Author's product rating: 
| Advantages: |
Funky design and they work |
| Disadvantages: |
Not for very young |
| Recommend to potential buyers: |
yes |
Real smoothie
It was a matter of time before I bought some little straightners for little lady- I have fought a battle against ringlets and it appears she has the same type of hair.
A recent visit to Debenhams revealed these nifty little straightners, reduced from £20 to £10. It would have been rude not to buy them…
|What do we get?
The box is decorated to appeal to girls- bright funky colours and a "girl about town" wandering about clutching her little
straighteners.
They promise to be so small they ft in the palm of your hand, and will give super sleek hair.
Inside the box, are the straightners and full instructions
The Straightners
The straightners themselves don't actually look like the usual type of straightners; instead of being long and thing, these are kind of castanet shape and can be held easily in one hand.
They are pink with a pod on the top which has to be removed to fill with water. The pod is easy to remove by pressing the two silver buttons at the side.
The on/off switch is silver and is at the side- for simplicity, there are no
heat settings, merely on or off. So that you can tell if they are turned on, there is a little
red light at the side.
The Instructions
The instructions are very child friendly, and have no long complex sentences, and the language is simple to understand; the instructions come complete with diagrams to increase chances of a full understanding.
As well as the receipt, the instructions form part of the guarantee so they are worth keeping hold of.
Website
www.carmen.com
Lots of information about the range of products, along with competitions- usually for children over 13 if they want to enter without permission.
Using the straighteners
The instructions come complete with warnings:
• Don't use near water
• Keep away from children (strange one this, since they are marketed for children)
• Keep away from your eyes
• Switch the real smoothie off before putting it away
• Don't use attachments
• Use only for
straightening hair
Now to use them:
• Wash and dry your hair
• Press the eject buttons and pull out the pod
• Fill with water and push it back into the real smoothie
• Take the real smoothie out of the bathroom (that's how specific the instructions are)
• Swith them on and carefully straighten your hair, keeping an eye on the pod the whole time.
I have dramatically cut down the length of the instructions- they are much more specific, about not touching the plates, protecting your neck with a towel, and filling the pod over a sink; something I do like about the instructions.
Customer Service
In case of problems, return the product to:
Customer Service Dept.,
Salton Europe Ltd
Failsworth
Manchester
M35 OHS
Tel: 0845 6589700
Verdict
WE just bought these a couple of weeks ago and so far I am the only one who has used them. I did actually comment that if they worked they would be handy to take on holiday as they take up very little room.
They remind me of the straightners I used to have before ceramic straighteners, when I thought I had the latest in fashionista because they had steam.
I have used them a few times to start trying them out and they are very easy to use, although the pod is very small and does need frequent refilling. Keep an eye on the water level!
They heat up to a decent temperature. Hot enough to get your hair straight and therefore hot enough to burn little hands if not used carefully. Little miss hasn't had them turned on yet but has carried them around, convincing herself that she is "just like mum". There seems to be no age recommendation on the straighteners but I do think my little one is too young; probably about 12 would be a good age to use them alone. They will probably be ok to be used by an adult; because they are so small, there is very little change that you would catch some body part on the plates.
One of the design aspects I do like is the fact that the hot plates are very small and there is a very wide edging around these hot plates. To actually burn someone, you would have to turn the plate onto them.
The design is very funky and certain to appeal to fashion conscious little ladies who want to feel grown up.
As I said before, the instructions are simple enough for a child to understand as long as they can read.
I think £20 is probably a bit steep for them but I suppose presents come at a cost, but £10 was a bit of a bargain.
I would recommend these. They do straighten your hair and would make a nifty gift for the little girl who wants something a bit different.
Thanks for reading.
Daniela xx
