Dyson Corrale vs GHD Platinum+: which straighteners are worth spending your money on?

Looking to invest in the latest straightener tech? You may well be weighing up the Dyson Corrale vs GHD Platinum+.  

Browsing the Dyson Black Friday deals and considering which piece of tech to invest in? The Dyson Corrale and GHD Platinum+ are easily some of the most talked about straighteners on the market right now, so it's worth knowing how they compare.

When you think of the best straighteners, you think of GHD, right? They’re the first name in styling and have dominated the market since they launched in the early '00s. Then there’s Dyson, snapping at GHDs heels with a (quite unexpected) pivot from vacuums and fans to hair styling with the launch of their much-loved Dyson Supersonic Hairdryer. 

The Corrale was their second haircare launch and is a high-tech straightener designed to change the way we smooth our hair. But is new necessarily better? We’ve weighed up the pros and cons of the Dyson Corrale vs GHD Platinum+ to see which pair are really worth your money. 

Today's top deals

ghd Platinum+® Hair Straightener: was £229 now £179 | John Lewis

This £50 discount is not one to pass up. Some of the best hair straighteners on the market right now, this is easily one of our top picks for Black Friday shopping.

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Dyson Corrale™ straightener Fuchsia/Bright Nickel: was £399.99 now £299.99 | Dyson

Dyson deals are hard to come by so you won't want to pass on this £100 saving. This one even comes with a travel pouch and dock, making it ideal for popping in your luggage.

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Head-to-head

How we weighed up the Dyson Corrale vs GHD Platinum+ straighteners

To compare the Dyson Corrale vs GHD Platinum+ we kept the rest of our haircare routine exactly the same throughout the testing period. That meant using the same shampoo and conditioner, the same hair styling products, and our best hairdryer – the only thing we changed was the straighteners. 

We straightened our hair with both on several occasions, so the results could be tested 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. Design and technology played a part too, as did how long the results lasted. 

Specifications comparison

Dyson Corrale vs GHD Platinum+ design

Dyson Corrale design:

One of the reasons the Dyson Corrale feels so exciting is that it looks quite different. First up, it’s cordless, which has big benefits when it comes to styling without feeling restricted. It's especially handy if you like to wave or curl your hair with straighteners as well as for touching up your hair on the go. However, it’s also quite chunky. Where most straighteners have become sleeker and more streamlined over the years, the Dyson Corrale is very much the opposite. This impacts the weight, and at 561g cordless, 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 makes space for a screen and a control pad where you can check the battery level and adjust the temperature settings. 

GHD Platinum+ design:

On the flipside, the GHD Platinum+ looks and feels exactly as you’d expect a straightener to. They’re narrow and sleek, with a gap in the middle that spans the length of the tool, and have a cord at the base. We never thought we’d be impressed by a cord, but this one is pretty cool. It has a 360º swivel that allows you to twist and turn the straighteners without tugging at the wires or becoming trapped in a tangle. 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. The Platinum+ is 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 reward you with 30 minutes of cordless styling. This should be ample time for most people to take their hair from curly to straight, and definitely enough time for a touch-up on ad-hoc frizzy bits. It’s worth noting that the Corrale is powered by a lithium battery, and these have earned some negative press lately (especially when used on planes) so 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 and 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 the brand’s most premium straightener, GHD Platinum+ boasts all their top-tier tech. The coated plates have sensors that monitor their temperature 250 times per second in order to maintain the heat of 185ºC. This is GHD’s optimum styling temperature, chosen as it delivers impressive results without compromising the health of your hair. 

The plates also feature an ultra-zone predictive technology that recognizes both the thickness of your hair and the speed of your styling in order to adjust the heat accordingly. This means personalized results, but without having to put in more effort. The plates are floating too, which is why you might notice that they have a bit of bounce when you push them together. This stops them from creating too much tension or friction on the hair, no matter how hard you clamp them down. It’s a big plus for anyone who has a tendency to be a bit too heavy-handed with their straighteners. 

Dyson Corrale vs GHD Platinum+ performance

Dyson Corrale performance:

The Dyson Corrale heats up fast when you turn it on. Just make sure it’s not in flight mode as I lost ten minutes panicking that I’d immediately broken the tool the first go. 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 30 minutes you need to get straightening as soon as it’s hot enough to avoid being left with one frizzy 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 at the tool’s hottest, the hair didn’t leave the plates 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. It makes an off-putting clicking sound that suggests your hair might be being shredded as it passes through the plates. The good news is that it isn’t, and it’s just 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 narrow enough to get 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 leaves the hair smooth, shiny, and very straight if you’re in a rush, but 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. 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 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 was enough to restore glossiness. 

Dyson Corrale vs GHD Platinum+: The w&h 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, and puts the focus on hair health (thanks to the flexing plates and adjustable temperature), which will be an important factor for anyone who uses heat on their hair regularly. Weirdly, although it’s technically hotter than the GHD Platinum+, hair feels cooler when it comes out of the Dyson Corrale. You can read this in two ways: either one brand isn’t being honest about their temperatures, or the Dyson is transferring the 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 already damaged or fragile hair. 

On the other hand, the GHD Platinum+ is a more traditional straightener with a cord (so using it without a plug handy isn’t an option) but the results are smoother, sleeker, and longer-lasting than the Dyson offers. There’s slightly more risk of damaging the hair, 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+. If avoiding damage is top of your agenda, and you prefer a smoother finish while still retaining volume, the Dyson Corrale is the one for you.