When it comes to the big players in the hair straightener space, two names are almost guaranteed to come up in conversation: the Dyson Corrale vs ghd Platinum+. Though one company's straighteners have been around far longer than the other, these two brands are behind some of the most innovative and impressive hairstyling technology around. But which one of these much-talked-about stylers has the edge?
When you think of the best straighteners, you probably instinctively think of ghd, right? They’re the first name in styling and have dominated the market since they launched in 2001. Then there’s Dyson, who began snapping at ghd's heels in a (quite unexpected) pivot from vacuums and fans to hairstyling with the launch of its revolutionary Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer in 2016. The Corrale straightener was its second hair tool and was designed to change the way we smooth strands with yet more innovative technology.
But is new necessarily better? Having thoroughly tested both of these high-tech tools, team woman&home is well versed in both of their capabilities. In this guide, we've analysed the pros and cons of the Dyson Corrale vs ghd Platinum+ to see which pair is best for you – and, equally importantly, worth the money.
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The Dyson Corrale vs ghd Platinum+ Straighteners: our beauty team's full detailed comparison
Head-to-head
Heat-up time: 20 seconds
Features: Wishbone hinge, ultra-gloss plates, 185°C temperature, universal voltage, automatic sleep mode
Review: The Platinum+ offers speedy results that boast added smoothness and shine. Easy to use and narrow enough to get close to the roots and tame flyaways, you can expect poker straight and glossy locks
Buy it if: You want straighteners that will pack a punch without breaking the bank
Heat-up time: 25 seconds
Features: Up to 30 minutes cord-free run time, regulates plate temperature, smart OLED screen, flexing manganese copper alloy plates
Review: This smart technology uses plates that flex around the hair to reduce damage and frizz. With an integrated heat control sensor, there are no hair-singeing hot spots either. It takes slightly longer than ghd to get a pin-straight style, but it delivers a smooth, blow-dry-like finish
Buy it if: You have a bit more to spend and want to prioritise the health of your hair without sacrificing results
How we compared the Dyson Corrale vs GHD Platinum+ straighteners
To adequately answer this particular ghd vs Dyson debate, we ensured that the rest of our haircare routine remained consistently the same throughout the testing period. That meant using the same shampoo and conditioner, the same hair styling products and the same best hair dryer – in other words, the only thing that ever changed was the straighteners.
We straightened our hair with each styler on several occasions, so the results could be examined and compared during various activities and weather. We judged both pairs of straightening irons on the basis of how well they straightened our hair, as well as how easy and intuitive they were to use. The overall design and technology played a part too, as did how long the results lasted throughout the day.
Specifications comparison
Dyson Corrale vs ghd Platinum+ design
Dyson Corrale design:
One of the reasons the Dyson Corrale felt so exciting when it first launched is that it looks quite different to your average pair of straighteners. Firstly, it has cordless functionality, which has big benefits in terms of where you style. It's especially handy if you like to wave or curl your hair with straighteners as well as for touching up your hairstyle on the go. However, it’s also quite a chunky tool. Where most straighteners have become sleeker and more streamlined over the years, the Dyson Corrale is very much the opposite. This impacts the weight; at 561g cordless (i.e. more than half a kilo), it’s nearly twice as heavy as the ghd Platinum+. It looks good though, and the magpies among us will like the super-shiny finish to the metallic accents on the sides and plates. Instead of a complete opening from the tips of the plates to the hinge, the gap is only between the plates, which frees up space for a screen and control pad for monitoring its battery level and adjusting its temperature settings.
ghd Platinum+ design:
The ghd Platinum+, on the other hand, looks and feels exactly as you’d expect a straightener to. It's narrow and sleek, with a gap in the middle that spans the length of the tool, while its cord sits at the end. We never thought we’d be impressed by a cord, but this one is pretty cool; it features a 360º swivel that allows you to twist and turn the straighteners without tugging at the wire or getting tangled up in it. There’s also a wishbone-shaped hinge that stands out from the rest of the design and is there to give you more control over your style. Instead of a choice of temperatures, there’s just one button that turns the styler on and sets it to 185ºC – this is the temperature that ghd says inflicts less damage without compromising on results. The Platinum+ is also nice and lightweight at 302g and the plates are narrow enough to work for long hairstyles and short hairstyles alike.
Dyson Corrale vs ghd Platinum+ features
Dyson Corrale features:
When it comes to fancy features, the Dyson Corrale leaves even the best straighteners for thick hair in the shade. It can be used with the removable cord plugged in, or 70 minutes of charge will yield 30 minutes of cordless styling. While that won't be enough time for everyone to style their full head of hair from curly to straight, it's enough time for a good touch-up to smooth out areas of frizz. It’s worth noting that the Corrale is powered by a lithium battery, which have earned some negative press lately (especially when used on planes), but we’re pleased to report this tool has a flight-safe mode.
The plates on the Corrale are made of flexible copper that bends and flexes around the hair for increased tension and reduced damage and frizz. This makes it one of the best straighteners for curly hair on the market. This device has an integrated heat control sensor too, which regulates the temperature of the plates 100 times per second. This makes sure that the heat distribution remains even, so there are no hair-singeing hot spots, and that it never goes above the listed temperature.
ghd Platinum+ features:
As one of the brand’s most premium straighteners, second only to the ghd Chronos, the Platinum+ boasts all their top-tier tech. The coated plates have sensors that monitor their temperature 250 times per second to maintain the heat at 185ºC. As mentioned, this is ghd’s optimum styling temperature because it delivers impressive results without compromising your health's her.
