ghd AIR Hairdryer Review

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How to cite: Wong M. ghd AIR Hairdryer Review. Lab Muffin Beauty Science. April 11, 2015. Accessed March 28, 2024. https://labmuffin.com/ghd-air-hairdryer-review/

I’ve had the same hairdryer forever without feeling any need for a few one. I mean, it dries my hair – that’s all I need, right? So I was curious to see if the highly-hyped ghd AIR would change my mind.

(Side note: I discovered that ghd stands for “Good Hair Day” while writing this review. Point and laugh at the slow one.)

ghd-air

Awesome Features

* Separate temperature and fan speed settings – I never knew I needed these til now, but it makes perfect sense. Sometimes the temperature is perfect but the air is getting a bit too painfully scalpy, sometimes you want to dry your hair but you don’t want it blowing all over the shop, and sometimes you just want it to dry ASAP, scalp be damned.

These are on the back of the handle and are pretty firm, so it’s hard to accidentally switch settings, but it also means they take a bit of effort to switch one-handed (though it’s not really something you’d need to play around with often unless you’re a hairdrying expert).

ghd-air-settings

* Really fast at drying – My first impression of the ghd AIR is that it dried my hair really quick. I have thick, long hair, and this dried it in less than 10 minutes. I’d get bored with my old dryer after 10 minutes, and walk away with still-dripping hair (I said my hair was thick!). I’m guessing this is the work of the salon-strength motor – while this also has the buzzwordy ionic technology, I’m not convinced ions actually do much for hair.

* Cool shot button – This button redirects the airflow away from the heating element, on any setting. It’s super handy – my old dryer had a single button which cycled through hot, cold and off, so if you’re switching from cold to hot it takes a bunch of clicks. With the ghd AIR, you just need to let go. It’s a little tiring to hold down the Cool Shot button for too long, but if you’re trying to use cool air for an extended period you should be using the temperature switch anyway.

ghd-air-cool-shot

* Concentrator nozzles – There are two concentrator nozzles that come with this hairdryer, for styling purposes. I’m not quite advanced enough to really use these to their full potential yet!

ghd-air-concentrators

* Really pretty! There are a lot of gorgeous metallic details on this hairdryer which make it feel super fan-ceh to use, like this beautiful filter.

ghd-hairdryer-filter

Potential deal breakers

* Heavy – Apparently this is pretty standard for professional hairdryers. If you hold it by the handle like a normal person it can tire your wrist out. However, the body stays really cool, so you can hold it by the barrel like a badass hairdresser, which takes a lot of the weight out of your wrist. You can also be super lazy like me and rest it on the side of the bench, then squat in front of it to dry your hair.

* Pricey – The ghd AIR is $199, which is on the pricey side for hairdryers, but professional hairdryers seem to retail for $100 – $300, so it’s kind of reasonable for its category.

Verdict

I really like how powerful the ghd AIR is – it’s fantastic for slow-drying, hard-to-style hair like mine. It’s not the most budget-conscious model, but if you like your appliances flashy, the ghd is a solid choice. If your hair refuses to dry or is impossible to style, a professional hairdryer might just be the solution!

This product was provided for editorial consideration, which did not affect my opinion. For more information, see Disclosure Policy.


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9 thoughts on “ghd AIR Hairdryer Review”

  1. I also only found out what GHD stood for recently haha. I got a GHD hairdryer with the straightener may years ago so I’m not sure if it’s the same as what you have here. I agree that it dries my hair much better then my Remington one from Big W. I don’t hold on to the Cool button though, it stays down once pushed in.

    Reply
    • I just doubled checked my dryer, because knowing me, I would totally miss the fact that it sticks down… surprisingly I didn’t have an attack of the bimbo, it doesn’t stick down on my model!

      Reply
  2. I reviewed this on my blog last year too. I picked it up when it was onsale. This and my GHD straightener are the best hair tools I’ve ever invested in.

    Reply
    • Just read your review! I haven’t tried leaving my hair out without straightening for a while, you’ve inspired me to give it a try! 🙂

      Reply
  3. You can get ALL these good features for $20 to $30 with a basic Revlon or Conair dryer, without the extra weight. A professional would need something like this to hold up to being used multiple times every day. But I’m still trying to understand why these crazy high priced dryers are popular for home use — other than good marketing.

    Reply
    • I’m not sure about the Conair or Revlon dryers (I don’t think we have those in Australia), but I think Vidal Sassoon might be the equivalent of Conair – for some reason in one independent blind consumer test, the ghd comes out way on top over Remington and VS, which is a bit weird since the VS also has ionic ceramic technology.

      My suspicion is that since VS also has a professional range in the same price range as the ghd AIR, they make sure their lower end hairdryers perform worse than the professional ones – this ensures that people who are happy to pay more for a better product will buy the more expensive option. As far as I know with my very limited knowledge of business, it’s a common strategy by businesses who put out “budget” and “luxury” ranges.

      Reply
  4. Wow, it sounds really great hair dryer. I will look for one to replace our old dryer. It’s too hot and has little choices. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

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