VS Sassoon Steam Straight Brilliance

Wow first off I’m really blessed to be able to be part of the trial so thank you!!

The packaging was really cool , sleek and easy to open , very easy to put together. Great colouring! Who doesn’t love black and copper?!

While you plug in your straightener , fill up your stand alone water reservoir either by the pipette or use the tap to fill it up , you just pop open the plastic bung fill and the steady the water reservoir on your vanity .

Make sure you pop in the mini water reservoir onto the steam straightener and then lock your steam straightener closed and it’s really easy , push down your steam straightener into the slot on the water reservoir. This fills up the water for the steam.

The very first time I used the steam straightener I put the temperature on the lowest setting which was 140. It was OK kinda straightened my hair. One pass definitely didn’t straighten but did smooth .

I have thick , frizzy, very unruly wavy and curly hair . It’s a nightmare!

Second time I tried 170 and on some sections it was definitely looking straighter . Still not poker straight like I was hoping to achieve.

Third time I tried 180 very thin and freshly brushed sections , half my head was looking a lot straighter however my most frizzy parts only looked smoothed over not straightened.

I highly recommend going very , very slow . I also tried rounding off the ends to see if that smoothed them down more but sadly no.

The steam straightener is very bulky , I did find it harder with carpal tunnel. The wife plates are awesome!! I do love the copper and black look. The buttons are easy to push , love that there is lots of temperatures to choose from and the steam straightener heats up super fast!

I found I had to top up my water reservoir twice on the steam straightener while straightening so be mindful of the steam running out .

I really think this would be perfect for someone with thin but frizzy hair .

I've used cheap straighteners that had no business existing. I have used GHDs. I have used more department brand straighteners that have been as good as GHDs... this offering from VS Sassoon blows them all away.

First of all... the packaging is super luxurious. Sturdy, attractive, in line with the straighteners, which are also sturdy (heavier than my usuals) and really luxe with black and rose gold touches. Inside the packaging is the heat glove (which is fine, but I did without it well enough), a dropper to fill the water station in the straightener if you didn't want to use the automatic filler, and instructions. The instructions are super comprehensive, which was great, as this technology needed them.

First of all - you have a standing water station. It has suckers on the bottom so that it's safe to use. You fill it with water then set the straighteners onto it to get the water into the straighteners. At first I was worried I'd done it wrong, but the moment I used the straighteners (at 180 degrees, with the steam button on) the clicking the instructions said would happen, happened and steam came whooshing out. I was on my way.

I can unequivocally say these are the fastest straighteners ever. I can get my wavy hair poker straight in five minutes. The plates are larger, which I found handy for speed, and they glide through the hair... once you take the comb off. Which I did after one go. I did not care for the comb as it tugged at my already brushed hair. Using the straighteners sans steam was also good, but not as good. The steam left my hair straighter, shinier, smoother, less split-ends looking, and 24 hours later it was still straight. I only needed to refill the straightener once per use. (I used the dropper once, but wouldn't bother with it unless I was travelling).

I can't recommend these highly enough. There's no way I'd ever go back to my old straighteners, and if anyone asked for a recommendation, these would be my go to.

I received this straightener in a nice black and rose gold box, the straightener itself is black with luxurious rose gold titanium plates and rose gold metal near the swivel cord base. It is heavier and wider than my last VS straightener. The wider base plates make it easier to treat larger widths of hair. It comes with a refillable clear base station which is easy to fill. There are five heat settings from 140 to 220. I used the 160 setting. I used it with the detangling comb attached, but it can be removed by sliding it off. After filling the base station with water, I placed the straightener into the slot and it filled its tank with water. A heat protective glove was provided, I would have liked a heat resistant pad included to place the straightener on. I divided my hair into sections, turned it on, selected the temperature and pressed the steam button. These buttons are all in a row just inside the handle, on/off, steam and temperature control button. Heated up very quickly and efficiently straightened my hair, took about 10 minutes. The heavier weight takes a bit of getting used to, but it was fine. My hair was glossier, not as frizzy as usual. Using steam is gentler on your hair as well. It can be used without steam also. Can be used to curl hair as well. My hair still felt smooth the next day. I would highly recommend this straightener if you want a high end reliable product.

