I have discussed Curlformers– fantastic hair curlers that work without any application of heat – many times on this site. I’m a huge fan of the product since they proved an ideal way to style my hair during my #30daysnoheat hair challenge, which saw the condition of my hair improve dramatically. I was also lucky enough to be invited a Curlformers photo shoot, held in Brighton’s Electric Hairdressing Studio in July last year.
My love for the brand means I felt ever so slightly appalled to discover cheap knock-off Curlformers are available, when browsing eBay a couple of months ago. For less than £5 (including P&P from Hong Kong) it is possible to buy a set of “Magic Leverags” from the online auction site.
Upon further investigation, I discovered that these cheap hair curlers are in violation of Curlformers’ UK and European, USA and China patents, meaning they’re actually an illegal product!
I must admit, intrigue got the better of me and I ordered a pack to see how they compared to my beloved Curlformers’ styling kit, worth around £45. The knock-offs took quite a long time to arrive, but I wish they hadn’t at all. Magic Leverags really are a poor substitute – I realised this after trying them out just once and I have since thrown them in the bin!
Why Magic Leverags are no substitute for Curlformers:
- Magic Leverags are only suitable for those with hair up to 10” long. This means many women will not be able to use them to create a bounty of curls. Curlformers meanwhile, are available in three different lengths, meaning everyone can buy a set to suit.
- Magic Leverag kits contain 18 curlers only. This is less than half the number provided in Curlformers Styling Kits (40). Covering a full head is pretty much impossible with so few curlers, especially because they are so short in length (you may require two per curl if you hair is longer than chin length).
- Unlike Curlformers, the fakes are not available in range of widths. This means the curly hairstyles you could create with Magic Leverags are very limited.
- The mesh used for Magic Leverags is of terrible quality. It is all too easy to push the hook through the side of each curler during application, causing painful knots and tangles. At one point I thought I’d never get the hook out of my hair!
- The low quality mesh also means Magic Leverags do not retain their shape very well at all. No matter how hard you pull a Curlformers curler, it will always spring back into its original shape but this is not the case for the counterfeits. This not only effects the quality of the resulting curls (i.e. they’re less even and defined) but this also makes it harder to pull hair through each curler.
- The hook is made of incredibly cheap, flimsy plastic – I can’t imagine it would last long at all!
- Curlformers styling kits comprise two colours only – one for clockwise curls, and another for anti-clockwise curls. My set of 18 Magic Leverags however, were made up of four different colours. I had blue and pink clockwise, and anti-clockwise, curlers (also a random orange one!?) This made applying them in a flattering way quite difficult, and time consuming.
- As I mentioned before, delivery for Magic Leverags is really slow. The fake curlers take at least 8 weeks to arrive, whereas UK Curlformers are delivered in just 3-5 working days. Who wants to wait two whole months for curly hair?
There’s a market for most counterfeit products but as we all know, a fake Gucci bag is NOT a Gucci bag (not to mention, tacky)! If you’re seeking beautiful, well-formed curls with no heat and want to invest in a product which will provide you such for a lifetime, purchasing official Curlformers really is your best option.
What do you think about counterfeit hair and beauty products? Do you think there should be greater measures in place to ensure companies cannot mimic approved product patents? Share your views in the comments below.
Love this post... <3
ReplyDeleteI dont agree with the premise of your post - no where do Magic Leverags claim to be Curlformers unlike fake Gucci bags(which actually copy the design AND name). If you can afford Gucci & Curlformers, good for you, but please acknowledge that there will many who cant, & are happy to settle for Magic Leverags & non-designer bags...
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry you feel that way. Let me first assure you that I understand people, including myself cannot afford Gucci, especially when it is really the label that drives the price.
DeleteMagic Levrag are still an illegal counterfeit product because it infringes on Curlformers patent. I have seen them sold on both Amazon and eBay using the word Curlformers and even using Curlformers images.
I personally found that Magic Leverag were a far inferior product than Curlformers, but this is just my opinion. Firstly the lack of widths and lengths means you can't always achieve the look that you want. Also I personally would have to apply two Magic Leverag to each section to achieve a root to tip curl. This means I would need at least 5 packs of Magic Leverag to do the same job as one Curlformers Styling Kit as their packs only contain 18 coils.
Also due to the cheap plastic used on both the hook and the coils I would have to replace them regularly as the hook kept going through the magic levrag.
I know that Curlformers prices are high, but I saw buying the product as an investment, which made me happy to buy them. They will last for ages (I've had mine for over a year already!) and when I think about how much I spent on my GHDs or the cost of the Totem Styler it's considerably cheaper.
Great post! I just wrote a post telling consumers to research, because I saw an infomercial for a product called "Hair Wavz" that looks eerily similar to Curlformers. Have you heard of them? However, just like Magic Levrag the sizes are limited.
ReplyDeleteWould you mind if I linked to your post, since you've actually tried Curlfomers? http://www.neishajo.com/2013/05/hair-wavz-vs-curlformers.html
xoxo