I'm having a little break. I've got too much going on and can't seem to make the time for Ciao. I'...
I'm having a little break. I've got too much going on and can't seem to make the time for Ciao. I've not gone for good by any means, and I will pop in from time to time - my alerts will be off for a little while until I get back on track. Niki :)
Member since:20.08.2002
Reviews:35
Members who trust:27
Being a former hair stylist, word reached me quite a while ago about ceramic hair straighteners. Me, being me, (nosy and curious) was desperate to try these so called ‘miracle’ straighteners, but decided against it when I found out the cost (around £100).
To be honest, it wasn’t the cost that bothered me too much, it was more the fact that I hadn’t seen a pair of them in action, let alone had a go of them myself (plus there was no way my hubby would let me have them without actually knowing first-hand how they compared to my conventional £20 odd Nicky Clarke straighteners).
Anyway, I put them to the back of my mind for a while, and did forget about them totally until a friend of mine (a stylist) bought a pair and let me have a go of them. Needless to say, I was amazed, and made it my quest to pester my hubby to death about how I needed a pair desperately.
Eventually, after many major hints, he agreed that I could have a pair for Christmas, and so indeed I did.
PRICE AND AVAILABILITY
These are not available in run-of-the-mill places like Boots, Currys or Argos. (I couldn't even get them from the hairdressing wholesalers that I often go to - Sally Hair and Beauty Hair Supplies). No, these will have to be ordered over the Internet or via a hair salon. I ordered my set through the salon where my friend works. They retail at her salon for £95 (I had them a little cheaper) and took 5 days for them to arrive at the salon.
Here are three website that you can obtain them from, however (disclaimer alert), having not used any of these sites to purchase mine, I can’t validate how safe or reliable they may or may not be:
Prices vary slightly, and there is the cost of postage and packaging if ordered over the Internet. Expect to pay anywhere between £85.00 and £99.00. Again, because I didn’t purchase mine over the Internet, I can’t give you delivery times, but I have noticed that it varies from site to site – the average being
at least a week.
If you think that you can get them cheaper, then you must make sure that they are proper GHD straighteners and not the Hairtools ones, which are often advertised as being GHD styleceramic straighteners (style being the appropriate word – they look virtually identically but the ceramic technology is slightly different (more about that later)). Hairtools ceramic straighteners are in the region of £45.00 to £55.00.
PACKAGING
Well, they come in a predominantly white box, with four pictures of one model, with four different hairstyles – all created by the GHD’s.
It’s at this point that I should point out that these are not purely ceramic straighteners, although that is the main purpose why people buy them. There’s a lot more versatility to them, as they are called a ‘hairstyling iron with ceramic technology’. This basically means that you can (as they have put it on the packaging) ‘have it straight, make it smooth, give it curls, flip it, twirl it, spiral it, condition it, make it shine in a flash, have a good hair day’.
Back to the packaging: The white part of the box is actually a cardboard sleeve, so you need to push out the inner box to reveal the styling iron. It is in a bubble-wrap bag for protection, and has both a guarantee card and a mini styling guide included.
The distributor is Jemella Limited (UK based), and the actual styling iron is manufactured in Korea.
PRODUCT
I opened up the bubble wrap bag (resisting the urge to put the straighteners to one side in favour of popping the bubbles), and removed the straighteners.
The straighteners are black in colour, and measure 26 cm in length. They are 3.5 cm wide, and in their open state the widest part measures just over 7 cm (when closed they are 3½ cm). The ceramic plates (which are like a goldie orange colour) measure 3.5 cm in width and they are 9.5 cm in length. They are extremely lightweight (sorry there is no weight on the packaging and I don’t own a set of scales), and are easy to hold and handle.
They have a very long flex – over 2½ metres, and a standard 3-pin (UK) plug is fitted. The voltage of them is 220-240 and they are 75 watt. (The reason I have mentioned that is that some companies are importing GHD straighteners (that are not compatible with our voltage in the UK) and they are cutting off the plugs and fitting them with 3-pin plugs. Many people have complained that their straighteners have stopped working after a couple of months, and more importantly it can be dangerous.)
