So who are Cloud Nine? Well, they’re a Yorkshire-based hair company set up by former hairdresser Robert Powls – the founder of GHD. He started his new company, Cloud Nine, in 2010 with a vision of creating innovative, high quality hair tools and accessories. But what makes them so good?
Cloud Nine are super sensitive about heat – a huge problem when it comes to hair styling. Luckily, we don’t have to resort to using actual clothing irons on our hair like we did fifteen years ago. Hair styling technology is now a lot less primitive, but heat damage is still a significant issue. Many hair styling tools need to operate at temperatures exceeding 200˚ in order to create our desired effects. This is simply too hot for our poor hair to handle. With many of us using hairdryers, straighteners and curling wands on a daily basis, we’re damaging our hair.
Cloud Nine take hair health very seriously, so heat damage is something they strive to eliminate from the styling process. Their slogan is ‘Less heat, more style’, and fortunately they live up to it. The great thing about their products is that on the whole they are able to create beautiful, lasting styles quickly – even at lower temperatures that don’t singe your hair.
I could tell their products were high quality as soon as I started using them and found that this applied to their entire product range. The sleek, smooth, slightly curved plates on their straighteners are like nothing I’ve ever used before, gliding through my hair quickly and easily. They have a glittery sheen thanks to what Cloud Nine refer to as ‘mineral infused plates’. Sounds fancy; works effectively. There is an undeniable ‘touchability’ to hair after styling with their products – it almost feels like they leave a protective cover behind to keep maximum sheen on your hair.
Cloud Nine hair tools come with a one year manufacturer’s warranty for peace of mind, protective heat covers and helpful booklets with cute illustrations and detailed instructions on how to achieve a range of different styles. They take you through step-by-step. As a result, I’ve now learnt how to achieve a number of great styles that I would never have even considered trying before.
Another handy feature their straighteners and wands share is their long, 360˚ swivel cords, for maximum styling freedom. If your mirror is on the other side of the room to your plug sockets – no problem. Unfortunately for all the lefties out there, their design does seem to be tailored with right handed people in mind. But in all fairness, they’re still pretty easy to use regardless of your dominant hand.
Cloud Nine Hair Straighteners
So let’s take a look at the individual Cloud Nine products available. They’re a relatively new company, so their range is by no means extensive yet. But what they do have so far is a seriously high quality set of hair utensils that are worth checking out. Here’s the lowdown on five of the tools they have available, including the Original Iron, Wide Plate Iron, C9 Touch Iron, Micro Iron and Original Curling Wand.
Cloud Nine Comparison Table
| Hair Straighteners | Max Temp. | Number of Heat Settings | Ready to Use (S) | Cord Length | Auto Shut Off | World Wide Voltage | Guarantee Length | Price | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 The Cloud Nine Original Iron | 200°C | Variable | 15 | 2.9m | Yes | Yes | 1 Year | ££££ | 4.7 |
 Cloud Nine The C9 Touch Hair Straightener | 195°C | 2 | Instantly | 3m | Yes | Yes | 1 Year | £££ | 4.8 |
 Cloud Nine Wide Plate Black Hair Straightener | 200°C | Variable | 15 | 2.9m | Yes | Yes | 1 Year | ££££ | 4.6 |
 The Cloud Nine Micro Iron | 150°C | 1 | 20 | 2.6m | Yes | Yes | 1 Year | ££ | 4.2 |
The Cloud Nine Straighteners comparison table above includes 9 columns:
- The Cloud Nine hair straightener name and picture
- The maximum temperature the hair straightener is capable of in degrees centigrade
- The number of heat settings on the Cloud Nine straighteners
- How long the hair straighteners takes to warm up
- The length of the power cable on the Cloud Nine hair straighteners
- Whether or not the hair straighteners with an auto-shut-off feature
- The length of the manufacturers guarantee
- Price guide – Based on the approximate current selling price from Amazon. The prices change frequently depending on availability and special offers. Generally speaking £ = Under £40, ££ = £40 – £70, £££ = £70 – £100, ££££ = £100+
- Rating – The average user rating from Amazon UK reviews. This gives a good indication of how satisfied people are with their purchase.
Cloud Nine The Original Iron
The Cloud Nine Original Iron is a solid investment if you’re looking for a high quality pair of straighteners that won’t damage your hair. If you have fine hair, they’re brilliant. Because they work effectively even at lower temperatures, they allow you to create a range of beautiful styles quickly and easily, without leaving your hair burnt and brittle in the long run.
Its best features include Cloud Nine’s unique black ‘mineral infused’ plates. I have no idea how these work but I can’t deny that they leave hair with a beautiful, lasting sheen that you don’t get with other straighteners. Also, the speed at which they heat up is very impressive. Robert Powls worked with engineers in the UK to develop an induction heated roller system called ‘The O’, which means Cloud Nine straighteners heat up in just four seconds. So you don’t have to faff around with make-up to pass the time until your face looks like you’re about to hit the circus ring.
The LED panel is very clear so you can easily check which temperature you are using and turn them up or down accordingly, from anything between 100˚ to 220˚. As a general rule of thumb, anything over 200˚ is harmful to hair and these straighteners work perfectly well at lower temperatures, so setting them to max is neither necessary nor advisable.
So overall, this iron is a brilliant all-rounder. If you have a hair type that might benefit for one a little more tailored to your specific needs though, such as thicker hair or short hair, see below. You may find that one of these suits you better.
Cloud Nine Original Iron Review
Cloud Nine The Wide Iron
Long, frizzy, hard to manage hair? The Cloud Nine Wide Plate Iron is the one for you. It has wide plates, measuring at 4cm in (the Original Iron has 2.5cm plates). This extra width is designed for longer, thicker hair; it allows you to straighten, wave, curl or flick more hair, faster.