The plates also feature ultra-zone predictive technology, which recognises both the thickness of the section of hair and the speed of your styling to adapt the heat accordingly. This means personalised results without any additional effort on your part. The plates are floating, too, which is why you might notice that they have a bit of bounce when you compress them. This stops them from creating too much tension or friction in the hair, no matter how hard you clamp them down. It’s a big plus for anyone who tends to be a too heavy-handed with their straighteners.
Dyson Corrale vs ghd Platinum+ performance
Dyson Corrale performance:
The Dyson Corrale heats up quickly when you first turn it on – just make sure it’s not in flight mode, as I lost 10 minutes panicking that I’d immediately broken the tool the first use. If that happens to you, it’s a case of flipping the little tab on the side of the device. (You’re welcome.)
As the battery on the Corrale only lasts for up to 30 minutes, you need to get straightening as soon as the tool has heated up to avoid being left with one un-styled side – especially if you have a lot of hair. I started on the lowest temperature setting but found it was taking around four slow passes per section to persuade my hair into a straighter, smoother finish. With the temperature turned up to the max (210°C) this reduced to a couple of passes. The transition between temperatures is nice and speedy and even on the tool’s hottest setting, hair isn't left feeling super hot to the touch. All in all, I’d say it took ever so slightly longer to straighten my hair with the Dyson Corrale compared to the ghd.
There is a slightly distracting downside to the tool. Contributing beauty editor Lucy Abbersteen agrees that the corraling mechanism makes an offputting clicking sound and yields a slight "snagging" sensation that suggests your hair might be being shredded as it passes through the plates. The good news is that it isn’t doing either of those things; this is simply the flexing plates clicking as they adjust into place around the hair.
ghd Platinum+ performance:
The performance of the ghd Platinum+ is hard to fault. It’s easy to use straight from the box and starts to heat up with a single touch of one button. Just wait for the dinging sound and you’re good to go. It's design is narrow enough to get the tool close to the roots, tame fuzzy flyaways along the parting and wispy baby hairs at the hairline – but it's also effective enough to straighten quite a large chunk of hair at once. One (relatively speedy) pass through each section left my hair smooth, shiny and very straight, which is good if you’re in a rush. However, the slower you go, the better the finish.
Of course, compared to the Dyson Corrale, the fact that the ghd Platinum+ only has one setting means it comes up a little short. Conversely, hair feels hotter after using the Platinum+ (which is set at 185°C) compared to Dyson’s top temperatures of 210°C. I found the intensity of the heat is great for wrestling fluffy, just-washed hair into shape, but not so necessary for between-wash touch-ups; it would be good to have the option to turn it down.
Dyson Corrale vs ghd Platinum+ results comparison
Dyson Corrale results:
The results of the Dyson Corrale are not dissimilar to those of a smooth blow dry. It definitely helps to iron out waves or curls, but it leaves more volume in the hair than the ghd Platinum+ and the finish isn’t as shiny. The fact these irons are a bit too chunky to get very close to the roots has an impact too. For this reason, the Corrale would suit someone who normally finds that straighteners can make their hair look too flat and wants to retain a bit of oomph. The results aren’t super long-lasting, and hair does spring back a little between washes.
ghd Platinum+ results:
If you have frizz-prone hair with natural movement, then the ghd Platinum+ will give you the kind of hair you’ve probably always hoped for. It leaves hair super sleek, super shiny, and of course, super straight. What impressed me most is that my hair stayed this way until my next wash day. It didn’t ping too far back into fluffy territory even on humid or rainy days. If it did start to frizz, a quick brush through was enough to restore glossiness.
Dyson Corrale vs ghd Platinum+: The woman&home verdict
The problem with comparing the Dyson Corrale vs ghd Platinum+ is that there is a vast difference in price, with the Dyson costing close to twice what the ghd does. To justify the price then, you want it to be doubly efficient with superior results.
The Dyson Corrale does have lots of good features. It’s cordless, which is great for on the go styling, and puts the focus on hair health thanks to the flexing plates and adjustable temperature – an important factor for anyone who uses heat on their hair regularly. Weirdly, although it’s technically hotter than the ghd Platinum+, we found that the hair feels cooler when it comes out of the Dyson Corrale. You can read this in one of two ways: either one brand isn’t being honest about their temperatures (unlikely), or the Corrale transfers heat onto the hair in a way that doesn’t feel as harsh. Either way, there’s no denying that this is good news for those with hair that is already damaged or fragile.
On the other hand, the ghd Platinum+ is a more traditional straightener with a cord (so plugging it in is mandatory) but the results are smoother, sleeker, and longer-lasting than the Dyson's. In theory, there’s slightly more risk of hair damage, but this is tempered by the breakage-reducing floating plates and temperature-regulating features. If you want a more affordable straightener that’s going to leave hair soft, shiny and straight until your next shampoo then go for the ghd Platinum+. But if avoiding damage is top of your agenda and you prefer a smoother finish while still retaining some volume – and you want cordless functionality – the Dyson Corrale is the one for you.
