GHD Gold Professional 1" Styler Review!

GHD Gold Professional 1" Styler

The GHD Gold Professional 1" Styler ($225) is GHD's sleekest styler ever, with a cooler, lighter body, smoother plates, and an bonus protective plate guard for storage and travel. Rounded barrel and contoured plates means you can not only straighten hair with this professional styler, but create curls, waves, and flips. Sleep mode provides added safety and universal voltage means no converter while traveling, makes the GHD your go-to styling iron.

Throughout the years, I've owned countless flat irons and have never really been 100% satisfied with any of them. For reference, this flat iron is my first GHD flat iron - I've never owned any comparable brands (Chi, T3, Solano, etc).

I've been using this flat iron for the past month now, so if you'd like to know what I think of this iron, please keep reading!

Product Features

• Includes protective plate guard to cover hot plates for easy storage and travel
• Cooler, lighter body
• Smoother plates
• Professional finish
• Ceramic heaters
• Contoured plates
• Rounded barrel
• Heats up to 374F
• Sleep mode
• Universal voltage
• 2-Year Manufacturer's Warranty

When turning the iron on for the first time, I automatically noticed that there is no temperature control switch, just an on/off switch. Already I was a bit apprehensive because I usually need very high heat for my thick, curly hair and low heat for my bangs (in order for them not to be stick straight and flat).

When the iron is switched on, it beeps, and the switch will light up and blink to indicate that the iron is heating up. Seconds later, it will fully heat up, and beep three times more and the light will stop blinking to indicate that it's ready for use. This iron heats up in less than 30 seconds, and is definitely faster than any other iron I've used.

I don't normally forget to turn my flat iron off after use, but it's a habit to plug in my flat iron before I'm actually going to use it to give it time to heat up. After 30 minutes of being idle, the iron will go into sleep mode and beep every 10 seconds as a reminder that it's on, and it's still plugged in. I think it's a pretty sweet feature.

My hair type:
Long (down my back), thick, curly - a mixture of loose curls and waves (not kinky), dry and fine. My hair is like a difficult child that does what they want, when they want and won't listen to authority. 

With that said, I need a pretty good iron if I want my hair to be perfectly primped.

I always start with the underside of my hair first, and comb out one inch sections. With one pass of my iron my hair is fairly straight, but two passes is needed because my hair is long, and with a thin plate flat iron, little areas can get missed. It takes around 20-25 minutes to get through my hair.

It doesn't pull my hair, snag, and my hair glides smoothly through the plates without causing bends in my hair.

What stands out the most to me about this iron is that it leaves my hair soft and shiny. It doesn't feel dry or fried and brittle like other flat irons I've used. Also, when flat ironing my bangs, I always style them on low heat so they'll fall naturally, rather than looking stick straight and in the way. This iron styles my bangs perfectly!

I have to mention that I never wear my hair straight, but I have to use a flat iron when I wear my signature loose waves. My curls are tighter toward the roots and remain semi-tight a couple inches down my hair, and after that, the curls loosen up. So, I section my hair off and flat iron from my roots to about 1/3 down my hair, leaving the bottom curly. I then use a large barrel curling iron to curl my hair. It may seem like I can use any flat iron for this and get the same results, but I can definitely notice a difference in how healthy my hair appears.

Because I have very long hair, this flat iron wouldn't be the best model for me for wearing my hair straight, as the plates are so small. If I did in fact wear my hair straight, I'd opt for a model with larger plates. For what I need this flat iron for, this model works just fine.

I wouldn't say this particular model would be the best for thick, coarse, kinky or very long hair, as I don't think it gets hot enough. But if you have short to medium length hair, with fine and normal texture, it's amazing.

$225 is a huge price to pay for a flat iron, and isn't in many of our budgets. But for those who are willing to pay an arm and a leg for professional hair tools, I'd definitely recommend looking into a GHD.

The Round-Up

Pros:

• Fast heat-up (under 30 seconds)
• Lightweight
• Easy to use
• Swivel Cord, doesn't tangle easily
• Sleep Mode - "sleeps" after 30 minutes of being idle
• Can create curls as well as straighten
• Makes hair soft and shiny
• Doesn't snag or pull hair
• Doesn't dry out the hair

Cons:

• The temperature goes up to 374 degrees F, so those who typically need 400 degrees and over for stick straight hair (very thick, tight curly and kinky hair) may want to look into a different flat iron. 
• Can't control the temperature
• Beeping is annoying - but is nevertheless helpful.
• Very expensive

Price: $225, Folica.

