ghd duet style review: New hot tool transforms hair from wet to dry
Like the famous Dyson Airwrap, the ghd duet style dries and styles hair in no time but costs $300 less — so how does it compare?
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One of the down sides to styling hair is just how time consuming it can be.
First you have to dry your hair with a hair dryer, then you either have to grab your brush and start styling or reach for your second hot tool.
But now ghd have released a new groundbreaking hair tool — that’s been nine years in the making, no less — which means hair can be dried and styled in one go.
After trialling it I’m blown away (no pun intended) by just how good it is.
WHAT IS THE GHD DUET STYLE?
At $595 the ghd duet style is $304 cheaper than the Airwrap and styles hair from wet to dry without frying hair in the process.
However that’s where the similarities end — the ghd duet style has an in-built fan in its plates which you run through sections of your hair for an easy, salon-worthy blowdry.
After your hair has dried, you switch to the shine shot mode, which turns the fan off and heats the plates, allowing you to style your hair for that picture perfect look.
“ghd duet style is our biggest breakthrough innovation yet – the first two-in-one hot air styler to transform hair from wet to styled, with no thermal hair damage detected after four passes in wet to style mode vs naturally dried hair,” ghd education manager for Australia and New Zealand Hayley Pullyn told news.com.au.
“The duet style has undergone extensive testing and showed no damage after 100 uses, with each section of hair undergoing four passes in wet to style mode.
“The duet style uses ghd’s revolutionary air-fusion technology, using the best of our Helios Hairdryer and Platinum+ Styler.”
HOW DOES THE GHD DUET STYLE WORK?
The ghd duet style has five unique elements that “combines the best of ghd’s drying and styling technologies”, Hayley explains.
These include a special air filter design that “allows for maximum airflow to be drawn into the hot air styler guaranteeing a powerful performance”, she said.
It uses internal aerodynamics — a “bespoke fan motor” and “brushless DC motor” to deliver “precise air speed with reduced turbulence and low sound levels”.
It works through what ghd call its “revolutionary drying chamber” and the four smart styling plates that make up the ghd duet style.
“This delivers an ultra-concentrated airflow through an expertly designed, honeycombed shaped air grille working in synergy with the smart low-temperature plates to efficiently dry and style hair at the same time,” Hayley said.
The styling plates are designed to style hair for up to 48 hours “with no damage, sizzling or burning smell”, all while “respecting your hair’s natural moisture”, she added.
The ghd duet style also looks after one of the most sensitive parts of your hair — the roots.
“A specially designed nose seal concentrates the airflow inside the chamber and directs it outwards through expertly angled root drying vents, at 90°C; ensuring an optimal root drying performance, with no extreme heat,” Hayley said.
GHD DUET STYLE, THE ICONIC, $595
WHAT HAIR STYLES CAN YOU CREATE WITH THE GHD DUET STYLE?
“ghd duet style has been designed to create straight and sleek hair, however in shine shot mode skilled users are able to create loose curls, using duet style in the same way as a regular styler,” Hayley said.
“Given the wider plates of ghd duet style, you will be able to create loose curls similar to ghd max.
“For best results, users are recommended to dry and style the hair in smaller sections leading the styler with a comb of (the) ghd oval dressing brush.
“Keeping tension on the hair when drying and styling curly or textured hair is key. Pair the duet style with ghd’s new sleek talker oil for smooth, soft and frizz-free styling.”
HOW DO YOU USE THE GHD DUET STYLE?
When trialling the ghd duet style I found it dead easy to use — simply separate your hair into sections and flick the button upwards, giving the fan a few seconds to turn on before you start running it from root to ends through your hair.
Once your hair is dry, all you have to do is hold down on the shine shot mode button for four seconds until the drying fan switches off and the plates heat up. Then you can use it just as you would a classic ghd straightener.
VERDICT ON THE GHD DUET STYLE
So I really, really love the ghd duet style for two reasons. Firstly it dries your hair so fast, much quicker than the average hairdryer and (in my opinion) faster than the Airwrap. Secondly, it’s so easy to use, you don’t even need to read an instruction manual.
After washing my hair (at the moment I’m using and loving Ouai’s Fine Hair Shampoo and Conditioner, $30 each at NET-A-PORTER) I wrapped in a towel for 10 minutes as I applied my makeup.
Your hair needs to be towel dried (aka not dripping wet) for the ghd duet style to work so after giving my ends a quick tussle with my towel, I separated my hair in half and then into three sections on each side.
After applying a generous amount of heat protectant (ghd Bodyguard – Heat Protect Spray, $37 at ghd) I did my right hair side first, running the plates from root to the ends about two to three times before each section was dry.
You do need to pause and hold it for a bit at the root but overall I was floored by how quickly my hair dried.
After working through my right side in five minutes flat I moved onto my left, repeating the process. By the time I had dried my hair I was already impressed with the results — there was no flyaways or frizz, and my hair looked healthy.
I switched to the shine shot mode and ran it through each separated section, giving the plates a flick at my ends for a more styled look.
All of this took 15-20 minutes tops and the results were hair that felt silky soft and dry with no frizzy bits. I was over the moon.
HOW DOES THE DUET STYLE COMPARE TO THE AIRWRAP?
Last year I trialled the second generation Dyson Airwrap and was impressed by how easily it delivered a bouncy blowout (once I got the hang of how it worked, of course).
However my fine hair didn’t hold the Airwrap’s styles as long as other users reported and at $899 it’s the most expensive hot styling tool on the market.
By design the ghd duet style gives more of a sleek and straight blow dry, plus the use of plates only means you’re limited with what styles you can create with it.
But the duet style is easier to use and I felt my hair looked and felt better afterwards, all in less time.
If you’ve got hair that hold styles well and you want a tool that can deliver a variety of looks, I would invest in an Airwrap.
On the other hand if you’re after a sleek blowdry and on a bit more of a budget, the ghd duet style is the go — it’s great value for what is essentially a hairdryer and straightener in one.
Want more hair content? Read our honest Airwrap review here, plus the annoying problem that inspired Mermade Hair founder to create the brand’s best-selling waver.
If you’d like a cheeky discount on your next shop check out news.com.au Coupons with discount codes for big brands like Adore Beauty and Sephora.
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