Wow, I’ve never straightened my hair as fast as with the Chronos!

Natalie Hemengül

1.2.2024

Translation: Megan Cornish

Chronos is ghd’s latest hair straightener. At just under 380 francs, it’s the most expensive model the brand currently offers. Read on for my report with a few pleasing twists.

You can find ghd straighteners in every hairdressing salon. What professionals use has to be good, right? I thought so too and treated myself to a straightener from their Platinum series in 2017. My conclusion back then: disillusioning. I quickly sold the luxury model. I no longer remember what bothered me about it. Only that I was very disappointed and would have expected much more from the brand’s most expensive line.

The Chronos is ghd’s latest model. The straightener replaces the Platinum family as the «most advanced and highest quality styler» to date. I’m about to make my own mind up about that.

Hair straighteners

CHF223.–

ghd Chronos Styler Black

Straightening iron

50

A short profile

Name: Chronos
Age: I’m the result of 22 years of product development expertise.
Length: 27 centimetres
Weight: Approx. 300 grammes
Cable length: 2.7 metres
This is how I want to change the world your hair: I stand for quick styling, more shine, less frizz and more protection against hair breakage.

Now that we know what makes the Chronos tick, the test can begin.

Ready, set, straighten!

The box contains the styler, a heat-resistant protective cap and a manual. I’m not a big fan of bells and whistles and prefer slimline packaging. I don’t need or miss gloves or heat protection mats. But for the hefty price, I would have liked a travel case, just to protect the straightener from scratches when storing or transporting it.

I can’t adjust anything – and I think that’s great!

One button. That’s all the Chronos has. It’s minimalism that I can appreciate. I connect the styler to the power supply. The circle around the on/off button and the light at the back of the straightener light up briefly. The Chronos is in standby mode. I hold down the round button on the inside for a second. I hear a jingle. It flashes until the device heats up, which takes just a few seconds. Jingle number two gives me the go-ahead for styling.

The majority of straighteners heat up to 210°C and offer lower increments. The Chronos, on the other hand, keeps a constant 185°C, so I can’t choose how hot the plates get. According to ghd, this is the sweet spot between optimal styling results and as little hair damage as possible. At this point, I’d like to emphasise that temperatures above 140°C damage hair, so use the straighteners carefully.

Impressive design and functionality

While straightening, the strands glide effortlessly between the plates without individual hairs getting stuck, which is a problem I’ve often had with other models. The Chronos seems to be very cleanly processed. It feels a bit like the plates are bouncy. Plus, they don’t leave any kinks in your hair. For me, this is one of the most important aspects – alongside the smoothing ability. The curvature behind the plates is also not too thick, which means I can place the straightener close to my hairline.

Visually, the Chronos is nothing special. It’s light and is definitely one of the easier to handle models I’ve used, excluding mini travel-sized versions. The placement of the power button is smart, hiding on the inside. That way I don’t accidentally turn it on or off while styling. If ten minutes pass without me using it, the Chronos switches itself off.

The only thing I have trouble with is the joint at the back, which has the ghd logo on it. The material quickly turns dark when it comes into contact with my hands. This looks unsightly and is somewhat reminiscent of leaked motor oil. This doesn’t affect styling, but it’s an unsightly flaw at such a high price. They could have used a different material.

However, I find the cable – which runs at a right angle at the back – practical. It can be rotated 360 degrees, which means it adapts to my movements.

Do you know the straighteners whose plates you can press together and then fix for storage? This doesn’t work with the Chronos. But you can put the protective cap on, which holds the plates pressed together.

Lightning-fast styling – even with curls

Once it’s done, it’s done. While many straighteners achieve a perfectly acceptable result after after running over the strand once, I usually can’t help pulling the same strand through the plates a second time. Better safe than sorry, and the result usually benefits from a little extra dedication. With the Chronos, leisurely running over the strand once is completely sufficient. In fact, straightening the same section of hair twice actually has the disadvantage (at least with my hair structure) that it becomes too flat. And that at «only» 185 °C. I’m delighted. I’m done within eight minutes. This is a personal record. For comparison: even the Dyson Corrale takes me ten minutes.

What I didn’t expect was that the Chronos enables you to conjure up fantastic curls effortlessly. Simply clamp the strand, wrap it around the Chronos once and pull it down while you steadily rotate the straightener around its own axis. It’s never been so easy for me to use a straightener. The rounded design and narrow plates play into my hands here.

The result

My hair is straight and very smooth. There’s only a bit of frizz too. All in all, I’m extremely happy with the result. According to ghd, the end result should last for 24 hours. On my hair, it even lasts until the next time I wash my hair three days later.

How well the Chronos performs depends on your hair structure, among other things. So that you can relate my results to your mane, I have thick hair that’s neither curly nor dead straight when air-dried. It’s something frizzy in between. My ends are bleached, which means they hold up well to heat styling. Before straightening my hair for these pictures, I blow-dried it.

Verdict: the Chronos impresses across the board, but…

…that doesn’t make it the right choice for everyone looking for a hair straightener. I’m impressed, no question. And I should be at this price. Anything else would be unacceptable. The ghd Chronos is small, easy to handle and light, making it easy to handle skilfully. You can even create effortless curls. It also saves a lot of time. On the one hand, by foregoing extra settings and, on the other hand, by fantastic performance.

But before you consider investing so much money in a styling product, you should be able to tick off at least one of the following things. Just to make sure it’s worth the expense:

• You’re a professional who styles other people’s hair every day. Then it could be worth purchasing for your salon.
• You have thick, textured hair and lots of it. You hate straightening it and are looking for a product that smooths your hair reliably and efficiently.
• Straight hair is your signature look and you straighten your hair several times a week.

For fine hair, the Chronos might be too much of a good thing because it removes every last bit of volume. And if you rarely straighten your hair, you can take a little more time a few times a year and use a cheaper model. I can’t say whether 185 °C will work wonders on very curly hair, but the manufacturer says that the Chronos is suitable for all hair types.

Natalie Hemengül

Senior Editor

Natalie.Hemenguel@digitecgalaxus.ch

As a massive Disney fan, I see the world through rose-tinted glasses. I worship series from the 90s and consider mermaids a religion. When I’m not dancing in glitter rain, I’m either hanging out at pyjama parties or sitting at my make-up table. P.S. I love you, bacon, garlic and onions. more

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