Haionic Super Lightweight Blow Dryer Review!

Haionic Super Lightweight Hair Dryer

Truth: I have never owned a blow-dryer that costs over $30.

Why? Well, I always figured that blow-driers simply don’t mix well with the texture of my hair, so I never felt like I had to invest in a good one. I also didn’t want to use additional heat on my hair. Considering I use heat on my hair on a regular basis (curling iron and flat iron), I try to limit the amount of heat on my hair as much as I can. So, I resort to washing my hair at night, letting it air dry and styling it the following morning. It works fine for me, but on days where I didn’t have time to wash my hair at night, I have to suffer the consequences of having to spend hours on my hair in the morning – between the blow-dryer and flat iron.

*To clarify: There is nothing wrong with not shoveling out the big bucks for pricey styling tools. Expensive doesn’t always equal better. With that said, by no means am I putting down the less expensive brands or trying to encourage you to invest in a product you may not need. We all have different hair needs, so what may work perfectly for you may not work for me, and vise versa. None of the blow-driers I’ve used worked well for me (granted I haven’t tried them all), but they may work wonderfully for others!

Let me tell you a little bit about my hair. It’s long (below the chest), thick, curly (not tight curls, though –more along the lines of wavy) and fine. I shed more than a golden retriever and God help me if I ever let my hair air dry and then go in public.

Since we’re getting all comfy here, let me tell you another truth. The reason I avoid hair salons at all costs is because I cannot stand how long it takes them to blow dry my hair. Honest to God, I feel so bad every time I’ve gone to a salon (the small handful of times in the past 10 years) and the hair stylist can barely hold her arms up anymore with her round brush, tugging through my thick-ass-hair. My Mom went through the same torture doing my hair in the mornings when I was growing up, and when the blow drier was involved, the result was usually a frizzy mess. I use to go through Johnson’s detangler like nobody’s business, and a comb? Sure, buddy. Once those went in, they didn’t come back out. But hey, I’m not complaining. I love my difficult hair!

The Blow Dryer that Changed my Outlook on At-Home Blowouts

I recently got my hands on a Hai HAIonic Super Lightweight Dryer from Folica.com. I’ve been using it about 2-3 times per week and quickly came to my first realization that hey, they don't all dry out and burn my hair!

The HAIonic Super Lightweight Dryer comes with a bunch of different features, and is said to actually improve the condition of your hair. It uses negative ion technology, which helps seal moisture in your hair, protecting it from heat damage and making it feel soft and shiny. The body is lightweight with a motor that’s less noisy than it’s competitors, and it’s easy to clean with a flip-open vent.


Product Features
• 1800 watts
• 2 speed settings and 2 heat settings
• Extra large cold shot button to set style
• Lightweight design with excellent balance
• Flip open vent for easy cleaning
• Concentrator included
• 9 foot cord with cord hook
• 1 year warranty. Please register your product with HAI to obtain full benefits of the warranty.
• Operates on 120 volts

There is nothing worse than a heavy blow-dryer (no arm strength here!), and thankfully, this blow-dryer is incredibly lightweight. I can blow-dry all of my hair without having to set it down and give my arm a rest or switch hands.

The Haionic Blow-dryer is very simple to use. There are two switches, with two speed settings (slow and fast) and two heat settings (warm and hot). There is also a cold-shot button, which when pressed; the blow-dryer will disperse cold air. To change it back to warm/hot, you have to press the button again. Like I said, because the body is lightweight, it makes blow-drying my hair a breeze, and it has a thick cord, so it doesn't get tangled up during use.

