Could the new Ghd Chronos Max be the most efficient straightener ever for long, curly and thick hair?
If straightening your hair takes hours because you have gorgeous curls or Rapunzel-like locks, then the new Ghd Chronos Styler Max may be what you need. We compare it to the original version and see if it reduces styling time
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Meet Ghd Chronos Max, £299, the bigger and wider sister of the Ghd Chronos, £289, (one of Ghd’s biggest launches of last year along with their hot brush). Chronos Max has been designed to be three times quicker at styling longer, thicker and curlier hair types. About time too.
The plates are 85 per cent larger in surface area than those of the original Chronos allowing them to work faster and more efficiently, but the plates are also wider to accomodate thicker and curlier hair textures.
Like the original Chronos, the Chronos Max creates smoother hair (half the frizz, in fact), offers three times more damage protection and 85 per cent more shine.
Ghd tested Chronos’ technocology in a very clever way. They put the Chronos plates into one of their existing stylers and then gave them to professional stylist to see if they noticed any difference. The stylists were puzzled how these seemingly old stylers were working, as they were so much quicker to use and leaving the hair far glossier.
Ghd Chronos Max facts:
- Faster styling: Ghd says both the Chronos Max and the regular Chronos cuts styling time by two-thirds. This is thanks to new ‘high-definition technology’ in the plates which maintains one steady temperature across the surface area. You might think most straighteners do this already but lots only have ‘hot spots’ dotted around the plate meaning that only the hair that makes contact with the heated part gets styled. Hence why it can take a few passes of some straighteners over the same section of hair to get it completely straight – with Chronos you should only need to pass it over the hair once.
- More shine: this has been attributed to the fact that the plates are ‘floating’ rather than sitting completely flush, which Ghd say allows hair to glide through more easily and create 85 per cent more shine.
- Less frizz: the plates on both Chronos’ have a glossier ceramic finish than previous stylers, which reduces frizz by half. Will that remain the case after years of use? Ghds are generally very reliable.
- Less damage: all Ghd straighteners operate at one temperature of 185°C so this stat isn’t unique to the Chronos stylers, but Ghd has found that it’s the temperature that allows the hair to be styled with three times less damage compared to straighteners using heat at 235°C.
Trying out the Ghd Chronos Max:
When the original Chronos launched, it was perfect for my shoulder-length bob. My husband also enjoys using it on his short hair. However, I have been growing my hair for the last year and the longer it gets, the longer styling was taking. As I refuse to spend more than five minutes on my hair (as you may sometimes be able to tell), when the Ghd Chronos Max landed on my desk it was like Ghd had been listening to my hair styling prayers.
I can confirm it has sped up my styling routine. I’m not the most fastidious at straightening my hair – I tend to grab a clump of hair and hope for the best – but with the Ghd Chronos Max, two passes over my random sections of fine, long hair is all I needed to get it looking sleek (scroll down to see me putting the original Ghd Chronos through its paces).
While I don’t have curly hair, I do get random kinky, wavy patches particularly underneath my hair after sleeping and this upgraded tool made light work on those. I can only assume that the wider set plates would also make straightening curly and textured hair speedier than other tools on the market, as well as the original Chronos stylers, as they allow for more hair to sit within the plates.
The Ghd Chronos Max is noticeably wider and bigger but doesn’t feel any heavier and thankfully it’s only a tenner more expensive than the original Chronos – but you are getting a considerable amount more of straightener for your money.
Putting the Ghd Chronos to the test
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The test:
I put my straightening routine through a time trial by rough drying my hair with my beloved Shark SpeedStyle 3-in-1 Hair Dryer, £199.99 and then straightening one side of my hair with my old Ghd Platinum+, £229, which are still as effective as they have ever been, and then using the Ghd Chronos, £289 on the other, timing how long it took for each half.
Image: right side straightened with Ghd Platinum+
The result:
From the first glide, I could see and feel how more efficient the Chronos is. My hair only needed one glide per section – I found myself doing two on some, but that was more through habit than neccessity. But the time taken says it all: 3 minutes 35 seconds for the Platinum+ side and 1 minute 53 seconds for the Chronos side.
I’m not sure my hair looks hugely different but it feels smoother on the Chronos side.
Image: left side straightened with Ghd Chronos
So should you run out and get the new Chronos Max or, indeed, the original Ghd Chronos?
If you’re looking to significantly cut down the time you spend on styling your hair then it’s a no-brainer. Similarly, if you need a new pair of straighteners then these are the ones I would recommend – the Ghd Chronos for fine hair types and shorter lengths and the Ghd Chronos Max for longer, thicker and curly hair. If your current straighteners are doing everything you need them to then great, but as soon as they break or stop performing as well, then Chronos is the way to go.
Ghd Chronos Max, £299 and Ghd Chronos, £289 are available now
