GHD Unplugged review

Brands have packed hair straighteners with tons of new features to entice us to buy, from flexible plates to ionic jets to steam vents. But the feature that’s most likely to make a real difference to you is cordless use.

Cordless straighteners are handy if you’re going out after work, going away for the weekend, or heading off on holiday. And if you get one that’s powerful enough, it’s great to use at home, as you don’t have to stay by a plug point or get tangled up in a cord.

We’ve already reviewed two cordless straighteners: the Dyson Corrale and the Revamp Liberate. The Corrale is effective, beautifully made and can be used plugged in as well, but it’s bulky and heavy. The Liberate is light and pocket-sized – but much less powerful.

So can the Unplugged, GHD’s first on-the-go straightener, bring the best of both worlds? We find out.

GHD Unplugged design and features

• Weighs a light 304g
• USB charging
• Comes with a heatproof travel case

The Unplugged is an ergonomically shaped hair straightener that’s pleasant to hold in the hand. It’s attractive, with high quality touches like chrome accents and understated white LED displays.

There are two colour options: you can opt for a model with either a matt black or matt white exterior. The inner sides of the tongs are black on both models and the chunkier handle tapers down to short, ceramic-coated plates.

The size of the plates does mean you won’t get as much coverage per pass as on a full-size straightener but that’s a compromise you’d expect from a travel-ready device.

It’s 22cm long and 4.5cm at its widest point and, at 304g, it’s light. It’s a little larger and heavier than the Revamp Liberate but just over half the weight of the Corrale (568g).

In the box, you’ll get the straightener, a short USB-C cable and plug adapter, and a nicely made zip-up travel case in white faux-leather. The case is heatproof – you can stow the straightener in it even when it’s still warm. There’s even a separate compartment for the cable. And that’s all you’ll need for travelling.

If you’re packing a multi-point travel adapter to charge your phone, laptop or other tech, you’ll be able to leave the Unplugged’s dedicated plug adaptor at home and just bring the travel case and mini cable. The Unplugged will also charge from any USB-C outlet.

This gives it a huge advantage over many other stylers if you’re trying to pack light. A plug and full-size cable tend to take up a significant amount of space. The Unplugged is also designed to be flight-friendly and safe to take in a cabin bag. These features make it the best styler we’ve tested for travelling.

GHD Unplugged performance

• One styling temperature: 185°C (365°F)
• 20 minutes of styling time
• Charges in two hours

The Unplugged is a pared-down device. There’s a single temperature setting and no additional features. But when the straightener works as well as this one, that’s all you need.

It’s simple to use and quick to heat up. Once the straightener is charged, you just switch it on to use it. It’ll chime and a white light ring around the switch will begin to pulse to let you know it’s heating up.

It takes about 40 seconds to be ready for use. When it is, it chimes again and the light ring will stop pulsing and glow. It heats to 185°C (365°F), which is the temperature GHD considers to be optimum for styling hair. If you have delicate or very thick hair, you might want a travel straightener with more temperature options.

GHD says it will give you (a maximum of) 20 minutes of styling time. Essentially, a full charge will give you either one proper straightening session or a few opportunities to quickly smooth and tidy your hair. You can see the remaining battery life in a white, five-bar LED display.

Its stated charging time is under two hours. While I was testing it, it charged in less time, but I don’t think I ran down the battery completely.

But in the end, the way it charges and its accessories won’t count for much if it doesn’t have sufficient straightening power. Fortunately, the Unplugged’s performance is as good as its design. We found it to be just as effective as a corded GHD straightener. It’s more or less one-pass styling, which is phenomenal in a device as small and light as this.

We only had one issue with it during testing. On one occasion, a hair snagged between the plate and outer casing. It only occurred once, and perhaps that was unlucky, but the fact that it happened at all shows a bit of a design flaw in what would otherwise be a flawless product.

There’s a nice safety feature for forgetful users. If you leave the straightener switched on but unused for three minutes, it’ll automatically turn itself off.

And there are further safety failsafes. If you overuse it in a continuous loop of using, then charging and using it again, its Protect Mode will warn you with a flashing light and a beep. In the event of a malfunction, the heater will switch off and a red light will flash.

We’d like to see every device that heats up with similarly robust safety features.

Price and availability

The GHD Unplugged is priced at $299/ £299 but at the time of writing, you can get it at a discount whether you’re in the US or the UK.

In the US, the best price we spotted is on the Walmart website, where it’s going for $237.69. In the UK, the GHD website is currently selling it for £254 but the lowest price we’ve found is on Amazon, where it’s on sale for £238.99.

Verdict

The Unplugged is attractive, easy to use and effective, with USB charging and a light, portable form. Best of all, there is almost no compromise between styling performance and travel convenience. We’d recommend it.

To see more hair styling options, check out our round-ups of the best hair straighteners and the best hair dryers we’ve tested.