I Tried the New ghd Cordless Straightener to See How It Compares to the $699 Dyson Corrale

When cult hair brand ghd announced the launch of their new cordless hair straightener, everyone promptly lost their sh*t.

The ghd Unplugged promises to be a completely cordless, compact hair straightener for quick, easy styling, no matter where you are.

Literally, chuck this in your handbag or plug it into your laptop and BAM. You've got a salon-quality hair straightener.

You can legit use this anywhere. At work. In the car (while parked, of course). On the train... maybe not on the train, yeah?

Sounds brilliant, but is this new $475 cordless straightener worth the hype? And does it work as well as a traditional full-size hair straightener?

Below, you'll find my ghd Unplugged review, including how it compares to another very good (but very expensive) cordless straightener...

What is the ghd Unplugged?

Here are the main things you need to know about the ghd Unplugged:

• It's a fully portable, cordless hair straightener you can use to straighten, wave and curl hair.

• The light, compact styler has a powerful hybrid co-lithium battery for up to 20 minutes of continuous styling.

• Small but smooth plates deliver super shiny, swishy hair results.

• USB-C charging cable means you can plug it into your laptop to charge and use literally anywhere.

• At 219mm long, 41.5mm high and weighing only 300g, the ghd Unplugged is the lightest cordless straightener on the market.

• It's 30 per cent lighter and 18 per cent smaller than the ghd gold, and 35 per cent lighter and 24 per cent smaller than the ghd platinum+.

• Comes in two colours - matte black and matte white.

Shop the new ghd cordless straightener here:

How to Use ghd Cordless Straightener.

Trust me, the ghd cordless straightener is ridiculously easy to use. But here's a short how-to:

1. Connect the included USB-C charging cord to the power plug, then plug in.

2. Plug the other end of the cord into the straightener and wait until it's fully charged before turning on - you'll know it's ready when all five bars are fully lit and have stopped flashing.

3. Switch the straightener on, wait for it to heat up and style hair as usual. That's it!

Because the plates are smaller than those of a traditional full-size straightener, working through small sections of hair at a time is key.

The only catch, you can't use the hair straightener while it's charging. So you've got to make sure you remember to charge it before you'll need it gallivanting out and about.

Watch how to use the ghd cordless hair straightener in this ghd Unplugged video tutorial below.

ghd Unplugged vs Dyson Corrale.

Go on, ask me. I dare you.

How does the ghd cordless straightener compare to the $699 Dyson cordless straightener? Is one better than the other?

Short answer: These are two completely different but equally excellent cordless hair straighteners.

Which one's right for you will depend on your hair type and concerns, how you use straighteners, how often you're heat styling, what you need it for and how much money you have to spend.

Aside from size, here's a side-by-side comparison of the key differences between the ghd Unplugged and Dyson Corrale to help you decide which one to add to cart.

You can watch our full Dyson Corrale review in this YouTube video below.

Price:

• ghd Unplugged = $475.

• Dyson Corrale = $699.

Cordless battery life:

• ghd Unplugged = Heats up in 45 seconds, 20 minutes of continuous cordless use.

• Dyson Corrale = Heats up in around 45-60 seconds, minimum 30 minutes of continuous cordless use.

Charging time:

• ghd Unplugged = 2 hours, can't use while charging.

• Dyson Corrale = 70 minutes, can use while charging.

Temperature settings:

• ghd Unplugged = Only has one heat setting of 185 degrees Celsius.

• Dyson Corrale = Three adjustable heat settings from 165-210 degrees Celsius.

ghd Unplugged is best for:

• Straightening or waving fine, thin and/or short hair.

• Touch ups on the go for longer, thicker hair types.

• Travel hair styling or for popping in your handbag, and cordless styling (say, when you've got kids crawling around at your feet).

Dyson Corrale is best for:

• Straightening or waving all hair types and lengths, but especially great for thick, coarse, textured and curly hair.

• Someone conscious of avoiding heat styling damage (the Dyson Corrale has the flexible plate technology).

• Someone who straightens their hair most days and wants to cut down on styling time.

Both stylers are airplane travel-friendly, and come with added features.

ghd Unplugged comes with a heat resistant travel bag and a charging USB-C cable, while the Dyson Corrale set includes a charging dock, heat-resistant travel pouch, and the 360 degrees magnetic swivel cable.

My ghd Unplugged Review.

This is all great info, but what is the ghd cordless straightener really like to use?

It is worth the hype? And does it work as well as a full-size hair straightener?

I've been road-testing the ghd Unplugged for about a month now, and I can confirm, there's a lot to love about it.

Like how I'm able to use it to straighten my short, fine hair (see before and after photos below) in one 20-minute charging cycle.

Is this straightener easy to use? Absolutely. Are the plates a tiny bit too small for my everyday straightening needs? Also true.

But I mean, C'MON. Look at that shine!?

ghd Glide Professional Hot Brush will still be my go-to for fast straightening and smoothing when I've overslept and need to look presentable ASAP.

But the ghd Unplugged's compact size and travel case make it a no-brainer travel/weekend away/sleepover hair styling tool. Plus, I actually find the smaller plate size perfect for doing textured waves or the S-bend hair look.

If you have longer or thicker hair than mine, you'll still be able to whip this cordless straightener out to re-set cowlicks before a work meeting, or give hair a once-over in the Uber on the way to dinner.

You won't be able to straighten your full head of hair - but really, that's not what this product is for.

As a high-quality, portable and powerful travel hair straightener, ghd Unplugged nails it.

Shop the new ghd cordless straightener here:

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