Straighteners

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It's been many years since I last bought straighteners. Has technology moved on or do I still want ghds? Is the L'Oréal steam pod better?

I'm feeling tatty 4mo after birth of baby

I'm following for the suggestions.

I decided to try babyliss big hair instead of getting more straighteners to try and reduce damage and be able to add some big waves too but it just makes my hair a giant frizzball so I'm back in the market for some straighteners.

After reading a bit online, I'm tempted by either GHD gold max or some cloud 9s but I wanted to get some user opinions first.

Can't go wrong with Ghd's in my opinion,and I have curly hair. Only ones that keep it straight.

Steam pod is good for the lengths of your hair but crap for the top/roots and front/fringes as it's really cumbersome. I use Steam Pod on the bulk of my hair then GHDs on the top and front. If you are after using just one appliance, I would stick to just the GHD or other ceramic type straightener.

Heard that the cloud9s were amazing from my SIL today. Said they made her hair tonnes straighter than her GHDS. I use GHD and love them but considering a switch

I replaced my ghds with cloud 9 based on recommendations on here. I'm really pleased with them and we're as good as my very very old (at least 10+years) ghds which were fab until dc broke them.

thanks silver I definitely don't want to get myself into a 2 straightner situation I am a lazy toad.

cloud9 - will add to list then! -1+1

Definitely scrap the Steam Pod as an option then. I originally tried to persevere with it to do front and roots- ended up what was effectively a creased triangle fringe for at least a week. I wouldn't mind if I actually HAD a fringe in the first place, the front of my hair is parted in middle and chin length.

I haven't tried them, but have heard a lot of positive things about the Cloud Nines people have mentioned above.

Love my ghds. I have one pair which is 8 years old. My second pair was 20 months and stopped working. GHD paid for postage back to them, and sent me new ones back FOC (2 year warranty on styler IV) all within 5 days.

A bit tangential - but Robert Dyas had reduced straightening brushes. Are they any good? And are they used on dry or damp hair?

Ghds are shite unless you have fine straight hair in the first place. Hairtools FHIs are fabulous. Half the price of GHDs. Hotter than GHDs. I look like Crystal Tipps without FHIs.

Edit - just went to find the link for the FHIs and they're not available in the UK anymore 😭😭. This is their replacement apparently. Can't comment on them.

Totally disagree with orange's post about ghds only being good for fine, straight hair. I have very thick, wavy hair which frizzes and tried lots of different straighteners. I was initially put off ghds because of the price, but eventually bought a pair 15 years ago and have never looked back.

I wash my hair every other day, put a heat protecting spray on, then a blob of styling cream, rough dry, then straighten in sections. Sometimes I do curls and sometimes straight with a wave at the ends. My hair is shoulder length and graduated but it's been nearly down to my waist until the last couple of years. I have had a lot of people compliment it and ask me where I get it styled.

Ghds are pricey, but they are well worth the money. I am on my third pair in 15 years and I only replaced the last pair because I wanted the smaller barrel to be able to do curls.

As is your prerogative *escape. I have thick, curly, frizzy, bra strap length, disobedient hair. Ghds are absolute rubbish. I lost my beloved FHIs. Dh bought me ghds (being the gullible label snob that he is) and they're just useless for my hair to the point that I would rather go for a wash and blow dry once a week than use them.

Fair enough, though I am honestly mystified as it sounds like we have very similar hair. I spent years tying mine back at night and caking it with product. I used to get bullied at school for having frizzy hair.

I even went for that Yuko treatment in Toni & Guy but it was utter shite - basically I paid £250 for slightly less frizzy hair. If it was properly curly I would be fine with it, but it's just frizzy. Ghds are literally the only thing that have worked but I guess it's not the same for you.

You say your hair is wavy. Mine is curly. Maybe thats the difference.

Curly as in corkskrew curls? Sorry, I'm genuinely curious! Often I see women with long curly hair and am really envious.

Yeah, the kind you can put a pencil up through the middle of iyswim.

Don't be envious! I keep thinking about doing the Curly girl method but am so scared of going au natural after years of straighteners and blow dry.

Ahh yeah, that can be a lot harder to straighten. Apologies, I didn't realise. It can look great but takes as much time as actually trying to stratighten, doesn't it? My sister has perfectly straight, thick hair and always complains that it doesn't hold a style.

You always want what you haven't got! I lone parent a sleep dodging toddler - I don't have time to wash/blow dry/straighten my hair anyone more hence the weekly-ish trips for a wash and blow dry. Am terrified of Curly girl method incase it takes longer to settle in and start looking even more of a hot mess than I already do 😣