Daughter's first curling iron to call her own, auto-shutoff is key
Like many girls growing up, our daughter's first run in with a curling iron was her mother showing her what it could do, and letting her see how it changed her appearance in a manner of minutes. And since we keep her hair relatively short, a little bit of crimping/curling is one of the few things she can do to add a little bit of extra flair without putting in extensions. Consequently, as she's gotten older she's started using her mother's curling iron A LOT and so we figured it was time she finally got her own. This seemed as good a place as any to start.<br /><br />1. Auto shut-off<br /><br />One of the key things we wanted for her first curling iron, more important than how good it was at making curls, was an auto-off function. While I trust her to be responsible and not burn the house down, if I can choose a model that has a built-in failsafe/time function (60 minutes) to ensure it doesn't just stay on all-day if accidentally left plugged in, I'm going to opt for that, and I tested it before giving it to her.<br /><br />2. Easy to use<br /><br />It's her first curling iron, it doesn't need to have any frills, just be of a size that let's her get a moderate amount of curl in her short hair. That's it. This does that, and she's pleased with the size of the curl/shape it adds. So everyone's happy.<br /><br />3. Fast<br /><br />Most of this thing's use is in the morning before school, so if it works it needs to heat up fast and do the job faster. So far, we've not had any school day mornings where the curling iron was a cause for delay, so that's a mark in its favor.<br /><br />Last but not least...<br /><br />4. Safety<br /><br />None of the pieces or latches appear to be loose, the handle is responsive, and she has plenty of clearance between the iron and skin. The kickstand works and doesn't collapse or tip over.<br /><br />And there it is, the four criteria this curling iron needed to satisfy for us to be comfortable with our daughter having it as her own and it passed. I'm still going to pick it up from time to time and ensure nothing has come loose, but for now, I trust her with it and it to not harm her.<br /><br />Is it a good value?<br /><br />It's probably not the cheapest model for a girl's first iron, but I'd rather have one with the auto shut-off than a dollar store model without it. The peace of mind is worth it.
Rating: 5 stars