Is this $600 wet-to-dry ghd styler really worth the hype?

Sort of. The first time I use the Duet Style, it takes me 45 frustrating minutes to do my medium-length hair. I applied the oil, sectioned my hair and fired her up. Yes, it left the sections of hair pretty pin straight, but it definitely took more than four passes, and there was a fair bit of smoke in the bathroom by the time I finished, not to mention my left hand getting quite burnt from handling my heated hair over and over. (I later asked ghd about this; they suggested using a comb in your other hand, or, if you can, go hands-free, as I did on subsequent uses, and it worked OK.)

Another very weird thing happened the first few times I used the Duet Style – I couldn’t stop clenching my teeth, possibly due to the vibration of the motor (this does not happen with any of my other styling tools). On my second go, post-haircut, I managed to finish the job in 30 minutes. Was my hair straight? Yes. Did the style last until the next morning? Better than my normal attempts at a “regular” blow wave. Did I enjoy the experience? Not totally.

What’s the most surprising thing about the ghd Duet Style?

Even though it looks like a hardcore straightener, and the paddles are quite large, it is possible to do some soft waves, but it pays to watch some tutorials online and practise, practise, practise. If you’re a devotee of pin-straight hair, a la Gwyneth Paltrow in the 1990s, then you are in luck. If you’re after curls, you could use the Duet Style to first dry your hair to straight, then attempt to add some waves in the straightening mode, or with another tool. I tried to do the waves, they looked okay. It’s possible to do soft waves but I recommend really getting the hang of it.

Is the ghd Duet Style worth the cost?

One person’s hair holy grail is another’s hot mess. If you are the kind of person who is prepared to put the time into mastering the Duet Style, and that means fewer salon visits or minutes spent styling your hair, this may be a great investment that pays for itself in about 10 professional blow dries. If, however, you like to wear your hair curly or wavy, then the $600 price may seem just a bit steep. Given this is the first generation of the Duet Style, it’d be worth waiting to see if any improvements are made on the next iteration to make it more versatile, for the price.

The ghd Duet Style is available from Mecca for $595.

Every product review is purely editorial and independently chosen. The writer was loaned a ghd Duet Style unit for the purpose of this review.