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If you’re anything like me, and simply can’t be bothered to spend ages blow-drying your hair every time you wash it, then ghd’s buzzy new hair tool lunch will be right up your street.
An at-home blow-dry can be so time-consuming and leave you with aching arms trying to reach every strand – especially at the back of your head. Don’t get me started on how tricky rollers can be.
So when ghd unveiled its newest launch – the ghd Speed hairdryer – I was intrigued. Claiming to deliver ‘ultra-fast, heat-damage-free drying’, I’ve been putting it through its paces to see if it’s worth investing in.
The tool, which costs £299, uses a clever technology called dual-airflow, meaning it produces hot and cold air. There are four heat settings and four speed settings, including a lock button so when you’re holding the handle, you won’t be able to accidentally switch it off.
There’s a round LED screen at the back of the blow dryer, which is how you can see which setting works best for your hair.
It comes with a typical styling attachment, but there are four other attachments to suit all hair types: a wide nozzle, curl diffuser, high-strength comb and professional nozzle. But unlike other hairdryers, all the attachments are magnetic, so they pop on and off with ease.
It’s much slimmer than ghd’s cult favourite ghd Helios hairdryer and cool-to-touch, no matter how hot the air gets. There’s also a feature called ‘memory mode’, so the tool remembers the last setting you used. Genius.
Speed Hairdryer
The ghd Speed ionic hair dryer introduces a new standard in fast, controlled blow‑drying, powered by advanced dual‑airflow technology that delivers quick, smooth results without extreme heat. Developed with input from professional stylists and thousands of consumers, it uses a next‑generation 118,000 RPM motor to produce a high‑pressure airflow for efficient drying from root to tip. A surrounding halo of cooler air keeps the scalp comfortable and the barrel cool to touch, allowing closer styling and greater control. With multiple heat and speed settings, a cool shot, intelligent memory, and a precision concentrator included, the ghd Speed offers a comfortable, high‑performance drying experience backed by a 2‑year warranty.
Buy Now for £299But what did I think of the new ghd tool?
I don’t have the patience or skill to spend ages blow-drying my hair, I’m very much a quick-blast-of-heat kind of person. Ironic, I know, a beauty editor that can’t master a bouncy blow-dry.
Not only that, my hair is super fine, poker-straight and struggles to hold a curl, so any sort of sleek waves drop out in seconds. I’m also one of many people that have relied on ghd for my hair styling for years – my straighteners from year 8 (that’s 19 years ago) are still going strong.
Ghd makes some huge claims about its new tool, but I can wholeheartedly say it lives up to its promises. A typical blow-dry for me might take 20 minutes, but since I’ve switched from my usual Dyson Airwrap with its blow-dry attachment, I’ve cut that down to just 8 minutes.
It doesn’t leave my scalp burning hot, and the smoothing attachment that it came with is perfect if your hair is like mine. Its not light as air to hold, but it’s so speedy, my arms have yet to ache. Touching the attachment to remove it doesn’t scald my hands either.
Navigating the heat and speed settings is very simple. There’s an on/off button, then one button for speed and one for heat, all you need to do is press each up three times to increase either, and when you want a shot of cold air to set styles in place for longer hold, or just for a refreshing burst, there’s a snowflake button on the other side of the handle.
The LED screen is also very slick and transforms from orange to blue when the cold shot button is pressed.
It’s not quite as quiet as my Dyson Airwrap with its blow-dry attachment, but considering it takes just 8 minutes to dry a whole head of my wet hair, this doesn’t bother me too much. It saves me so much time in the mornings that I really can’t complain.
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Plus, the Dyson Airwrap at full-price is an eye-watering £479.99 – that’s £180.99 more expensive than ghd.
Admittedly, the ghd Speed is hardly a bargain at £299, but it’s a massive saving to consider if you’re on the hunt for a hairdryer that does it all, with less heat damage, in a matter of minutes. Plus, we all know how well ghd tools last.
So, would I recommend the ghd Speed? Absolutely. If you’re short on time, low on effort and would rather be asleep than styling your hair for hours, it’s a no-brainer.
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