In the early 2000s, having sleek and straight hair was very in, but growing up with relatively strict Asian parents meant that beauty and makeup items weren't exactly a priority. Even though my hair at the time was wavy and always had a layer of frizz on top, there was nothing I could do except tie it back in a soft scrunchie and hope for the best. I would honestly pray to God the night before for a good hair day because my hair was always such a gamble! In my first year at UBC, I had my first job which meant a little bit of my own money to spend so I bought my first straightener! I was scared of ceramic plates or anything scary and damaging-sounding so I bought a steam-based straightener that I had to fill with water and for once my hair was finally STRAIGHT.
PR gifted
Over the years, I refused to spend more than $50 on a flat iron and went through a number as they died, but I finally splurged (well, my husband got it for me as an anniversary gift!) six years ago on the ghd Classic 1" Inch Styler as I wanted something that could both straighten and curl my hair. The thought of curling my hair with something like a flat iron was such a new concept to me, but I had just gotten my first balayage done and my hair just looked so fancy all curled up. I was also feeling more comfortable with makeup and feeling prettier in my skin after going through a tough, but necessary career change so my six year old ghd has a lot of sentimental value attached to it AND it still works!
Now, we get to the Platinum+ and how this one is a little different and a level up from the Classic. The main difference with the Platinum+ is that it is a "smart styler" which "guarantees homogenous heat" across the whole plate for smoother hair in one pass. It uses "ultra-zone predictive technology" which monitors heat 250x/second so that the temperature stays at the optimal 365°F. This predictive technology can apparently recognize the thickness of your hair and the speed at which you are gliding the plates to adjust the heat output accordingly. This is something I found VERY cool as I never like going to super high temperatures to curl my coarse hair as heat can strip colour on colour-treated hair. My hair costs $600 to balayage so I want it to last for as long as possible! Some flat irons I have used either had temperatures that were too low or too high, but because my hair wouldn't curl well with lower temperatures, I had to opt for high which in the long run didn't make my hair feel great. The end results that ghd predicts is hair that breaks less 70% of the time and 2x more colour protection. I have been using it twice a week since June with so far positive results as I have not seen any colour stripping as evidenced by looking at my Instagram selfies.
Quick stats:
- Precision milled plates with an ultra glossy coating for frizz free and 20% shinier hair
- Sleek design and modernized rounded barrel so that your hair doesn't get caught at the edges of the plates! I used to HATE it when that happened with my old flat irons!
- Wishbone hinge that pivots easily so that the plates remain in perfect alignment and I am not awkwardly holding the styler when I do my left side
- Sleep mode that engages when not used for 30 minutes
- 20 second heat up time with a little *chime* that lets you know it's ready and another *chime* when you have safely turned it off (I find the chime quite loud...)
The other feature I loved about the Platinum+ was the inclusion of a perfectly fitting heat-resistant plate guard which I suspect is just silicone, but it is just so satisfying to know that I can cover the styler up when it's still a little warm and not have it hurt myself or my husband. I style my hair in the morning and usually I'm in a mad rush so I used to place my heat tools on a silicone mat to cool off after I had left for work. This took up precious counter space so the fact that I can put on a little protective cap and then put it away is great. I still wait a few minutes so that the styler isn't piping hot, but once it's warmish, I put it away.
The most important thing is the before and after so have a look! I found that second day hair looks best with the Platinum+, but that could just be my hair. I don't think my hair looks as nice as what shows up on the ghd Instagram feed, but short of having it done at the salon, this is as close as I am going to get!
Final verdict: I love this little guy, but my only qualms with it are the really loud chime that I want to lower the volume on and the matte and sleek feeling finish of the whole styler. While I do love the look of it, my hands are often dry in the mornings and the styler sometime slips in my hands because I feel like there is no grip so I have to make a conscious effort to grip harder. In terms of results, I do feel like the temperature of the Platinum+ is more consistent than my Classic and my curls seem to last longer AND stay more defined for longer. Is that result worth an extra $100 for the Platinum+? Maybe for some the small details and the smart styling technology might be worth it, but I am still really happy with my ghd Classic so if I had to do it all again, I would still opt for the Classic over the Platinum+ just because there is such a large price difference for what I feel are subtle differences in results. You can't go wrong with either of them, but as someone who has been fortunate enough to have been able to try both, I gotta go with the Classic!
You can find the ghd Platinum+ Professional Performance 1'' Styler at www.sephora.com
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