GHD Duet Style review: 2-in-1 greatness 

GHD has upped the ante with their latest hair tech offering. The GHD Duet Style is a 2-in-1 styler, which dries your hair while it straightens it without causing any more damage than a hairdryer alone would. That’s a big a plus for anyone who likes straight glossy hair but dislikes frazzling.

Looking like a set of wide, high-end hair straighteners that’ve been seriously hitting the gym, GHD has combined the best of their hot air drying (convection) knowledge with their heated plate smoothing (conduction) into one device. At $399/£379 they’re undeniably high-end, but do work out cheaper than buying a professional GHD drier and GHD straighteners separately (we’re always available for spending justification tasks if anyone needs us). 

The GHD Duet Style’s big competition is the Dyson Airstraight, which is currently available in the US at a pricier $499.99 and yet to be released in the UK. Are they good enough to make your hairdresser jealous?

Features & technology:

GHD calls its drying/straightening tech air-fusion. It has large air filters that allow for the most amount of air to be drawn into the styler as possible, letting it quickly dry and style as you run it through your hair. That air is propelled by a compact brushless digital motor, and passes through a heater to reach the optimum temperature for drying without damage, before reaching the drying chamber. The clever bit is how the ‘Infinity Sensors’ predict your hair’s needs, adjusting the styling temperature from root to tip for a more tailored drying performance.

Concentrated airflow inside the chamber is directed outwards through angled vents, at even lower temperatures – so you don’t get all hot and bothered while you dry.

Performance:

While the GHD Duet Style is super easy to use, it’s very different to the “traditional” drying-then-straightening routine. Firstly, you have to start on towel dried hair (ie not sopping wet hair, which is no good if you’re too lazy to towel dry first) and section your hair as you would if it was dry and you were just straightening it. As someone who usually blasts my hair dry in a particularly haphazard fashion, this made the first few uses a bit more mindful as I had to think about what I was doing. 

You basically take a section of hair, then hold the unit at your root for a few seconds while it dries – we always found the temperature to be more than comfortable – then pass it down the length of your hair while it dries. It takes me about four passes to get my hair dry. When I say dry, I actually mean dry and straight – remember it’s doing both simultaneously. 

The unit isn’t too heavy and feels nice to use. It’s also quiet for a drier, which is a nice touch.

When you’ve styled your whole head of hair you can press the Shine Shot button (the only button), which shuts off the drying motor and takes the heat up to GHD’s standard 185-degree temp to get your hair extra sleek and shiny. Of course, if your hair is already dry you can just use the Shine Shot – so essentially just straighten your hair as you would normally. 

Speedy straight hair 

I really like the look and feel of my hair using the GHD Duet Style. My hair feels softer than normal and more lifted at the root than when I dry and straighten separately. I have naturally thick, wavy hair, which is currently in a shortish bob and it actually takes me less time to use the Duet Style than dry and straighten separately. 

The GHD Duet Style would be an excellent investment for anyone who travels a lot – only one appliance to pack, hurrah! Equally, if you’re in the market to replace your drier and straighteners and only wear your hair straight, you’ll love the clever 2-in-1, which also gets eco points for using up to 45% less energy than a standard drier.

I was initially concerned the wide plates wouldn’t work on my bobbed hair, but they did a fantastic job. However, this isn’t the correct appliance for anyone with very short hair, who would usually use a standard plate straightener. I don’t find the wide plates lend themselves to creating waves and curls like the standard size straighteners do either, so this is something to consider before ditching your old faithful set.

GHD Duet Style verdict

The GHD Duet Style is an innovative 2-in1, which left my hair softer and with better root lift than normal. It also saved me a bit of time in the morning, compared to my normal drying then straightening routine. I’d be happy to do away with my hairdryer in favour of the GHD Duet Style, but would keep hold of my standard size straightener for the odd occasion where I want to use it to create curls, which I can’t do with wide plate stylers.

People who only wear their hair straight will find the 2-in-1 a straight swap for both drier and straighteners, and won’t look back.