Get A Salon Look (Philips Tresemme HP4982/07 Salon Control Ionic Shine)

Member Name: Great_reviewer07

Product:	Philips Tresemme HP4982/07 Salon Control Ionic Shine
Date:	06/07/09 (157 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Light, easy to use

Disadvantages: Not a strong enough airflow

I'm really fussy with my hair, for me money is never an issue when it comes to my hair as I'm a real girly girl and like to spend time on getting my hair just perfect and with that comes the money to buy the right products that will suit my hair type.

I've had so many hairdryers over the years, my last one being a Nicky Clarke product which I was really satisfied with, that is, until it died on me after about 8 months. It was a 2000 watt so quite powerful and was able to dry my hair in minimal time. I like taking care of my appearance as much as the next girl does but blow-drying my hair is one of my biggest pet hates.

With this in mind, after my Nicky Clarke hairdryer broke I wanted a dryer with a high wattage which will enable me to dry my hair with minimum time and effort. I looked online at a few hairdryers and although I'm willing to pay a substantial amount of my hard earned cash on hair care products, this does not include hairdryers. I'm a bit of a sceptic and think that a hairdryer is a hairdryer, I don't believe all the hype surrounding this 'ionic' technology, when I dry my hair I like to get it done as quickly as possible so I can then take my time straightening or curling it.

With this in mind I wasn't willing to pay around £50 for a 'state of the art' hairdryer that apparently dries your hair so much better than a dryer of half the price and although in some respects this may be true I was still hoping I could find a decent enough hairdryer for half the price. After looking everywhere for a new hairdryer and having no luck I decided to try Amazon, I wanted a brand new dryer not a second hand one and whilst browsing in the electrical section I came across this, which they call the Phillips Tresemme HP4982/07 Salon Control Ion Hair Dryer, fancy eh? I ignored the elaborate name which is blatantly just there to lure you in, but one word that did stand out for me (apart from hairdryer) was Tresemme. I remember all the daft adverts with the awful actors who claim that Tresemme should only be allowed to be used by professionals. I knew that Tresemme was a good make therefore that, coupled with the cheap price tag of £18.99 (£20 now) I bought it.

The hairdryer was delivered in quite a large box considering the size of the dryer itself, of course included in the box is the usual nozzle which is optional whether or not you use it. In my experience it helps with styling if you use the nozzle however if you're simply looking to dry your hair and nothing else then it could be quicker without it as it reaches a wider area of hair. It includes a three year warranty, this isn't a form that you have to fill out unlike some products, you simply keep hold of your receipt. It also comes with a full set of instructions which are easy to follow. Hairdryers are easy enough to work so I just had a quick scan of the different features included with this.

The length of the wire isn't much of a problem for me as I sit less than a metre away from the plug but the box says that the cable is a 'salon length' 3 metres which I find to be pretty generous, of course if this isn't long enough you can always use an adapter which will enable you to stretch it a lot more.

The dryer itself looks very stylish, it's a sleek black colour with a silver control panel, it also includes a hanging loop which could come in handy if I actually had a hook to hang it on! I wont go into much more detail because obviously there's a picture at the top so you can see for yourself what it looks like!

This is a 2100 watt hairdryer, after a good experience of fast drying from my 2000 watt I assumed that a higher wattage would mean a faster drying time, unfortunately not. Even when on the highest setting the airflow still isn't as strong as my previous lower watt hairdryer. It only takes about a couple more minutes to dry my hair using this compared to my other dryer but I hate drying my hair with so much of a passion I was quite disappointed at how weak the airflow was.

One thing that impressed me about this dryer was how many settings it has; it has two speed settings, the slower one is recommended for styling however I've used both prior to styling my hair and you come out with exactly the same result however if you use the slower setting you're losing yourself some time! There's three heat settings, one which they call 'cool' which is more lukewarm that cool to be honest, I was hoping it would actually be cool, not for the benefit of my hair but for the benefit of me during the hot summer! The cool setting is designed to 'set' your hair's style after drying and after straightening if necessary, apparently it makes your style last for longer, something which I don't agree with personally but it may work for some. The hot setting is exactly that... hot. This should only be used if you have very thick hair because if you don't you're likely to burn your scalp or ears very quickly (believe me). This has prompted me to go for the middle setting which is very warm and dries the hair in quite a quick time, having said that my hair is quite fine so it may take longer or shorter depending on your specific hair type. Below the heat and speed settings you have a button which slides from left to right, this indicates whether the ionic system is switched on or not, this will be indicated by a blue light on the top of the dryer. I've tried drying my hair with this technology turned on and off and again I see no difference in results. Ionic means that when the air is released you get microscopic droplets of water in the air which is supposed to protect your hair, much like a heat spray will do. I personally think that these additions are just built in to lure people into buying these sorts of products under false pretences.

Above the heat and speed settings you have two push into buttons. The top is for the cool setting which is exactly the same as changing the heat settings to the lowest option, the second produces a little more airflow. I use this button rarely and a lot less than I'd like to, this is simply because the button has to be held in, I would find it a lot easier if it clicked into place. The way that your hand fits around the dryer makes it difficult to keep your finger on the button for too long without your hand aching.

The dryer has a detachable back to it, this is where the air is taken in, this provides an easy cleaning method. Unless you live in an incredibly dirty or dusty house then you shouldn't need to detach the back in order to clean it more than once every six months. To clean it you must make sure the dryer is switched off at the wall, wipe with a dry cloth along the rims of the dryer.

This leaves my hair feeling soft and quite shiny which I was impressed with because it does look a little better than it did when using my previous hairdryer, it leaves it tangle free too. This of course depends on whether you condition it or not which I do but it still gives it a nice feel to run your fingers too as all girls love to play with their hair!

What I like about this dryer is how light it is, I was impressed at how quickly my old hairdryer would dry my hair but it was relatively heavy for something that you have to hold above your head for 10 minutes or so, this one is incredibly light which means that you wont be left with pins and needles or an aching arm after using it!

I think for £18.99 I got a decent hairdryer, it's not the quickest drying product I've ever used but it does the job, is very easy to use, is light, relatively quiet and stylish so I really can't complain. In hindsight I think that I should have splashed out a bit more and bought a more expensive dryer but for now I'm happy with this and will keep it until it inevitably breaks or overheats just like all my others have!

Summary: I would recommend for people looking for a cheap drying option.