Putting the blow-dryer to use
My usual routine is washing and conditioning my hair and then applying It's a 10 Leave-in Treatment throughout my hair. Sometimes I'll add a drop of Chi Silk Infusion or Organix Moroccan Argan Oil Treatment, working it through the bottom half of my hair. Then, I usually let my hair air dry for as long as I have time for to limit the amount of heat on my hair - since I don't always have all the time in the world, I generally wait so it's damp, and not wet (it takes less time when it's damp). Then I clip my hair in sections (around 6-8) and start with the underside of my hair first. I use a paddle brush made with Boar Bristles, and holding the brush under the section of my hair at my roots, and using my other hand to hold the blow-dryer, I line the blow-dryer attachment to the top of the strand of hair and slowly bring the brush and dryer down the strand of hair. Then, repeat until dry. It usually takes a few passes per section of hair. Lastly, I'll blow my hair with cold air for around a minute for added shine and to set the style.

Overall Performance
The Haionic Blow-dryer is the best blow dryer I have used. There's no joke that it cuts my dry time in half. It takes around 20-25 minutes to blow-dry my hair, which would normally take me one hour with my previous dryer. I actually use it on the low heat and low speed setting, so I'm sure if I used it higher, it'd dry faster, but like I mentioned earlier, I'd like to limit the heat on my hair to minimize dryness and breakage. What I love is that I don't have to linger in one area too long, and I don't have to go over one strand 100 times. My hair is usually a frizzy mess after a blow dry, and the amount of frizz is very minimal and my hair looks shiny and smooth. When I'm done blow-drying my hair, it's so incredibly manageable that the amount of time I usually take to curl/flat iron my hair is dramatically reduced as well. I couldn't be more thrilled.

The Round-up

Pros:
• Lightweight Design
• Thick cord doesn't get tangled or in-the-way during use
• Comes with a concentrator nozzle attachment
• Easy to use
• Makes my hair soft and shiny
• Doesn't dry out my hair - reduces breakage of ends
• Reduces frizz
• Makes hair manageable
• Is fairly quiet on low setting

Cons:
• The actual appearance isn't that aesthetically pleasing for those who prefer girly or chic appliances
• The warranty is only for a year, as opposed to two (two is typical with many high end blow dryers) so, it makes me wonder if the quality is inferior, or if it's going to last
• Expensive; the price is right up there with Solano and Sedu - slightly less expensive, and less expensive than the popular T3 blow dryers.

Price: $125, Folica.

Haionic Super Lightweight Blow Dryer Review!

Haionic Super Lightweight Hair Dryer

Truth: I have never owned a blow-dryer that costs over $30.

Why? Well, I always figured that blow-driers simply don�t mix well with the texture of my hair, so I never felt like I had to invest in a good one. I also didn�t want to use additional heat on my hair. Considering I use heat on my hair on a regular basis (curling iron and flat iron), I try to limit the amount of heat on my hair as much as I can. So, I resort to washing my hair at night, letting it air dry and styling it the following morning. It works fine for me, but on days where I didn�t have time to wash my hair at night, I have to suffer the consequences of having to spend hours on my hair in the morning � between the blow-dryer and flat iron.

*To clarify: There is nothing wrong with not shoveling out the big bucks for pricey styling tools. Expensive doesn�t always equal better. With that said, by no means am I putting down the less expensive brands or trying to encourage you to invest in a product you may not need. We all have different hair needs, so what may work perfectly for you may not work for me, and vise versa. None of the blow-driers I�ve used worked well for me (granted I haven�t tried them all), but they may work wonderfully for others!

Let me tell you a little bit about my hair. It�s long (below the chest), thick, curly (not tight curls, though �more along the lines of wavy) and fine. I shed more than a golden retriever and God help me if I ever let my hair air dry and then go in public.

Since we�re getting all comfy here, let me tell you another truth. The reason I avoid hair salons at all costs is because I cannot stand how long it takes them to blow dry my hair. Honest to God, I feel so bad every time I�ve gone to a salon (the small handful of times in the past 10 years) and the hair stylist can barely hold her arms up anymore with her round brush, tugging through my thick-ass-hair. My Mom went through the same torture doing my hair in the mornings when I was growing up, and when the blow drier was involved, the result was usually a frizzy mess. I use to go through Johnson�s detangler like nobody�s business, and a comb? Sure, buddy. Once those went in, they didn�t come back out. But hey, I�m not complaining. I love my difficult hair!

The Blow Dryer that Changed my Outlook on At-Home Blowouts

I recently got my hands on a Hai HAIonic Super Lightweight Dryer from Folica.com. I�ve been using it about 2-3 times per week and quickly came to my first realization that hey, they don't all dry out and burn my hair!

