Accordingly, we thought we’d put together some tips and advice on using your ghd hair straighteners abroad.

Firstly, the good news is that if you have a “IV” model (i.e. ghd Mk4) with the newer rounded shape (see the images elsewhere on the site), then you can use your hair straighteners in most countries that offer 220/240V as well as 110V mains electricity (i.e. the vast majority of Europe, North American and Australia, etc).

If you are going to Spain or other Western European Countries then before you go, you can unscrew the UK cover of the “Euro” plug that your ghd hair straighteners come with (it is a single screw in the middle of the plug) and then you can simply plug the Euro plug directly into the mains socket of your hotel or apartment.

If you are going further afield, you may need to purchase an adaptor (check with your tour operator or online), but due to the dual voltage of the ghd IV styler, you will still be able to use your ghds pretty much anywhere abroad.

Of course, do continue to follow some common sense safety practices:  Don’t use your ghd hair straighteners in the bathroom (often you’ll find sockets in bath rooms abroad) as the presence of water greatly increases the risk of electrocution (especially as you have no way of knowing the quality of the wiring in the place you are staying).

And remember that if you are spending a lot of time in the sun, sea or pool that your hair can become weakened,so ensure that you are using an appropriate shampoo and conditioner (one for chlorine, sun bleached hair and/or salt water would be ideal), and if you are at all concerned, perhaps go easy on the straightening for a few days  - sometimes wearing your hair up on your hols is more comfortable if the climate is particularly hot anyway.

Anyway, hopefully these simple tips will help you to enjoy your ghd hair straighteners abroad! Don’t forget to send us a postcard!!

Now, at the risk of sounding like a broken record, we thought we’d take the opportunity to remind you of the reasons why you should only buy from an approved ghd retailer…

Only approved ghd retailers buy their stocks from Jemella Ltd (the sole manufacturer of ghd straighteners, based in Yorkshire).    That means that what you are buying is official, genuine UK-stocks of ghd hair straighteners.  No other retailers can guarantee you the authenticity of their ghd products, no matter how much they protest otherwise.

All genuine ghd straighteners are shipped from within the UK.  We have never come across an overseas retailer selling genuine ghd stylers.   This advice is particularly pertinent to some of the “too good to be true” deals you’ll see on websites that are shipping product from the Far East (i.e. China, Hong Kong, etc).    Obviously, we are not able to say that every single overseas retailer is selling fake products, but evidence collected by UK authorities is strongly indicative that a massive majority are!

Put simply, buying from an unapproved source is just not worth the risk. We are talking about a high powered professional styling device that you use in extremely close proximity to your body!  The risk of electrocution from a sub-standard counterfeit product is a real and present danger.   Only genuine ghd straighteners are guaranteed to have passed all relevant UK and EU safety tests.

So there you have it, a few simple reasons why you should stick to approved retailers of ghds only.  Thankfully here at Compare ghd, we make it easy for you to compare ghd prices and get your hands on the cheapest ghd hair straighteners around!

The three models that savings can be made on are as follows:

ghd IV Styler

The benchmark when it comes to professional salon-quality ceramic hair straighteners. The ghd IV Styler is the best-selling, multi-award winning hair straightening sensation.  Launched in its current incarnation in late 2007, the ghd IV hair iron, is suitable for all hair types and hair lengths.  In addition to providing perfect straight hair, it was designed to enable you to create flicks, curls and waves without having to visit your stylist!

ghd Salon Styler

Perfect for those with extra-long, or extra-thick hair, the ghd Salon Styler is also ideal for Afro-Caribbean hair types. A wide-plated hair straightener, the Salon Styler features exactly the same hair straightening technology as normal ghd hair straighteners, with the exception of having wider 1.5″ ceramic plates.  Sometimes known as ghd wides, these ghd straighteners continue to be the second-best selling ghd model.

ghd Mini Styler

Designed for men and for women with short hairstyles, this versatile ghd straightener can also be used to create tight curls, and there are plenty of ghd addicts who have both this and the normal ghd straighteners in their styling bag.

The main difference between this and normal ghd hair straighteners is that the plates and barrel on the mini styler are narrower.  These narrower plates and barrel allow for easier control when straightening shorter hair lengths.  They also allow the straightener to be twisted more tightly (hence its ability to create smaller, tighter curls).

Compare cheap ghd prices

Of course this discounted price on the official website is still slightly more expensive than some of the other approved ghd retailers that we feature here on compareghd.com.  Right now the cheap ghd prices on Amazon seem pretty unbeatable, but several other merchants offer great “bundle” deals that can prove even better value if you are after some of the accessories and other styling products on offer.

In general all approved ghd websites offer great value for money, and many of these sites also stock numerous exclusive hair and beauty ranges, allowing you to to combine your purchase of ghd hair straighteners with your favourite skin care, hair care or cosmetic products in one easy purchase.

We were getting a little bit worried for a while.  It had been too long since the ghd Precious wowed us back in 2009.  We wanted a new ghd limited edition hair straightener!

