The Dyson Airwrap has undoubtedly gone viral since its launch, but where does that leave the humble director? After all, GHD has been a household name in hairdressing since the early noughties.
With GHD having just launched its latest line with the Chronos, we’re keen to see how it approaches the Dyson Airwrap. How do the ratings compare and which tool would suit your hair better?
Read on to see how these two tools compare and decide which one will work best for you. Or visit our Dyson Airwrap vs Shark Flexstyle comparison to see how Shark’s air styler compares.
Price and Availability
The Dyson Airwrap is the more expensive of the two styling tools, with a starting RRP of £399.99. However, this price will vary depending on the attachments installed and whether you choose to duplicate a new ID instead. If you’re not sure which Airwrap to go for, visit our Dyson Airwrap vs Airwrap guide.
The standard GHD Chronos, on the other hand, has an RRP of £299.99. Alternatively, those with thick or curly hair can opt for the wider plate iteration, Chronos Max, at no additional cost.
The Dyson Airwrap is a hair dryer and styler and the GHD Chronos is a traditional hot plate straightener.
Although they are both somewhat similar, the Dyson Airwrap and GHD Chronos have fundamentally different functions, and this may influence your decision in choosing between the two. While the GHD Chronos is a traditional straightener, with two hot plates on both sides to hold and straighten the hair, the Airwrap is a hair dryer and hair styler that relies on air – mainly the Coanda effect.
Basically, the Coanda effect uses the jet flow to attract and encourage the hair to form curls, rather than relying on heat alone.
Dyson Airwrap can be used on wet and dry hair
If you grew up in the noughties, then there’s a good chance you used hot plate straighteners on your wet hair. Fortunately, we have learned from our mistakes and it is now a very common knowledge that you should definitely have not use hot-plate straighteners on wet tresses as they cause more damage and make the hair frizzy and brittle. So that rules out the GHD Chronos hair dryer. In comparison, since the Dyson Airwrap is powered by air, and doesn’t rely on hot plates or other drying or styling tools, you can use it on both wet and dry hair.
The Dyson Airwrap comes with several attachments
The Dyson Airwrap is the more versatile tool of the two, especially since it comes with multiple attachments so you can try out different hair styles (although the exact attachment included will depend on the bundle you choose).
While all Airwraps come with a long barrel to create curls and a dryer attachment, there are additional tools to create specific styles or enhance natural texture.
In fact, the new Dyson Airwrap id comes with many tools to create naturally curly and oily hair as well, including a diffuser and a wide tooth comb to add length. There’s also a bundle that includes a Dryer+Flyaway smooth that’s great for those struggling with baby hair and frizz, and a new Conical barrel for tighter, more defined curls than the standard option.
That doesn’t mean Chronos can only be used to straighten hair. Although it should never be used for drying hair, as mentioned before, it is possible to use the tool to create loose waves and tight curls as well.
The GHD Chronos reaches 185°
Both the GHD Chronos and the Dyson Airwrap promise not to rely on extreme heat, which is important to note as extremely high temperatures can cause hair damage. The Chronos is also equipped with “unparalleled” heat monitoring that promises to keep its temperature up to 185°C, which GHD says is the perfect temperature for styling without extreme heat damage.
We must deny that in fact, using any temperature on the hair can cause damage. With this in mind, it’s always a good idea to apply a heat protectant to your hair whenever you use styling tools – even a non-heat airwrap like the Chronos.
Speaking of which, while the Chronos has a maximum styling temperature of 185°C, the airwrap stays below 150°C instead. Dyson explains that his decision to keep the temperature below 150 ° C is because any high heat can change the keratin structure of your hair, causing weak strands that are easy to break.
Preliminary Decision
Choosing between the Dyson Airwrap and the GHD Chronos depends on several factors. First, if you want a versatile device that can dry and style hair in different ways, then the Airwrap is a no-brainer. However, if you have thick, curly hair or just tend to wear it straight, then the GHD Chronos is the best option – as long as you have a hairdryer to use.