Elchim 2001 Professional Dryer ($119.95 $100)

• Seven switch combinations for seven ranges of fan speed and temperature
• 1800 watts of power
• Light weight
• Air flow of 40 liters per second
• Concentrator nozzle
• Removable lint filter
• Safety plug
• Backed by Elchim’s 60 years of experience of building hair dryers
• Made in Italy
• 1 Year limited warranty

My Thoughts:

I got the Elchim 2001 Professional Dryer from folica.com. Normally it retails for approximately $120, but folica is selling it for $100 along with additional discounts and deals. It came with the hair dryer, a nozzle, and a filter. I had trouble figuring out how to turn it on because there were no instructions. The top switch (red) is to turn on the hair dryer and to control the power. The bottom switch (black) is used to control the heat.  The dryer doesn’t blow cold air. In fact, it doesn’t even have a button to blow cold air. It does dry my hair pretty quickly. I wouldn’t say it cut the drying time in half, but it did shorten the drying time. I like that it isn’t very loud for a powerful hair dryer. However, the dryer is bit heavy but nothing to worry about. I wouldn’t recommend this hair dryer for people with thin and/or fine hair because it blows pretty strong. It will make your hair knotty. I have thick hair and lots of it and my hair got a tad knotty.

Hot Tools Professional 3-Barrel Waver ($44.99)

Professional Features

• Quickly creates deep, luxurious waves in any type of hair
• Soft-Grip™ textured handle
• Extra-hot 60 watts
• Heat pre-set to perfect temperature
• Comfort-grip Marcel handle
• On / Off / High / Low heat switch
• 24K gold-plated barrel
• Safety stand
• Patented Pulse Technology® for Gets Hot… Stays Hot™ performance
• Variable heat settings for any hair type
• Extra-high heat
• Fast heat-up
• Heavy-duty, long-life heating element
• Slim, easy-to-grip handle
• 8-ft. heavy-duty, tangle-proof cord
• On / Off switch with pilot light
• Solid-state circuitry
• One-Year Warranty

My Thoughts:

I was able to get this from Ulta for free through their spending rewards club. I really like it and I’m glad I chose this as my reward. If you’re hoping it will create the loose beachy waves, it won’t. The waves it creates is similar to that of the waves you get when you braid your hair. If you have thick hair and a lot of it like me, I wouldn’t use it on every strand/layer of hair. You’ll end up with majorly big hair. I just use it on the top half of my hair. I’ll use it a little bit on the bottom half of my hair just to give the illusion that all of my hair is wavy.  If you’re hair is fine and/or thin, you don’t have to worry about this problem.

It does take a couple of minutes to warm up, but it does really heat up. Be careful when using it because you can burn yourself if you’re not careful because the ends of the barrel don’t have the heat protectant material. I personally wouldn’t pay the full $45 for it because I can just braid my hair and leave it in overnight to get the same waves. However, it’s always on sale for nearly half price (check out Amazon) so get it then.

ghd limited edition professional hairstyling iron ($205) The ghd flat iron is the mother of all flat irons. I have been eying this flat iron for a couple of years now and saving up. I bought this ghd limited edition professional hairstyling iron from beautyticket.com. Normally, ghd flat irons cost about $200-$250 depending on the model. Beautyticket was selling the model I bought for $119.99 which included everything you see in the picture: ghd flat iron, how-to dvd, and the pouch. I actually got it cheaper than $119.99 because beautyticket was running an extra 15% off gifts and sets promo. When I saw the amazing (and rare!) discount, I knew I had to pounce to get my hands on this bad boy. I ended up paying 50% of the original cost. The most I have ever seen the ghd discounted for was 20%. Even with the extra 20% off, it was still to expensive. Even though my version is from 2006, I didn’t care. A ghd is a ghd.

My Thoughts:

Pros:

• Doesn’t just straighten hair. You can create curls and waves. How you ask? The hot plates move back and forth and up and down. Also the edges are rounded, not straight. This allows for smooth hair with no creases.
• Heat resistant. No worries about burning your hand, scalp, forehead, etc. While it is on, you can touch the outside and not worry about getting burned!
• Internally set temperature. It is automatically set at 374°F so you don’t  have to think about adjusting the temperature. It’s all set for you!
• Ready to use in less than 1 minute. The flat iron heats up really quickly. No standing around for 5 minutes wondering and waiting for it to heat up.
• Go over hair once. You only need to go over your hair once, rarely twice, to achieve the style you want. This will save you lots of time and saves your hair from damage.
• No frizz or pouf. You will get sleek, silky, shiny, smooth hair.
• Long power cord. The cord is 9ft long and swivels.
• No snagging. When you run the straightner through your hair, it is a smooth pull with no tugging and snagging.
• Sleep mode. It will turn off automatically if you don’t use it for 30 minutes. A wonderful safety feature.

Cons:

• The cost!
• The cost!
• The cost!

To make sure you are buying a real ghd and not a fake, I would check out ghd’s UK site or ghd’s USA site. They have a list of legit sellers. If you’re unsure of a seller, give them a call and ask.