Thankfully, ghd are a brand that never lets you down.  Not just one ghd limited edition, not even two, no not even three, but four incredible ghd Destiny Limited Edition hair Straighteners.

The ghd Destiny Hair Straightener range features four stunning colours:

• ghd Blue Serenity
• ghd Red Lust
• ghd Green Envy
• ghd Purple Indulgence

This is what ghd are saying about them:

Are you Red Lust, Blue Serenity, Purple Indulgence, or will you make the other girls Green with Envy? Make a statement with your styler as well as your hair with the gorgeous new limited edition colour collection from ghd. Choose from four stunning new glossy shades – Red, Blue, Purple, or Green. Each ghd IV styler from the colour collection comes with a quilted heat resistant pouch and stylish protective case.

As always ghd have grabbed the latest trends from the catwalks (this time S/S 10 acid colours) and transferred them to the world of hair straighteners.

Of the four ghd Destiny colours, three (the red ghd, the blue ghd and the green ghd)  are all new, but the fourth, the ghd purple is a return of one of the most popular ghd Limited Edition hair straighteners of all time.

Last seen in 2008, the purple ghd was a sales sensation and we are sure that it, along with its three sassy sisters will be every bit as popular in 2010!

The price of the ghd Destiny range is a reasonable £129, and it is already available here from the official ghd site, and will be with most other retailers in the week commencing 26th April.

From the brand that rocked the world of hair dressing to its core, to the established and dominant force in professional hair styling, ghd hair straighteners have quite simply been the story of the past 10 years.  However, as ghd starts to write the story of its second decade it is becoming increasingly clear that the brand stands at a major crossroads.

With a mature product and a marketplace that is now growing (at least domestically) at a far more modest rate, does ghd have what it takes to survive and indeed prosper for another 10 years?

One of the unambiguous goals of ghd has been to establish itself as a leading luxury brand. To be thought of in the same sphere as the leading fashion and perfume houses, as well as the most exclusive hair care brands.  In many ways they have suceeeded, but the key to being a super brand is the ability to evolve whilst staying true to your roots (no pun intended).

Indeed, taking the luxury brand model as a basis for predicting the future for ghd, there is no reason to suggest that they cannot suceed in achieving longevity.  Chanel No. 5 is coming up for 90 years old in 2011 and there is no questioning that it, and the perfume brand that was built largely on its back, are still exclusive and sought after today as they ever were.

However, hair straighteners are an electrical device and not the pure intellectual property that is a perfume fragrance.  Thus ghd have to keep innovating to dominate their industry they way the likes of Chanel has dominated theirs.

Last year saw the launch of one of the most interesting ghd competitors, Cloud Nine Hair Straighteners, a brand of hair straighteners created by the original manufacturers of the ghd styling iron and marketed in the UK by the very team that was behind the incredible launch of ghd ten years ago.

We’ll be looking more that the prospects of both ghd and their competitors in  a series of blog posts later this month, but in the meantime we’d love to hear from you as to whether or not you reckon that ghd can dominate the next 10 years the way they’ve dominated the last.  Add your comments below!

There are also some current stock shortages on the ghd wides (ghd IV Salon Styler), and some merchants are now out of stock on the 2009 ghd Christmas Limited Edition Gift Set (the ghd Precious).  Currently stock seems to be holding up on the ghd IV Styler and the ghd mini Styler.

We’ve been told by our sources that stock levels on the ghd IV Styler are better this year than in previous years, and that they should remain in stock at most merchants right up until Christmas. However, we would say that this doesn’t apply to other ghd models, and indeed, given the  sell-outs that have happened in previous years, we don’t recommend waiting too much longer if you still have a ghd hair straightener to buy as a present this Christmas!

Finally, we are glad to see that the police have started to shut down sites selling fake ghds - as has been widely reported in the press this week. However, they appear to have barely scratched the surface, and some of the “advice” being given out by the media about how to ensure that you buy genuine ghds is pretty poor.  Rather than wittering on about “padlocks” and “https”, the BBC (and others) only had to read our ghd guide to find out that most fake sites use legitimate credit card processing in the form of Paypal or Google Checkout, and so that just because you are completing a secure order form is absolutely no guarantee of your safety.

Also, it would have been nice to see at least one journalist ask the question as to why these sites have been appearing at the top of Google search results for most of this year despite being repeatedly reported.  Getting some answers to this question might provide some comfort to the tens of thousands of consumers to whom the police’s intervention is sadly too little, too late!

Stay safe when shopping for ghd hair straighteners, use our ghd Approved Price Comparison tables!

Anyway, in celebration of the ghd Christmas rush and in anticipation of our ultimate ghd buying guide’s release later this week, we’ve put together 4 quick tips for those of you buying ghds this Christmas:

Tip 1:  The ghd Limited Editions Sell out Fast!

We are already seeing pretty limited availability for the ghd pretty in pink gift set. The 2009 pink ghd has been a sales sensation and there are no more stocks available to retailers, which means that when a website has sold out, it has sold out!

The ghd precious limited edition has better availability at the time of writing, but this will change as November gives way to December.  As this happens your chance of paying less than the RRP will be as likely as a foot of the white stuff come the 25th!

