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Price: Currently £169 in black, higher prices for other colours
Our rating: 8/10
We like:
- Quickly produces glossy, straightened hair
- Adjustable temperature to minimise damage
- Comes with convenient travel pouch
We don’t like:
- Pricey
- Edges of the straightening barrel aren’t rounded so can catch on hair
What is the Cloud Nine Original?
You’ll probably recognise the Cloud Nine brand from the salon – it’s a popular styling tool for professional hairdressers looking for speed and ease at straightening. Most sections of hair only require one pass, and the Original model has an adjustable temperature option from 100 to 200C. It is brilliant for minimising damage, especially for fine hair that doesn’t require the same high temperatures as other hair types in order to achieve a straight look. It’s a contrast to GHD, one of Cloud Nine’s biggest rivals, whose wands all heat up to 185C without any other options.
The Yorkshire-based brand was first set up in 2009 and the company now makes six different straighteners – the latest iteration of the Original that we’ve put to the test came out in 2024. The Cloud Nine Original is undoubtedly an excellent styler but at £179 at full price, it’s also an expensive investment.
Cloud Nine say the straightener is “perfect for all hair types” thanks to 11 different settings that enable users to choose the right heat level, as well as a “revive mode” in which the straightening plates vibrate to minimise friction as the hair goes between them, cutting down direct heat contact to minimise damage and help keep hair follicles healthy and strong.
We’ve taken a look at how the Cloud Nine straightener performs independently and how it measures up to some competitors, including GHD’s Classic hair straightener and its brand-new Chronos model.
Is it worth the investment? That will depend on what type of hair you have, how much you spend on salon blow-dries and your budget. I’ve deep dived into Cloud Nine’s Original hair straightener to answer all your questions before splashing out.
How we test hair straighteners
We put the Cloud Nine hair straightener through its paces on a wide range of hair types. I have fine hair that goes frizzy unless I do some serious styling and asked hairdresser Billy Supple, who uses Cloud Nine on a daily basis as a senior stylist at the ADEM London salon, to report on how well the device works on a wide range of hair types. From thick and textured to wavy and short, he flagged that the Cloud Nine wide straightener may be a more useful option for some people.
I rated the Cloud Nine Original on how straight and shiny the hair was after use and how long the styling lasted before frizz set in. I also considered how simple the product was to use – whether the instructions were clear and the controls simple to manage.
Cloud Nine’s design was also taken into consideration, finding several useful accessories in its box. As a straightener, I also took note of how much effort was needed to style the hair, thinking about the weight of the straightener, safety and workout involved. After all, there’s no point having straight hair if the product damages the hair shaft and ruins your locks in the long run.
Finally, I investigated the device’s overall safety features, such as an automatic turn-off, because who hasn’t felt the sudden fear of leaving their straighteners on at home and potentially causing a fire? Luckily, the Cloud Nine Original turns itself off after 30 minutes of inactivity.
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Results from using Cloud Nine Original straightener: 8/10