Remington S1002

...year since Ciao added this Remington product after my request and I'm glad to see there are already 3 User reviews. Now I'm finally able to form my own opinion after a years usage.

Why Remington? And not GHD's…

Due to the reasons mentioned above of high cost of GHD's I had also read worrying reports about GHD's blowing up, yes that's right, people have mentioned they saw flames coming out from the cable, whilst others ...
...on electrical personal use items. Remington on the other hand give a substantial 3 year warranty and no manufacturer would give such a generous warranty if they were not sure of their product, would they?

I had also read quite a few positive User reviews about Remington hair styling products. For further information see consumer reviews at http://www.reviewcentre.com/Remington-Hair-Straighteners__17p205.htm where I found the average ... more

Everyone's heard of GHDs revolutionary hair straighteners. It's not so much that GHD's are revolutionary but it's more the fact that the heating plates used in GHD's are made of a material known as ceramic. The main feature of ceramic is that it heats up to high temperatures almost instantly with even heat distribution; meaning no hot spots! So, as long as you buy a hair straightener that has ceramic plates it should be able to do the job well. The only thing I will say that sold GHD is the fact they are marketed well and have whole array of celebrity endorsements from Jennifer Aniston, Julia Roberts and so on. GHD's are far, far too expensive in my opinion costing around £90, (okay, you will find some GHD's at £80 but its still a lot of money). I wont pay a premium for a name unless I think a product is genuinely better. Hence my quest to find an alternative ceramic hair straightener…

I spent well over a year deciding which hair straightener to go for and it's about a year since Ciao added this Remington product after my request and I'm glad to see there are already 3 User reviews. Now I'm finally able to form my own opinion after a years usage.

Why Remington? And not GHD's…

Due to the reasons mentioned above of high cost of GHD's I had also read worrying reports about GHD's blowing up, yes that's right, people have mentioned they saw flames coming out from the cable, whilst others have reported after a while they stop coming on or heat up much hotter than before. I did consider other straighteners like the Hai stik straightener, which is America's top selling hair straightener retailing at around £85 making it just marginally cheaper than GHD's. The reason I was attracted to the Hai stick is because it has a digitally controllable heat setting (which GHD' s do not have). If you're interested in the hai stik read starsally's excellent review on it. The price however, was too much for me again.

Overall, the take home message from the popular GHD is that they are fine when they work but they do break and this fact is backed up by the fact that GHD only give the consumer a 1-year warranty. If a manufacturer was really sure about the durability of their product they would offer a warranty of at least 2 years which is not uncommon on electrical personal use items. Remington on the other hand give a substantial 3 year warranty and no manufacturer would give such a generous warranty if they were not sure of their product, would they?

I had also read quite a few positive User reviews about Remington hair styling products. For further information see consumer reviews at http://www.reviewcentre.com/Remington-Hair-Straighteners__17p205.htm where I found the average rating for Remington was a staggering 9.2 out of 10. The fact that Remington is well established brand that has been making and developing personal electrical items like electric shavers, hair dryers, hair tongs etc with a proven track record reassured me of my decison to choose Remington ceramic hair straighteners.

Now, I have thick shoulder length hair with a natural slight wave in it. I can only get my hair dead straight after a visit to the hairdressers who can get it poker straight or pointed, sticking out or whatever by blow drying or using straighteners for them is easy. But blowing drying at home for me has always been a long and difficult job and even when I do manage to complete it, there are flyaways and, my hair doesn't look anywhere near as professional a finish of the salon. So, to keep my hair tame and be able to style it sleeker I needed the help of a set of straighteners.

At the time of my purchase, Remington had 2 models the CS3000 (~£24) and the newer model S1002 (~£34), unsure of which to go for I contacted Remington customer services. After a helpful chat with customer services I was convinced the newer model S1002 that costs approx. £10 more with the flat slim design was the one to go for as it had the added bonus of having a Teflon coating on top of the ceramic, making them non-stick (just like your non-stick Teflon cooking pans!).
*Note - I paid £0 for mine -read on to find out how and where!

