VS Sassoon Steam Straight Brilliance

I knew I was in for an experience when I opened the box. Beautifully packaged. I was slightly intimidated with 'what bit went where' initially but a quick read of the instructions and it was super easy. Very clever that it automatically fills and refills itself from the water reservoir when needed. Loved the one touch button for steam, or not if you didn't want steam, and that you could increase the temperature of the straightener. Very useful during humid months then a bit more heat to straighten is required and my hair is thick. Also great though as a quick 'touch up' on a lower heat to help protect your hair. The plates are a good width which makes doing your hair faster and overall they are not too heavy. On my last trip to the hairdresser I had asked him how he gets my hair so sleek because with my GHD's I just can't get it like that and his secret was to straighten my hair went it was almost, but not quite dry. And that's exactly what this product does. By adding the steam it gives a fast, lasting straighten that keeps your hair feeling hydrated, then, and over the following days which is when I find the ends of straightened hair go dry. I am genuinely blown away. Usually I would only use straighteners twice a month to preserve my hair from drying out, over the last 2 weeks I have used Steam Straight Brilliance 3 times and my hair feels fantastic. Not only is it quick to do but its lasts days without needed a straightener 'top up'. I just love it. Salon hair at home and so, so easy. In fact, not just a home but it can go anywhere with you. My new look for summer is straight!

I liked the idea of a steam straightener and this had a good price point compared with the steam pod especially buying it on special. I loved the polished look the steam gave and my hair has kept it's health since starting to use it. I have managed to use it to curl as well. The only downside it that it is a bit cumbersome if travelling

I was intrigued with the concept of a steam straightener, straightening my hair for me is like going to the dentist - painful! It takes me so long and then a day later you've got to start all over again - so would this device take the pain away? I set out to find out.

The product is beautifully packaged with clear instructions. It has a water tank that the device rests on that mysteriously sucks the water up, but there is also a small pipette that comes with it that you can top up the water with if you take it travelling with you. The cord is really long which is good. They are quite heavy compared to my Cloud 9's and the plates are probably twice as wide.

To be fair I wasn't really a fan the first time I used it, I found it a bit clunky to use and a bit heavy, but then...I noticed that 2 days later my hair was still....straight! Even after being windswept and slept on. In hindsight there's nothing wrong with the device, it was just me getting used to using something different and getting the hang of it.

After using it for two weeks, I love it! My hair stays straight for far longer, and the wider plates mean that the process itself takes far less time - BIG tick from me.

Look it's not cheap, then again most great straighteners aren't but how often do you buy them versus the use you get? If I were you I'd be making this straightener your next hair care tool - you won't regret it.

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.

I've really enjoyed this trial team - I feel very blessed to have been chosen.

These amazing straighteners come beautifully boxed, they're a joy to unwrap!

I forced myself to wait until the next day after receiving them, to use them so my hair would be freshly washed. I have very thick, quite course hair, that I have styled in a rounded under bob. If I don't straighten it I end up with hair flicking out left, right and centre.

I found these very wide to hold, and the lock was pretty fiddly to use, although to be honest I don't think its an essential feature. The buttons are in a very strange place too, on the inside of the unit - i had to use the opposite hand to the one holding the straighteners. But the buttons are easy to tell apart and intuitive to use.

I used the filling station, but it's convenient for travel that you could pre-fill if you needed to take your straighteners with you.

These took about 3 uses to feel a degree of ease in styling, but once we'd gotten used to each other, we were a steam dream team. My hair felt softer and silkier as it was straightened, who knew that was possible! I was able to round it under easily and I only had to make one pass per section.

I LOVE how long the straightness lasts, I ended up only straightening it after washing it, every 4 days, instead of straightening daily. This meant my hair felt nicer and less greasier as I wasn't handling it as much.

I am genuinely wowed at the results of the Steam Straight Brilliance, and yes, they are definitely on the pricey side, but if within someone's budget, I would 100% recommend!

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.

First off, I am in LOVE with this straightener. This steam straightener is absolutely fantastic. I have very thick, slightly wavy hair which can be very stubborn when straightening. With the steam functionality of this straightener I have found that my hair instantly starts to straighten and I only have to run it over my hair one or two times for the desired result I'm looking for. The steam function is fantastic and so easy to refill. Just putting it kn the stand and pressing down, it fills up within seconds and is ready to go. I have also used this straightener without the steam function and it is absolutely amazing. It dry straightens amazingly and so quickly. I only need two or three passes for the required result. It doesn't pull my hair and none of my hair gets stuck around the plates like I have experienced with other straighteners I have used. I love that it comes with a glove for safety and also a water dropper to fill up the water attachment if you need. I find my hair stays straight for a lot longer after using this straightener than my past ones. It also seems to take longer for my hair to feel oily which has been a fantastic. My hair feels a lot softer than normal and it doesn't get frizzy at all untill the next time I straighten it or wash it. I can't find anything about this Steam Straightener that I don't like. It's design is lovely to hold and I haven't burnt myself at all. The sleek design and rose gold and black colour is gorgeous. The long power cord makes it super easy to use around my bedroom and I'm not confined to one small area. The stand it comes with where you fill it with water is amazing to have so you can put if down without the worry of it falling or moving. It's a great safety feature. It heats up to the desired temp sure quickly so there's hardly any wait time to start using and as I've stated, it straightnes my hair so fast that my morning and hair routine is much faster and as a mother that is absolutely fantastic. I loved the packaging it came in also, lovely pictures and heaps of helpful information about this straightener. The foam inside is a good touch, makes you feel confident that it has been well cared for with in transit to the shop or couriered to your door. Also if you are traveling you'll know it's safe.

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.

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 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.