ghd Duet Style Hot Air Wet to Dry Straightener Review & Video

Hair

14 Feb 2023 (Updated: 4 Dec 2023)

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^£379

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I have had so many questions about ghd’s new wet to dry straightener that I had to sit down and write down all my thoughts. Here’s the low down on the ghd Duet Style 2 in 1 Hot Air Styler along with a video demo too. Enjoy!

Contents

1. What is ghd Duet Style?
2. How to use it
3. How does the ghd Duet Style Work?
4. Where to buy it
5. My Review of the ghd Duet Style
6. ghd Duet Style Video Demo
7. ghd Duet Style Frequently Asked Questions

What is ghd Duet Style?

ghd Duet Style Hot Air Styler in White

ghd claim that the new Duet Style is the first 2-in-1 hot air styler that takes hair from wet to styled with no damage. Now that is a pretty big claim as there is heat involved, so I thought I’d talk about that first.

The launch of the ghd Duet is the result of years of research into the interaction between water, heat, air and styler grip. Based on all this research, ghd scientists and engineers have created AIR-FUSION technology.

AIR-FUSION Technology

This new technology brings the power of airflow and the science of convection and conduction and low heat styling together in a styling chamber.

The styling chamber uses state-of-the-art internal airflow aerodynamics and 4 smart low-temperature plates.

How to use it

You use the drier function, which activates as soon as you turn the Duet on, to dry and style the hair from wet (towel-dried). When the hair is dry, you can switch on the straightener mode to further smooth and add shine. Only use the Shine Shot (straightener) function on dry hair.

How does the ghd Duet Style Work?

There are quite a few different combined elements that come together in ghd’s wet to dry straightener:

How the ghd Duet Style Hot Air Styler works

AIRFLOW – unique air filter design provides maximum airflow to be drawn into the air styler, to quickly dry and style the hair.

INTERNAL AERODYNAMICS – airflow is propelled by a brushless digital motor for precise air speed and reduced turbulence and sound levels. Airflow
passes through a heater to reach the optimum temperature for drying without damage, and then passes into the drying chamber.

DRYING & STYLING CHAMBER – concentrated airflow leaves the Duet through an air grille which works in synergy with the 4 smart, actively heated, low-temperature plates.

SMART STYLING PLATES – infinity sensors are designed to predict your hair’s needs to maintain an optimal low styling temperature from root to tip.

ANGLED ROOT-DRYING VENTS – airflow is directed out from the chamber via root drying vents at an even low temperature for comfortable root drying.

Where to buy it

The ghd Duet Style is £379 and available now via the following links:

ghd*

Selfridges*

Cult Beauty*

My Review of the ghd Duet Style

ghd Duet Style Hot Air Styler Review and Video Demonstration

I was super interested to try this new tool mainly because of the zero damage claim. I went to the ghd labs in Cambridge a few years back, and they shared interesting research about how air drying can be more damaging than blow drying. I actually wrote a blog post about it if you’re interested – read Air Drying Hair Is More Damaging Than Blow Drying.

I tested this out without doing too much research into what it was all about so that I could get a good first impressions reaction to it. I actually filmed this for my latest YouTube video.

Bizarrely, I was surprised that it was noisy, which I realised was a bit silly considering that it is a hair dryer! It isn’t super noisy, in fact, it’s pretty quiet for a hairdryer. I think I wasn’t expecting noise because all the videos I’d seen so far didn’t have the sound on.

It is pretty easy to use. I just sectioned up my hair and then worked through the sections, drying it as I went. After I finished, I felt like it still felt a bit damp around the back, so I went over it one more time to be sure. The drying section took me about 15 minutes.

It made my already-straight hair, very straight and sharp looking.

ghd Duet Style Hot Air Styler in Black

I then activated the straightening function by pressing the Shine Shot button. This is to be used on dry hair only. I use the dry styling part to add back a bit of movement into my hair and I found that you can easily create waves and curls like you can with a regular straightening tool.

All round, it completely delivers what it promises. Personally, because my hair is already straight, it isn’t a tool that I couldn’t live without.

I can simply use a hairdryer and a round brush to get the look I want fairly quickly, because my hair is pretty well behaved. Or I can blast my hair quickly with a hair dryer and then use a styling tool to get the look want.

If my hair was frizzy or kinky, and perhaps a bit longer, or if I was useless with a round brush, I think it could be quite a game changer.

ghd Duet Style Video Demo

ghd Duet Style Frequently Asked Questions

How is there Zero Damage with the ghd Duet Style?

ghd say that tests show there is no thermal hair damage detected after 4 passes in wet to style mode vs. naturally dried hair. [consumer testing, 142 women, June 2021 (ROW), 109 women, Oct 2021 (China)].

This means that the zero damage claim applies to the drying function only.

How many passes does it need to dry the section?

ghd’s zero damage claims are based on four passes on each section which I believe to be sufficient for drying the hair. You may require a bit more if your hair is thicker. See my video.

Does it flatten the hair and take away volume?

I was worried that the Duet would make my hair super flat, however, whilst it does smooth it down, it doesn’t completely flatten it. It may be more flattening on finer hair types.

Does the ghd Duet Style sizzle the hair?

There is absolutely no sizzle or smell of burning hair!

Does it save time? Is it quicker than drying and straightening with separate tools?

Personally, the Duet doesn’t save me much time because my hair is already very straight and isn’t prone to frizz. I think frizzy hair types, and those with longer hair will find it much more time efficient.

Does the ghd Duet Style dry the roots?

ghd have thought about the roots element and have created angled vents designed to direct warm air at the root area to dry. For this to work properly, you need to hold the Duet closed at the root areas for a few seconds before gliding it down the hair.

I think if you have very curly or frizzy hair, this may not be enough to properly smooth out the roots, but it worked well on my straight hair.

Does it work on shorter hair?

I found it worked really well on my short bob. I think you will be able to create more movement and waves on longer styles though. So I’d say it is particularly suited to slightly (or much) longer hair.

Is it good for thick hair?

The ghd Duet Style works on thick hair. I found that I just had to pay attention to where it felt damp and go over it a little more in those areas.

How wet can the hair be?

The ghd Style Duet is designed to be used on wet hair, however, the instructions state that it is towel dried. So just avoid dripping wet – wet hair is fine.

Would it work on a fringe?

I think it would work on a longer style fringe.

Can you use it just to straighten and dry separately?

You can use the ghd Duet Style to just dry or just straighten, if you wish. This would entail just using the hair dryer function to dry the hair, without switching to straightener mode. Or it would mean immediately switching to the straightener function for use on already dry hair.

Also, you can use the dryer function on already dry hair. I often like to use a hair dryer on dry hair to work in dry shampoo.

Is it hard to do the back of your hair?

I found it fairly easy to do the back of my hair. I think this would come down to how hard you personally find styling the back sections of your hair.

Is it suitable for coloured hair?

Yes, the ghd Duet Syle is suitable for all hair types.

Does it make hair shiny?

The Shine Shot straightening function is designed to increase the shine on your hair once it is dried. I found this quite effective although not dramatically shinier. I think this may work better with ghd’s new styling product designed for the ghd Duet Style, called the Sleek Talker. I haven’t tried this yet but will update when I do.

How much is the ghd Duet Style?

The price is £379 and it is currently available at ghd* and Selfridges*.