Straight hair with a bit less hassle (Remington Wet2Straight Wide Nano Gold Wide Straightener)

Member Name: Elioclya

Product:	Remington Wet2Straight Wide Nano Gold Wide Straightener
Date:	01/11/05 (447 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cutting out the hair dryer makes it a lot quicker

Disadvantages: The straightening itself still takes a while

I have the kind of hair that for years seemed impossible to control. Tying it back in a bun was the only way to make it look vaguely manageable, particularly as my hair takes forever to dry - it can take the hairdresser up to an hour with a professional hairdryer, and it's only just past my shoulders. So when the first straighteners came on the market, I was overjoyed. Unfortunately it still took forever to dry, so, being the impatient person I am, I was forced to wait until my hair had dried before tackling it with the straighteners. Then of course it still wasn't up to scratch. As the straighteners available got hotter and hotter, it became a quicker job to make my hair presentable, but it didn't get any easier to dry and so straightening remained a rare thing. Until now.

When the wet2straight range first came out, I took one look at the price and thought, there's no way I'm spending that much money on a hair appliance. And my restraint has lasted a good few months (although how much of that is will power and how much is sheer circumstances is debatable), but now, with the price going down and a sheaf of Argos vouchers to use, I've finally given in.

The straighteners, being designed for use on thick hair, are quite wide and big themselves which arguably makes them less attractive - they're certainly not slimline. But nevertheless the black finish makes them look rather stylish, and anyway, who's going to be looking?

With a warm-up time of only 30 seconds, and hitting high temperatures of 210 degrees, this is a pretty powerful toy. I was very excited about playing with it, and I wasn't disappointed. It took me just over half an hour to completely dry and straighten my hair the first time, and that was with me playing with the temperature dial and revelling in the freedom of the 3 metre lead. You do need to make sure that you thoroughly towel-dry your hair before you start, but the straighteners are really easy to use and because of their size they can straighten quite a large section of hair in one go. I find that the hair still needs to be gone over a few times, but that's probably just my ridiculously thick hair.

Another useful feature for the travelling kind is the case included in the box - it's apparently heat-resistant and the straighteners can be put into it immediately after use. I haven't tested this myself yet - I'm a bit apprehensive - but that's what it says on the booklet. The booklet, by the by, also includes full instructions, which strongly suggest that heat protection spray should be used and which even go so far as to describe the best sections of the hair to straighten first.

A small point to consider is how you feel about the noise of water evaporating in strong heat - I find it very satisfying, but I know some people find the noise a bit disconcerting, and if you're using the straighteners to dry your hair you will hear it a lot.

For me, these straighteners are fantastic, and I would highly recommend them. There is also a slimmer version available for thinner hair. I think as a general rule the wet2straight range is designed for people who either have a lack of patience or a lack of time, and they're certainly good at what they do.



© Elioclya 2005

Summary: Cut out the middle man - just wash and then straighten!