Very excited to try these. So much so that I tried them on my daughters rogue hair first so I could see how good they really were from the back. It was nice being able to see the action unfold right in front of my eyes as if I usually straighten my hair its hard to do as well as see how well I have done at the back.

Being on one income, I have a cheap pair that has personally been seeing me through after the death of my good straighteners. If I ever wanted to do a good job I usually have to call in my mums.. but now I no longer have to. I have a good pair - and they are so pretty.

I think my favourite feature is the water reservoir stand that acts as a holder... this is hands down is one of my favourite features especially with kids around. I can set it on the stand in the bathroom or bedroom and know its not going to flop around, fall or move where my kids can touch it.

The heat is great its not burning hot and doesn't torch my hair to a crisp.. which might be because of the way it heats.. I feel like its steaming hair into place with a better heat - more like how a blow-out works, rather than baking the hair into place like my old straighteners.. I also don't get that burning hot smell and feel like the hair is too hot. So I think this is also why the look achieved is also more a glossy, soft, straight look than a clumpy, dry, straight look.. this achieves a very glossy mane.

Depending on the hair I left the comb attachment on or off.. so mine is wavy and fine and I left the comb on no issues. My daughters hair is curly, long and thick and I took the attachment off and used a normal comb as its quite thick to get through initially and then at the end I added it back on.

It also seems a lot less frizzy so I think the moisture might make it less static or something?? Somehow it holds the hair down much better - my current ones straighten but I have this halo of fly-aways that always need hairspray or a smoothing oil to weigh them down with this its very much smoother and glossier from the get go so I have had less fly away issues.

My fine hair also used a lower setting than my daughters thicker hair which is nice to have that control over... mine is still quite quick to straighten even at the lower setting which is nice to have that option so i'm not frying my hair as damaged enough from colouring etc.

Definitely a favourite new hair friend.

Thank you BR for the opportunity xx

First of all, I have long, thick and very frizzy hair. So I was excited to try this new straightener! Let’s not even talk about the fact that the straightener I had been using was about 13 years old at this point! Aside from the excitement of having a brand new straightener to try, I’ve got to admit that I was sceptical of adding steam to my frizzy and hard to control hair, as normally any moisture or humidity will just make my hair super frizzy! First up, I found the straightener easy to use and the water refill station easy to use and set up. Once I’d dried my hair and added some heat protection spray to my hair, I tried out the straightener with the steam function. But the first time I used it I didn’t quite get the result that I was hoping for. I tried again the next day after washing and drying my hair and this time, I used it on the highest temperature, as my hair is very thick. That made all the difference! This straightener is definitely easy to use on long, thick hair as the plates are nice and big. But it’s still easy to use and not too bulky! I found that it didn’t dry my hair out like my GHDs do. It does add moisture while straightening and taking away the frizz. It doesn’t have the super sleek and super straight end result as the GHD but my hair looked in better condition after using this straightener. It’s noticeable that my hair looked healthier and not dried out after using this straightener. It’s absolutely better for my hair health and made my hair feel so soft instead of just straight and dry! It doesn’t take all the volume out of my hair and does make it look more natural but not frizzy, so that’s a win. Will I sometimes want to use it without the steam function to get that super straight and thinned out look, yes. But most of the time I see the benefit of the steam function as it’s a bit gentler on the hair. Overall it’s a really good straightener. I may have gotten too used to the effect the drying and damaging old GHDs had on my hair, but in the long run this is much better. Once I put a bit of hair product in my hair, the style held for a few days and still looked great with no frizz!

I was very lucky to have been chosen for this trial and I was extremely excited to receive this.

The straightener is aesthetically pleasing with its sleek design and rose gold plates. The base station is also quite sleek looking.

So my hair is quite thick and wavy, and although it isn't super long I dread straightening it due to the time amount of time it takes. Fortunately for me, it took less than half the time with this straightener!

Filling up the base station and aligning the straightener correctly to fill it up can take some getting used to, however it gets easier once you get the hang of it.

The base station has four little suction cups at the bottom of it and it secures nicely to the top of my bathroom vanity, making it safe for me to fill up the straightener mid way through my hair straightening session. The straightener fills up within seconds. Once the water reservoir in the straightener is full, it will last about one or two sections of hair before needing to be refilled. Overall I only needed to refill about three times.

