Enrapture Encode Totem hair styler October 2012
A different curl for every day?
Enrapture has redesigned the curling tong - adding three different heat zones which it claims will help you to create a number of distinctive styles. We gave the Encode Totem hair styler to one of our researchers to try out, to see how easy it is to use and what difference the various settings make to your curls.
This hair styler is like a traditional curling tong - except that it has three independent heat zones with three different settings. Enrapture (the maker) claims that these will enable you to create a range of distinctive styles, depending on the heat combinations you choose. The Enrapture Totem Encode costs £74.99 and is available from Argos.
Loose and tight curls possible
The Enrapture Totem Encode has different heat zones.
Overall, I found that this hair styler created curls easily, and they stayed in place well. You can choose to have the same heat setting across all three zones, or vary them. For each of the three zones, the heat setting ranges from one (the coolest) to three (the hottest).
If you go for the same heat setting across all three zones, 1-1-1 gives loose curls and 3-3-3 tight curls. The image shows the curls it gave me on the 2-2-2 setting, and when I tried the other settings I could definitely see a difference between the tighter and looser curls
You can also choose more complicated combinations –for instance a 1-2-3 choice should give you a curl that's loose at the bottom and tight at the top. But when I tried this out, the difference between this combination and the 2-2-2 setting was hard to spot.
Easy-to-use hair styler
I found the Enrapture Totem Encode hair styler easy to use. It grips hair well and the electrical power cord is attached so it can swivel and won't tangle as you curl. It comes with a storage bag that can be also used as a heat-resistant mat.
The instructions suggest you curl your hair in one-centimetre sections at a time, and it's less effective if you attempt more. This means that if you have a lot of hair you'll have to dedicate a good chunk of time to curling.
The Enrapture Totem Encode hair styler.
The Which? first look verdict
The Enrapture Totem Encode works well and is versatile and easy to use. I struggled to create an assortment of dramatically different hairstyles, but I'm not a particularly experienced hair styler.
Pros: Easy to use, curls hold well, can produce looser or tighter curls
Cons: Some combinations may produce similar results, slow if you have a lot of hair
- Check out our hairdryers review
- Read our first look of the Remington Pearl curling tongs
- See what we thought of Cloud Nine The O heated rollers
