This Is the Buzziest Flat Iron on the Internet. But Why?

Facebook has become the new frontier for beauty. It's like a new age QVC or HSN, although on Facebook, it can be extremely deceptive. Brands and retailers can take (illegally, mind you) footage from reviews of different products and tout them as their own. Obviously this is a frowned-upon practice, but with so many random resellers participating, it can be hard to decipher what's real and what's not. In an effort to combat that mess, I've made it my mission to try out every trending product on the platform.

It can be a product from an MLM — a multilevel marketing company — or one of those "As Seen on TV!" commercials. Or it can be a more mainstream offering. Doesn't matter — if people are asking about it, I'll try it. (I mean, it *is* my job.) Which leads me to the Tyme Iron ($190). I'm not sure where or how this iron took over, but similar to the 2016 election, it happened, and it's left me dumbfounded. There's very clearly a market for a flat iron that creates gorgeous curls or waves in a quick and efficient manner. And, apparently, we're over our curling irons.

I've had endless requests on my page and in my inbox to try it, which is bizarre to me. I've been reporting on beauty for almost a decade now, and when it comes to hair tools, flat irons rarely create a frenzy, but that's because they usually all look the same and do the same thing. In Tyme's case, the iron is created to physically look different and, according to the marketing, is supposed to create flawless, effortless-looking waves in seconds. "Five to 10 minutes will give you curls that last for days (or until you wash your hair again)," they say.

Full disclosure: I am not handy with a flat iron when it comes to curls. I prefer an actual curling iron, which I can whip around my head in less than five minutes and create everything from "cool LA girl" waves to full-out Farrah Fawcett curls with. So, admittedly, I wasn't psyched about using it. But nonetheless, here we are. Tyme to change my mind, right?

There are a few different heat settings to choose from, but since we're living in reality, you have to put it on the highest setting. This is not an option. I tried using it on a lower setting since I bleach my hair, so it holds curl easily, but the iron didn't do anything in terms of smoothing the hair or waving it. You need full-blast heat to get any benefit from it, and personally, I didn't feel like it got as hot as some of my other favorite irons, although the box indicates it does.

Once the temperature was right, I started my process. The tutorials online say you need to "vroom" the tool backwards — away from your face — to achieve the look. I found this comical (because it is) and even made the noise as I worked around my head to inspire me. Problem is, I could barely get this tool through my hair. It did not glide at all. I had pieces of hair that ended up primped, twirled, and everything in between, but I could not master the easy waves and curls depicted in the brand's marketing materials. It should be known that I have hair extensions, but I've never dealt with this issue before.

After attempting to curl my entire head of hair, I gave up. Tyme after Tyme, I couldn't get this to work for me. Maybe it was my technique, maybe it was the iron itself. (Note: it was the latter.) So I stopped and went about my normal day with a lion's mane.

Or that was the intention, at least. After looking at myself 20 times in the mirror, I pondered, "Why in God's name can these women use this product properly and I can't?" I am a Capricorn and very much type A, so I do not accept defeat easily. After watching another 20 minutes of tutorials, I was back in the saddle and attempted to turn back Tyme once more. Vroom.

The good news: I perfected the technique, so at least I am confident in my hair-curling abilities with the flat iron. The key is to take the hair within the tongs, "vroom" it backwards (away from the face), and pull the end of the hair back toward the face. Slide the iron down the hair and release before you get to the end. Then you'll have a curl or wave, depending on how tightly you wrap it around the tongs.

The bad news: it still didn't glide down my hair as nicely as other flat irons do. I struggled, but I wanted to be sure. So I tried the same technique with both a GhD flat iron ($249) and a Revlon version and was able to create similar (if not better!) curls than I did with Tyme.

For those of you who are thinking "TL;DR," this is what you came for: you don't need the Tyme iron to create easy, gorgeous curls. You just need a flat iron that gets hot enough, and you need to perfect the technique. It's not the brand that matters; it's your own ability. I'm sure there is a metaphor for the meaning of life hidden in there. Do as you will.