Ok, Im back - again! You might see a theme running here... I get back, I leave, I announce my return...
Ok, Im back - again! You might see a theme running here... I get back, I leave, I announce my return, I leave... round and round it goes... this time I really might get around to writing something :-)
Member since:28.08.2002
Reviews:39
Members who trust:43
I know there are already a lot of reviews about this gem of a product and that I have probably missed the boat here but it is only in recent weeks that I have been introduced to ghd straighteners in earnest and I cant help but want to write about them.
I am actually sitting writing this sporting my newly straightened hair, which might not seem much to write home about but believe me, this is an achievement not to be underestimated… I have naturally very curly hair, if left to its own devices it will curl and frizz to its hearts content… on better days I can get some decent looking ringlets out of it.
I wouldn’t class myself as a sucker for new products, I don’t buy everything that’s advertised and I do have a healthy dose of scepticism when it comes to ‘wonder products’ for my hair. Which is why, when a friend of mine suggested we straighten my locks in preparation for a night out I simply scoffed and admonished her for such a suggestion… after all, even if my some miracle we could get the damn stuff straight, one hint of moisture in the air and I would be left with nothing but a frizzy mess…
But she can be very persuasive at times…which is why, one fateful Friday evening I found myself plonked in a chair surrounded by combs and clips with my hair being warmed nicely by a pair of ghd straighteners. After only around 10 minutes I was allowed to see the results
and there was a comedy double take moment when even I had trouble recognising my own hair… smooth, sleek and most of all – straight! Some minor adjustment later and we were ready to go – which is when the real test begins… would the newly straightened hairdo last the whole evening or am I destined to return home at midnight like some frizzy Cinderella nightmare?
I would guess, being the clever reader that you are, that you can probably guess the outcome. But ill tell you anyway… YES, oh yes… my hair remained silky smooth and straight throughout the evening and even when I woke up the next morning… That was it, one night on ghd and I was officially addicted.
I NEEDED a pair of my own… this wasn’t just a casual want, a fling, a temporary infatuation… this was a real need… so I set out to find myself a pair. You are probably thinking to yourself that this is all pretty straightforward, I want some, I get some… you know how the story goes… but I have failed to mention what is probably the one and only downside, and that is the price – on average you can expect to pay around £90 for the GHD Professional Ceramic Straightener, which is what I had been using.
**The GHD Range** As far as I can tell there are 3 main products that all use the same principle from GHD. A small plated straightener for those with shorter hair, called the GHD Mini Styler. A medium plated straightener, for those with mid to longer hair, the GHD ProfessionalCeramic Straightener. A larger, all round straightener, for longhair styles or particularly awkward hair, the GHD Salon Styler. I used the medium one, the GHD Professional Ceramic Straightener, which coped with my shoulder length, curly hair very well. This is the most commonly found of the range and is the one I decided to plump for.
**Where to buy** GHD Ceramic Straighteners can be purchased at most major salon chains but you might find yourself paying that little bit more for a pair… in my opinion the best place to find them is from a reputable online retailer. Prices don’t actually seem to vary too much, from extensive online searches I didn’t find any at discounted prices…even looking at e-bay didn’t turn up any bargains… and you have to be very careful, there are a lot of clever copies out there and if you want the real thing you will have to pay for it. I chose to buy mine from www.lookfantastic.co.uk, a site I have used on numerous other occasions and one I know to be reliable. Plus they were offering a free Redken spray to use before straightening your hair and 3 clips to be used for dividing hair while working on it. Including P&P I paid £91.99, and my straighteners arrived the very next day!
**The product** The straighteners themselves are relatively small, which far from being a problem actually makes them easy to handle, nice and light to hold about your head and generally a much better bet than some of the other products in the same market.
GHD straighteners use ceramic plates that heat up to extra high temperatures (210 degrees) in a matter of seconds (6-7 seconds in actual fact) which means no messing about filling tiny water bottles then being burnt with scalding hot water dripping down and steam rising about your head. There is even a little on/off switch that allows you to turn em off without having to fiddle about unplugging things… neat eh.
Not only that, they are pretty swanky to look at too – available in a matt grey colour with the orange ghd logo artfully placed at one end. There is no fancy design gimmick, no huge flashy colours.
The simple red light comes on when you plug them in and switch them on then starts flashing to tell you they are ready to be used. The wire seems to be extra long so there is none of the struggling to reach a mirror resulting in comedy balancing poses. All in all it’s a well thought out, nicely designed piece of kit that anyone would be proud to see sitting in their room.
**Ease of use** I find that with a lot of these products the promises they give are all very well, and even if you have great results when someone else uses them on you it can be sooo disappointing to find out that you are a cack handed fool when you get home.
So it was with great delight that I set about straightening my hair to find that yes, actually it is as easy as it looks and yes, my hair does look as straight as it did when someone else did it for me… hoorah!
The straighteners come with a little booklet giving hints on how to use them to create various styles, and it was with great surprise that I found you can actually use them to create curls in your hair… so not only can I now straighten my hair… I can sneakily put curls back in exactly where I want them… genius!
As with any hair straighteners, there is an element of danger involved… you have very very hot ceramic plates and obviously you don’t want to burn yourself with them… so far I have managed not to do this but I have made the unfortunate mistake of touching my hair just after running the straighteners through which can be a bit of a shock. The hair itself obviously gets very hot, and although this doesn’t last for long it is possible to burn your fingers on it!
**The final word** I freely admit that I didn’t believe a word of it when people would sing the praises of these straighteners, I scoffed at those that would pay the best part of £100 for them and patted myself on the back for not being taken in by it all.
However, I have to put the record straight now that I have some of my very own. I absolutely love my straighteners, I don’t regret for a minute having spent so much money on them (although this may change when the food runs out!) and I use them on a fairly regular basis (probably once or twice a week on average).
The design and ease of use makes these easily the market leader, which is reflected in the price but in this case you really do get what you pay for. In short, if you are looking for a hair straightener that works, it IS worth the extra money, it ABSOLUTLEY DOES WORK and I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND them to anyone.
I don't have these but you make me want to try them! :)
kneeshka123 26.08.2007 01:29
My daughter wants a pair of these straightners after reading a few reviews @I can see why she wants me to pay £100 I was flaberghasted when she told me how much they were
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
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