Express Flat Iron ($179.99) has a 16 tooth-comb along one side of the 1-inch nano-titanium floating plates, which stretch and pre-straighten all locks in one pass. The plates’ tourmaline-boosted ceramic coating combined with the iron’s ionic generator—like all the Rowenta tools, it releases those good-for-you pure negative ions—provides undamaging yet perfecting infrared heat. You can control the settings, too, from 260° to 450°.

  4. Effortlessness: Clip sections of your hair into the Curl Active Curling Iron ($149.99) and the 1 ¼” barrel automatically spins left or right—your choice. It senses when it’s reaching your scalp and stops before it gets there. Genius. Plus I love the extra-long cord.

  5. Multitasking: The Versa Style ($159.99) is the ultimate surf’nʽturf of hot tools. This sleek wand can do everything but dry your hair: Straighten, tight curl, loose curl, flip, root lift, and wave. Soft silicone strips on the curved outside and titanium plates on the flat inside make the perfect mixed marriage. Killer idea, killer product.

The Best High-End Hair Tools-Photo3But Rowenta has one more secret weapon in its bag of tricks: Josué Perez. This Puerto Rican stylist wunderkind—he’s a whopping 26 years old—was selected by Rowenta Beauty to represent. Though the company’s been around forever, their foray into global beauty is new, and in a way, so is Perez, who’s part of the new generation of professional Latino stylists. Hard working and charming, Perez fine-tuned his craft as a cutter and colorist to regular women and celebrities alike at the elegant Ricardo Rojas Salon in NYC. He soon met stylist David Babaii, who asked him to assist styling Jennifer Hudson and Stella McCartney. He now works at Serge Normant at John Frieda Salon in the city’s ultra-chic Meatpacking District, where clients include Sarah Jessica Parker, Karlie Kloss, and Gwyneth Paltrow.

Has all this fabulousness gone to his head? Nope. It goes straight to his clients’ pampered locks. “Working with hair changed my life,” he says. “I’m so happy and blessed. My career is a dream come true.”

He’s particularly fond of Latinas and their curls. “They love and embrace them,” says Perez. “They know they can iron them straight, but mostly they want to know what products can keep their naturally curly and wavy hair pretty. I say, ‘You’ve gotta embrace what you have, learn how to maintain it, be proud of yourself, and age gracefully. Don’t let your hair be the only factor.’ Think of all the beautiful, powerful character we have. We’re not a minority anymore. Me, I don’t want to be French or British. I want to be myself, a Puerto Rican stylist.”

As for the Rowenta power tools, he’s “obsessed,” and not just because he’s their spokesman.

“I’ve used other tools,” Perez says. “But once I tried the Rowentas, I really couldn’t use any others. They’re fancy but simple to use, easy to clean, and give superior results. My clients always ask, ‘Oh, what tool is that?’”

Disclaimer: A sample was received by the writer from the manufacturer. Opinions are our own. Neither Mamiverse nor its reviewer received compensation for this article.