I went in for my 'consult'. My hair is just a bit below my shoulder and quite thick. Price: $425. Ouch. Here's what I was told; no washing for 3 days, no pulling hair back, no tucking behind ears, no sunglasses flipped up on head (that one is really tough for me!) and then use special shampoo with no, um - something sulfate? I can't remember but they said it's readily available and no need to buy their brand, and be sure to color my hair BEFORE the procedure because it actually helps to seal in the color. I forgot to ask what coloring after the fact is like because I color every 4 weeks. During those 3 days, any curve, curl or kink in my hair from sleeping or whatever needs to be ironed out. Regarding what I could expect; will last 3 - 4 months, does not grow out in the way that chemical or Japanese straightening does but more or less 'wears off', will make my hair very shiney and healthy. What it will NOT do is make my hair totally stick straight but it will eliminate frizz. It also will not mean that I am blow dryer or flat iron free but that could be based on hair type. She told me I will be able to wash, comb, then pul my hair back in a pony and it will remain smooth, something I've never been able to do. But if I want some semblance of a 'style' it will require blowing it out as I do now but will require far less work to get it smooth. I'd love to try it but the price is stopping me. If it was $300 and I had it done at the beginning of the summer I could maybe justify it. I'm sure there are other places here that do it (I'm in the Chicago suburbs) but this is the only one I know of. And this isn't a technique I want done by a newbie - this gal has been at it 8 months and has done hundreds of heads.

About ten or eleven years ago we bought one on the Oreck uprights, their top of the line, that comes with a 21 year warranty. Each year we take it in for service (free) and they replace anything that is worn. They give us a loaner while it is there, which is about a week. Of course, if there is a problem at any other time they fix it for free. It is light weight and picks up pet hair fine. We have a Jack Russell. We also use the iRobot pet hair model once a day in the main living area and to be honest it really picks up a lot of pet hair on both carpet and wood floors. It saves us lots of time so I would consider that as a viable alternative.

Jerzeegirl: I have a less expensive one (Conair from Sally's, don't remember exactly - maybe $40?) that I got to try it out. I figured I'd see how much I used it, if I could use it properly, and then, if I wanted something better or if it died quickly, upgrade. I know nothing about titanium; but when I bought mine, the stylist strongly recommended ceramic Sweeby: I just had my hair whacked from mid-back to chin-length. I had stick-straight hair before babies, but those pregnancy hormones gave me some tiny waviness at the ends. My stylist talked me into trying Curl Conscious Creme from Belle du Jour. I got it at the salon, which is Aveda-affiliated. This was just last Saturday - so I'm still experimenting - but I do see more waviness and crazyness. It's not a heavy creme, btw. Feels more like a light conditioner. Hth - Cate (can you tell I'm procrastinating today? Posts everywhere!)

Lyban - They carry it in salons, but you may find it cheaper online. Side note - KMS dry wax is awesome for giving piecey texture and adding body. I really like that it's matte. It doesn't leave your hair dull looking either. I've tried other spray waxes before and couldn't stand that it appeared to look greasy no matter how little applied. Started using it when I had a long pixie cut, but it works for all hair lengths. Even works great if your hair is uniform in color because it adds dimension. You don't need much and I'd love to bottle up the smell as perfume. (doesn't linger) I received a lot of compliments and questions about what I was using on my hair. It's a visible difference. My bottle is more acid green in color. Color of stock photo just looks off. KMS-California-Hair-Play-Dry/dp/B001CBGGSQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1434516363&sr=8-1&keywords=KMS+matte+spray+wax