My hair is about as predictable as Honey Boo Boo on a live talk show interview: I know it’s going to do something crazy, I just never know what. I don’t even know what texture my hair is naturally, because it always looks different when I wake up. One morning, it’s Taylor Swift’s mane of ringlets and the next, it’s… uh, Taylor Swift’s straight hair. If you’ve had enough of my pop culture references and just want to hear what I thought about the Coolway system, one of the latest innovations in hair straightening, keep reading!

I’m pretty happy with all the hot tools I already have, but when I got to test the Coolway system out at work, I was excited. Why? Since my hair’s not really straight and it’s not really curly (and isn’t even decently wavy), I rely on hot tools to define my style 90% of the time. Which totally takes a toll on the health of my hair. No amount of second-day topknots and split-end cream can undo the constant stress of high styling heat.

The Coolway system aims to be the solution, with their “low heat, no damage” approach. The flat iron heats up to less than 300 degrees (compared to the typical 400 degree heat of other stylers.) This was music to my ears. (I think what I said to my boss was, “wait, so you mean I can have perfect hair every day and not fry my ends? So I never have to wear this slobby side braid again? Give this to me!) And so I tried it out!

The entire system consists a 3 pieces including the flat iron, Boost mask and Transform spray. The directions for using the whole system together are really confusing (like when you read the back of a shampoo bottle and you learn that it’s not just hair soap, there are directions.) In its very simplest form, Boost is a hair mask that you use every so often to give your hair the correct amount of moisture: you don’t want dry, damaged hair or super greasy hair, and this will correct any imbalance. It’s a prep step: you apply it after shampooing, leave it on for a bit, and then rinse it out.

I would most relate the Transform spray to a heat protector. You spray it on before you blow dry or right before you’re about to flat iron your hair. I feel like it basically adds more moisture to your hair so that the iron itself will suck out that moisture rather than your hair’s natural oils, resulting in less dryness or frizz.

The flat iron itself needs an explanation: when you turn it on, you need to wait a couple seconds and then you clamp it down over a thin section of your hair and hold it for a few seconds to get your personalized temperature. The iron senses your hair’s unique moisture content and will heat up to the exact temperature that will match it for optimal results. Pretty cool, huh?

So, the results. After a few uses, the prep steps don’t feel like such a hassle and you’ll see that it doesn’t need paragraphs worth of explanation. You also don’t need the whole process every time. I thought that the flat iron was exceptionally slow to style my hair when it had the least bit of curl to it. But over time, the process got better and my hair remained silky smooth without a trace of burnt ends. Still, I wouldn’t use it on mornings that I was rushing to get somewhere: the higher heat of other tools may damage, but they get me my results quickly. That being said, I’m definitely going to keep my Coolway for weekends or off-days when I want straight hair without the damage. I would also recommend the kit if you have difficult to style hair. It’s like getting a Keratin treatment or something: the results aren’t instant, but you’ll get gradually healthier and straighter hair.

Try it out for yourself and let us know your personal results!