I don’t know if you know this, but I have to straighten my hair with a flat iron every morning after I’ve washed my hair. I used to have my hair digitally straightened (whatever the heck that means; that’s how hair salons put it anyway) at the salon, which would make hair maintenance a whole lot easier. However, I really don’t like the first month after the process. My hair would be incredibly flat and straight, and it looks something awful on my rather large face. So, to avoid lifeless flat hair OR incredibly wavy and poofy hair (if I don’t get it done), I hit the flat iron.

I’ve been sent the Cloud Nine Micro Iron by the good people of Cloud Nine for review. To the tell you the truth, I was really excited about this one, as it’s deemed to be the next GHD. Cloud Nine irons are developed by the founders and inventors of the original GHD iron (but it’s not part of GHD). Since I do not own a GHD flat iron (just ‘cos I’m cheap), this was a great opportunity to finally check out a Cloud Nine flat iron. I contemplated between the regular iron and micro iron, and in the end, chose the micro iron as I already have a regular-sized straightener.

Just a bit of description about the iron:

The Cloud Nine Micro Iron allows you to focus on shorter areas of hair, with added shine every time you use thaks to its unique black plates. Working at an optimum temperation of 150C, it is idea for shorter styles, fringes, men’s hair or simply the perfect handbag/travel size.

Okay, I knew I asked for a micro iron, so I should expect it to be small, but man, it’s tiny. Nothing wrong with that really, just that it’s really cute and definitely purse-friendly. It comes with a black velvet bag you can transport the iron in. The micro iron is 15cm in length and under 200g in weight.

The iron comes with a heat guard (see the blue plastic thingy in the first picture), which you can use after you’re done with the irons. Simply slip on the protective heat guard and allow the iron to cool down. There’s only one temperature setting with the micro iron, which is 150C.

An important safety feature of Cloud Nine irons is the hibernation mode. Its sleep mode kicks in when the iron is switched on but not used for 20 minutes. The iron will cool to ‘box temperature’ and reheat once it’s switched off and on again. This is a huge plus point for me as I’m often worried if I’ve switched my flat iron off or not.

Oh, and the iron also has a RFID chip which allows Cloud Nine to identify each iron with its own unique ID number. This means that the company can track your iron and monitor it throughout its working life to ensure it’s a genuine product only sold through authorised Cloud Nine stockists. There you go. At least you’ll know you’re not getting some sold-on-eBay-made-in-China lemon.

Overall, I really like this iron. While it is too small to fully iron all of my long hair (it IS possible, of course, only that it will take me yonks to complete), I use it mainly to style my fringe and to give the front bits a bit of a wave. And its size is absolutely perfect for traveling. I wouldn’t have to lug my regular-sized iron with me when traveling anymore, thank God.

The Cloud Nine Micro Iron retails at AU$90 and is only available to purchase at reputable professional salons. For Cloud Nine stockists, please call 1300 C9hair (1300 294 247).