I tried the new ghd Sculpt straightener, powered by AI

My honest review of the ghd Sculpt Interactive Hair Straightener.

Does a simple hair straightener even exist anymore? That was my first thought when I read the press release for the new ghd Sculpt. Described as an ‘interactive hair straightener’, it uses AI technology to monitor your hair’s temperature and adjust the heat accordingly, promising zero heat damage.

As someone with extremely thick, naturally curly hair, I can still remember using straighteners in high school that would let you crank the temperature up to a scorching 230 degrees – not good news when you’re already going through a bleach-blonde Debbie Harry phase.

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It took years to nurse my hair back to health and revive my natural curls. Ever since, I’ve been sceptical of hot plates, preferring heatless rollers or my Dyson Airwrap on its lowest heat setting instead.

But lately, I’ve noticed that nearly every major hair tool brand seems to have a ‘zero heat damage’ claim somewhere on its products. I always assumed it was too good to be true. Surely, if something is hot enough to bake a cake, it’s going to do some damage to your hair?

According to ghd, not anymore. The ghd Sculpt Interactive Hair Straightener uses built-in sensors in its plates to continuously monitor your hair’s temperature, keeping it at an optimised 185 degrees. The brand claims this means you can regularly straighten your hair while protecting its natural curl or wave pattern. It wasn’t until I saw the rigorous testing on strands of naturally curly hair at the media briefing that I realised just how seriously ghd takes the claim.

At $599 AUD, the ghd Sculpt is considerably more expensive than the ghd Chronos styler, which retails for $479. So, is it worth it? And more importantly, how does it actually perform?

What makes the ghd Sculpt different?

While older ghd stylers use single-zone ceramic heaters, the ghd Sculpt features heat-monitoring plates that ‘read’ the hair’s temperature (not plate temperature) and never exceed 185 degrees – a temperature ghd has tested as optimal for shaping hair bonds without damaging the hair structure.

The Sculpt’s heat-adapt technology can also respond to your hair as you style, adjusting the temperature according to your hair thickness, movement and styling angle. Rather than blasting your hair with the same amount of heat from root to tip, the tool is designed to deliver only what’s needed.

Then there are the plates themselves. Unlike some older ghd straighteners, which have a sharper, more defined edge, the Sculpt has what ghd calls ‘waterfall’ edges: a smooth, rounded surface designed to glide through the hair without ridges or snagging.

The ghd Sculpt (left) and ghd Chronos (right).

How does the ghd Sculpt Interactive Hair Straightener work?

The Sculpt is ghd’s first ‘interactive’ styler, powered by AI that, according to the brand, “senses, learns and adapts to your hair’s temperature”. Its sensors monitor the hair 2,900 times per second, using information about how much hair is between the plates, how quickly you’re moving and the angle at which you’re holding the tool to determine how much heat is required.

The result, ghd claims, is five times faster styling than the ghd Original straightener, better curl definition than the ghd Chronos and 2.5 times less frizz. It all sounds impressive on paper. But it was watching hair stylist James Kavanagh transform my frizzy hair in five minutes flat that finally convinced me to upgrade to the Sculpt.

My ghd Sculpt Review

At the media demo, I told James that I loved the natural, bouncy curls I get from my Dyson Airwrap, and despite watching countless tutorials, I’ve never quite figured out how to achieve something similar with a ghd. I showed him how I’d normally use a straightener to create waves – unsuccessfully – and he gave me a few pointers.

First, you don’t need to clamp down on your hair as hard as you might think. In fact, you’ll get a smoother result if you let the plates glide through your hair without too much pressure. Second, if you want relaxed waves rather than a tight curl, don’t start too close to the roots. Take a small section of hair from around ear level, rotate the plates as you glide the straightener down towards the ends, and let the tool do the work.

Armed with James’ advice, I set out to recreate the look at home on freshly washed, roughly blow-dried hair. Even with all the product claims, I still recommend using some form of heat protection. I like to use O&M PS Balm before blow-drying, then follow up with ghd Bodyguard Heat Protectant Spray – I find this adds shine for an even glossier result.

The first thing I noticed when I turned the Sculpt on was how quickly it heated up. Working in small sections from around ear level, I resisted the urge to clamp down too hard, gradually rotating the irons as I slid them through the length of my hair.

The infinity plates made this process surprisingly easy. There was no snagging, and the result was pretty magical. It’s a little like running a pair of scissors over a ribbon: you don’t expect to see a curl emerge but somehow, it works.

In about ten minutes, I achieved the soft, glossy waves I’d been aiming for and, importantly, my hair didn’t feel overly hot in the process.

Would I Recommend The ghd Sculpt?

Overall, I was really impressed by the ghd Sculpt. The infinity plates made it much easier to create natural-looking waves than with my other straighteners, while the tool itself was fast and easy to use. My hair never felt excessively hot while styling, and the finished result was incredibly glossy, with noticeably less frizz than I usually get from heatless curlers or my Airwrap.

That said, I don’t think there’s enough of a reason to upgrade from a ghd Chronos if you already own one and use it with a heat protectant. But if you’re still using a ghd or another straightener from the 2010s, or if you want a sleeker, glossier finish than your Dyson Airwrap can give you, I think you’ll love the ghd Sculpt. As someone who spent her teenage years frying her curls with (no joke) a household iron, that’s about as strong an endorsement as I can give it.

To see the ghd Sculpt Interactive Hair Straightener in action, try this.