ghd vs Dyson: Which hot brush tool is the best?

Temperature: 185C

Barrel size: 32mm

Cord length: 2.7m

ghd’s latest hair tool looks similar to your standard hot brush, but with one key difference: it promises to give you two times more volume from root to tip. Working similarly to the way you'd use a hair dryer for a bouncy blow, but with far less effort, you simply brush the rounded barrel wand through dry hair in the direction you want the bounce, or slight curl, to sit.

To minimise heat damage, the device uses an infinity sensor and predictive technology which adapts the temperature to one best suited to your hair type and thickness. It then maintains a constant heat – which reaches a maximum of 185C – throughout the length of the barrel for optimum styling. This could easily lead to burnt fingertips if ghd hadn’t preempted the danger and capped it with a cool tip to protect your hand while styling.

We’ve been let down by volumising tools in the past. Hair often looks great immediately after styling but tends to drop after a few hours, or remains frizzy around the scalp. However, our tester’s hair stayed wavy and bouncy late into the evening – something we thought only existed in our wildest beauty dreams. We put this down to the nylon bristles, which are short and flexible enough to lift from the root.

While for the most part, the styling process is effortless, the barrel is much longer than we're used to, so it does take some practice to perfect. But it does feel ergonomic to use – this was one of the lightest, least cumbersome hair tools we’ve ever tried. To make styling even more comfortable, it also has a tapered handle and 2.7m swivel cord.

After taking just 25 seconds to heat up (it will ding to let you know it’s done) it’s quick to transform even the rattiest, tangled bed head into waves, bouncy curls, or salon-worthy root volume.

Unlike the Dyson airwrap, you can only use the tool on dry hair, so don’t feel tempted to try to tackle your towel-dried strands. Our only issue is nailing the technique. Don’t feel discouraged if it takes several attempts to get it right, especially with longer, thicker or curly hair.

Temperature: 150C

Barrel size: 30mm – 40mm

Cord length: 2.62m

All of Dyson’s hair tools have reached cult status, but perhaps none more so than the airwrap. Its unique selling point is its ability to simultaneously style and dry damp hair without the use of extreme heat.

Although capable of reaching 150C, it measures the airflow temperature over 40 times per second to keep it as low as possible and prevent unnecessary damage to your hair. There’s also no risk of burning yourself in the process.

It sounds and looks intimidating at first, but it’s pretty straightforward to use. The internal propeller spins at up to 110,000rpm and, using the “coanda” effect, attracts hair to the surface of the device, projecting air along each strand to smooth and set your style. This aims to replicate a hairstylist’s drying technique, as it directs the air down rather than up as is normally the case when styling your own hair. The sensation is strange at first, but easy to get used to, and cut our tester’s styling time in half.

As for the style itself, each tool comes with several attachments, depending on which one you purchase. The two simplest sets – volume + shape and smooth + control – both come with the 30mm airwrap barrels and pre-styling dryer, while the former has a soft smoothing brush and round volumising brush, and the latter a set of 40mm airwrap barrels and firm smoothing brush. The “complete” set has all of the above, with the “complete long” edition featuring attachments designed for long hair.

While we were impressed by all of the attachments, we especially loved the airwrap barrels. Creating perfect curls is usually near impossible. There’s no other device that can tame the thickest, stubbornest hair into ringlets with so little effort. One of its greatest strengths is its power over every hair texture.

If you plan on taking the airwrap on the go, transporting every element is a bit of a hassle, but it does come with a handy case. It’s also surprisingly lightweight, with none of the attachments weighing it down too much.