GHD Duet Review: We tested GHD’s new wet to dry styler
GHD has launched its newest hair tool, the GHD Duet.
The revolutionary hair tool seemingly does the impossible; it dries and straightens your hair with no damage. Yes, really!
GHD Duet Review
- GHD Platinum+ hair straightener, £180 from GHD -
Pros
- Easy to use
- Combines two tools in one
- Shiny, smooth results
- Hair doesn't feel damaged
- Heats up fast
- Quieter than hair dryers
Cons
- Expensive
- Larger than usual tools
- Harder to curl hair
The new hair tool was launched earlier this year, and I've been putting it through its paces.
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When I first thought about a tool that claimed to dry and straighten hair simultaneously, my millennial memory went back to dry-to-wet stylers, damaged hair and achingly uncool ruler-straight hair - not a look!
But, thankfully, times have changed and the GHD Duet is a thing of beauty.
How does the GHD Duet work?
The GHD Duet uses "ground-breaking AIRFUSION technology, to combine airflow and heated styling plates to dry, smooth and add shine to hair simultaneously".
This combination of convection and conduction led GHD to develop its exclusive Airfusion technology.
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GHD Duet uses a "unique GHD styling chamber which combines state-of-the-art internal airflow aerodynamics with four smart low-temperature plates".
Allegedly this uses 45% less energy than the Helios hairdryer (check out our GHD Helios hairdryer review here) and is far quieter.
Once dry, you then use the Shine Shot button to turn the Duet from a dryer to a styler.
It uses the optimum styling temperature of 185°C, to double the shine, and give you smooth, frizz-free hair.
Is the GHD Duet worth it?
It's ridiculously easy to use and is the ultimate lazy girl hair tool. Most importantly, it works, with decent results.
Despite working and writing about beauty for years now, I am pretty unskilled when it comes to styling my hair. A couple of tongs around the front, an Airwrap blow dry and straighten, is the extent of my skill level.
So you can imagine my joy when I discovered a tool that would combine two together, and the Duet does just that.
At £379, it's more expensive than GHD's existing styling tools, but as an industry first, we'd expect this to be the case.
My hair is thin, but there's a lot of it, so I wondered if a wet-to-dry styler would have enough horsepower.
The first thing to note is that the Duet is big, noticeably bigger than GHD's platinum, gold and Max stylers.
Because it's a 2-in-1, it needs to be larger than a usual styler, but it isn't heavy and it's easy to use; there's a nice weight to it that makes it feel sturdy but not cumbersome.
With this in mind, it's probably better suited for those with longer hair; short and pixie styles may struggle to get the best use out of the Duet.
Whilst the initial straighten was yes, straight, I wouldn't say my hair was instantly smoothened out (this is, where the style shot comes in, but we'll get to that later).
You section your hair into the same size sections that you would straighten it with, and then pull the Duet down.
Because of the hair dryer function on the sides of the plates, there is little disconcerting steam and it took me two goes to get a satisfying dry - I think with thinner hair, you'd be ok with one - which, is still pretty good going.
I did find that the large size of the plates made it hard to fully dry the top of my hair, as you'd really need to lift the hair upwards to get to the root.
I divided my hair in two and then sectioned it and the whole process took ten minutes. Only a few top-ups were required on some still slightly damp bits at the back.
The Shine Shot is the function that really sold me on the Duet.
You simply press when done "drying" and it'll turn off the dryers and heat up the straighteners to GHD's optimum 185C (the temperature all GHD's work at).
These two steps help to minimise damage to your hair and it showed.
After sectioning my hair and repeating the Duet on the Shine shot function, my hair was noticeably smoother than the first 'dry', with a lovely, sleek feel to it.
I was worried that the Shine Shot wouldn't live up to its name, but this added step was the finishing touch that seals the deal.
Whilst it doesn't instantly smooth or style like the Airwrap and you have to do it in two steps, I actually don't mind this - it's a different kind of tool, and without the two-step process you'd singe or damage your hair.
Again, my hair is heavy, and I wondered if the results would last, but hours later my hair still had a glossy, sleek finish that was frizz-free.
Can you use GHD Duet on dry hair?
Yes, you can!
The Duet is designed to be used on dry hair using the Shine Shot button after drying it first, so technically you can.
It gives a lovely sleek effect, and you can definitely see the shine.
However, if you're looking for a straightener for only dry hair, it might be worth looking at our round-up of the best GHD straighteners.
Can you curl your hair with GHD Duet?
Yes, you'll need to use it when using the Shine Shot function but you can curl your hair with the GHD Duet.
It's harder than it would be with a traditional straightener but you do end up with a nice, relaxed wave.
However, it's worth noting that the size of the plates will affect the size of the curl, so if you're looking for tighter curls then a different tool may be a better choice.
Where can I buy the GHD Duet?
The GHD Duet is available to buy from , Lookfantastic and Cult Beauty.
- GHD -
- Lookfantastic -
- John Lewis -
- Cult Beauty -
Enjoyed our review of the GHD Duet? We tested the best GHD straighteners, we tried all the best stylers so you don’t have to.
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