The HAIonic Super Lightweight Dryer comes with a bunch of different features, and is said to actually improve the condition of your hair. It uses negative ion technology, which helps seal moisture in your hair, protecting it from heat damage and making it feel soft and shiny. The body is lightweight with a motor that�s less noisy than it�s competitors, and it�s easy to clean with a flip-open vent.


Product Features
� 1800 watts
� 2 speed settings and 2 heat settings
� Extra large cold shot button to set style
� Lightweight design with excellent balance
� Flip open vent for easy cleaning
� Concentrator included
� 9 foot cord with cord hook
� 1 year warranty. Please register your product with HAI to obtain full benefits of the warranty.
� Operates on 120 volts

There is nothing worse than a heavy blow-dryer (no arm strength here!), and thankfully, this blow-dryer is incredibly lightweight. I can blow-dry all of my hair without having to set it down and give my arm a rest or switch hands.

The Haionic Blow-dryer is very simple to use. There are two switches, with two speed settings (slow and fast) and two heat settings (warm and hot). There is also a cold-shot button, which when pressed; the blow-dryer will disperse cold air. To change it back to warm/hot, you have to press the button again. Like I said, because the body is lightweight, it makes blow-drying my hair a breeze, and it has a thick cord, so it doesn't get tangled up during use.

Putting the blow-dryer to use
My usual routine is washing and conditioning my hair and then applying It's a 10 Leave-in Treatment throughout my hair. Sometimes I'll add a drop of Chi Silk Infusion or Organix Moroccan Argan Oil Treatment, working it through the bottom half of my hair. Then, I usually let my hair air dry for as long as I have time for to limit the amount of heat on my hair - since I don't always have all the time in the world, I generally wait so it's damp, and not wet (it takes less time when it's damp). Then I clip my hair in sections (around 6-8) and start with the underside of my hair first. I use a paddle brush made with Boar Bristles, and holding the brush under the section of my hair at my roots, and using my other hand to hold the blow-dryer, I line the blow-dryer attachment to the top of the strand of hair and slowly bring the brush and dryer down the strand of hair. Then, repeat until dry. It usually takes a few passes per section of hair. Lastly, I'll blow my hair with cold air for around a minute for added shine and to set the style.

Overall Performance
The Haionic Blow-dryer is the best blow dryer I have used. There's no joke that it cuts my dry time in half. It takes around 20-25 minutes to blow-dry my hair, which would normally take me one hour with my previous dryer. I actually use it on the low heat and low speed setting, so I'm sure if I used it higher, it'd dry faster, but like I mentioned earlier, I'd like to limit the heat on my hair to minimize dryness and breakage. What I love is that I don't have to linger in one area too long, and I don't have to go over one strand 100 times. My hair is usually a frizzy mess after a blow dry, and the amount of frizz is very minimal and my hair looks shiny and smooth. When I'm done blow-drying my hair, it's so incredibly manageable that the amount of time I usually take to curl/flat iron my hair is dramatically reduced as well. I couldn't be more thrilled.

The Round-up

Pros:
� Lightweight Design
� Thick cord doesn't get tangled or in-the-way during use
� Comes with a concentrator nozzle attachment
� Easy to use
� Makes my hair soft and shiny
� Doesn't dry out my hair - reduces breakage of ends
� Reduces frizz
� Makes hair manageable
� Is fairly quiet on low setting

Cons:
� The actual appearance isn't that aesthetically pleasing for those who prefer girly or chic appliances
� The warranty is only for a year, as opposed to two (two is typical with many high end blow dryers) so, it makes me wonder if the quality is inferior, or if it's going to last
� Expensive; the price is right up there with Solano and Sedu - slightly less expensive, and less expensive than the popular T3 blow dryers.

Price: $125, Folica.

Misikko HANA Professional 1.5" Flat Iron Review!

