Oh! So Thermal Protectors Do Work! (GHD Thermal Protector Dry, Coarse Hair)

Member Name: louiseypees

Product:	GHD Thermal Protector Dry, Coarse Hair
Date:	17/10/08 (118 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fantastic stuff - worth every penny

Disadvantages: None - don't let the price tag put you off though!

I don't know what I'd do without my GHDs. Recently, I've stopped straightening my hair all the time as I'm trying to crack the winning formula that keeps it nice and well-behaved without resorting to straightening. This is work in progress, and I will be sure to report back to dooyoo when I find it, but even in this period of minimal straightening I still feel a little bit lost when I don't have my GHDs readily available. The last time a pair broke on me I went into hiding. It's quite a dependancy.

Heat styling is really important for me to get my hair looking acceptable. Left to dry naturally, my hair plays up - looking smooth for the first few inches and then turning into a riot of frizz from the ears down. To wear it unstraightened is to wear it either scrunched and diffused, tonged or scraped back so no-one can see it. It's fairly important, then, that I use a good thermal protector. You'd think this would be obvious, right?

It may surprise you to learn, then, that I hadn't used one for ages before being given this free by my hairdresser (yeah, I'm still trying to work out why they gave me freebies too!). There is a reason for this - all the ones I'd tried had been rubbish! I'd had ones that made me greasy; some that made no difference whatsoever; some that made me static, but none that worked to stop my hair getting damaged. The worst one I'd ever tried was GHD's Iron Oil - this horrible product had left my dry hair like an oil slick, hanging limply around my face. I didn't hold out high hopes for this one then.

There are two ways to use this spray: the easy way and the time-consuming way. I choose the easy way (as do most hairdressers when they use similar products, I've found), which is to spray liberally all over your hair before it comes into contact with any heat. As I usually blow dry, this means I give it a spray when I'm towel dried and before any heat touches my poor delicate hair. One trick I learnt from my hairdresser - when you think you've sprayed enough, give it a couple more squirts. Don't be shy. This stuff won't make you greasy (well, assuming you've got the Dry, Coarse Hair version for a reason - like having Dry, Coarse hair...) so spray away. Once you're sprayed up, comb through and get styling.

The tricky way is only really suitable if you're using wet to straight straighteners or have left your hair to dry naturally, and involved spending ages spraying each section as you style. This takes ages and gives you no real benefit that I can see. Just make sure that when you're spraying over your whole head that it gets everywhere - spray underneath your layers as well as just on the top.

The spray is pump action, and comes out as a very fine mist. This is the ideal spray for this kind of product as it helps it to disperse properly through the hair. The smell is fresh and clean. It doesn't seem to leave any residue on the hair - when applied to dry hair it just feels as if you've sprayed water onto it - it's so inoffensive and light that you almost wonder if it could possibly have any affect on your hair - but it really does.

The results from this spray are fantastic. Going from using nothing to using this, I've noticed a massive difference in frizziness. I can now wear my hair blow-dried without having to straighten it, which was unheard of before I found this stuff. When I do straighten it, the result is much smoother and sleeker, without a trace of frizz. Tonged, my hair forms beautiful frizz-free ringlets. I hadn't changed anything else in my hair care regime to achieve these results - it is all down to this product.

As I said, I got mine for free. I will be buying a replacement, and that will cost me from £8.45 to £9.45 depending on where I choose to spend. I've been using mine about four times a week for three months now, so it does last well and I'd say that even at these salon prices, it is great value for money.

Summary: The only Thermal Protector I've ever liked