An Inexpensive Straightening Solution? Everyone loves a bargain! And I’m no exception. So today I thought I’d check out the reviews and specs of the very cheapest flat iron I could find: the S5500 Remington hair straightener.
In this Remington hair straighteners review, I’d like to find out how the company is able to make a flat iron so cheaply, how it differs from its more expensive cousins and whether it’s worth chancing 20 big ones on.
Let’s see what the specs, the websites and the customer reviews have to say about the Remington S5500.
A Cheap & Cheerful Flat Iron
The Remington hair straightener price is pretty much the cheapest on the market. It generally sells for under $40 – you can’t even buy a T-shirt for that! It also looks great – a fabulous bright purple colour – and most buyers say they are happy with its performance in the online reviews.
I recommend using auction sites like Amazon.com to shop for straighteners, especially non-professional ones which don’t have the strict certification. Remington hair straightener online shopping allows you to purchase from anywhere in the world and to search around and take advantage of the best deals.
You won’t have to go hunting for Remington hair straighteners nz or the Remington hair straightener price in India, simply check it ships to your home, convert to your currency and you’re ready to buy!
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Just One Floating Plate? Huh?
There are one or two reasons why this Remington hair straightener is so much cheaper than other models and some of them are fairly carefully hidden. It advertises “floating plates” which are a great feature which speed up straightening, prevent painful snagging and allow for better plate contact and a more effective straightening than models with fixed plates.
Great news! I thought.
Until I read a few Remington s5500 hair straightener reviews.
It turns out that only one of the plates is floating and the other is fixed. This kind of defeats the purpose of floating plates because they will not flex to meet each other or align as well as they would if both were floating. There’s also a greater chance that hair will catch between the housing and the plate and lead to painful pulling.
Sizes to Suit Styling Needs
Just when I was starting to doubt the Remington s5500 digital I found a couple of features that I really like. There’s a choice of two plate sizes which is great because different hair types, lengths and styles need different plate widths.
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If you’ve got short hair or want to be able to make tight curls with your flat iron, the 1 inch plated Remington slim ceramic straightener is your best option.
If your hair is a lot longer or is stubborn and hard to straighten, you’ll be better off with a Remington wide hair straightener (1 ¾ inch plate) because the 1 inch will take hours to straighten long hair. Just be aware that the Remington wide plate straighteners will not have the precision for styling hair into curls.
Great Safety Features
In my opinion, one of the Remington s5500 digital flat irons best features is the digital read out which gives you an accurate reading of the temperature as often as you need it so you’ll know that you’re not going to melt your cortex and fry your cuticles! Simply program the temperature you need (around 375 degrees is optimal but it could be cooler if your hair is fine), check the display and you’re ready for safer straightening.
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And, speaking of safety, there’s also the auto shut-off function. This straightener is clever enough to turn itself off when it hasn’t been used for an hour. That’s wonderful news for those of us who have the memory of a goldfish and risk burning the house down every time we finish a styling session.
Temperature Questions
One concern that I have with this Remington straightener is that the minimum heat setting is far too high. The lowest temperature setting is 310 degrees and people with damaged or fragile hair may need it much lower than that.
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So, if you’re wondering how to use remington hair straighteners on damaged hair and what temperature to choose, I say DON’T. You need straighteners that are gentler and have much lower temperatures if you want to avoid totally charred, broken and irreparably damaged hair. If your hair is very fine or quite damaged, why not check out my hair types article for the best models of straighteners for damaged hair? Or my Heat Precautions article for tips and tricks to protecting your hair from further damage.
One or two reviews of both the Remington wide hair straighteners and the anti static 1 inch ceramic hair straightener said that they emit an odd chemical smell when they get really hot. The manufacturer states that this is normal and not dangerous. It will ‘burn off’ after a couple of uses. Just thought I’d let you know in case you’re sensitive to smell!
Surprisingly Positive Reviews
It seems like I’ve been pretty harsh on the Remingtons. I do think there are good features but I also want buyers to know that there are flaws with this model. I’m trying to be balanced!
For all my nit-picking and flaw-finding, the Remington s5520 hair straightener reviews on Amazon.com are actually suprisingly positive. After nearly 3000 customer reviews, it has an overall consumer rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars. There are even reviews from people with notoriously hard to straighten hair – coarse, curly, frizzy, long, African American – you name it! These straighteners apparently have a massive loyal following and many reject more expensive brands an order to buy them.
So, is remington hair straightener good for the price? Why not read a few more customer reviews and make up your own mind?
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My Verdict: The Very Cheapest Option with some Promising Features
I originally gave the Remington s5500 straightener 3.5 out of 5 stars for my personal rating.
But, after reading all the reviews of the remington hair straightener online I have changed my mind and will give it a 4 out of 5 star rating. This is because I realized just how many people love this straightener and think it does a great job on their hair (even ‘hard to straighten’ hair).
I guess what you have to remember is that “you get what you pay for”. You can buy cheap remington straighteners and appreciate the job they do, without expecting a salon finish at a drugstore price. As long as you know what you’re buying, you shouldn’t be disappointed.
And, speaking of price, why not check if they’re on sale at the moment?