I've never been able to curl my hair.
I have pin straight hair and don't do much to my blunt mid-bob as my idea of 'styling' is running my ghd's through my hair in one, quick swoop. Some of my friends envy my straight locks but I'm often the one desiring their beautiful curls that have been styled to perfection, without a strand out of place.
Whenever I want a curly do my friend uses my ghd's to curl my hair (I'm hopeless) and I sit, staring in the mirror wondering how she doesn't burn herself like I've done thousands of times before.
Following the popularity of the Dyson Airwrap, the device that harnesses an aerodynamic phenomenon called the Coanda effect, which curves air to attract and wrap hair to the barrel, I wondered whether this was the product for me, an easy way to curl my hair without damaging it too, until I looked at the price. The Airwap averages at £479.99 and for me that's too expensive, especially if I might not be able to use it, it's an expensive risk.
I began to search for cheaper alternatives and came across one on Wowcher, a wireless automatic hair curler priced at £17.95, instead of £79.99. The curler, which comes in black and pink, black and silver, pink and gold, white and gold, white and pink or purple, features multiple settings which are suitable for various types whilst allowing you to create different looks.
The product description promised users that they would be able to curl their hair within seconds and achieve salon style looks at the touch of the button. For a fraction of the price of the Airwrap and the incentive that the curler was "easy to use for all abilities", I decided to give it a go.
The rechargeable wireless automatic hair curler came in a white box, containing the device, two hair clips, a comb, the USB charger and a black, velvet carry bag. The instruction manual explained how to charge it and how to use.
I charged it for 30 minutes, using the USB cable which slotted into the port at the bottom of the device and attached it to an Apple iPhone plug I had at home (it doesn't come with a plug). To start using it I held the power button on and adapted the heat settings accordingly on the digital screen at the front using the plus button.
I set the temperature to 180C, the temperature ranges from 150-200C. I made sure my hair was dry and combed through, the manual stressed that the hair can't contain any knots as the hair can become stuck in the device if it does, so that scared me a little. After reading the instructions I was still a little worried and was wondering how my hair strands could fit into the slot at the front of the device.
I came across this YouTube tutorial which I found extremely helpful and then got started. I split my hair into sections and started adding each strand into the device to curl. To curl the hair in the device you take a strand and place it into the slot and press the large start button, making sure the digital screen side of the device is facing away from your face.
Once you press the start button the device takes your strand of hair and wraps it around the barrel and then heats it up, it beeps six times and then beeps twice quickly and lets go of the hair in the barrel, so after eight beeps in total it releases your hair and you can then pull the device away from the strand of hair.
However, you can adjust the time settings, so mine was on for eight seconds, which was enough time for the device to curl my hair but you can add it up to 18 seconds depending on if you want loose, medium or tight curls. If you do this the beeps will be for longer.
When I pulled it away for the first time I was amazed at the tightness of the curl, it really worked and I was so pleased. I worked my way round one side of my head which took me 20 minutes, probably longer than most as this was my first time curling my own hair.
Half-way through curling my hair the device ran out of battery and I found it only lasted for around 20 minutes on full charge, which is a little annoying. I wasn't in a rush when I was testing this out so I popped it back on charge, but this would be really frustrating in the future if you're on a time limit or in a rush to go out as you can't use it while it's charging either, so I would bare this in mind before buying.
It took me around an hour to curl my hair with the device but I imagine this time will decrease the more I get used to using it. I do like the ease of curler, it's a god-send to be honest, and the simple set up and the fact that the machine does the curling for you. The one thing that lets it down is the size of the opening to the barrel, if this was bigger you could fit more hair in and save time, as well as the battery performance.
It's a great alternative if you're on a budget, especially at the Wowcher price but you may want to splash the cash for something that has a longer battery life.
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