Like all Cloud Nine irons, these wide plate straighteners are kind to hair. Those with thick, hard to manage hair will doubtless know the hardship of having to set their styling tools at very high temperatures in order to see results. Cloud Nine’s gentler approach strives to make sure you don’t have to exceed 200˚ in order to perfect your style.
But be warned – if your hair is super thick, then I can’t say with confidence these straighteners are the answer to your prayers. The ‘less heat, more style’ promise goes out of the window when you have to crank them up to max (220˚) to get the best results. If your hair is very, very thick, this could be the case. That said however, the Wide Plate Iron is still a high quality pair of straighteners that deliver impressive results for the majority of hair types.
If you think this is the one for you, you’ll be pleased to know that the Wide Plate Straightener is currently the same price as the Original Iron. Whether this will always be the case, I am not sure. Almost seems a little to good to be true.
Cloud Nine The Wide Iron Review
Cloud Nine The Touch
The innovative C9 Touch Straightener is for people who like to be up to date with the latest in hair styling technology. As the world’s first automatic iron, the C9 Touch is ridiculously quick to heat up, reaching its automatic operating temperature of 195˚ with immediate effect. Better still, this speed also carries over to how fast they can style your hair, giving you a smooth, beautiful style at the expense of minimal time and effort.
Here’s how you use them: there’s no on/off button, so you simply pick them up and start styling your hair. Their touch-responsive technology kicks them into action as soon as you need them. After thirty seconds of inactivity, they switch back off, saving energy and completely eliminating that feeling of dread you get when you can’t remember if you’ve turned them off after leaving the house. They heat back up immediately, so if you’ve just put them down for a moment to rearrange your hair clips, you don’t have to wait around for them to be ready again.
The signature Cloud Nine mineral infused plates heat up instantly to 195˚ the instant you start using them. There are no buttons or switches. Instead, you simply click the plates together three times in fast succession to change the temperature down to 165˚- more suited to fine hair and soft styles. Although they may lack the temperature range of other brands, realistically these are the only two temperatures you’re likely to need for styling fine or thick hair.
In spite of their incredibly innovative design, the C9 Touch Iron is actually cheaper than the Original Iron and the Wide Plate Iron. Although the price is lower, they still maintain the same level of quality synonymous with the Cloud Nine name. Like the more expensive models, they still leave hair sleek, shiny and beautifully polished.
In short, this is a professional pair of straighteners that focus on results over gimmicks. There are no unnecessary embellishments in the design- ease of use comes first, the way it should do.
Cloud Nine The Micro Iron
These mini straighteners are perfect for short hair, touch ups and fringes. Their compact design means they fit easily into your handbag, making them ideal for holidays and travel.
Weighing just 350 grams, these ditty straighteners may be small but they deliver impressive, long lasting results. They’re only six inches in length, so clearly not suitable for long, thick hair. But for touch-ups, short hair and pin curls, they’re perfect.
Like all Cloud Nine straighteners, they heat up quickly and style hair easily, without damaging it. They’re much more affordable than other Cloud Nine straighteners and yet they still include all of the great extras: the carry pouch, the heat guard and the protective cover. Cloud Nine have also kept space in these diminutive straighteners for their unique mineral-infused plates; the special ingredient that adds shine to your hair every time you use them.
If you’re someone who likes to keep a pair of straighteners with you when you’re on the go, the Micro Iron is a reliable, high quality option. And for short hair, you need nothing more.
Cloud Nine The Micro Iron Review
Cloud Nine Original Curling Wand
It’s not just Cloud Nine straighteners that are kind to any hair type. The Original Curling wand may not be one for those on a budget but if you’re looking for a long-lasting, high quality addition to your styling arsenal, it doesn’t get much better than this.
The smooth, black barrel heats up instantaneously, allowing you to create your desired style quickly with minimum effort. The wand works with all hair types, even if your locks are naturally curl resistant. You can painlessly create professional-looking curls by wrapping hair around the thin end of the barrel for tight mermaid-like curls. Or for beachy waves, you can use the wider end with the same level of ease.
Its sleek, black, no-nonsense design screams quality from the word go. Its smooth tapered barrel allows you to create the curls you desire, whether they’re small, tight twists or big, bouncy tumbles. Again adhering to Cloud Nine’s reputable drive for quality, this curling wand’s smooth barrel glides easily through hair without breakage and leaves it with a healthy shine.
The Original Wand also comes with a unique heatproof glove, which gives you maximum styling freedom as you create your perfect curls.
For a curling wand you can rely on to give you beautiful, lasting results without damaging your hair- whilst providing you with the accessories to make it as easy as possible- then the Cloud Nine Original Curling Wand is a verifiably worthwhile investment.
Cloud Nine The Original Wand Review
Cloud Nine Summary
The rumours are true. As countless user reviews suggest, Cloud Nine products are serious contenders for the gurus of the hair world, GHD. With a selection of seriously good products and a number of unique qualities to firmly secure their worth, Robert Powls’ innovative company is quickly making its name known and encouraging people to question the perception of GHD as the best you can get.
The ‘kinder to hair’ philosophy is really something to get behind and it’s great to see a styling brand that is taking responsibility for the potential damage that can be caused to hair from excess heat.
If you’re looking for a high quality, professional irons with the versatility to create a range of different styles- from flicks to curls, waves to poker straight hair- Cloud Nine products really are worth your time and money. You get what you pay for and that’s particularly evident when you use straighteners and curling wands of this caliber. Especially if, like the majority of people who style their hair on a regular basis, you are conscientious about heat damage.