I feel the need, the need for Speed
You’d be excused for wondering why Metropol’s gadget guy, a 55-year-old bald man, would be reviewing the latest in hairdryers from ghd. But fear not, because my lovely wife has perhaps the thickest hair ever. The perfect proving-ground for the new ghd Speed.
Her hair takes an absolute age to dry in the mornings, and even if the ghd Speed provided an advancement in just that – speed – then we were on to a winner.
It didn’t take long with the ghd Speed to understand what it’s trying to do. Within the first couple of minutes, it’s obvious this isn’t about blasting hair with heat and hoping for the best. The airflow is the headline here, and it changes how the whole drying process feels almost immediately.
What you notice first is not temperature, but airflow. The dryer puts its effort into pushing air rather than piling on heat, and that shifts the experience immediately. Damp sections disappear quickly, particularly around the roots, and you spend less time chasing stubborn patches that usually slow everything down. That’s not to say the Speed just blasts cool air, it’s just more intelligent as to when it needs heat according to proximity.
That approach becomes clearer the longer you use it. Even on higher settings, the barrel stays cool to the touch, and you can work closer to the scalp because the Speed senses the proximity and cools down the air. Heat feels more efficiently applied rather than simply turned up. Drying is faster, but not aggressively so.
In practical terms, the time savings are real. Hair moves from towel-damp to properly dry more quickly, especially if it is thick or long. The airflow does the heavy lifting, so the dryer does not need excessive heat to compensate. Over a week of regular use, those minutes add up.
The Speed is also well balanced in the hand. It feels solid without becoming tiring, even during longer sessions. Weight distribution is sensible, and it does not fight you while you are working. Controls are straightforward, with multiple heat and speed settings and a cool shot that behaves as it should. There is also a memory function, which turns out to be genuinely useful once you settle into a routine.
Noise levels are lower than many high-speed dryers. It is not quiet, but the sound is less harsh and easier to live with, particularly in shared spaces or early mornings.
After just a couple of weeks, the results are hard to miss. My wife’s hair is noticeably smoother, and stays smoother for longer with a bit more natural shine than you would expect from a fast dryer. Worth noting that this is without any extra product or treatments – just the hairdryer itself. That dry, frizzled feel that often comes with high heat is not an issue.
There are limits. This is not a lightweight travel dryer, and it feels like a serious tool rather than something designed to be packed away casually. It’s far from heavy, but I would imagine professional stylists using it many times a day would start to feel it in the wrist and forearm. There are a range of attachments that can be bought separately for serious operators.
Compared with other ghd dryers, the Speed feels more deliberate. It is less about versatility and more about refining the core job of drying hair quickly without cooking it.
What stands out over time is that the dryer does not work against you. There is no constant adjustment, no second-guessing of settings, and no sense of compensating for poor design. You point it where you want the air to go, and it responds.
The price places it firmly at the premium end, and whether that makes sense depends on how often you use it. For occasional blow-drying, it may feel excessive. For daily use, the gains in speed and comfort are easier to justify.
After living with it, the ghd Speed comes across as a dryer that knows exactly what problem it is trying to solve. It focuses on faster drying with less heat stress and better control, and it delivers that consistently.
