I'm getting married in spring 2010 and have been trying to work out how I am going to style my hair. As it's a beach wedding, I decided on less formal and more natural so wanted to try curling my hair.
These curling tongs are the first pair I have ever owned and I really like them.
The wand is solid and comfortable to hold, but not too heavy. The ceramic wand has a nice finish and so does the handle. The buttons have a nice definate 'click' sound to them when you press them, and the display shows with little lights what temperature is selected. The light flashes while it is heating and only take 20 seconds or so from cold to get up to temperature. The cord swivles so it doesn't get all tangled as you work round your head. I wish the cord was longer though as I do not have a socket close to my mirror so I struggled a bit to reach. My hairdryer has a 3m lead which is great, so surely if hairdryers come with 3m then its sensible to do the same with other hair appliances?
I tried it the first time on the cooler settings as I have fine hair. I did smallish sections to start with, starting on the bottom layers (clipping the rest up out of the way) and wound the hair round, holding it for 10 seconds. This seemed plenty of time for the curlers to curl my hair. If you have thick hair, you will probably need the higher heat settings and maybe hold each curl for a bit longer. Oh, and make sure you invest in some decent heat protection spray, as curling your hair is no different to straightening it and spray will help keep the hair looking glossy.
The wand really is very good at creating curls and they were still as good the next morning after I had slept on them. I will try next time to ensure I don't wind the hair so tightly at the narrow end of the wand, and will aim to use the wider end to create looser curls. If you want the ringlet look, take care when you wind the hair round that you don't twist it up as you wind it round or the curl will end up looking strange. I learnt this the hard way.
If you have a willing friend, sister etc to help and do your curls for you, it would definately be easier - I struggled with the back bits, partly because I couldn't see what I was doing, partly because I have never used a curling wand before, and partly because the wand gets quite hot and care is needed to avoid touching the heated part (there is a light protective glove included to protect your fingers).
As with all hair styling, it takes a bit of practice to get great results, but I'm really pleased with this item and have a feeling I will be using it for other occasions before my wedding, and by then I should practically be a pro!