Is the new Ghd Speed worth its $645 pricetag? And how does it stack up to other hairdryers on the market? Beauty editor Ashleigh Cometti shares her honest review. <\/p>\n
\n While Ghd is best known for its suite of hair straighteners, its top-rated hairdryers, including models like the Air and
\n Helios, remain a close second.\n <\/p>\n
Now, the 25-year-old hair styling tool brand has unveiled its latest innovation: the Ghd Speed, which the brand calls its \u201cnewest and fastest dryer yet\u201d. <\/p>\n
The ultra-fast hairdryer is said to dry and smooth hair in one fell swoop, thanks to Ghd\u2019s new halo dual airflow technology which promises power and control without heat damage to strands. <\/p>\n
But how well does it perform in reality? Beauty editor Ashleigh Cometti puts the Speed through its paces in this comprehensive review, sharing all the specs and professional know-how to get the most from this tool.<\/p>\n
The Ghd Speed is touted as the brand’s fastest, most precise hairdryer yet. <\/p>\n
What the brand says <\/p>\n
According to Ghd senior educator Michael Mendel, who has been using the Speed for the last six months, the device couples power with precision for a smooth, shiny, salon-quality blow dry.<\/p>\n
The digital motor spins at 118,000rpm, producing high-pressure hot and cool airflow for ultra-fast and precise drying. Mendel says that often hairdryers can deliver one or the other but so far he\u2019s impressed by the power and precision of the Speed. <\/p>\n
\u201cGhd is all about healthy hair, and the dual airflow is a gamechanger to not overheat hair or scalp,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n
From a professional perspective, Mendel notes the Speed\u2019s balanced weight distribution and cool touch \u2013 the handle and barrel stay cool to touch so you can style hair using either for maximum manoeuvrability. <\/p>\n
Mendel says the Speed is suitable for all hair types, ranging from fine, 1A hair through to coily 4C hair, thanks to the five attachments available \u2013 the halo styling concentrator nozzle, halo wide smoothing concentrator, pro precision styling concentrator, pro curl diffuser and pro high strength comb. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe cool sensation, speed and shine doesn\u2019t compare to anything else on the market. We love shiny, expensive-looking hair, and that\u2019s what the Speed gives,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n
The Ghd Speed features the same sleek look of other tools in the hot styling brand’s stable. <\/p>\n
First impressions<\/p>\n
Anyone familiar with Ghd will know that its stylers are incredibly sleek, and the Speed is no exception. <\/p>\n
I hadn\u2019t seen any photos of the device before unboxing, so lifting the lid felt like a genuine surprise. I was sent the Titanium Black colourway to review, a mottled gunmetal grey barrel with an ergonomically-shaped black handle.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s slimmer and lighter than the Ghd Helios hairdryer I\u2019ve used for the last five years, too. <\/p>\n
The Speed boasts five magnetic styling attachments sold separately, but included in my box came one: the halo styling concentrator nozzle.<\/p>\n
A surprising twist! The back of the filter is a mirrored surface (handy if you\u2019re styling your hair without an actual mirror, I guess?). <\/p>\n
The XXL cord was another. There\u2019s nothing I detest more than a cord getting in the way during the styling process. For this reason, bigger is always better. <\/p>\n
The Ghd Speed in titanium black. <\/p>\n
How does the Ghd Speed perform? <\/p>\n
As a working mum of two, I have approximately three-and-a-half minutes to tame my thick, waist-length hair before someone demands their second breakfast. <\/p>\n
It made sense, then, for me to road test the Speed during a chaotic weekday morning, in between feeding\/dressing\/entertaining said children before drop-off. <\/p>\n
I applied a pea-sized amount of the Ghd Volume Forever Volumising Blow Dry Cream to my mid-lengths and ends, and powered up the Speed using the on switch. It defaults to the lowest setting for both heat and speed, as indicated by the LED lights at the back.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m embarrassed to admit that after 14 years of beauty writing, I only ever rough dry my hair. Mastering the art of blowdrying my hair with a hairdryer and a round brush is on my bingo card for 2026. <\/p>\n
