Walking into the secret ghd venue in Woodstock, I was looking forward to an hour of pampering at ghd's Style Lounge. If you?re anything like me, then you?ll know that such moments are few and far between. In fact, my hair is lucky if it sees a hairbrush, let alone a sleek and powerful ghd hair styler.

So, with my hair washed and hair-dryed ? as I had been instructed prior to my pamper date ? I came rushing into the venue, flustered from a business call and from the worry of being late. Luckily for me, I was right on time and was quickly ushered to the gorgeous lounge area by a gracious butler. The venue was perfectly chosen with its towering wooden ceilings and tall lead-framed windows that let in the natural daylight. Just the right location for a beauty session where good light is essential.

Sipping at a glass of Krone bubbly and enjoying a moment to catch my breath, I was introduced to my stylist for the hour, Jennifer. As an expert ghd educator, Jennifer was both knowledgeable and patient, taking the time to explain how the ghd styler works and what products I should use in my hair to make sure that I don?t damage it. Here are some of her secrets that will make sure your hair looks perfect every time:

  • Make sure your hair is blow-dried before you ghd it. This is a very important rule to follow as styling wet or damp hair can dry it out and make it brittle ? definitely not the way a ghd styler should be used.

  • Once your hair is dried, make sure you spray on a moisturising serum that will protect your hair and give it the sleek and healthy look it needs.

  • When you start styling your hair, do it in sections. First the lower part of your hair, near the nape of your neck, working up towards the crown.

  • Work with many smaller strands rather than fistfuls of hair. This will ensure a sleeker, more effective style.

  • When you?ve got the strand in the grasp of the styler, give it one thrust up the wrong way to ensure that you iron out any stray hairs nearer your scalp, and then style slowly towards the tip.

    • The styler is not only useful to straighten your hair. Jennifer showed me a neat trick for curling your hair to get those gorgeous bouncy spirals that we all fawn over. Here?s how it?s done:

  • Using the method mentioned above, begin at the nape of your neck, gathering a small section of hair at a time. Grasp it and give it an initial tug towards your scalp, then twist your wrist so that the hair is at a ninety-degree angle ? no more, and iron right to the tip. Voila! One beautiful spiral done.

    • Another awesome technique is this:

  • Take a strand and wind it gently around three fingers. Carefully remove your fingers and keep that circle of hair together, now clamp the styler on it a few times, getting the hair up to a good heat (don?t frazzle it, mind you). Once you?re satisfied that it?s warmed through, let go and see it unfurl into a pretty curl.

    • It?s important to know that a hair styler gets super hot. Jennifer mentioned that the ghd styler runs at a consistent 190 degrees Celsius. So be careful not to clamp onto your ear by mistake, or a finger for that matter. Your hair can withstand this heat, but as I?ve mentioned, take care of your hair and protect it using a moisturising spray, especially for the tips. ghd has a product called the ghd thermal protector which worked very nicely on my hair.

    Getting up from my seat in front of the mirror, my usual dull and unruly hair had been transformed into a bouncing mass of gorgeous curls fit for any red carpet.

    Have any styling secrets of your own? Let us in on them by adding them to the Comments section below.