The new Babyliss 9000 Cordless Straightener heats up in a flash and lets you style anywhere without compromising on power. It gave our tester the glossiest hair of her life
If you’ve ever tried and failed to find a socket near enough to a mirror in the loos after work or in your hotel room (that's all of us) or you simply don't want to be tied down while doing your 'do, we reckon the Babyliss 9000 Cordless Straightener will change your life.
We've tried cordless plates before - small, travel-sized and a bit meh on power and generally not worth the investment. The Babyliss 9000 is the first tool that we know of that's cordless, without the need for gas cell power, that crucially does not compromise on heat or speed. It can stay at 200C for 30 minutes without a recharge - an advancement in hair tools that is big news for beauty aficionados - those with £200 to spare, at least (revolution don't come cheap). However, sales of the £299 Dyson Supersonic hairdryer prove that price isn't always a barrier for a tool that's a true breakthrough.
We paid a visit to Babyliss ambassador and hairstylist to the stars Paul Percival (one half of haircare brand Percy & Reed) to show us how it worked ahead of today's launch. If there’s a man to trust with your hair, it’s Paul. He’s styled the likes of Cheryl, Fearne Cotton and Ellie Goulding and if it’s good enough for him…
As Paul drew the floating ceramic plates through my hair, he told me how needed this tech advancement is for public and professionals alike. “This will change hair styling, especially in my industry. The number of times I’ve needed a hot hair tool on a photo shoot and had to source an old generator from somewhere. This is portable without compromise on power, a must-have.”
What does the Babyliss 9000 do?
If you hadn’t noticed already, it’s full-size and cordless. Huge. News.
It claims to reach temperatures of 160C, 180C or 200C for a 30-minute use - plenty of time to style even the thickest of hair types. We haven't been able to test this claim as there was only one on the preview day and Paul wasn't letting go of it!
It's powered by lithium-ion for sustained power during the 30-minute use, in other words, it won’t start to go cold as soon as it’s off charge, it’ll stay the temperature you’ve selected.
Heat up time is minimal and you won’t be waiting around, a few seconds at most.
It does charge via a cord but in just three hours for 30-minutes use at maximum temperature, although when we gave it a try it charged a lot faster than that!
The plates are 'floating ceramic' meaning they don’t drag or pull on the hair, leaving it shiny and silky smooth.
It comes with a three-year guarantee and its own travel case and heat protection mat - ultra travel-friendly.
The verdict
I never thought I’d see the day I put down my trusty GHDs but after a trial of Babyliss’ newbie, my opinion has completely changed. I much prefer the effects these plates give, I had never seen my hair this glossy. Ever. My hair just felt different after using it, static was eradicated, the frizz tamed and the shine was mirror-like. The portable aspect is just so efficient and useful, you can pop them in your handbag and not worry about the grey UK drizzle dampening your 'do.
Gone are the days of turning your straighteners on, having a 30-minute shower, drying your hair then returning to you straighteners to find them only lukewarm. We suggest putting this on your self-gifting list - we predict sell-out is pretty much guaranteed.