smooth infusion^™ Naturally Straight Hair Treatment

I've been flat-ironing my super-thick, coarse, poofy 3A curls for well over a decade. I've gotten very good at it. Normally I use a cocktail of inexpensive drugstore products (Frustic Sleek 'n Shine) that do work to get my hair straight, but it takes me about an hour from start to finish (drying + ironing) and my hair sustains damage. So I was skeptical but intrigued when I heard about this product. I went to the Aveda store and got a sample, expecting that it would be just okay. I was blown away (more on that below) and quickly bought it from Nordstrom, figuring that their generous return policy would be helpful if the product didn't really work over time as it claims. I'm definitely keeping it. I've used it seven times now and can say that this stuff does almost everything it promises. If your hair is as thick and curly as mine, don't expect it to be pin straight and silky without flat-ironing. Never gonna happen. But it does make it a lot easier. Think of it like a small miracle. It used to be that when I blew my hair dry before ironing, it would be an enormous poof of frizz - really huge, really coarse. Now I let my hair dry most of the way naturally (it seems to work better that way than blowdrying while sopping wet) and then I blow dry while combing. The result is like 80% straight and way, way, less poofy! I'm talking just blow-drying, mind. Then when I go in with my flatiron (the Sedu, which is awesome), it takes me about 27 minutes to get my whole head perfectly straight. That's about, oh, at least 10 minutes less than before, which doesn't sound that dramatic, but it really does add up and I appreciate that less heat styling means healthier hair. My hair looks the best it ever has. It's silky and shiny, and very, very straight. I do find that after sleeping on my hair the under part can curl up a bit (more so than with other products I've used), but wrapping a scarf around my head at bedtime fixes that. It claims to keep your hair straight even after washing with constant use of the product - that's not the case for me. But my curls (if I let them dry naturally) definitely seem more stretched out, more like 2c waves! This will be really helpful to help my hair behave when I'm camping this summer and can't straighten it. The cost gave me pause, but I really do think it's worth it. You don't even need much; my hair falls to a little below my collarbone length (and there's tons of it) and two quarter-size dollops is more than enough with no other product. TL;DR: It will make your flat-ironing much easier and stretches out your curls. Totally worth it.

I purchased this (along with the shampoo, conditioner, Smoothing Masque, Glossing conditioner, and Style Prep). I just love how Aveda says that the more you use it, the straighter and smoother your hair will be. NOT! It's just a marketing ploy to sell more stuff and prey upon your senses that if you just stick with it, the miracle will happen. Listen up! The Smooth Infusion collection works no better than ANYTHING else, while you are 1. blow drying, and 2. flat ironing. Remember, Aveda claims most of these are heat-activated products. I have been using these products for months now and feel pretty silly buying into the hype. The claims have proven futile and lifeless to the point that Aveda has lost my trust due to a very bad first impression. I have gone back to my $10 hair care products (I'm sure I can't name them) from discount stores which work way better than this stuff.