Please ensure that you purchase them from a reputable firm to avoid this.
There is a little red LED and an on/off switch located between the two ‘arms’. When you flick the switch to the on position, the red light (LED) comes on. At first the LED is a constant light, then after roughly 6 seconds the LED pulses slightly. This is to tell you that the styling iron is up to temperature).
HOW THEY WORK
Well, I’m not a complete expert in this area, but I’ll tell you what I know from doing a bit of research on them.
The ‘ceramic’ plates are normally made up of aluminium (a renowned conductor of heat), and have a non-stick ceramic coating on them. GHD’s have what is known as ‘solid ceramic plates’. What this actually means is that they have high performance ceramic elements (this is where they differ from the Hairtools straighteners - the technology they use means that they only reach a maximum temperature of 180 degrees). The high performance ceramic element in the GHD’s heat up to a whopping 210°, which creates negative ions (hair is positive), and this means that your hair does not get damaged, and ends up looking very shiny and in good condition.
The GHD’s have a microprocessor in built, which means that the irons stay at their optimum heat (210°) constantly. It is with this high temperature that you manage to achieve professional looking hair styles.
The cuticle is sealed (which helps to lock in colour and natural oils) and you’re also sealing in moisture. This, believe it or not, helps to make your hair moisture resistant, and gives good results for about 2 – 3 days (longer in some cases), or until the next time you wash it.
HOW THEY DIFFER FROM CONVENTIONAL STRAIGHTENERS
Now, my hair is not curly by any stretch of the imagination, but it has got a wave in it, and does tend to frizz easily (fine to medium, shoulder length) – this was why I bought myself a pair of Nicky Clarke (now referred to as NC) straighteners (conventional ones).
To use my NC’s, I would wash my hair, and blow-dry it (took about 20 minutes) as straight as I could with a large round brush. Once dry, I would have to section my hair off, and (after my NC’s had been heating for 20 minutes), I would clamp my hair between the two plates, starting at the roots, and then slowly pulling the straighteners down the length of my hair.
To do my whole head with my NC’s took about 15 minutes. Now, I will admit that it did straighten it, but the results wouldn’t last. If I went outside and there was the slightest amount of moisture in the air, after 10 minutes, my once sleek hair would be a frizzy mess, and even if it did stay straight all day, you could bet your life that once I had slept on it, it would need to be totally re-done in the morning.
Now, my GHD’s are completely the opposite. I wash my hair as normal, and then rather than blow-drying it straight with a brush, I just have to rough dry it (this takes less than 10 minutes). Once this is done, I section off my hair and take my GHD’s (which only take 6 seconds to heat up) and swiftly run them along the length of hair (root to tip). It takes just 5 – 10 minutes to do my whole head, and I’m totally straight and sleek with not a sign of frizz.
The results are phenomenal – I have been out in damp atmospheres and still my hair looks great. It is so straight; it literally looks as if it has been ironed – not a kink in sight. The shine it puts on my hair is lovely, and it feels so soft to touch. I have had so many comments on my hair since I have been using these, and even my hubby has noticed (something that hasn’t happened before LOL). The good news for me is, that it has cut my hair styling time in half – great if you want a bit of a lie-in LOL.
WHO SHOULD USE THESE
Well, if like me and you only have a wave in your hair, and crave super sleek, straight hair you’ll love them, but don’t worry if you’ve got curly hair – they will work just as well on you too. I promise you, if used correctly, you’ll not be disappointed.
You just need to make sure that as you are running them down the length of your hair, you must be quite quick, and not stop until you run off the ends of the hair – it’ll cause a ridge in the hair otherwise.
It doesn’t matter if your hair is long or short. If it’s long you have a couple of options – you can either have it poker straight, flicked out (just literally turn the hair outwards at the tips), or you can have it curly – you just wrap a section of hair around your finger, remove finger and then clamp the curl for 5 seconds. I have had a go of this, and I will admit it does take a little practice, but it does work.
