I'm a little ashamed to say - I recently found myself utterly mesmerized by an infomercial.

Really, and truly sucked in, completely convinced, and more than ready to make a purchase.

The TopStyler.

A revoluntionary new styling tool that offers perfect curls for any occasion in just minutes, The TopStyler was a sight to behold. Endlessly excitable females with limp, lame hair were being transformed into lustrous, volumized goddesses right there in the studio. And then in their own homes. And then in a mall! It was outstanding.

The little clamshell clips, the revolutionary part of the system, gave off just enough heat to set the curls wrapped inside them, and in just a matter of minutes to boot.

No ripping through your strands, or burning them to within an inch of their life - with the TopStyler, you could get the same results - no, wait, even better results - without any damage to the hair.

I felt as though I was witnessing a miracle. This was big news.

On a normal day, I spend around 30 minutes styling my hair. And even worse, everyday, I style my hair with a set of 430 degree tongs.

Result? Fried hair, with a side of split ends.

Stop Being Crap: Step away from the straighteners...

 The TopStyler seemed too good to be true. But the women looked so genuine, just like me, or you!

Yeah, well, it was lies. I didn't fancy paying $14.95 upfront with P&P and three 'easy' payments of $19.95, so I ventured online to find a more convenient (read: cheaper) way to get that TopStyler into my possession.

Pages and pages there were. Pages of people tearing the TopStyler a new one. It was hard to watch. Ladies that had paid their hard earned cash for a hair miracle had been let down, and they fervently warned their fellow woman against making the same mistake.

Bloody brilliant. The dream was over.

I was about to go crawling back to my straighteners, with pathetic promises that my eyes would never wander again, but, but....I had a brainwave.

I was a slave to those straighteners. Every day I used them, and sure, they made my hair nice and styled, but they were deteriorating the condition of my hair to the point that I couldn't live without them.

No more, my friends. I was breaking free of my shackles. I was officially on a break from my straighteners, going cold turkey on the hunt for healthier hair.

For the record, this is what my hair usually looks like:

Day One: Wave hello to the people

Washed my hair the evening before, left it to dry naturally as I slept. Woke to a mess in the mirror. Not a good, sexy, tousled one. Just a straight up mess.

Ran a brush through it, and wound it into a bun to run to work in.

Arrived at work, loosened the bun with a cringe.

The abstract wave I'd picked up overnight had taken on new life with the encouragement of my tightly wound hair-tie, resulting in a decidedly straggly, frizzy, head hunchback.

Not my best look, but it would have to do.

Day Two: Awwwkwarrrrd

I didn't run to work today, so I really had no excuse to have crappy messy hair. And yet, I did. Crappy, messy hair.

I sprayed it with some leave-in conditioner the night before, and tried to brush it out in the morning. I got some hairspray involved, hoping to control the frizz in some small way.

I felt ok walking out the door, waiting for the bus, and sitting at my desk. It wasn't until I made some new friends at lunch that I started feeling like a stringy-haired hobo.

They sat down at my table, we chatted, yada yada...and all I could think about was the mop attached to my head, flapping arrogantly in the breeze.

It's flattened out a little compared to yesterday, but it's still significantly cramping my style. How long can this last?

Day Three: Unsuitable for human consumption

Wow. This is bad. It looks like I waterskiied to work.

I washed my hair last night, and let it dry naturally. Some things happened while I slept - some bad things, and I woke to my fringe waving it's strands in the air like it just don't care.

My entire mane was all over the show, and I had to do something to try and give it some semblance of a hairstyle. I had the bright idea to plait it for my run to work.

Good one, Hannah.

I wet my fringe in an attempt to create a little order when I arrived at work, and let out my plaits. Oh, f*ck. F*ck.

You shouldn't have to see this.

Day Four: Things can only get better

Well, after yesterday, there was only way to go.

Slightly sideways.

I'd love to say I've made a breakthrough, but my hair is only behaving slightly today because it's on it's second day without being washed.

With the lack of styling assistance from my straighteners my hair has been just boring me to death this week. I thought the only way I'd get any kind of style (bar going old school with some rags) was with the plaits I attempted the day before.

This time, I got them in before I went to sleep, so they had a full eight hours to make some magic.

Sure, I may have looked like a twelve year old who's had her hair crimped for the school disco for most of the morning, but it started to settle into something almost passable by lunch time.

It wasn't a flat, horrible mess - it wasn't an afro...I guess it was somewhere in the middle, and it was just ok.

On the condition side of things, it's still feeling the after effects of being fried, daily, but it does feel a little softer in it's natural state. Not enough to sell me on the no straightener thing just yet, that's for sure.

Day Five: Dirt is my friend

I'm usually pretty routine with my hair washing. Every two days, sometimes less, but very rarely three.

Well, as I type, I am on my third day without shampoo/conditioner session, and my hair is handling it like a trooper. It would appear, from my preliminary findings, that my hair is less wobbly when I'm not subjecting it to the oven tongs every day. Usually it's either too dry, or too oily, and today...it just is.

It still looks weird and wavy, but I feel like I could actually work with it today, which is something.

And there's always the hat.

To be continued...

I feel like I could be getting somewhere. My hair has obviously sustained some serious damage from years of abuse, but if I can pull this off, and get my hair to a point where it's so healthy and lovely it doesn't need help, then it's a win all round.

Think I can keep up cold turkey? Have you ever tried?