Battle of the cordless straighteners: Is ghd’s unplugged better than Dyson’s corrale?

Pre-order now £299, ghdhair.com

• Temperature settings: 185C
• Available colours: Black or white
• Weight: 300g
• Charge time: 2 hours
• Styling time: 20 minutes
• Rating: 9/10

Whether you have a meeting after a lunchtime gym session or you’re going for drinks straight from work, ghd’s unplugged allows you to style your hair quickly and easily with no strings attached – literally. Designed specifically for on the go styling, the tool is lightweight –300g to be exact – small enough to slip inside a handbag – it’s 22cm long – and can charged using a USB-C cable via a plug, laptop or even in your car.

In terms of performance, the straightener takes two hours to fully charge, just 45 seconds to heat up – it makes a noise to let you know when it’s ready to use – and offers up to 20 minutes of continuous styling. The styler also has a smart battery level indicator, so you can keep track of the charge as you use it and the ceramic plates feature the same dual-zone technology as ghd’s corded straighteners, meaning a consistent optimum styling temperature of 185C is maintained for healthy-looking results.

The tool also has some great safety features, including a slide switch to turn it on instead of a button, which prevents it from being accidentally turned on while in your bag, and a sleep mode, which automatically shuts the straightener off after three minutes of non-use. The travel-sized straightener is airport security safe too, meaning that when you’re finally able to jet-set again, you can pop them in your hand luggage without a worry.

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As for results, we found unplugged a breeze to use and it delivered exactly the same results that we’d normally get using a pair of the brand’s regular straighteners. Despite being smaller in size, straightening took just four minutes and left our hair feeling shinier and looking sleek. We tested it for curling too and found that in just eight minutes we achieved a full head of effortless waves, with the lack of cord allowing us to twist the tool with ease. The one down side? Because unplugged has been designed to use while you’re out and about, or in addition to your corded styler at home, it cannot be used while charging.

Buy now £399, Johnlewis.com

• Temperature settings: 165C, 185C and 210C
• Available colours: Grey and purple
• Weight: 560g
• Charge time: 70 minutes
• Styling time: 30 minutes
• Rating: 8/10

After Dyson make its somewhat surprising entry into the beauty industry back in 2016 with the launch of its supersonic hair dryer (£299.99, Argos.co.uk), the coralle straightener was born. Weighing 560g, it’s considerably heavier than ghd’s offering but what it lacks in compactness it makes up for with technology. Designed with “flexing” copper plates that grip every strand, sensors help regulate the heat up to a reported 100 times a second, helping to reduce damage, while an OLED screen, found on the side of the cordless straightener, is a great indicator of how much battery is left to use.

Speaking of which, the four-cell lithium-ion battery can be charged in 70 minutes using a magnetic 360 degree charging dock and provides you with 30 minutes of cordless styling. Unlike unplugged, corrale can also be used corded, and comes with a 4.7m cable that magnetically swivels for easy manouvering. The tool also has a handy aeroplane mode, which allows you to detach the internal battery, making them safe to pack in your luggage. However, as they’re larger and you’ll likely to need to bring the charger, they’ll take up a precious chunk of your baggage allowance.

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When it comes to styling, there are three different heat settings to choose from – 165C, 185C and 210C – depending on your hair type, which gives you more control, and the tool makes a noise to let you know when it is ready to use. Corrale takes just 30 seconds to reach 185C and, thanks to the flexibility of its copper alloy plates, we didn’t need to go over any sections more than once as the tool pulled in every strand, including pesky flyaways. The result? Our hair was left feeling sleek and less frizzy. We used the corrale to create waves too and found that the lack of cord and flexible plates made it easier to style heard to reach areas and left us with kink-free curls. It’s worth noting that, because of its powerful battery, copper plates and OLED screen, the corrale is heavier than ghd’s unplugged tool, and even your average pair of straighteners. Although this takes some getting used to, it’s by no means uncomfortable to use.