If you have short hair, again you can hair is straight, make it spiky or you can flick it out (or under, if you wanted a bob).
These are, like I said earlier, very versatile, and with practise you could throw out your curlers and your tongs.
VERDICT
Well, I have already mentioned how good they make my hair look and feel, and the nice thing about them is the fact that due to the negative ions that are produced, you are not damaging your hair – in fact you are helping the condition of it, because your sealing in the natural oils and sealing in moisture.
You’re also cutting down the length of time that you need to dry your hair with a hairdryer – which can only be a good thing.
Your hair will look so much healthier and shinier. My hair looks so glossy when I use my GHD’s that you’d swear I’d had a conditioning treatment beforehand. They are quick and easy to use, and once again the versatility of them makes them suitable for allsorts of people with differing hair types and styles.
I think that the only downside, (and I’m not even sure you can call it a downside really) is the fact that they get so hot. You must be really careful when doing hair close to the root, that you don’t touch your scalp, and just make sure that when you are using them (and immediately after they have been switched off) they are out of children’s reach. Once you have turned them off, they take a good 15 minutes to cool down properly.
I have found that I am using a lot less moose and hairspray too. I just tend to run a little serum through my freshly washed hair, pop a little moose on the roots (for body), and then add the slightest touch of hairspray (mainly on my fringe) to keep it all in place. Before I used to use loads of hairspray to repel the moisture in the air (didn’t work, just used to make my hair a sticky frizzy mess).
Overall, yes they are on the pricey side, but if you want to straighten your hair and have a good lasting result then you’ll agree that they are worth every penny. I wouldn’t part with my pair for love nor money.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
(+) Funky pattern, quick to heat up, adjustable temperature, slim, lighweight (-) Have to prise them away from mum when I want to use them in the morning
The reveiw was extremely imformative, it told you everything you needed to know and it did so in a light humoured way! A fun read!
AtomikPink 23.02.2004 13:36
My friend's got some and Im always round there borrowing them! Take today, I straightenened, went out in wind and they still stay straight. Ive decided Im going to branch out and get some-£95.00 for a bad hair day miracle is a small price to pay!
Great op, luv stef
ghd IV Salon Styler has all the same advanced features as the IV Styler. This is all ... more
you'll ever need to create perfect curls, movement, volume and straightness, thanks to its advanced technology and smart features. Has 4cm wide plates, making it ideal for thick or Afro hair types. It has a rounder barrel, making it so easy to create waves curls and flicks, that you'll never need to have the same look twice! Has an auto sleep mode and will automatically switch off after 30 minutes. Has a 'shiver' function: if the room temperature drops to less than 5°C, the IV Salon Styler will automatically shut itself down to prevent internal condensation, and will work again when the temperature increases again. Universal voltage so that you can use them wherever you travel to.If this wasn't enough reason to buy the new IV Salon Styler, it also has improved temperature control for better styling, and advanced ceramic and aluminium plates for the smoothest, static free shine.Click the video tab on the left to see how to get the best results from your ghd styler
ghd 4 Professional Salon Styler straightening iron with wide plates is perfect for thick, ... more
coarse and afro hair Improved temperature control for even better styling, feel more confident with ghd 4 Professional Salon Styler New sleep mode safely turns the heaters off of the ghd 4 Professional Salon Styler if left unattended for 30 minutes The ghd 4 Professional Salon Styler comes with ultimate surface for the static free sheen The ghd 4 Professional Salon Styler conveniently allows you to turn your styler off without unplugging
Postage & Packaging:£4.39 Availability:Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days......
Advantages: Poker straight hair for days, seems to keep hair clean for longer and they look very smart and expensive Disadvantages: V.expensive. Would hurt SO much if you accidentally touch the irons
Advantages: Straight, sleek, shiney hair - like no other straightener can achieve. Disadvantages: The are so expensive to buy! I burn my fingers everytime
exceptional by (4%):
very helpful by (95%):
helpful by (1%):