The first thing I noticed when I got the S1002 out the box is how slim looking they are and they are very easy to hold. They come in a dull grey matt graphite finish and the ceramic plates inside are a dull gold colour. I'd say the plates are about 1¼ inches in width (or about 3cm) so they are not too wide to handle or style with and neither would I say they are too narrow to get anything done with. If you have masses of very thick, curly hair, you may be better off with Remington's wide straightener. Another astonishing thing you notice when you first go to use these straighteners is just how long the cable is, its very long! (3m) so you won't find yourself leaning and trying to stay as close as possible to power source when styling -you have ultimate freedom of movement. The on/off switch is easy to find on top of the straightener and just slides on. There is heat protection metal stand that pulls out from the straightener that will prevent the surface getting hot. After about 60 seconds the indicator will glow red indicating the straightener is ready for use. Be warned the straightener is very hot at this stage.

Note this type of straightener is only to be used on dry hair, do not confuse it with the newer 'wet to dry' straighteners that have come out recently.

I would strongly advise using some sort of heat protection spray before using these straighteners as they do heat to around 200 degrees. I use a Botanics heat protection spray before I use these, but absolutely any heat protection or moisturising spray will do to protect the hair shaft. You are advised to take the hair in sections and comb and then take a small section and glide the straighteners down it pulling it taut. The straighteners just glide down effortlessly and you are left with straight, shiny section of hair. I find this is true the smaller the sections you take the more accurate and smooth the result will be. If you take large chunks of hair it will even it out but it wont be as smooth and sleek as taking smaller sections. Also its better to take lower sections of hair first otherwise they will be left out. You can see the result instantly you have shiny, straight kink free hair! The result usually stays until I next wash my hair, unless it rains then it may get frizzy. I don't have a lot of time on my hands so don't always do my entire hair but many a times its just to get the odd kink out after blow drying my hair and get a smooth finish. It literally just takes about a couple of minutes to get a kink free look. If I was to do my whole hair for a poker straight look it would take longer -i.e. the preparation would be longer the straightening just takes seconds literally. These S1002 straighteners are a versatile product you can use them just to flick or flex out parts, its not just for having poker straight hair - though that's what they are more popular known for.

After use, they can take some time to cool down so be careful when you unplug them. One good thing Remington has provided with this model is a heat protection bag, which has separate cord storage area at the back too (as the cord is so long!). You can put the straighteners in the bag even if they are still warm after use. It's also a safe and ideal way to pack and travel with your straighteners. After use cleaning is simple, you just wipe down with a damp cloth; this will prevent any build up of styling products.

So far so good, is there anything Remington could improve with these straighteners you may ask? Yes, there's one small niggle whilst you are holding the straighteners the on/off switch can accidentally slide off as that's where your fingers are holding it. This has happened to me a few times though I never notice when it happens as the straighteners still retain the heat and it's only after say 5 minutes you may notice.

Durability? Well as I write this opinion after one year's use and no problems, I'd say they have been perfectly fine and still work in the same way as the day I bought them. There's no evidence of the ceramic or Teflon coating coming off. I will point out though I don't use them everyday and use them at the most once a week. Over use of any hair straightener could weaken hair in my opinion especially if your hair is already thin or weak. If I get any problems in the future I still have 2 further years out of 3 year Remington warranty left!

Value for money? Excellent where else can you get a guaranteed ceramic straightener that gives instant shiny straight hair, comes with a long cable and a heat protection storage bag for about £34?! Ok, there is one place where you can get this free*-if you collect Boots Advantage card points you will find this is a redeemable product, you need 3499 points (£34.99) to get this for free at Boots using your points. I happen to have collected a lot of points at Boots so I saved my points and bought this. Otherwise, its available at most High street shops like Argos etc at around £34 or less.

So, am I recommending this or what? Of course I am! to anyone looking for an easy to use ceramic hair straightener that gives instant long lasting results without the extortionate price tag of GHD's. Goodbye GHD - Hello Remington…

 

...less