Cortex Platinum Flat Iron, Green

I bought this straightener in July 2011 when my second CHI finally broke. I researched several different brands before deciding on this one based on price and reviews from other former CHI owners claiming that it worked just as well. When it arrived, it felt like a quality product. It was sturdy, the cord was heavy and the plates were firmly mounted. It even had adjustable temperature settings which my CHI did not. For the first several months, it DID work as well as my CHI. My hair is naturally curly and very frizzy but this iron actually made it smooth and soft. I live in a high-humidity Gulf coast state and my hair stayed smooth and frizz-free even when the humidity level surpassed 80%! I also liked the adjustable heat settings although I rarely changed them unless I bumped up the heat exponentially because I did not blow dry my hair prior to straightening. All in all, it was just as good as my CHI for half the price!! After a few months however, I noticed that the heat seemed to be on a different level even though it was still on the same heat setting. Some days the iron was so hot that my hair actually burned my fingers after it came out of the iron. Other days the iron did not get hot enough to style my hair. Now let me clarify by saying that I rarely straighten all of my hair because my hair is long and it is time consuming. I wear my hair in a ponytail to work every day so the only part of my hair being styled daily was my bangs. I also follow the same exact routine every morning so the iron had the same amount time (15 minutes) to heat up every day yet the uneven heating continued. After about 6 months, the iron began to actually discolor my hair!! My hair is naturally dark blonde and not color treated or high-lighted so imagine my horror when part of my bangs took on a brassy, fried look. You could actually SEE the color difference....and it was NOTICEABLE!! I worried that my bangs were just over processed due to the iron so I tried letting them air dry and blow drying them exclusively on the cool setting but nothing changed. My hair continued to burn and stayed brassy. I lowered the heat setting even though it was already on a relatively low heat setting (appx 300) and that worked for a short time but the uneven heating continued and so did the randomly brassy burning. My husband bought me another straightening iron a little over a month ago when I began looking at irons again due to the burning and discoloration. The new iron (GVP) was sold to him with the promise that it too was as good as a CHI. I tried it for more than a month and while it did not burn my hair, it did not straighten as well as the Cortex or the CHI, leaving my hair with a bizarre crimped look. I became irritated and pulled the Cortex out of retirement praying for a different result but to no avail. In less than three uses, my hair was brassy and discolored again. I IMMEDIATELY threw the Cortex in the trash can and will be forced to use the GVP until my new CHI arrives. I will never buy another Cortex product and will not recommend Cortex either. I could understand the burning if I had been using a high heat setting but when the iron is set between 200 and 250 and I only make TWO passes over my bangs, there is NO EXCUSE for such poor performance!!

Love this flat iron, very good on ethnic hair.

A few years ago, I was in the mall and one of the kiosks introduced me to the Cortex flat iron. It was stylish and attractive, and made my super curly hair pin straight. BUT because it was 150 dollars, I didn't get it. Now recently, I've been looking for a new flat iron and thought of the Cortex brand. I decided to look on Amazon and see that it's only 30 dollars! That's a steal for such a FANTASTIC iron! I recieved the package quickly and used it that day! It heats up fast, straightens fast, and is oh-so cute (I bought the Lime Green one). Packaging was amazing, it felt like I had just bought a 150 dollar flat iron. I definitely recommend this product to ANYONE who wants a great flat iron at a good price.

I have purchased two of these straighteners in the last few weeks one for myself and one for a friend. They heat up quickly and evenly and when they reach and equilibrium set temp the light turns green so you know its ready. The only complaint I do have is when I purchased the green one, the plates shown are tan. When i recieved it, the plates were black. Not too big of a deal but I find that the tan plates leave my hair with a healthier shine.

I ordered the Cortex because it was suggested to me by a friend. The price was awesome given that they run for upwards of 100 dollars. When I got it in the mail, it was like Christmas. I cranked it up, and started ironing... The results were fantastic! My hair was soft, shiny, and full of body.

I'm probably at an age where I have no business flat ironing my hair. I bought this at 55. Took a little bit practice, but it turns your hair into shiny, glossy, younger looking follicles. So, I guess I now would say that there is no age limit on a flat iron. Enjoy. This appears to have been very expensive at one time and now is quite affordable. They may be making improvements that will quickly outshine this one's fine qualities, but...did I mention I'm over 55? What do I care? This one works.

good item

Just bought this iron a few days ago. Used it & I love it! My hair has stayed straight for the past 2 days without me having to re-iron. I am buying another one for my mom! Wish it had an auto-off feature like my old one, but can't complain. 1&1/4" iron. Definitely worth the price, great product!