Remington - Silk Curling Wand

A couple of months ago now I received the Remington Silk Curling Wand as a gift from my brother, the little cutie. Now I must admit it did sit unopened in my cupboard, up until last Monday morning when I decided I'd take it out of the box and give it a go. I don't regularly curl my hair as it can be a bit of a chore due to its length and thickness, it can become quite time consuming. That being said it's probably my favourite way to have my hair. 

When I do go ahead and curl my hair I usually grab my Mark Hill - Pro Magic Wand, which is a thick conical shaped barrel. This particular Remington wand isn't the typical conical shape, but is an elliptical styling wand as it has an almost flatter surface. Initially this left me wondering what difference it may make on my hair. 

                                                                                                                                                                  

































It took about twenty minutes of sectioning and curling my hair to achieve the finished look - which was tight, pretty spiral curls. It was nice, but not the look I was going for. So after brushing through my hair a couple of times and spritzing a bit of hairspray, I was left with more relaxed and looser looking curls. 
    
This wand is easy to use, especially if you've used this kind of product before. The temperature ranges from 110 - 220°C. It doesn't take long at all to reach the highest temperature, about 30-40 seconds. The wand itself is quite lightweight and is priced at £34.99, which I think is pretty affordable. Alongside the wand you also have a handy bag to slip the wand into, a single black heat-protecting glove and a small instruction leaflet. I personally would have preferred the leaflet to perhaps have a bit more guidance on how to create various looks.

When curling my hair I found myself accidentally turning the heat up and down, as the positioning of the buttons are where your hand rests when styling your hair. It was slightly frustrating to begin with, but I've discovered you can easily lock the temperature by holding down one of the buttons, so that's handy. I'll just have to remember that for next time! I was really pleased with the finished look, the curls looked sleek, clean and natural! My hair didn't go dry or fizzy, it just looked and felt so natural. It may have helped that I'd washed my hair that morning and applied a small amount of hairspray after styling. 

{The sunshine was really pouring in, so quite a bright one!}

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       I loved the finished look and was also extremely impressed with how well my hair held the curls. My hair isn't the best for holding curls/waves for long periods of time as it's quite thick and long. I normally resort to applying an excessive amount of hairspray in a bid to keep the shape. Usually by the end of the day or evening my hair looks flatter and some of the curls have dropped out. I was genuinely surprised to wake up on Tuesday morning to see my hair still looking curly. It stayed that way throughout the day! Shockingly, not the messy type of next-day curls that looks a bit out of control and huge. Instead it resembled the finished look from the day before, still natural and pretty. I'm so impressed. This was a bit of a shocker for me as I sprayed a small amount of hairspray so I'm not sure whether it was the wand, the hairspray or my just-washed hair pre-styling?! No idea, but nonetheless I was pleasantly surprised and can confidently say this hasn't happened before. Fingers crossed it wasn't a one off.

I was really pleased with the finished look, the curls looked sleek and clean! My hair didn't go dry or frizzy. It just looked and felt so natural. It may have helped that I'd washed my hair that morning and applied little hairspray but I really loved the finish and just can't get over how well, and for how long my hair managed to keep the shape.

What do you guys think? I'd love to hear what tools you use to curl your hair.

Hair Care Tips

            

*image from Drink2Health.net

               

Now I'm no expert on hair care and I'm not claiming to be in anyway. But I do have fairly long hair myself and often receive compliments on the condition of my hair and so I thought I'd just share a few of my hair care tips that I've accumulated over the last few years. I'm not perfect and neither is my hair. But I do try to take care of my hair when I can. Most of these tips are just bits I've heard and read about... many of you may already know them. But if not here they are :)

• A pretty simple & obvious one here; treat your hair with love. What I mean by this is do not over do it. For example using hair straighteners, curling tongs, wands and hair dryers can all cause damage to your hair. I think everyone knows this but of course many of us want/need to use these products. So if you are one of these people... try to give your hair a break when you can. When I can I let my hair dry naturally, or part blow dry it. With hair straighteners I try not to do this too often. Sometimes I'll straighten a few unruly bits of hair and stop there. Too much heat can really damage your hair and will result in the hair dresser needing to snip off lots of split ends. 

• When your hair is wet it can be more vulnerable to damage. If you're pulling and tugging through wet hair with a brush you can cause damage and pull hair out. This can be difficult when you get out the bath or shower and your hair needs a good old brush through. So a good tip is to brush your hair before you've washed it and once you have and its wet, brush it carefully. You can use either with a wide-toothed comb or something similar which are great for wet hair. I personally use the tangle teezer and brush through slowly and in sections. My hair is quite thick so sections is best for me. Tangle teezers and wide-toothed combs can be purchased in many places such as Boots and Superdrug. I strongly recommend the tangle teezer. It's amazing!

• Product overload - I occasionally use a little bit of hair oil here and there to smooth over frizzy bits but I try not too use too much of this or use it too often. Products such as these can contain silicone - as well as Shampoos and Conditioners. Silicone isn't harmful but it doesn't 'fix' problematic hair. It can make your hair appear healthy and shiny which is great but after a while too much silicone can weigh your hair down. What I'm trying to say is be aware of what you're putting in your hair. There are some Shampoos and Conditioners that can help remove this build up, sometimes your hair may really need this. These can be purchased in places such as Boots and Superdrug. If you use lots of products on a daily basis - maybe think about either cutting down or not using these products on a daily basis. If this isn't something that you're willing to do, think about purchasing a build up remover Shampoo. It can really help clarify your hair.

• Tying your hair up too tightly can pull hair out and damage hair. I often have my hair up high in a bun or just out of my face. A few years ago I remember having like a little tuft of new hair at the bottom of my head and was told by my hairdresser that pulling the hair too tightly may have pulled some hair out (I'm not talking bald patches here - it can be unnoticeable) it's grown out now and from then on I've always been careful with how tightly I tie my hair up. 

• Don't cut your own hair. I know some people don't mind grabbing some scissors and trimming their fringe or pulling out split ends. But this can damage your hair. Unless maybe you know exactly what you're doing and you have the right tools then I would lay off and wait until you visit the professionals. I've made this mistake in the past and was told it can damage the ends of your hair.

• Keep your hair healthy and fresh by having regular hair cuts. This can differ depending your hair. Long hair should be cut at least every 8-12 weeks. Longer hair can be more susceptible to damage. I have mine cut every 6 weeks and I definitely can tell a difference when it hasn't been cut by the feel and look of it. The shorter your hair is the more often it may need cutting. Some short hair styles need to be regularly cut to help keep the style. If you have coloured/highlighted hair then it may be that hair needs to be trimmed more often. As it can leave hair dry and prone to breakages.

There are lots of ways to get more information about hair care - Hair guide, Basic tips.