Hair straighteners - is GHD the holy grail or are there any equivalent (cheaper) alternatives?

[lavenirestanous]

I don't use straighteners every day, and don't in fact own my own, just borrow my daughter's. She'll be leaving for uni this year, and selfishly will be taking her GHDs with her! Any suggestions as to which straighteners would be the best? I have fine hair which doesn't hold a curl well.

Watching with interest here!

Remmington are very good.

My friend always looks for ceramic plates which heats to 230 degree

Newer ghds only heat to 170 degrees which is fine if you already have straight hair. I replaced my broken ghds with some £40 remingtons and they are ten times better. Variable heat temp up to 240 degrees. Ghds no longer have the monopoly on good ceramic technology and as such are not worth the money any more I think. They're trading on their name only.

Dd2 has had nicky clarkes twice she loves them and has really thick hair they heat up to 230

I had Ghds, about 15 years ago. I think that when they first came out they were new technology, ceramic, high heat, floating plates etc..

Other manufacturers have now caught up and I think GHDs are less special because of that. I replaced mine recently and went for these.

I don't feel that they are inferior at all.

I had GHD for 15 years- my pair I got for my 15th birthday finally broke on my 30th birthday! My hairdresser persuaded me to get some Cloud Nine straighteners- apparently they're made by the original manufacturer of GHD's. They were slightly cheaper and apparently much better for your hair as you can change temperature. Ive had them for a few months and am total convert- they're amazing!

Thank you to everyone for the replies - some good ones to investigate there.

I got my DD Cloud Nine for Christmas after researching what is out there. I got her the version which turns on and off automatically as this means she can't forget to turn them off! They are great and were better value than equivalent GHDs

Remington here too.

I have the Remington Silk, just as good if not better than my old GHDs

I've used straighteners for years and GHDs are THE best, totally worth the money and will last you for such a long time too!

I have Cloud Nines and they are far superior to my old GHDs. They are just as expensive though.

Remington. My hairdresser recommends them over GHDs. I have a pair that are 10 years old, I've tried a friend's GHDs and the results weren't anywhere near as good as with my Remingtons.

I've got GHDs which I got for Christmas a few years ago but actually prefer my old Morphy Richards ones which have a variable heat up to 230 degrees. The GHDs are lighter than my old ones but that, as far as I can see, is the only benefit. If they ever break I wouldn't be fussed about getting GHDs again to be honest. Coincidentally my hairdresser always used a GHD hairdryer and straighteners, but she said that she had changed to a different brand last year as she didn't think they were as good as they used to be. Mind you, can't remember what she said she uses now....will try and remember to have a look when I go in on Saturday.

I've had my corioliss for about 8 years now after seeing them in harrods, and still going strong! Adjustable temp and great for curling too, they were over £100 at the time, current ones on amazon seem pretty cheap but no idea if they would be the same as mine.

I have VERY thick hair (a bobble goes round twice, three times max - even with heavy layering) with a natural loose curl. I swear by my Babyliss 230s - hotter and cheaper than GHDs. A session with GHDs is a waste of time for me as the curl will return within half a day

Have have cloud9's. You can set the heat to various temps including 200+. Unless you have incredibly thick and frizzy hair you shouldn't need more than 170 (think coarse or Afro hair). It's just that GHD spent a long time making you think that's the heat you need.

Go with good quality, but if you find your hair isn't as straight with lower temp ones, it's either the quality of the straightener or try doing it in smaller segments.

I think my cloud 9's were £80 from Amazon and I'd buy them again.

Remington £19.99 on offer in argos.

Remington all the way and they are half price in sainsburys , saw them there today. I have a new pair of Ghd 's and honestly don't bother, not as good as they once were. My Remington s are amazing, and I also loved my babyliss pro straighteners. My sister has a really old pair of Nikki Clarke straighteners and I offered to swap for my new Ghd' s but she refused.

Old ghds were great and much hotter but the company has changed hands at least twice in recent years and they are nowhere near as good now. And I disagree about not needing more than 170 degrees for your hair. I have wavy frizzy hair but it's not overly coarse. At that temp even after doing tiny sections with professional products etc (and blow drying straight first) my hair will start to curl and kink within a couple of hours. At 230 degrees it stays straight all day.

I've just bought Nicky Clarke desiRED which are touted by beauty bloggers et al as better than GHD, and they are currently £24.99 in Argos down from £70.

Remington are brill, had various models, think out of all of them the grey and green shine therapy?? ones I bought off amazon a few year back for £20 on offer were an absolute bargain, they ended up vanishing but they were by far the best ones iv'e ever had and had loads with 3 DDs who all have thick wavy hair. Got the pink and black ones at the minute but the other ones were the best.