GHD’s classic and first flat iron creation with its upgraded version, provides super smooth sleek results. It is also super lightweight
Price: $180
Available sizes: 1”
Heat settings: pre-set 365°F
Plate material: ceramic
Best for: strands with medium thickness, all hair lengths
How it stands out: a simple yet solid flat iron with great material quality
Rating: 4.4/5.0
What we like:
- one of the lightest flat irons on the market
- very durable and sturdy
- beginner-friendly
What we don’t like:
- no variable heat settings
- expensive
GHD is one of the most sophisticated brands when it comes to hair styling and their tools are considered to be luxurious. The GHD Original is their first flat iron creation that kept on being upgraded over the years and this is the latest version with all the latest technology.
With their unusual approach towards heat, they provide a pre-set temperature which is 365°F, and we highly recommend this tool for those with medium thickness. But if you have very fine or thick hair, you may want to reconsider your options.
Its ceramic barrel makes it more beginner-friendly as it heats up slower and gentler. It comes with a 1” barrel width and 3.55” length, which are both the most versatile numbers and fits almost all hair lengths. What really stands out with this tool is its very durable material and its results are very smooth. It really has extraordinarily sleek results on normal hair types. After all it’s a luxury product with a luxury price tag, and its material quality justifies it. It’s simply yet elegantly designed and very easy to use, especially considering how lightweight it is with only 7.5oz.
Let’s dig into details and talk about the test results!
Table Of Contents
- Shape And Size
- Heat And Variable Settings
- Material And Performance
- Features
- Ergonomics
- Price And Guarantee
- Competition
Shape And Size
It’s a very ordinary flat iron at first sight. What makes it special is its material quality and ergonomic versatile design. This tool isn’t just for straightening hair; its rounded edges also ensure snag-free results when curling your strands. It comes with multi-directional floating plates to keep contact with your strands at all times and glide through the strands more easily.
Its barrel width is 1” and this option is the most commonly found size in the market and most brands offer it. The reason for this is that it’s the most versatile size available. It’s narrow enough to come close to the roots and do a decent job on short hair. It’s also large enough to cover enough area at one go if you have longer strands, which helps with the speed. Its barrel length is also average sized which is 3.55” and it fits most hair lengths.
With 10”, the tool’s length is average as well. This tool is created to fit all in terms of size.
Heat And Variable Settings
Like most GHD products, they have a different approach when it comes to heat. Instead of providing variable heat settings, they offer only one pre-set temperature that they believe is perfection. 365°F is their goldilocks number as they say hotter would damage the strands and cooler would not be effective enough. We do agree with this to some extent, especially in case you have medium-thickness strands. This temperature does have some magic in it and provides efficient results. But this theory does not really work for fine hair that needs lower temperatures to be safe from heat damage. It also may not be hot enough if you have very stubborn strands that need 400°F or more to tame. So, we highly recommend this tool for only hair types that aren’t on the extremes.
After putting the tool through the usual tests in our lab, we found out that it actually only heats up till 355°F and not till 365°F as it promises. So, it’s a bit gentler than expected, but still not enough to be safe if your hair is thin or damaged.
If your hair is curly and medium thickness, the GHD Original’s straightforward heat approach is ideal. Curly hair is delicate because natural oils struggle to reach the ends, so it’s important to protect it from high heat. With a preset temperature, you won’t have to worry about setting the right heat level.
The back of its plates are 126°F and its tip is 118°F in its maximum heat. Both of these numbers indicate that this tool doesn’t overheat and is safe for your hands.
Material And Performance
GHD Original Styler’s material of choice is ceramic. It heats up much slower and performs better at medium and lower temperatures compared to titanium. As it also is more lightweight than most, it’s easier to handle, making it a very beginner-friendly option. While we usually recommend it for delicate strands, we can’t do so for this product as its pre-set temperature is too harsh for some hair types.
The most special quality of this tool we must say, is its material quality. This tool won’t let you down even if you don’t treat it right and will most likely last you for many many years. As per performance, we’re very impressed if you have normal hair type, but not so much if you have very thin or unruly strands. So, this is a great tool with amazingly smooth results, and its more than worth its price, but only for certain hair types.
Features
It comes with auto shut-off technology and shuts itself off after 30 minutes of use. In our opinion, this time is a bit too short. It can get frustrating to have your tool automatically turned off in the middle of your session, which is only a concern if you take long time to style your strands.
It doesn’t offer a digital display, but it comes with sound indicators which let you know when the tool is at its desired temperature.
It comes with floating plates which helps speed up the process as it provides better contact with hair at all times.
Ionic technology is a feature that we love which emits negative ions and eliminates frizz from strands. Unfortunately, this tool lacks this feature which is a big downside for the ones with frizz issues.
Dual voltage is provided by GHD for the ones that want to travel with their tool to make sure that it works anywhere in the world.
Ergonomics
Ghd Original is considered a very lightweight tool. With only 7.5oz, this flat iron is considerably lighter than the average in the market which is around 9.5oz. We think this tool is a great option if you want to travel with your flat iron, or just simply take it to the gym as it’s very compact. This quality is also beneficial when it comes to arm fatigue. If your strands take a long time to style, it can get very frustrating to hold the tool. In this situation, lightweight tools come in handy and provide a much more comfortable session.
Its handle has a very comfortable width which is 4.5”. This tool will most probably fit your hands perfectly, as long as they’re not very small.
It comes with an 8.8ft swivel cord, which is much longer than usual and can be very helpful if your mirror is not next to the plug.
Price And Guarantee
GHD Original, while being a more affordable alternative than the GHD Gold, is still an investment. With $180, it definitely is a luxury tool and it doesn’t fit every budget. But if you want best quality material that will last you a very long time, then this tool is worth considering spending some money on. It also comes with a 2-year warranty that is appreciable.
Competition
The GHD Original can curl your hair, but if curling is your priority, we recommend the GHD Gold. The Gold model has a more cylindrical barrel compared to the Original, making it easier to wrap hair around and create defined, spiral-shaped curls.
While GHD Original has many qualities that make it almost perfect for normal hair types, we can’t recommend this tool if you have fine strands. With its high pre-set temperature, it can easily be too harsh for some hair types and if you have fragile strands, we recommend you to check out Bioionic GoldPro Flat Iron. It comes with a minimum temperature setting as low as 170°F and is more than safe for fine strands.
