Not sure how to style your hair for the festive season?
Thankfully there are plenty of techy new launches that are promising to make this your best party hair season yet.
From cordless straighteners that won't have you stretching to see your reflection in the mirror, to a hybrid of a straightener and a blow-dry brush that promises to give you a salon-worthy blow-out, there are plenty of gadgets to pick from - to suit all your hair.
We had our Notebook beauty team try out some of the hottest hair gadgets to find out if they managed to get us in the party mood.
Some of our writers immediately fell in love with their gadgets - read on to find out how they got on here.
Babyliss 9000 Cordless Straightener, £250
This ‘game-changer’ promises all the results of regular straighteners, without needing to be shackled to a plug.
Charge for 3 hours for 30 mins of full-power heat.
Lynne says: ‘I’d always thought you sacrificed performance if you went cordless, but these irons confounded my expectations.
'They curled and straightened beautifully, and although I found I did have to crank up the heat to 200°C to get best results, I loved doing away with cords and the need to find a decent mirror in stretching distance of a plug. Brilliant for travel, or if you need to get party ready in the office loos.’
L’Oréal Professionnel Steampod 3.0, £222.95
A new, slimmed-down version of the straightener that smooths hair with steam.
The water holder is now built into the barrel, and the Steampod also has a new swivelling cord, so it’s easier to make waves too.
Beauty director Lynne says: ‘I love the original – it’s bulky but amazing for getting a glass-like finish.
'The 3.0 isn’t quite as good (less bulk = less steam), so I’ll stick to the original on days when my hair is scruffy, and I need to look polished with minimal effort.
'If I want crisp, defined, all-day waves, I’d reach for my ghds over this, but the new Steampod is good for adding soft movement.’
InStyler Max Prime Revolving Styler, £89.99
Use on dry hair to mimic what’s meant to be a pro blow-dry effect. The heated barrel rotates when turned on, and smooths and straightens hair.
The brush on the other side emits ions to smooth frizz.
Beauty writer Zoe says: ‘The result should be sleek hair with curled-under ends – and less heat damage. My hair did look glossy and felt smooth, but it didn’t quite deliver on adding any body or shape, even on the ends.
'I do prefer using a brush to straightening irons, but this isn’t as good as the Glamoriser one.'
Formawell x Kendall Jenner Flat Iron, £59.99
This boasts a speedy warm-up time and adjustable heat temperatures ranging from 80 to 230°C.
It also has a handy 8ft cord, so you won’t have to stretch to the mirror.
Zoe says: ‘Feels and looks very luxe. It took less than a minute to reach 180°C, and that was more than hot enough for me.
'My hair didn’t glide through the plates as easily as my fave ghd irons, but the results were nice and sleek nonetheless.’
Glamoriser Straight & Smooth Speed Brush, £60
Hot and cool technology works to detangle, tame and straighten, while the black diamond oil infused in the bristles is meant to reduce frizz and yaways.
Choose a temperature from 80-210°C.
Zoe says: ‘I’ve been using hot brushes over straighteners for a year and I wouldn’t go back. This one promised extra frizz-fighting, which my current one doesn’t, and I like the controllable heat settings, as my fine hair doesn’t need a huge temperature.
'The brush took a minute to warm up, and it gave me very smooth and straight hair. It doesn’t detangle, though, so brush before using.’
ghd Platinum+ Plus Rose Gold Gift Set, £199
ghd’s smartest straighteners feature ‘ultra-zone predictive technology’, which works out what temperature your hair needs for optimum styling with minimum damage and adjusts accordingly 250 times a second (yet never going over 185°C).
Beauty editor Laura says: ‘There’s a reason why ghd’s straighteners are the market leaders, and always my number one choice - they’re slim, lightweight and easy to manoeuvre and they glide through the hair with no pulling or drag, and because of this, I genuinely believe they cause less damage to the hair than others.
'I’m also in love with this pretty metallic pink shade and stylish burgundy vanity case they come in this Christmas.’
Cloud Nine The Alchemy Collection Airshot Gift Set, £119
This hairdryer comes with the usual features (three heat settings, two speeds and a cool shot button) plus some haircare technology - vitamin-infused heating elements and negatively charged particles to fight frizz and static.
Laura says: ‘Acknowledging that one heat doesn’t suit all, every Cloud Nine tool has a range of temperature settings, and this hairdryer is powerful enough to dry my fine hair on a low heat (therefore hopefully minimising damage).
'The nozzle is a good length - not too long - although it’s quite heavy for its size. I also like that the filter on the back is easy to open and clean.’
Remington Curl & Straight Confidence, £59.99
A swivel cord, twisted plate design and a cool tip make for easy curling or straightening, they say.
The edge of the device has little teeth, which are meant to smooth hair, and the heat setting can go from 150-230°C.
Zoe says: ‘I wanted to love this because I never have space to pack a straightener and curler when I go away, but I was underwhelmed.
'No matter how well I brushed my hair before, my lengths just got stuck those teeth on the side which made it hard to curl my hair smoothly.
'I didn’t love the shape of the curls it created either, not in comparison to my normal ghd tong. I found it quite nice to use as a straightener, though.’
