Babyliss Pro230 Elegance Straighteners Review

I have used ghds in the past and there is no denying that they are one of best brands out there for straighteners, but I was determined to find something as good for less the next time around and the ideal opportunity came at Boots with their recent offers on electrical beauty gadgets.
At full price these are around £100 but they seem to be on offer at several retailers for about £40-£50.

Apart from the fact they were on offer, the reason I bought these particular ones was because they were out of the box on display instore so I could get a good look as I wanted a shape that you could do waves with easily as well. They also come with a 5yr guarantee which is another factor that sort of pipped it for me.

They are a nice deep purple colour with a wavy, pearly satin cloth type pattern.
On the left there are the LED lights, then a sliding switch for 3 heat settings (180, 200, 230 degrees), and an on button and an off button. These heat up really quick - about 20 seconds.

It comes with a heat proof mat with a velcro strappy thing on the end. The cord is a nice long length and swivels at the the top so it is easy to maneouvre and doesn't get tangled.

It also comes with a clutch (which I find a bit cheap and hideous looking). It's okay for storing the straighteners, but they just manage to fit inside, ideally it should be a bit bigger and it would be better if they somehow combined the heatproof mat and bag so that they are not separate as the lining of the bag I don't think is heat proof.

As to the straighteners themselves - they are really rather good. I have quite fine hair so don't need them to be as hot and find that these get my hair very straight quickly even if I can't be bothered to properly section my hair. The plates also have a nice glide and don't drag in the hair, and the curved edges allow me to create waves as well. One thing to note is that the outside top part of the straightener where the plates are does get very hot which I don't find to be a problem as I hold them nearer the bottom but is something to be cautious of.

My sister has thick, long (sorta like Pocahantas) hair and she has been using these on the highest heat setting and found that she can get poker-straight hair with these as well which importantly lasts throughout the day and also the following day. As we have both used ghds in the past we can tell a very slight difference - more to do with the ghd plates and how they efficiently straighten the hair in one swipe but it is such a small difference and for me these Babyliss ones do just as good a job.

Overall I am very pleased with these and they make a much more affordable alternative (if bought on offer) to ghds.


Disclaimer: Purchased by me