The brush on the straightener helps the with the straightening process as it brushes through the hair while straightening so there's no need for you to brush in between. Makes life just that much easier.

Without the steam functionality I don't find the straightener to be as effective, however it works a dream with the steam.

The straightener is a bigger than some others, making a bit clunky, however the larger plates do help cover a larger section of hair.

If you are wanting to travel with this, you don't need to take the base station with you, as the straightener comes with a dropper allowing you to fill up the water reservoir in the straightener directly.

Would I use this over my GHD? Yeah probably, since it took much less time to straighten my hair. The steam technology also helps keep the hair straighter for longer which is always great.

I was super excited to trial these straighteners and even more curious to put them to the test when I learned the brand! Now these are an expensive item so I intend to be open, honest and critical.

My first impression was “wow these are quite heavy”. I am used to my GHDs which are much slimmer and lighter. However I didn’t find them overly heavy when using them, especially because they really did straighten my whole head super quickly, like five minutes quickly!

I found the instructions on using the steam pod a little intimidating but they are actually really easy to use. I also really enjoy that you can use them with or without the steam. The instructions talk a lot about how to refill the water reservoir during use, but I actually never needed to. I’d place them on to the filling base stand once before I started and that would last me my whole head (hair sits just below shoulders). The straighteners come with a detachable comb element, I found the comb really made a huge difference. I have wavy/curly hair and the comb helped to straighten it out in one pass. Very rarely did I go back over an area, although they are quite wide plates and this meant I couldn’t get in to my roots as precisely as with smaller plates. I would also still definitely comb pre straightening even with the comb attachment as it’s pretty unforgiving. The plates themselves glide really nicely without drag. My hair did look shinier after use and my hair absolutely lasted a full day straight.

One thing I’d like to mention, the product boasts that you can fill them for steaming via the base station or directly in to the water reservoir on the straighteners. The later was far fiddlier and I can’t imagine ever wanting to do this. They mention this being great for when you want to ‘leave the base station at home’ but I wouldn’t consider these the most portable straighteners as they are quite big. The automatic water fill on the base station reservoir is great though!

There are 5 heat settings, I only used the one recommended for my hair type in the instructions (180°C). In the box there is a heat resistant glove, it’s kind of a fun addition but I didn’t find a need for it to be honest.

Overall the wide straightening plates made for super quick styling but they aren’t as versatile as smaller ones so it’s a trade off for what’s more important! Would I ditch my GHDs to race out and buy these.. probably not because my shorter hair and my like for curling with my straighteners makes them a good fit. However! For longer hair, thicker hair, people who only want to straighten, people who want a quick straighten… these should definitely be in the mix as a serious contender!

The VS Steam Straight Brilliance Straightener looks sleek in black and rose gold. It has a solid, quality feel to it. It feels ever so slightly heavier than a regular straightener to hold, but is light enough to style thick, medium length hair without any arm fatigue. It sits nicely in the hand with an indicator where to place your thumb. It has a swivel cord for easily moving around the head.

The packaging includes clear instructions, a water dropper tool for refilling the straightener directly and a glove (made of stretchy fabric) which fit my medium sized hand well.

Water can be added from the base or directly into the straightener. I added it from the base, but either way is easy to do.

I selected the 180 degree setting with steam to suit my hair texture and thickness. The flashing light indicates it is heating up, turning solid when it reaches temperature. It heated up very quickly.

I was a bit nervous about using steam close to my skin, but it is a small, contained stream of steam and was totally fine. The straightener can also be used without steam, but after seeing the difference steam makes over regular straightening, I'm not sure why anyone would want to!

The straightener promises to straighten all hair types from thin and damaged to thick and coarse with the steam setting being a point of difference to lock in moisture to treat frizziness and straighten coarser hair types.

I usually have a lot of short fuzzy flyaway strands. After using this straightener with steam, you would never know. I have a patch of hair on my templete intent on sticking out normally, so I rotated the straighter slightly inward (as if to curl towards my face) to direct it in line with the rest of my hair. This worked well and the straighter did an amazing job of straightening and smoothing my hair. The results lasted several days until my next wash. There are a lot of straighteners available these days, this one is definitely different from any other I have used or have had used by a hairdresser.

