That was until my lovely Dad surprised me with the Nicky Clarke "Desired" Super Professional Salon 230 Straighteners after he'd had a wee shopping spree to himself in Asda. As someone who has had GHDs for ooh about 6 years, my first thoughts were "please let these be decent as I don't want to pretend to be using something that is rubbish". Before my GHD years I had tried and failed with other cheaper makes and was left with that feeling that nothing would beat a GHD, at least nothing in a lower price range.
So let's get down to business. Some key features:
High temperature 230°C for maximum results
Nano silver and tourmaline coated plates help to prevent frizz & advanced ceramic floating plates leave hair ultra straight
Rounded plate edges allow you to create a multitude of styles from poker straight to voluptuous bouncy curls
Auto shut off for enhanced safety
Automatic worldwide voltage
Some pics (excuse the rubbish quality here I'm having trouble uploading from my "good" camera but hopefully it gives you some idea of how they look)
I don't know exactly how much mine cost as they were a gift but I do know they were on offer and a quick Google suggests they are on offer in lots of places including Amazon who have them at £32.90 reduced from the RRP of £79.99. Now you might think old Nicky hasn't quite got the catchy name of the GHD there and I would agree, it is quite the mouthful. The packaging is quite nice - nothing really to write home or on a blog about. The straighteners themselves are pretty sleek looking in a rich shade of shade of red, the cord is a good length and there are 4 heat settings - fine, medium, thick and maximum. There is also an auto shut off which m old GHDs didn't have and I would have loved (as would my poor husband as we've been on our way to nights out before and I've made us turn back to check I'd turned my GHDs off).
It might be my imagination but I find they heat up slightly more quickly than my GHDs did, the finish they give me is just as good, the heat settings could be handy for offering more protection for my hair, the auto shut off should be a Godsend and the price is amazing for the quality. There is nothing I don't like about them! Whether they will have the longevity of my GHDs (RIP) or not remains to be seen but for now I am in love with these and would recommend anyone who is in a similar position to I was - worried about cheaper straighteners being a false economy - to give these a go as I am super impressed.
Anyone else out there who has tried these?I'd love to hear from you :)
LoubouLush x
