ghd Duet BlowDry Brush review: New hair tool could rival AirWrap
A leading tech brand has released a new high-tech and time-saving tool that could end Dyson’s reign.
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Wow, there are a lot of hair tools out there that promise a lot of things and cost a lot of money. But which to choose if you’re short on time and styling skills and haven’t got a huge budget?
That’s me. Plus I have flat-as-a-pancake hair that’s both damaged and difficult to style, not to mention it struggles to hold a style for long.
I’d heard blow dry brushes could cut down how long it takes to get ready as it’s just one tool that takes hair from wet to dry. But I was worried about tangling and causing more damage to my already fragile hair.
Then ghd released its first one – the duet – and I was ready to enter my blowdry brush era.
The brand claims its new duet blowdry brush creates three times more volume, no frizz, 50 per cent more shine and locks in a style for 24 hours, aka exactly what I was looking for.
PLUS it’s said to use 40 per cent less energy consumption than a hair dryer and a brush, which my cozzy livs affected self loves to hear.
But did it live up to the promises and my inflated expectations?
ONE MINUTE REVIEW
IN THIS REVIEW
- What’s special about the ghd duet blowdry brush?
- How to prep your hair before using the brush
- Five easy steps to the perfect blow dry
- My honest verdict – is it worth it?
- How we tested this product
THE FEATURES: WHAT IS THE GHD DUET BLOWDRY BRUSH?
The ghd duet blowdry brush is a wet-to-dry hair tool. It’s the first to use Heat-Air Xchange Technology™, which ghd describes as “a pioneering aerodynamic system that harnesses airflow to actively heat the barrel and snag-free bristles – creating salon-worthy blow dries at home, on all hair types, with absolutely no heat damage”.
These are some big claims. I can’t report fully on whether I’ve experienced “absolutely no heat damage” yet as I’ve not used it for long enough but so far, so good.
It also has an elliptical-shaped heated barrel plate, which makes it suitable - and easy – to create volume as you can get the brush close to hair roots.
The same goes for the genuinely snag-free bristles, I’m not the most graceful with these kinds of tools yet I haven’t experienced any tangling mishaps. I can roll, hold and release without lots of pull too.
Ghd also uses a lot of fancy wording about its blow dry brush’s ‘unique aerodynamic system’ – that just means its optimised to work quickly without overheating.
HOW TO PREPARE YOUR HAIR FOR THE GHD DUET BLOWDRY BRUSH
As this is a wet-to-dry styler, there’s not much you need to do to prep hair before using it. Although we’d always recommend using a heat protection product.
You could use the new ghd volume forever volumising blow dry cream ($45), which was specially designed to work with the ghd duet blowdry brush. It’s said to create four times more volume. I’ve found it surprisingly lightweight and it does lift my flat, straight hair, too.
Not sure it’s four times the volume of my usual hair though, what do you think?
HOW DO YOU USE THE GHD DUET BLOWDRY BRUSH?
Here, ghd’s brand education manager Hayley Pullyn gives a step-by-step on how to achieve a big, bouncy blowout. I followed this at home and these pictures capture my first attempt at using the brush solo.
1. WET
Towel dry hair and detangle with a comb. Apply ghd volume forever blowdry cream.
2. DRY
Loosely dry hair with ghd duet blowdry brush by brushing through hair, until mostly dry.
3. SMOOTH
Section the hair and glide from root to ends two to three times.
4. ROLL
Wrap the ends of the hair around the brush barrel and roll it up to the root. Hold for three seconds.
5. SHAPE
Unravel the hair and continue this technique – rolling and gliding ghd duet blowdry brush through the hair – until styled.
MY VERDICT: IS THE GHD DUET BLOWDRY BRUSH WORTH IT?
I love it. At $595, it’s an investment, but I know from experience that ghd products last. I’ve had the same ceramic straightener from the brand for the last ten years and it’s still going strong.
I’m old enough to remember ghd’s first pioneering straightener too, plus the nasty neck and hand burns it could give you if you weren’t careful. But this blowdry brush is head and shoulders above that – you can hold the barrel in your hand (lightly) and it doesn’t burn.
The first time I used it was under Hayley’s guidance, so I was sceptical about whether I could achieve the same smooth, voluminous style at home, but I’ve been coming close.
I love the ghd duet blowdry brush because it’s easy to use, it glides through the hair effortlessly, without tangling, and you can achieve some serious frizz-free volume with it. Even in fine, flat hair like mine.
But - and there is a but - it’s quite heavy. It weighs 0.68kg with cable and plug and 0.55kg without, which means using it requires you to lift and roll a half kilo tool around your head. It’s not very heavy - I have carpal tunnel in my dominant, right wrist and it doesn’t set it off - but anyone with an injury, limited shoulder mobility or similar may want to hold it in person before purchasing.
It is 300g lighter than the Dyson AirStrait, which weighs 0.935kg.
And, it comes with a heatproof bag for storage and a nifty little cleaning brush that attaches to the inside of the bag so you won’t lose it.
I reckon, at $290 cheaper, and with the smooth-yet-styled results you can achieve with the ghd duet blowdry brush, it’s a serious rival for the Dyson AirWrap.
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