This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost Canada, which closed in 2021.
Bye-bye, dreaded flip out.

Ever since I chopped off my hair, I've felt pretty liberated. Not only are my shorter locks easier to manage, but they also make me feel so much more badass, cool and infinitely more stylish.

But there was one problem: as soon as my hair grew to hit my shoulders, it would do the dreaded flip-out, resulting in "mom hair" (no disrespect to moms and their hair). My cool persona went out the window as soon as my ends decided to curl outwards (and for the record, I have stick-straight hair!).

My hair flipping out. Literally.

I turned to my straightening iron and put it on full heat to try to get the strands to stay straight. And they would — for a few hours. But by the end of the day, they'd just flip out again. I was getting annoyed. My only solution was to continue chopping my hair (but at the rate that it grows, that would cost me a lot of extra cash) or to grow it out (something I wasn't ready to do yet).

I thought all hope was lost until I was introduced to the L'Oreal Professionnel Steampod 2.0. The styling tool, which uses steam rather than heat to straighten and smooth out your hair, is the one iron that will keep my locks straight for most of the day, even through the humidity.

L'Oreal Pro suggests drying hair up to 80 per cent before using the Steampod. It boasts up to 50 per cent smoother steam styling compared to a regular hair straightener, and promises three days of shiny, frizz-free hair. And I have to say, when I first tried it, my hair was definitely shiny, silky and frizz-free, though I can't say the "straightening" aspect lasted for the full three days.

The Steampod in action. (Not my hair.)

But here's the thing: I'm not exactly a fan of super sleek, smooth hair, mainly because that's what my natural hair texture is like and it's super difficult to style (#AsianGirlHairProblems). I'm constantly dousing my locks with texturizing and surf sprays to amp up the volume and messiness. So the whole glossy look wasn't really for me.

However, once I realized I could use the Steampod solely on my ends rather than from root to top, I was hooked. And I'm never turning back. It's also been great on my newly-dyed locks, which are more prone to frizz due to damage, as opposed to my virgin hair.

My locks after using the Steampod. See how straight?

The downside of the Steampod? It's not really travel-friendly. The iron itself is quite big and bulky, and the "pod" just adds to the bulk. Also, if you have naturally sleek and straight hair that's long, it's probably not worth the hefty price tag ($250). But for those with thicker hair that's prone to frizz and can be unruly, it's definitely worth the investment. And of course, short-haired girls would also benefit from this, even if it's only to avoid that flip out.

The L'Oreal Professionnel Steampod 2.0 is available at select salons for $250. Visit lorealprofessionel.ca to find your nearest salon.

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