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Works if you have the right kind of hair and lots of patience
- Can be used in various combinations
- Cheaper than a professional stylist
- Requires coordination, patience
- Doesn't work for all kinds of hair
The Pitch: "Experience the art of folding hair ... with Hairagami"
April 2009. The Hairagami Company manufactures a wide line of springs, clips, snaps and bands that allow wearers to "sculpt" hair into various styles. According to the website, these plastic accessories used in various combinations can help you to create buns, braids, pigtails, and other fun hairstyles with a minimum of effort. Perhaps the best-known Hairagami product -- an as-seen-on-TV staple -- is the Total Hair Makeover, which includes a dozen accessories and 20 instruction cards.
We found very mixed reviews of Hairagami. In a hands-on test by KFVS in Cape Girardeau, Mo., a woman with long hair endures numerous snap malfunctions and (after an hour of effort) doesn't even approach the style pictured on the box. This mirrors the experience of About.com's guide to stay-at-home moms, who says she simply couldn't get Hairagami to work. In a test by the W Network's "Shopping Bags" at a local mall, some girls are able to create hairstyles that are reasonably close to what's pictured on the Hairagami box, while others have no success at all. The writers conclude that Hairagami "works best on people with medium to thin long hair without too many layers."
Consumer reviews of Hairagami are equally mixed. Blogger Shannon Nelson of "A Girl's Gotta Spa" says she had no luck getting Hairagami Spring Rings to work after 25 tries and hours of effort. But many users posting on InfomercialRatings.com and Amazon.com say they've had success, while a few others do not. Patience is a must, particularly when first using the product, and according to reviews, some hair types simply won't work with the Hairagami.
Our Sources
1. KFVS12 (Cape Girardeau, MO)
In this undated article, a reporter teams up with a long-haired ballerina named Amy to see if the Hairagami works as advertised. Amy struggles for an hour trying to get the roll-up clips to cooperate and keep her hair in place; in the end, she only manages to style a simple bun and then a ponytail, which she says doesn't feel secure. The experience is clearly uncomfortable for her, and the reporter ultimately gives Hairagami a "D minus."
Review: Hairagami, Editors of KFVS
2. About.com
Soni Sangha, About.com's guide to stay-at-home moms, tries out some Hairagami components with the expectation that she'll have hair just like the models in the commercial. But her results are less than satisfying: "I tried, but I could not get this product to fold, wrap or snap in a manner that would create any style I could leave the house with." She admits that she didn't spend much time trying to get Hairagami to work, and is "not coordinated enough to work on the back of my hair." (Note: ConsumerSearch is owned by About.com, but the two don't share an editorial affiliation.)
Review: Hairagami, Soni Sangha
Nelson tries out Hairagami's Spring Ring but says she had no luck getting this infomercial product to work after 25 tries: "Either the 'knots' on the Spring Rings were getting caught into my hair, not allowing me to twist around my hair further (when there was much more Spring to go), or I'd get it twisted around only to let go and have my hair fall to my shoulders." She does not recommend buying the Hairagami.
Review: Review: Hairagami Spring Rings, Shannon Nelson, April 19, 2008
Of the 10 or so reviews posted here about Hairagami, about half are very positive and the other half equally negative. One satisfied owner points out that the product works best on people who have hair that is "medium length, medium thick, not frizzy, not layered and definitely not freshly washed." Other users -- both satisfied and dissatisfied consumers -- also describe hair types that do or do not work well with Hairagami products.
Review: Hairagami Reviews and Ratings, Contributors to InfomercialRatings.com
5. Amazon.com
Most of the 10 or so reviews of Hairagami posted here are positive; one parent says her 10-year-old daughter has been using Hairagami every day for two years. However, a couple of other users say they simply could not get this product to work at all. Even satisfied users admit, though, that it takes patience in order to learn how to properly use the Hairagami.
Review: Hairagami, Contributors to Amazon.com
6. W Network
This article is a brief description of a video segment in which the show's hosts visit a local mall and ask a few young women to try out Hairagami, an infomercial hair-styling product. A couple of teens get good results, but two others don't. The verdict: "The Hairagami works best on people with medium to thin long hair without too many layers. It takes practice and gives a pretty, but casual, look."
Review: As Seen on TV-Hairagami, "The Shopping Bags"
