I Styled My Thick Hair Using 3 Iconic Hair Tools for a Month—Here's What Worked

Welcome to I Tried It Month, where we’ll be publishing a new fashion, beauty, or wellness article every day that features a first-person account of shaking up an old habit, pushing beyond a comfort zone, or simply trying something new. Follow along for 31 days of storytelling, including everything from trying new beauty treatments to copying the most risqué runway looks of the season.

As I've gotten older and more comfortable with my extremely thick, curly texture, I've been a lot more open to experimenting with my hair. I'm sure anyone with a similar hair type can relate. Truly learning to love your strands (and only picking up the flat iron occasionally) can be a journey. Most days, I embrace my natural curls now, but that wasn't always the case. In high school, I religiously flat-ironed my hair just about every night. Yes, I'm cringing thinking about all the damage I caused to my precious locks, too. 

Now though, I'm in a better place. I do still love heat styling when the mood strikes and trying out new hair tools, so I decided to give a few cult-loved ones on the market a go for the month of January. I tried each tool for a week to see which are worth the time and money. Technically, this was a three-week experiment, but as I'm writing this in the fourth week of January, I'm still going strong on using a few of these tools. Keep on reading for my experience with each.

Week One: Revlon One Step Hair Dryer

My goal was to use this for the entire week, but I have to be transparent: I didn't make it with this one. I've actually owned a Revlon One Step for a while now but never really liked it. I decided to bust it out one more time to see if I could give it another go for this experiment. Let's just say I got more of the same. All this tool did was make my hair unbearably frizzy and puffy. Sorry I didn't include any photos using this one. Though there are probably plenty of embarrassing photos floating around out there on the internet of me, I will spare you an extra one this time.

It's going to be a no from me on this one. If you also have coarse, curly hair that needs a lot of heat to straighten, I say skip this one.

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Week Two: Dyson AirWrap

Dyson's Airwrap Styler was the tool I was most excited to try. I've heard wonderful things about it from friends and co-workers, but I came into this experiment with a healthy dose of skepticism. My hair is incredibly coarse, thick, and curly, so I always do a little digging before trying out a new hot tool. After going down a YouTube review hole for a bit, I discovered that the reviews are mixed for thick, curly hair.

I decided to give it a try on my natural texture anyway with the brush attachment. The results were okay, but not amazing enough for me to feel confident walking out the door. So instead, I went in with my trusty flat iron first and then decided to use the brush attachment every morning for touch-ups and before going in with the curling attachment. I loved the brush for this. It touched up my hair lightning fast and made it look so sleek. I think it only took me about five minutes, which is so much better than the usual 20 it takes me to touch up my whole head with a flat iron.

Next, I moved on to the curling attachment. It definitely takes some getting used to. The first attempt I made at using it didn't go very smoothly. Once I got the hang of it, though, I loved the light, bouncy curls it created. I've been looking for an easy way to create that sleek '90s blowout at home for a long time, and luckily, I think I've found it. Overall, I'll be honest. I'm fully aware that the price is pretty steep, and if you have thick hair, some of you may not be able to justify spending $600 on it if you have to go in with a flat iron first.

I do also want to stress that everyone's hair is different. Although solely using the brush attachment on my natural hair didn't quite create the look I was hoping for, it may work wonderfully for your hair. I really loved using this for easy styling in the morning, and I'm absolutely going to continue to use it. I'm writing this in the fourth week of January, and it's the tool I'm still reaching for most. It's also great to travel with. I took it on a birthday trip to Hawaii, and it helped me style my hair so quickly and easily.

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Week Three: High Tide Deep Wave Hair Crimper

Triple-barrel wave wands took over my entire Instagram feed for a hot second. I didn't really give it a second thought until recently when I decided to try this little experiment. My wave wand of choice was Amika's High Tide Deep Wave Hair Crimper ($120). The first thing I noticed when using this tool is that it's heavy, so keep that in mind if you have a lot of hair. It took me longer than I thought it was going to honestly, and it definitely made me a tad late to the office the first time I used it. Oops.

As for the waves it created, I did like that it gave my hair an effortless, lived-in look, but I think I was also hoping for a bit more of a dramatic wave with this one. I read a few other reviews that said it isn't great for thick hair, and I think I have to agree with them. It did make my hair look a bit frizzy, and some of the waves just did not hold. I continued styling with it throughout the week, and I did get a few lovely compliments from co-workers, but I think for the price, I was expecting a bit better. This would be a great tool if you have finer hair, but for my fellow thick-haired queens, maybe opt for another one of these types of tools. Amika is such a fabulous brand, though. Its deep conditioner is still one of my all-time-favorite products for curls, and I still own a few others in my arsenal that will never leave my routine. I'll probably still use this from time to time when I want an extremely light wave, it just takes a bit longer on thick hair.

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