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One of the best parts about growing up with two sisters was having two extra sets of hands to help straighten my waist-length curly hair. Before I added GHD Max Styler to my hair routine, three straighteners were needed — at once — to get me out the door if I wanted pin-straight hair.
Growing up, achieving a sleek hairdo was not only time-consuming but also damaging for my hair follicles. The constantly fluctuating temperatures of my old, manual flatiron would leave me with frizzy, uneven sections at the top of my head and sore arms from hours of putting in work.
After years of heat-damaging my thick hair with too many passes of a straightener with too high of a temperature, I began to think silky, glass hair was impossible for me to achieve at home. Once I got my hands on the GHD Max Styler, my mind was completely changed, though. Immediately, I noticed how lightweight the hot tool felt in my hand, even with larger styling plates than I'm used to. My usual was as big as two-finger widths but GHD's are as big as three or four. Plus, the larger styling plates allow me to straighten larger sections of my hair at once, ultimately cutting my styling time in half — from an hour and 15 minutes to a solid 45 minutes, tops.
Halfway through straightening with the GHD Max Styler
Halfway through my first time trying out the flatiron, I admired the silky texture across the entire tool, which helped me easily grip it. Even when I straightened the hair at the crown of my hair, the Max Styler never slipped out of my hands. Usually, this area calls for a few unusual angles and twists of the arm to maintain a good handle on the iron.
Speaking of awkward angles, the Max Styler's power cord oscillates as you move the hot tool around, making that dreaded section of hair I usually save for last painless with no cord tangles or knots.
All the while, GHD's Max Styler imparts the same temperature with every pass through my hair. Frizzy, low-temp sections of hair are now matters of the past. With just a press of the one (and only) button on the hot tool, its ceramic plates automatically heat up to 365 degrees Fahrenheit and maintain that same temperature the entire time you're styling your hair. I like to think of this technology similar to cruise control.
Before
After
Answering my thick, curly hair's prayers, I no longer have to play the temperature guessing game that results in uneven, damaged hair. The hot tool does it all on its own. And I don't have to worry about reaching for it multiple times per week because my pin-straight hair now lasts up to six days — give or take depending on New York City's humidity.
According to hairstylist Cherin Choi, the set 365-degree temperate maintenance will affect the outcome of your styling, "creating a smooth, constant look that is less damaging to the hair," she says. Choi notes that simplicity is key when it comes to a user-friendly experience. As for the enlarged styling plates, Choi agrees the time spent straightening would decrease, "allowing a more even heating surface area at once," she says.
GHD Max Styler
You pick up your own flatiron to achieve the same results at sephora.com or ulta.com for $219. Trust me, it's well worth the price tag. But before you go, make sure to check out all of our 2021 Allure Best of Beauty Award winners to discover the latest and greatest beauty products vetted by Allure editors.
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