Cloud Nine vs ghd straighteners | Straight up, which is the best?

It’s the ultimate battle of the hot tools. Cloud Nine vs ghd straighteners.

Which one is best for giving the smoothest, shiniest results? Which one is the best value for money? And which one is the best for coloured hair?

We all know that coloured hair is precious.

So you need to use straighteners that are going to give you the smooth sleek tresses your heart desires without fading your colour.

There are so many choices out there, but one thing is clear – if you want the best results, it needs to be styled with the right tool.

So which one do you choose?

We’ve done all of the research and testing for you!

In this review, we’ll compare these two products on things like price point, features and performance.

Our goal is to help give you the information you need to make the right decision for you.

In How to use straighteners with coloured hair we told you all you need to know about how best to protect your coloured hair while using straighteners.

Now we’re here to tell you all about Cloud Nine and ghd. Which one is the best for you? Let’s find out!

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Are straighteners bad for coloured hair?

Straightening irons, aka flat irons, are simply hot tools like curling tongs and curling wands. They use heat to style your hair.

Some people are happy to use them on a day-to-day basis.

But others don’t because they may be afraid it will damage their natural hair texture and cause breakage. Especially those who have dyed locks!

But are they really bad for coloured hair? Sadly, yes.

Straightening your hair may cause damage to fine, delicate strands of colour-treated or dyed locks.

Check out this film from uber hairdresser Guy Tang who shows us just how bad for coloured hair hot irons can be. It’s a shocker!

Straighteners that use ceramic plates are the kindest when it comes to straightening coloured hair.

(Nowadays you can even get keratin-infused straighteners with floating plates and healing minerals).

But like any heating appliance, straighteners age with wear and tear and their plates lose their ability to heat up so efficiently.

So if you’ve had your hair straighteners for a while and your hair is feeling frayed and not so smooth after using them, it’s time to purchase some new ones.

The question is which are best for you – Cloud Nine or ghd?

Are Cloud 9 and ghd the same company?

Cloud 9 and ghd are not the same company, but they were started by the same person and that’s where the confusion often lies.

Robert Powls, one of the original founders of ghd, created Cloud Nine in 2009.

Mr Powls left ghd in 2006, acquired a yacht in the south of France, and spent three years in semi-retirement before starting Cloud Nine Hair with his two stepsons Martin and Gavin Rae.

Both of whom had previously worked with him at ghd!

Is Cloud Nine a good brand?

Powls set out to design equipment that offered kinder hairstyling with greater results.

The new brand’s premium straighteners rocked the market with a new approach.

That’s why all of Cloud Nine’s products are made in South Korea.

The company claims it’s the only area on the planet where the “hair-healing” mineral sericite, which is embedded in all of its stylers, can be found.

Since then, the multi-award-winning brand has continued to create a range of products, including straighteners, hair dryers, and curling wands.

Is ghd a good brand?

ghd is famous for its haircare technology and innovation.

When sleek, poker-straight styles quickly became the only way to wear hair in the noughties, the brand was the one to have in hair salons all over the world.

With over 300 beauty accolades under its belt, it’s no surprise that the brand sells 2 million stylers each year.

As well as curling tongs, hair dryers, and heated brushes.

All of which use its “safer for hair” heat-styling technology that we love.

All of ghd’s irons maintain a constant temperature of 185°C.

This is the temperature that the brand claims is the best in the industry for being kind to hair.

Which are the best straighteners for coloured hair?

In our best straighteners for coloured hair reviews, we picked the top straighteners with kinder styling technology that are kinder to all dyed hair types – whether you’re straightening, curling or waving.

Now we put two of the most popular brands Head to Head to find out which one you should get to keep your straight locks sleek and shiny, your beach waves rocking and your colour tip top!

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TOP PICK!

ghd Gold Styler Professional Ceramic Hair Straighteners.

Best for: Every day use that’s kind to colour.

These are the straighteners that all other straighteners want to be.

A high quality, lower heat appliance that looks after our coloured manes while giving us the most fabulous, swishy hair results.

It beats Cloud Nine by a fraction.

We love the temperature settings on Cloud Nine but don’t want to take the risk of scalding our colour.

Factor in the slightly more expensive price for Cloud Nines, and it’s ghds all the way for us.

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Cloud Nine The Original Iron Hair Straightener.

The spec:

• Variable heat settings: Yes
• Cordless: No
• Cable length: 2.6m swivel cord
• Plates are 2.5cm width and 9cm length
• The straighteners measure 26cm overall
• Accessories included (Gift pack): Embroidered heat resistant luxury carry case and protective heat guard.
• Standard one-year warranty.

