CREW · JOURNAL

Which ghd straightener should you buy? (NZ guide)

13 July 2026

There are eight ghd stylers on sale in New Zealand and the marketing does a poor job of explaining the difference. Here it is plainly.

Model	Our price	Who it's for
ghd original styler	$236.44	Your first ghd. Fixed 185C, does 90% of what the expensive ones do.
ghd gold styler	$311.20	Dual-zone sensors - more even heat across the plate. The safe upgrade.
ghd platinum+ styler	$347.62	Predictive heat + 2x colour protection. Buy this one if your hair is coloured.
ghd chronos styler	$377.27	The fastest. HD motion-responsive heat, 2x faster than original.
ghd chronos max styler	$392.09	chronos, with a wide plate. Long or thick hair.
ghd max wide plate styler	$317.97	Wide plate on the classic engine. Long hair, smaller budget.
ghd mini styler	$258.67	Short hair, fringes, travel. Genuinely tiny.
ghd Sculpt interactive styler	$466.21	The new flagship. Heat-Adapt reads your hair and adjusts as you style.

The short answer

Colour-treated hair, buy platinum+. Thick or long hair, buy chronos max or max. Tight budget, buy original - it is still a very good straightener. Want the best ghd makes, buy Sculpt.

What about the plates?

Every ghd styles at 185C. That is deliberate - it is the temperature ghd's research says styles hair effectively with less damage than running hotter. The difference between models is not temperature, it is how evenly and how intelligently they hold it.

All prices NZD incl GST, as at 3 November 2026. Free NZ shipping, two-year ghd warranty, authorised Crew Stylists stockist.

Shop the tools in this guide

ghd platinum+ styler: coloured hair
ghd gold styler: the safe all-rounder
ghd original styler: your first ghd
ghd chronos max styler: long or thick hair
ghd max wide plate styler: long hair, smaller budget
ghd mini styler: short hair, fringes and travel
ghd Sculpt interactive styler: the newest ghd

Whatever tool you buy, use a heat protectant every time. Our pick is Kérastase: Nectar Thermique for dry or thick hair, Genesis Défense Thermique for fine hair that breaks easily, and Chroma Thermique if your hair is coloured. Put it through damp hair before you blow-dry.

Frequently asked questions

Which ghd straightener is best for thick or long hair?

The ghd chronos max or the ghd max. Wider plates take more hair in each pass, so you finish sooner and go over each section fewer times. The chronos max reacts faster to how you style; the max is the classic engine with wide plates, for less money.

Which ghd is best for coloured or blonde hair?

The ghd platinum+. Its predictive heat adjusts to how fast you're moving through the hair, and ghd built it with colour-treated hair in mind. Pair it with Kérastase Chroma Thermique and your colour holds up better between appointments.

What temperature does a ghd straightener use?

185°C. Every ghd styler holds that temperature except Sculpt, which adjusts its heat to each section. ghd's research puts 185°C as the point where hair styles well without the damage you get from running hotter, so you can't turn it up, and that's on purpose.

Is the ghd mini worth it?

For short hair, fringes and travel, yes. The narrow plates get close to the root on a bob or a pixie cut. On hair past your shoulders it's slow, so buy a full-size styler like the ghd gold instead.

Can you curl hair with a ghd straightener?

Yes. ghd stylers have rounded edges so you can curl and wave with them. Twist half a turn and glide slowly down the section. The standard-width models curl more easily than the wide-plate ones. If curls are the main job, look at our ghd curling wand guide.

Do I need a heat protectant with a ghd?

Yes, every time. A ghd runs cooler than a cheap tool cranked to full, but it's still heat. Put a protectant through damp hair before you blow-dry: Kérastase Nectar Thermique for dry or thick hair, Genesis Défense Thermique for fine hair, or Chroma Thermique for coloured hair.

How do I look after a ghd straightener?

Wipe the plates with a damp cloth once they're completely cool, so product doesn't build up. Don't wrap the cord tightly around the handle, which is the most common way cords fail. Stored like that, a ghd lasts for years, and it has the two-year ghd warranty behind it.