PRODUCT FEATURES:

• Advanced Tourmaline Ceramic Plates for Accelerated Ion Generation and Maximum Frizz-Free, Conditioning Shine
• Floating 1.5� Plates Auto-Adjust To Glide Over Any Hair Texture
• Wider plates are perfect for longer, thicker or hard to style hair types
• Curved Plate Edges For Versatile Styling - Curl, Flip or Straighten!
• Adjustable Temperature Dial - 5 Settings from 140-450� F for All Hair Types
• Flash Heats in Seconds with Instant Compensation for Heat Loss
• Ergonomic Handle Design with No-Slip Grip
• Smooth Grooves Keep Hair Strands Separate and Snag-Free
• Tangle-Free Salon Quality Cord Swivels 360�; Convenient Hanging Loop
• Energy Efficient at 38 Watts
• Independent On/Off Switch
• Includes Luxe Heat Proof Storage Pouch, Heat Proof Silicone Mat, & Special Edition Tin Case
• Two Year Warranty

(View additional information and customer reviews by clicking here)

I've been using this iron a few days out of the week for the past two months now, and I really like the results it gives me. I've never owned a flat iron with plates larger than one inch (with the exception of mt first flat iron at the age of 13), so I figured because my hair is long and thick, that 1.5" would probably be more beneficial for my hair. I am very happy to say that the 1.5" plates do indeed work so much better on my hair. I can flat iron all of my hair in half of the time it would take me with my previous 1" flat iron.

The plates are very smooth and they glide through my hair quickly and easily. Thankfully, the plates don't grab or pinch any of my hairs and pull/break them like other flat irons I've used.

The iron has an adjustable temperature dial that reaches 450 degrees. My hair is thick, with medium-fine texture (not coarse or super fine) and I typically use it at around 360-380 degrees. For my bangs, and the hair  that frames my face, I turn the heat down to around 240. 

The iron also does a very good job curling my hair, but overall, I prefer using a curling iron, as I find that the curls have better shape and last longer. I do use this iron though for it's convenience, as a curling iron takes much longer time.

Here are a couple photos from one of my previous posts, where I had used the Hana iron to curl my hair.

Here are a couple photos of my hair straightened using the Hana iron.

I also tried the HANA Shine Shield Thermal Protectant, which is a serum that works as a leave-in conditioner as well as a heat protector when using hot styling tools. It contains jojoba oil, which helps moisturize and add shine to the hair.

I find it to be very similar to CHI Silk Infusion. In comparison to Silk Infusion, HANA Shine Shield is less dense, and it doesn't weigh down my hair or make it feel greasy or sticky. It adds a little shine to my hair and helps camouflage split ends. It also has a nice, fresh scent, whereas Chi has a very musky scent.

It's available in two (2 oz) and six (6 oz) ounces, the two ounce being handy for travel.

I'm overall extremely happy with my iron and would recommend it for those with long, thick hair, who would like to cut down the time it takes to flat iron their hair. I've tried several flat irons over the years, and so far, I'm impressed with this one.

My experience with Misikko was one of the best I've had with any company. They are a wonderful, dedicated and professional company, with excellent customer service. They have some really great people behind their name, that's for sure. I highly recommend ordering from them!

PROS:  Doesn't create frizz, glides through the hair easily, doesn't pull or pinch the roots, cuts down my straightening time, can be used to curl or straighten - though for my thick hair, I prefer using it to straighten, swivel cord that doesn't tangle, 2 year warranty, includes lots of extras.
CONS:  The 1.5" plates make it slightly difficult to flat iron my bangs with a slight curl. I find that when using this iron on my bangs, they sometimes come out too straight and end up looking flat.
PACKAGING: No complaints.
OVERALL:  This iron retails for $132.99, with free, same-day shipping. It comes with several extras as well as a 2 year warranty. They also have hassle free returns, with no extra fees. Also, there are always coupon codes available. It's definitely an investment if you usually gravitate toward lower-end brands, but I think it's worth it, as I haven't used any other lower-end flat iron with as good of results.

Here are a few codes I found that should work on your order with Misikko. If you know of any others, please post them in the comments and I'dd add them to the list.

$35 OFF $135+ 
CODE: MISIKKO


$10 OFF $100+
CODES: SMOOTH10 or DUSTPRINCESS

$20 OFF ANY HANA PRO, AIR, ELITE OR TITANIUM BLOW DRYER
CODE: MYSTYLE

I have no affiliation with these coupon codes. Expiration dates not known.


Disclaimer: This post contains a product/s sample that was sent to me for consideration. The opinions expressed in this post are all my own, from my personal experience with using this product.