There are still some bargains to be had on the ghd precious and the ghd pink, but don’t wait any longer for these, as soon it will be RRP (or more!)

Tip 2: Picking the right ghds

ghd’s come in three sizes: normal, wide and mini.  We’ll be covering this in much more detail in our exclusive buying guide, but in short here is what you need to know:

ghd mini - buying for a boy or a girl with very short hair (or someone who wants just to create very tight spiral curls?)

ghd wides - these suit very thick, very long or some afro-caribbean hair.

normal - this covers most hair types, and styles.  Unless either the ghd mini or the ghd wides (also known as the ghd salon styler) have jumped out at you as the most obvious choice, then go with the normal ghd IV styler (or one of the limited editions which are both normal ghds) and you will be fine!

Tip 3: Fake ghds are guaranteed to spoil your Christmas

Whether you are buying for yourself or a loved one, don’t enter those card details until you are certain what you are buying is legitimate.  Please take just 5 minutes to read our guide to spotting and avoiding fake ghds (in the article menu at the top of the page).

Tip 4: You get the best deals at Compareghd.com

We’re independent, we don’t sell ghds ourselves, and we only list ghd hair straighteners in price order (cheapest first!)  Which pretty much makes us unique amongst ghd price comparison websites!  That’s why we are number 1!

The new adverts by RKCR/ Y&R represent quite a major departure, and one that we welcome - they show the product!  A lot of the previous ghd adverts were very heavy on the film noir cues but reasonably light on ghd hair straighteners or people using them to straighten their hair.

This new advert, although still stunningly shot and featuring a continuation of the smart, sassy, ghd - wielding female lead, actually shows some hair being straightened and also a good close-up of the ghd IV styler itself.

The ethos of these new adverts is summed up in the slogan, “you can do anything with your hair”. This reflects the increased versatility of the ghd IV Styler, that was first introduced as the flagship ghd hair straightener in late 2006, replacing the ghd 3.1b.

The ghd IV Styler has a more rounded barrel and better performance, allowing you to create curls, flicks and waves as well as poker straight hair.  Although this initial advert was smart to focus on hair straightening (as this is far and away the most common reason for buying ghd straighteners), expect future adverts to focus on some of the more adventurous styles that are possible in the comfort of your own bedroom (or boudoir) thanks to the abilities of the ghd IV Styler.

Anyway, if you didn’t see the premier of the new ghd “Rapunzel” advert during the first advert break of last Saturday’s X factor, then here it is for your delectation (do let us know what you think of it in the comments section below):

ghd are launching a new advertising campaign this week. The ghd adverts are  based around a  ‘Twisted Fairytales’ concept, and includes characters such as Rapunzel, Red Riding Hood and Cinderella.

Although details are still a bit thin on the ground, we would expect that this ghd Twisted Fairytales concept would involve reimagining classic childrens’ fairy tales for the ghd generation.  Thus expect the axe wield ghd-styled Little Red Riding Hood (pictured above) to be less likely to have to run to daddy to deal with the wicked wolf that is trying to eat her!

The ghd Twisted Fairy Tales campaign is to launch with the the strapline “You can do anything with your hair”.  This is part of ghd’s ongoing attempts to educate the public that ghd hair straighteners can be used for a lot more than just straightening your hair.

Creating twists, flicks and curls, although possible with all models of ghd hair straighteners, have come well into the reach of the ordinary ghd user (as opposed to the ghd Expert hairdresser) since the launch in 2007 of the ghd IV Styler with its improved performance and rounder barrel.

The print and online campaign launches on 10 November while TV goes live on the 13 November.

Marketing Magazine report that earlier this year, ghd appointed Guy Longworth as global brand director and this is the first campaign from him and newly appointed Global ad agency Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe/Y&R:

http://marketingmagazine.co.uk/news/964943/Ghd-launches-twisted-fairytales-ad-campaign/

If you are buying ghd hair straighteners and you want to get an offer that is only found on the official ghd website (ghdhair.com), then you’ll be very interested in the extremely exclusive ghd Purity Pack.  This ghd gift set can only be found on the official ghd hair website, and comes free with every set of hair straighteners that you buy from the official site.

This is one major benefit of shopping for ghd on the ghd homepage (i.e. the website that ghd themselves run) and may, in some people’s eyes, be worth the slight premium that the ghd hair website charges. Indeed, the retail value of the ghd Purity Pack is well in excess of this premium and you get the added piece of mind that comes from purchasing from the ghd hair website operated by Jemella Ltd themselves (the people who run ghd).

The ghd Purity Pack consists of

• ghd gloss black & white heat resistant case
• Choose 1 of 4 ghd shampoo & conditioner combinations

The shampoo & conditioner combinations are:

• ghd Thermodynamics Replenish - for thick or coarse hair
• ghd Thermodynamics Guardian - for colour treated hair
• ghd Thermodynamics Elevation - for normal to fine hair
• ghd Thermodynamics Nurture - for weak/damaged hair

Check it out here.