I powered up the Speed to its maximum settings for both (level 4 for both heat and speed) tipped my head upside down and got to work. I struggle to get the bottom section of my hair bone dry, but the Speed managed to get closer to the roots without that burning sensation. <\/p>\n
After a minute or so with my head upside down, I tipped my head back up to find the bottom section was dry and I could move on to the upper layers. <\/p>\n
I lowered the settings back down to the baseline and pointed the nozzle downward to ensure the airflow smoothed my strands in the same direction. <\/p>\n
Memory mode meant the Speed remembered the last setting I used, handy when I had to set it down to brush my hair out in between drying. <\/p>\n
A blast with the cool-shot button helped set my style and boost shine (no mean feat on blonde hair, which absorbs rather than reflects light like brunette hair). <\/p>\n
No more than five minutes later, my previously damp hair was smooth, shiny and bone dry. Just in time for the next round of breakfast orders to roll in. <\/p>\n
The result after styling hair with the new Ghd Speed hairdryer. Photo \/ Ash Cometti <\/p>\n
How does it compare to other hairdryers? <\/p>\n
My Ghd Helios hairdryer has been a sturdy styling companion for the last five years, but the Speed halved my drying time. <\/p>\n
A number of new wave hairdryers from competitors, including Dyson, Shark Beauty and Cloud Nine, also prioritise high airflow over extreme heat to ensure a smooth, shiny finish, but where Ghd excels is with its halo dual-airflow. The tech sees heated airflow surrounded by a halo ring of cool air for a cool-scalp feel \u2013 even when using the tool for extended periods (not always necessary given its fast drying time). <\/p>\n
It\u2019s not the lightest of all hairdryers I\u2019ve used (the Dyson Supersonic R Hairdryer weighs in at 325g) but it\u2019s light enough to manoeuvre around your head without style fatigue. <\/p>\n
Areas for improvement? <\/p>\n
A hook at the end of the handle would be advantageous for storage purposes in my bathroom, as would a travel case to keep it safe during a weekend getaway. <\/p>\n
A wider variety of colours would likely appeal to a broader consumer base. There\u2019s a second colourway available \u2013 silver white and black \u2013 but knowing how often Ghd release limited-edition colourways, I have no doubt the Speed will be released in a prettier palette later this year. <\/p>\n
The verdict<\/p>\n
The million dollar question: should you buy the Ghd Speed? <\/p>\n
That depends on what you want from your hairdryer. If you want to spend as little as possible on a tool you\u2019ll only reach for every once in a while, then there are other models out there that cost less and do a fine job (very basic models from Remington or VS Sassoon are mostly priced under $100 but don\u2019t feature any of the bells and whistles of their pricier counterparts). <\/p>\n
But if budget allows, the Ghd Speed delivers on the ultra-fast, salon-quality results it promises, all without compromising on hair health. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Is the new Ghd Speed worth its $645 pricetag? And how does it stack up to other hairdryers…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":265090,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[151317,112671,48212,1244,650,138,3013,48213,6435,32896,6440,29420,151315,6101,151316,151319,17511,185,702,225,117,111,139,69,193,151318,762,180,25093,35301,223,19985],"class_list":["post-265089","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-151317","tag-any","tag-ashleigh","tag-beauty","tag-brands","tag-business","tag-but","tag-cometti","tag-does","tag-editor","tag-ever","tag-fastest","tag-ghd","tag-good","tag-hairdryer","tag-hairdryers","tag-honest","tag-is","tag-it","tag-market","tag-new","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-other","tag-pricetag","tag-review","tag-shares","tag-speed","tag-stack","tag-the","tag-worth"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/265089","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=265089"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/265089\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/265090"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=265089"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=265089"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=265089"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}