The monsoon season, more than any other time of the year, makes it difficult to tame the hair without the use of heat. If your hair tends to become frizzy and unmanageable in a humid environment then you may want to look at the hair styling tools available in the market. The most difficult decision when it comes to buying a hair styling tool is whether to opt for a straightener or a curler. The Philips HP8595/00 5 in 1 Multi Styler helps resolve this dilemma by coming with multiple ceramic coated attachments with which you can obtain curls, waves, ringlets, as well as crimped and straightened hair. I have been using this styler for a couple of years now, so here is my detailed review of each of the attachments.

Straightener – The first attachment that this multi styler comes with is a flat straightener. To use the device as a straightener, you need to insert the white plates into the black casing, with the flat surfaces exposed, and then attach and lock the casing to the pink handle by sliding over the metal rod. Now plug in and wait for the straightener to heat up, this takes approximately 3-5 minutes. Bear in mind that the maximum temperature provided by any attachment is 190 degrees Celsius; this is relatively on the lower side and prevents the hair from getting severely damaged due to the heat. Although the lower temperature setting means that the straightener is gentle, it also implies that the straightening action is not very intense. The straightener is good for taming the hair and removing stubborn kinks, but do not expect poker straight hair with this attachment. You can also use this one to create playful flicks at the ends of your hair but make sure to use some hair spray to make them last all day.

Crimper – To use this tool as a crimper, simply invert the arrangement that you created for the straightener such that the sides of the plates with the triangular ridges are exposed. These ridges help in creating a crimped effect when you press them over the desired section of the hair. The crimps are more prominent if you use the crimper after straightening your hair. The thinner the section of the hair you choose, the more effectively the crimper will work. The effect will last on the hair for 2-3 hours without a spray but I will recommend using a spray to make the effect more dramatic. This is by far my favorite feature of this product because it imparts a unique texture to the hair.

Curler – My second most favorite feature of this tool is the 16 mm rod that creates perfect ringlets. This too works better with thinner sections of hair because of the lower temperature settings. The ringlets may look a bit too curly in the beginning but tend to drop within a few minutes. Also, to create more natural looking waves, you can use the black spiral attachment which helps to increase the spacing between the curls. Although I do not use this attachment much, it will be useful for beginners who are working with a curling rod for the first time.

Besides the attachments, this styling kit comes with a handy pouch, which makes the storage of this tool very convenient. The price of the kit is approximately INR 4,000 but you can buy it for INR 3,000 on Amazon.com. I would recommend purchasing this styling kit if you like to experiment with different hairstyles but do not have the budget to invest in separate tools for each look. If you wish to achieve a salon finish at home then the straightener might disappoint you but if you are fine with a more natural look then you will find this kit very useful and versatile.

I hope that this review was useful. Do stay tuned to my Instagram page where I will be sharing some pictures of the hairstyles that I create using the Philips 5 in 1 Multi-Styler.