Ode to a Kitty...

I am a fan of versatility when it comes to hair.  Check out this post, featuring a fabulous feline…Hello Kitty styling tools.
 

I’m not one that really likes to blow-dry my hair, and over the years I’ve grown quite accustomed to not using a blow-dryer.  One year, I decided to purchase a blow-dryer from Target, primarily because of the cost and that Hello Kitty was embossed along the barrel of the dryer.   A few weeks ago, I attempted to find a comb attachment for my blow-dryer that has become reduced to drying my kids’ craft projects.  Needless to say, my attempt was futile.  I learned that the nozzle of the blow-dryer was far too wide to fit any of the “universal” comb attachments I came across.  One beauty store manager suggested that I buy a new blow-dryer…I reluctantly took on the challenge.

Last week (...meaning, the week before Christmas...I know this post is a little late), I stumbled across some new Hello Kitty styling tools that were retailing at Ulta.  One look at the price tag and I began to question whether or not I wanted to engineer some type of comb apparatus for the blow-dryer I already owned.  The fact that you’re reading this should tell you how that idea ended.   While looking at the images of the Hello Kitty styling tools, something seemed strikingly familiar about the new products.  I went rummaging for my Hello Kitty hair dryer and along the handle; I noticed some information was embossed on the handle of the dryer.  I was able to make out the manufacturer…”Spectra Merchandising”.  Upon doing a Google search, the familiarity became very apparent.  Listed on the Spectra Merchandising website was my original Hello Kitty Hair dryer KT3052A, as well as some Hello Kitty styling tools that I had been eyeing on Target’s website; all listed under “Personal Care”.  There was another category titled “Professional Hair Care”, which is where the styling tools that are were carried at Ulta.  I wasn’t quite sure what to make of this revelation so I took to the World Wide Web to try to find some product reviews.  There weren’t very many reviews on the internet for these products.  I was able to locate a few reviews on the “Personal Care” styling tools and the overall consensus didn’t seem too promising.  It made me wonder if the “Professional Care” styling tools would pose some of the same problems.

Let’s compare the tools…

Price Tag:

The “Personal Care” styling tools originally retailed for $39.99 each, but the prices have since been dropped and of the retailers that I have found, these products are listed for approximately $26-$32 each (which is not terrible considering you can find quality styling tools at the same price point).  The hair-dryer that I originally purchased (KT3052A) is now $17.99 on Target’s website.

 

The “Professional Hair Care” styling tools were listed on Ulta’s website for $79.99 and that price was temporarily cut to $59.99.  Ulta is no longer carrying the styling tools on their website, but they are still being carried at Ulta locations (depending on availability). 

Blow-dryer Features:

I took to Spectra’s website and did a match-up of the listed features.  There are two dryers (KT3052A and KT3052M) listed under the “Personal Care” category and overall, they seem to be very similar in terms of the functions.  Both are 1875W dryers, with 2 heat settings and a cool shot button.  Both dryers come with an air concentrator nozzle that appears to be more for aesthetics than actual usefulness.  The dimensions on both dryers are also very similar.  The main difference is in the graphics and the price tag. 

Now, comparing the “Personal Care” dryers to the “Professional Hair Care” dryer (KT3055BP) introduces a couple of different features.  The similarities are that all of the dryers have the same wattage (1875W) and there is a cool shot button.  Some differences are that the “Professional” dryer boasts 3 heat settings and 2 speed settings.  The “Professional” dryer also comes with 3 attachments; 2 air concentrator nozzles and 1 diffuser.  The diffuser was probably the most attractive feature for me personally because I had never used one and wanted to test it out.

