GHD in USA

Caked Karen

Hi girls

totally random question but am heading to New York in a few weeks and last time i was there my GHD didnt work. think there wasnt enough power to use over there.
just wondering if anyone has gone over and had it working...with a transmitter or anything like that!

i wont last without it

Thanks
CK

booyah1024

the newer ghd's that are rated for 110w-240w will work no problems.

if you have a oldish one that's only rated for 240w you'll need a step-down convertor to make it work properly.

check out maplins just off mary street for step down convertors.

who'd have thought a guy would come with the answer to this*.


*i ain't a metro and do not use a GHD just for the record.

Caked Karen

ha ha ha - thanks for that

yah i have one of the black original ones so would need that converter...will check it out!

thanks!!

emeraldstar

*i ain't a metro and do not use a GHD just for the record.

hehe

Yep the latest version (GHD IV I think) has an automatic adjustment for international voltages. The last time I was in NY my GHD worked as perfectly as at home. The time before however, I was there with an older GHD and it really didn't work that great. It heated up but nowhere near as well as it should.

So basically if you've got a newer GHD you should be fine

emeraldstar

booyah1024 wrote: »

if you have a oldish one that's only rated for 240w you'll need a step-down convertor to make it work properly.

check out maplins just off mary street for step down convertors.

Actually when I was at the airport I was looking to buy one of these and the guy in the electronics shop asked me what for and I said a hair straightener, and straight away he said, "If it's a GHD it won't work".
So I'm not sure. Interesting.

Caked Karen

oh noes....i need to find a way to do this...i could let my hair grow till september and hope i can tie it up

emeraldstar

I just had to give up and turn to a really good hair serum to tame my waves for the whole time I was over there on my J1. Being without my straightener for 3 months wasn't actually quite as horrific as I would have thought it would be though. Well I survived I guess, so that's something

booyah1024

emeraldstar wrote: »

Actually when I was at the airport I was looking to buy one of these and the guy in the electronics shop asked me what for and I said a hair straightener, and straight away he said, "If it's a GHD it won't work".
So I'm not sure. Interesting.

was the thing you were trying to buy a small plug or was it much bigger?

step down convertors are normally huge, compared to just normal 3pin to 2pin convertors.

emeraldstar

booyah1024 wrote: »

was the thing you were trying to buy a small plug or was it much bigger?

step down convertors are normally huge, compared to just normal 3pin to 2pin convertors.

I know what an adaptor is :rolleyes:

I had about 3 adaptors with me and intended to buy a converter at the airport - they were selling convertors but the guy in the shop simply told me it wouldn't work for GHDs.

But as it turns out I wouldn't have needed it anyway because I had the new gen GHD which has an in-built conversion system - though I didn't know at the time.

Caked Karen

them converter things are huge! just checked them on maplin.co.uk there!

ya the serum will need to be used i guess...i just come back and cringe at every picture i am in!!!
"this is my hair and me at the top of the empire state building"
"this is my hair and me trying to get into a cab"

You could get yourself one of these

http://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/4430212/Trail/searchtext%3EHAIR+STRAIGHTENER.htm

save_our_socks

You could just pick a hair straightener up when you get there, had the same problem in Florida last year but I just picked up a straightener in Wallmart for 10 dollars, wasnt great but did the job for the 2 weeks I was there.

booyah1024

emeraldstar wrote: »

I know what an adaptor is :rolleyes:

I had about 3 adaptors with me and intended to buy a converter at the airport - they were selling convertors but the guy in the shop simply told me it wouldn't work for GHDs.

But as it turns out I wouldn't have needed it anyway because I had the new gen GHD which has an in-built conversion system - though I didn't know at the time.

sorry that sounded like i was being condensending, i didn't mean it like that.

with my job i'm constantly in airport electronic shops and most of the people that work there would have difficulty tracing the back of the hand let alone sell someone the right convertor.

the ones in dublin airport are especially bad

dilallio

We use 220V - 240V here while in the US they use 110V. If you are buying a converter to convert from 110 - 220V you will need to buy one which can deliver enough current which is measured in Amps A. This is because your GHD has a heating element which uses more power than other appliances such as walkmans etc.
Put simply, take a look at your GHD and beside where it says the input voltage (220V - 240V), there will be another number for the amps with the A symbol. Just make sure that your converters A (amps) rating is the same or greater than the one on your GHD.
Beware of small sized converters - these usually do not deliver enough amps and will burn out quickly.
It's probably easier to go into Walmart or a large drugstore in the US and purchase an alternative.

Pythia

Buy a cheap hair straightener when you get over there or get a cheap worldwide straightener over here. Don't bother with any converters.

If you do buy one in the states make sure it heats to 230 degrees.
That is the temp required for GHD straight hair.

Novella

I just came back from New York last week and I have an original GHD too. I bought an adapter from the shop in the hotel I was staying in when I got there. I brought the GHD down to the lady who worked there and she had a look at it and gave me an adapter! It worked but it took longer to heat up and I didn't think it worked as well as it does at home but it got me by!

kumate_champ07

forgive me but I thought this thread was gonna be about some kind of vibrator, was about to look up GHD and then saw hair mentioned...

Gentle Hamster Diver..