If you ask anyone with long, naturally curly hair, they’ll tell you that wash day is a time-consuming workout for the arms. But what they might not tell you is that a good wash day with shiny, bouncy curls is never guaranteed. You can follow the exact same routine, with the same products, in the same order, and still have completely different results.
For me – a curly gal with thick, high-porosity 3b hair that often leans on the dry side – this is my biggest struggle. Sometimes, after putting so much effort into making my curls look good, it feels easier to straighten them and call it a day.
So when ghd offered to send me the ghd Speed Ionic Hair Dryer with Diffuser for curly hair bundle, I was filled with hope. The sleek new hair dryer promises even airflow distribution to enhance curl definition, create soft, voluminous curls and minimise frizz – which, as any curly girl knows, is the ultimate goal when it comes to hair tools.
Another major bonus was the claim that its advanced airflow technology could dry hair faster than other blow dryers. As someone who always seems to wash her hair after arm day or a boxing class, anything that saves my tired muscles is a win.
Admittedly, it all sounds pretty impressive. But for the not-so-small price tag of $650.00 AUD, it better do what it claims. So, without further ado, here is an honest, curly-girl review of the ghd Speed Ionic Hair Dryer and Diffuser.
An honest review of the ghd Speed Ionic Hair Dryer with diffuser
For the last few months since my last hairdryer broke (may she rest in peace), I’d been relying on air drying when I wanted to wear my hair curly. While some people think this method is better for your hair, there’s no fresh hell like having cold, limp hair sit at your shoulders in winter.
So, once I had the shiny new ghd in my hands, I was excited to give it a go. But in my haste, I quickly realised that the prep for air drying and diffusing is completely different.
Where I went wrong
The first time I gave the ghd a go, I had lightly towel-dried my hair and didn’t put enough curl cream, mousse and gel in my hair to create thick curls. With the addition of the hot air and perhaps too much movement before the curls had formed, I was left with a mess of frizzy strands.
If it was the 80s, I perhaps would have been the coolest girl at the synth disco, but in 2026, that didn’t vibe for me. The next day I went to work with my hair in a slicked-back bun and a determination to give it another crack that night.
The curly diffuser routine that actually worked
This time around, I changed my approach. I left my hair soaking wet before applying a generous amount of leave-in conditioner and curl cream. Then, I scrunched in mousse and smoothed over a tiny dollop of gel in a prayer-hands motion to help my hair clump into larger ringlets, rather than the previous day’s frizzy little curls.
With the prep done, it was time to use the ghd. I first started letting the heat diffuse over my hair as it lay, before flipping one side over my hair and focusing the diffuser on my roots. Once those roots felt dry and crispy, I flipped my hair and did the other side.
Next, to build volume throughout my hair, I spent some time diffusing upside down. After around 10 minutes, my hair was mostly dry and crispy to the touch – shockingly fast compared to my previous hairdryer and diffuser.
While it feels very strange to have crispy hair for the uninitiated, it’s one of the key factors in having curls that last until your next wash day – but we don’t leave it crispy.
Grabbing some moisturising hair oil, I scrunched it into my curls to break up the curl cast, leaving soft, defined ringlets underneath.
So, would I buy it?
While it took me a few times before I locked down a routine that worked for my hair texture, now I am absolutely loving the ghd Speed Ionic Hair Dryer. The main reason? The SPEED.
I had owned my old hairdryer for about 11 years – she gave me a good run, and we’d found a tried-and-true routine together – but the process of drying my hair took around 45 minutes. I’d even resorted to propping it up on the floor so I could read my Kindle in bed while my hair dried.
So when I used the ghd, I could not believe how quickly it dried my hair.
Despite the speed, it still managed to disperse the air evenly in a way that dried my hair fast but didn’t create that extra frizz.
The diffuser attachment clicks on magnetically, and remains in place the whole blow-dry, but it also comes with a smoothing attachment for those days when you want to attempt an at-home blow-out. While I’m yet to perfect the at-home blow-out, I feel like I’m a couple of steps closer to doing so with such a high-powered hair tool.
So, would I buy the ghd Speed Ionic Hair Dryer? While the price tag is admittedly very high, I do think it’s a worthwhile investment.
You know what they say: time is money and saving 30 minutes from my weekly blowdry feels like an absolute blessing. While it might take me a little bit of time to perfect my curl routine using the ghd, I feel like I’m on the right track.
Bottom line: If you have thick curly hair and want your wash day to be significantly quicker, it’s a worthwhile investment for you.
