In the last few years, innovation has moved at breakneck speed at Ghd, with the brand releasing some seriously high-performance tools. The one that stands out most of all is the Chronos, a hair straightener that requires just one pass for poker straight locks, thereby cutting down styling time and thermal damage – a true win-win.
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So when news broke that there would be a new addition to the ever-growing range, my mind immediately went to the humble hair dryer, a category that hasn’t changed much since it launched back in 1911 – with the exception of Dyson, which made the most drastic change to the heated tool with its Supersonic hair dryer, which debuted in 2016.
While the Helios, a stalwart in home kits and the Air, oft spotted in professional salons and boutique gyms, are great tools, what I was hoping to see was a hair dryer in line with the Chronos philosophy, aka extremely fast – and that’s exactly what the new Ghd Speed brings to the table.
As the name suggests, this was created as an ultra-speedy hair dryer. Time is of the essence when it comes to styling, especially when from wet. We are all looking for a gadget that will do the job and do it quickly, if not to save us precious time in our pre-work morning rituals, but to prevent dreaded arm ache.
The Ghd Speed does exactly that, using a dual-airflow technology to protect the strands. This means that instead of speeding up drying time by powering up the heat, the heat is encircled in cool air, which you can feel if you hover the end of the tool at the palm of your hands. Not only this keep the tool at the optimal temperature to minimise thermal damage but also locks in the style, enhances shine and means you can get closer to the scalp without feeling too hot.
- Why it’s Vogue-approved: The Ghd Speed is the fastest hair dryer to be unveiled by the innovative hair tools brand. It was created to cut down your styling time compared to its predecessors, the Helios and Air, while locking in shine. For my long, extensions-infused hair, it took just five minutes to transform my locks from wet to dry enough to style. The Ghd Speed uses an interesting dual-airflow technology to protect the strands. Instead of turning up the heat, it is encircled in cool air to minimise thermal damage, enhance shine and means you can get closer to the scalp without feeling too hot. There are five attachments in total, but only one is included (the concentrator). The others extend to a diffuser, a comb for teasing coily locks and two widths of smoothing or styling concentrators. It comes in a chic silver, white and black colourway as well as a timeless titanium black.
- Sound level: Low
I have long, fine and straight hair. With the included concentrator in tow, the Ghd Speed sends a precise jet of air, meaning I am able to transform my fresh-from-the-shower strands to dry enough to style in just five minutes, cutting a crucial minute from the Air that I use at the gym and five minutes from the original Dyson Supersonic in the office changing room. However, the styling time was almost exactly the same as the Dyson Supersonic R that I use at home.
After some field research on different hair types, it seems that on average, the Speed cuts around 20 per cent from the drying time of the Helios. What is pleasing to hear, too, is that in studies done by the brand, there was no thermal damage with three passes of the Speed on hair with a paddle brush and the attachment – even on maximum heat when compared with naturally air-dried hair.
It’s also lightweight – I didn’t experience any arm arch or boredom in the process, and the tool remains cool to the touch even by the end of the process, so you can hold it at the barrel for targeted styling. On the device is a lock so you won’t accidentally change your determined combination of hot and cold air, and this is then locked in and remembered for the next time you turn it on. There are four levels of heat, four levels of cooling and a cool shot, which are displayed on the back of the dryer with hi-tech-looking illumination.
There are five attachments in total, but only one is included (the aforementioned concentrator). The others extend to a diffuser, a comb for teasing coily locks and two widths of smoothing or styling concentrators. It comes in a chic silver, white and black colourway as well as a timeless titanium black.