When my near-decade old ghd straighteners finally kicked the bucket earlier this year, I needed a pair to tide me over until I could afford a new set of respected straighteners.
Products like the Dyson Corrale and Cloud Nine don’t come cheap and are a serious investment, coming in at £400 and £189 respectively - but Amazon shoppers have said they’ve ‘abandoned’ their expensive flat irons in favour of a budget pair that are currently under £25.
So, I put my faith in almost 19.000 five star Amazon reviews and decided to give the Remington Shine Therapy Advanced Ceramic Hair Straighteners S8500’s a go.
Usually £79.99, the Remington straighteners are reduced to just £23.74 fo Amazon Prime Day this July 11-12 making them cheaper than Boots where they’re £37, and Asda, where they’re £55. Earlier this week, they were £28 on Amazon, before going down to £24.99, and now, even further.
The straighteners themselves look the part, with a sleek black and white design, teal coloured plates and digital temperature display. There’s a power switch with temperature control buttons which allow you to select the right setting for your hair, ranging from 150 to 230 degrees.
Upon switching them on, they took around 20-25 seconds to heat up, which is fractionally longer than my ghds, although towards the end they were struggling to get to temp with much speed. I opted for one of the lower heat settings on my relatively fine hair, but the option is there to amp it up if you have thick or wavy locks.
The Advanced Ceramic coated plates are infused with Moroccan Argan Oil and Vitamin E, while the floating plates make them spongy and allow for even pressure on the hair, so not was my hair styled to perfection, it was left shiny and healthy looking too.
The device made light work of giving me pin-straight locks without leaving my bleached hair feeling dry as has previously been the case when styling my hair with heat, in fact, it was left feeling really moisturised and glossy.
Other shoppers have left glowing reviews for the straighteners, which are currently number 30 in the haircare best-sellers list on Amazon. There are more than 23,800 reviews, with 80 per cent of them being five stars, many of which claim they’re better than the big name brands.
One said: “My trusty GHDs broke but I wasn't in a position to buy another pair so after looking at amazon reviews I opted for these. They probably take a fraction longer to warm up than my GHDs and there is no audible beep to let you know it's got to temperature but a quick glance at the screen you know when it has.
“Once warmed up they are just as easy to use and in no time my hair was perfectly straight. In fact my hair stays straight for days afterwards no touch up required.”
Another added: “Honestly just as good as a previous pair of cloud nines I had. Well worth the money I love them.”
With a third commenting: “As a hairdresser I have used ghd’s and cloud nines. I did not think I would change from cloud nine. Bought these for my daughter and since bought another pair. They are great and I recommend them now to everyone.”
“Easy to use , excellent price my hair looked amazing when straighten . My current ghd are abandoned!” wrote a fourth.
I have to agree that it’s a shame there’s no sound to signal that the device is up to temperature, but you can check the digital screen to find out when they’re ready - which is no time at all. It’s also handy to know that they have a 60 minute shut-off for safely.
Some shoppers reported some snagging on the plates, but I didn’t find this to be the case with my hair. The straighteners glided through like silk with no dragging or catching, which helps avoid those pesky heat marks in the hair, too.
The straighteners also have a ‘lock’ function so that you can store them closed, however I did find this a bit tricky to apply - you do have to give it a good push and there seems to be a knack. I would hope that it becomes easier the more you use them, as it is very handy for storing them.
For the price - coming in five times cheaper than Cloud Nine and a quarter of the price of ghds - I really couldn’t fault them. It took me under 10 minutes to straighten all my hair and styling no longer felt like a chore.
You can shop the £24 Remington straighteners here on Amazon, but you can also get them from Boots and Debenhams at varying prices.
