GHDs for £20.99? Not quite, but almost! (Remington Ceramic Straight 230 Review)

In my last blog post, I detailed why Vidal Sassoon's Hydra-Gloss is the worst hair straightener I have ever been unfortunate enough to purchase. I also said that I would tell you about the excellent replacement I bought after returning the awful VS ones to the store for a full refund.

Let's get straight (no pun intended) to it...

Remington Ceramic Straight 230 Straightener Review

Remington Ceramic Straight 230: £20.99 (Boots)

After I found myself so disappointed with the Vidal Sassoon straighteners I purchased, I wanted to see what other people had to say about them. As such, I trawled the internet for reviews, only to find the large majority were as disgusted with the poor quality of the device as I.

I eventually stumbled across many positive reviews for Remington's Ceramic Straight 230; retailing for just £20.99 at chemist chain Boots (1/2 price offer, though the online price has since gone back up to £25.99, hmmmm!)

Many comparisons to the premium, costly GHD brand have been made on reviews.argos.co.uk. Here are just two examples (click to enlarge)...

In the wake of such comments, I decided I had to try them out for myself!

Remington Ceramic Straight 230, unboxed

Ceramic Straight 230 features

• Max temperature of 230C
• Heat up in 15 seconds
• 4 x protection (anti static, ceramic, Tourmaline - a silicate mineral, according to Wikipedia - and smooth glide coating)
• Extra long, floating plates (110mm)
• 60 minute auto switch off
• Plate lock
• Swivel cord
• Heat-proof pouch

Heat-proof pouch (front)

Heat-proof pouch (reverse)

Box sticker: No pressure then...

Verdict

Unlike the VS Hydra-Glide straighteners, these delivered exactly what the box promised (a good thing considering the above sticker!) The plates really do glide through the hair without any pulling whatsoever, and they are so effective that repeated strokes are not needed. This means locks suffer minimal heat damage.

These straighteners feel very comfortable to handle and are very similar to GHD straighteners in terms of both aesthetics and weight. I also really like that the complimentary heat-proof pouch has a Velcro lead-tidy to its reverse.

But do they transform wayward hair into sleek tresses as effectively as GHDs do? 

Not quite, but that's not to say these are not fantastic straighteners. They are certainly the best ones I have owned to date, and the closest you'll get to GHDs for a little over £20!

I would go as far to say Remington's Ceramic Straight 230 is the ultimate budget hair straightener currently available on the UK high street. I obviously haven't tested all the available straighteners (duh), but I am convinced no similarly priced product would be able to compete.

I suggest you grab a pair while you can girls!

/KatSick.