Flat iron features:

Both KT3057MA (personal care) and KT3060BP (professional) have 1-inch ceramic heating plates, floating plates, and both boasts to adding shine to your hair.  The “Personal Care” flat iron does not appear to have an actual temperature indicator.  I did locate a YouTube video that reviewed this product, but again, there was no clear indication of the temperature range for this product.  The “Professional” flat iron has a LCD temperature indicator with buttons to increase or decrease the temperature.  The temperature is changed in pre-set increments ranging from 265°F /130°C to 445°F/230°C.  This flat iron also comes with an insulated travel pouch, complete with an external pocket to store the swivel cord.  Spectra’s website lists Nano Tourmaline Technology as a feature for the “Professional” flat iron and an automatic shut off feature, but the most notable difference between the two flat irons is the graphics and the price.  The “Personal Care” flat iron is being retailed on a few websites, one of those is Target, who is selling the flat iron at approximately $26 compare to Ulta’s $59.99.  The question becomes, do the differences in features/functions warrant the additional $34?

 

 

 

 

 

Eventually, after much deliberation and stalking the styling tools at my local Ulta, the urge to grab the new “Professional” grade items took over.  I was holding onto a 20% off gift certificate that I received in the mail and decided to apply it to a new Hello Kitty hair dryer and flat iron.  In addition to purchasing these items, I also purchased a comb/pik attachment from my local Sally’s Beauty Supply, in hopes that it would fit my new Hello Kitty hair dryer.

I had experimented a bit with both of the Hello Kitty hair dryers in my collection and also tested the Hello Kitty flat iron against another brand’s that I purchased this summer. 

Here is what I found…

To blow dry my hair, I parted my hair into 4 sections.  For three of the four sections, I used the “Professional” hair dryer (KT3055BP).  With one section, I was able to test out the diffuser attachment.  I’m not sure how I feel about the outcome.  I think it has more to do with my hair’s behavior than the styling tool.  I think a bit more practice may be necessary.   On another section of my hair, I tested one of the two air concentrator nozzles.  I was most impressed with this.  I didn’t really understand the purpose of having one air concentrator nozzle and this dryer came with two.  This helped to straighten my hair and left it with lots of body.  The third section I reserved for testing out my new comb attachment.  Although I had quite a bit of trouble keeping the attachment on, this worked best to straighten my hair.  I think it might be a preferred quick straightening method as opposed to using a flat iron.  The last section, I used my “Personal Care” dryer (KT3052A) to compare the overall performance of the Professional vs. Personal dryers.  The “Professional” dryer (KT3055BP) came out with a win for me.  Overall, I was concerned that the difference between the two blow dryers was only going to amount to the steep difference in price, but surprisingly, there was a difference in performance.  Were those differences worth the money?  It might depend on the buyer’s purpose for purchasing the hair dryer.

After blow drying my hair, I wanted to test out the flat iron to see how well does it straighten and curl my hair.  To test out the flat iron, I partitioned my hair into two sections.  One of the main issues I had with this flat iron was that the heating plates did not clamp all the way together.  The gaps in between the plates caused parts of my hair to slip through without becoming straightened or curled.  To compensate for this, I found myself having to press harder to clamp the plates or moving my fingers to a position on the flat iron that conducted heat, causing my fingers to get singed every now and then.  The placement of the temperature buttons was also a concern for me.  While manipulating the flat iron to create curls, it became easy to inadvertently change the temperature settings.  This could possibly be due to me having to overcompensate for the gaps between the plates as I mentioned earlier.  The front end of the flat iron has unique slanted design and I’m not sure if this is purposeful or not.  As far as adding shine to the hair, when comparing this flat iron to another flat iron I own, there was a noticeable difference in the hair shine.  Hair shine seemed to be less obvious on the side of my hair where I used the Hello Kitty fat iron. 

 

 Top Imamge: Using HK Flat Iron; Bottom Image: Cortex Flat Iron

 

I revisit the question of whether or not the product is worth the price tag.  This summer, I purchased a flat iron duo from Marshalls for $34.99.  For that price, I was able to score a full size flat iron, a miniature flat iron, and an alligator clip to help section my hair.  I have not tried the “Personal Care” Hello Kitty Flat iron (KT3057MA), to make a comparative analysis, however, comparing the performance of the” Professional” grade flat iron (KT3060BP) to the one I purchased from Marshalls, I believe it’s safe to say there are quality options available at a much cheaper price tag.