I wanted to see what the steam alone would do for my hair, so I didn't use any product with it. The straightener made my hair feel really soft and shiny, with all my frizzies tamed. It's the first time my hair has felt in better condition after straightening.

I was sent the VS Sassoon Steam Straight Brilliance to review.

Starting with the packaging, the straightener comes in a box that you can slide out, but there is also a flap on the top that shows you how to use the straightener.

Inside the box there is the straightener, the base, the instructions and warranty. But also a pipette and heatproof glove.

Using the straightener with the base:

After filling the base, I found I had to leave the straightener on it for several minutes before the water level was high enough on the straightener.

The straightener then had be be turned on by a power button, temperature levels adjusted and the steam function turned on.

I then straightened my hair as I normally would.

Using without the base:

Putting the water straight into the reservoir was I found the quicker and easier method (the pipette makes it even easier).

I found straitening from full, my hair was done before the reservoir needed refilling. But if you did need to refill, from the base is much easier when the straightener is hot.

Using without steam:

If you are in a rush, you can also straighten without the water and stream function and use like a regular straightener.

To steam or not to steam:

Comparing the steamed hair to the non-steamed hair, the streamed hair lasted longer and was still mostly straight and smooth and easy to style next day.

Straightening it did help control some frizz, but I didn't find it made it softer.

Other features:

The straightener also featured wider plates which I didn't find hugely sped up styling for my hair type, but were larger and heavier to hold.

It also features a removable comb, which I liked, because although I brush before straightening, to never hurts to comb again.

A heatproof styling glove is also included. I was really excited to try this, but you don't need it unless your holding near the plates, and if you're holding it there you'll probably want a thicker glove. Loved the idea though.

So let's steam ahead to the end of this review by saying that steam technology could be the future of hair straighteners as we know them.

I'm grateful for the opportunity to have participated in the "Beauty Review trial of the year" for Vidal Sassoon Steam Straight Brilliance. The boxed packaging comes in black and gold, matching the straighteners and has visual/written instructions. Inside the box are the straighteners, base station for automatic water refill, universal heat protective glove, pipette for easy refill and instruction booklet. I have long, thick, naturally wavy hair and I trialled in multiple ways. Steam with detangling comb, steam without detangling comb, straightened with steam and detangling comb, and straightened without steam and without detangling comb. If I had to choose a favourite way to straighten would be steam without the detangling comb. I found the detangling comb uncomfortable and didn't like the how it felt pulling through my hair. The comb is easily removed by sliding away from the straighteners. When using the straighteners without the steam you just turn the straighteners on. There are three parts to the straighteners, the straighteners themselves, and a detachable water reservoir, and the base station, which is an easy way to fill the detachable water reservoir. You can refill the reservoir without having to use the base station by using the pipette. The base station is ONLY for refilling the detachable reservoir, it is not intended as a resting place for the straighteners. Use the base station by pushing the straighteners down onto station where water automatically fills the reservoir. Do this with the straighteners off, then remove, adjust the temperature and turn on the steam function. The buttons are all on the inside arm of the straighteners. There are five heat settings to suit your hair type between 140-220 degrees. When you switch on the straighteners the temp defaults to 140 degrees. At each different temp setting there are LED lights to indicate the chosen temp. There is an LED light to indicated when you are using the steam function. To use, I started at the back of my head and took a section of hair no wider than the plates. I love the width as I have a lot of hair and can cover larger sections faster. When using the steam function the straighteners make a clicking sound. This is normal and the sound is the pump pushing water internally. Once finished empty all water reservoirs, there is also a safety auto-shut off after 30min. Allow to cool before storing and there is a hinge lock for storage. Once straightened my hair looks and feels smooth, soft and hydrated. My hair stays looking sleek for 24hrs or more and that's with tying my hair back. I naturally run hot and end up with frizzy hair but not with these straighteners. That’s exactly what these straighteners promised and I am really thrilled with the product and finish. I love the Vidal Sassoon Steam Straight Brilliance straighteners. They are easy to use and my hair looks and feels very healthy. I bid goodbye to my 13yr old straighteners and will not be looking back.