They say:

• The multi-award-winning Original Iron delivers exceptional results, thanks to our renowned temperature controlled, mineral-coated ceramic plates.
• The adjustable temperature control feature allows you to choose from seven different heat settings.
• The floating, mineral-coated ceramic plates are proven to be kinder to hair, leaving it feeling conditioned and cared for.

Reviewers say:

Average 4.9 out of 5 stars.

“I’ve been using GHDs over the past 5 years and wanted a change. I thought I’d give these a go after look at all the fab reviews.

These are ideal for me! I have really long thick hair and the sleek soft finish touch the straighteners gives my hair is amazing!!”

“I was recommended these by my local hairdresser (having had a different make for over 10 years).. and it is good that you can adjust the temperature.

They heat up pretty quick and make my hair feel really smooth. Only trouble now is that my daughter keeps borrowing them!”

“Totally delighted with these, read the reviews and decided to finally buy something other than GHD. I am so glad I did, these are by far superior than GHD’s in my opinion.”

Are Cloud 9 worth the money?

We’ll be honest, we are hard ghd fangirls so it will take a lot to sway us from our favourite straightener brand.

But the Cloud Nine straighteners surprised us, and came a close second to truly stealing our hearts.

Cloud Nine is definitely one the best hair straightener options because of its mineral-coated ceramic plates.

It’s more expensive than ghds, but certainly a hot contender for best hair straightener crown.

The look and feel of the Cloud Nine Original Straighteners is, like ghds, one of quality.

The light-up dials add a contemporary touch. It’s easy to use and completely intuitive, though not as quick to heat up as the ghds we noticed.

But that will depend on what temperature you’re heating them to.

And this is what we really love about these straighteners – the temperature control.

If you have thicker hair, you’ll need a higher heat to set your style and this is where these come into their own.

But we’re wary. Coloured hair does not like heat so being to set the temperature hotter than you really need it is perhaps a feature we don’t really need.

If you have finer hair, the ghds are a better bet.

Cloud nine is best for: Thicker hair.

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ghd Gold Styler Professional Ceramic Hair Straighteners.

The Spec:

• Variable temperature control: No
• Cordless: No
• Cable length: 2.7m swivel cord
• Dimensions: H33 x W12 x D9 cm
• Weight: 1.1kg
• Accessories included:Protective plate guard
• All ghd straighteners come with a 2-year warranty
  

They say:

• The ghd Gold professional styler transforms your beauty regime and leaves you with glamorous, healthy-looking hair.
• It has dual-zone technology, an advanced heat sensor on each plate to maintain the ideal styling optimal temperature of 185ºC constantly.
• They have a speedy heat-up time of 25 seconds and an automatic sleep mode that turns them off after 30 minutes of non-use.

Reviewers say:

Average 4.7 out of 5 stars.

“I’ve used GHD’s for as long as I can remember and I wouldn’t use any other brand as they tame my frizzy/curly hair.

I literally could not live without them. My current pair are probably over 10 years old!”

“I had the older version of these straighteners for +10 years before they lost their ability to heat one of the plates.

I tried these ones and the platinum version but these were the better ones for my fine hair type.”

“I’ve only had these for a week but love them. They just glide through my mane! I have a neck length bob but my hair is VERY thick, coarse and wild naturally. As usual, GHD does the job.”

We say:  

ghds. The queens, the classics, the mothers of all straighteners and who all straighteners wish to be.

Ghd are to straighteners what Dyson is to vacuum cleaners (and these days hairdryers, see our Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer, Review).

The design is top-notch.

It’s not as heavy as some other straighteners so you can avoid the arm ache that comes with straightening your hair.

The cord is a good length to be able to move freely.

That’s another reason why these are the hairdressers’ favourites that you see in salons throughout the land. 

Does ghd ruin your hair?

The important thing about these that make them perfect for coloured hair is the temperature.

And this is where they have the edge over Cloud Nine. Not because you can change the temperature, but because you can’t!

It’s deliberately set at 185 degrees Celsius which ghd sets as the optimum temperature to not scald your hair shafts and burn out your colour.

Ok, it doesn’t come with the accessories that the Cloud Nine ones do, but we don’t really need ’em.

What we want is to be able to style our hair frazzle free and without fading the colour.

And for that, we wouldn’t use anything else.

Check our in-depth review of these beauts in ghd Gold Styler Professional Straighteners | Spotlight review.

TOP PICK!

ghd Gold Styler Professional Ceramic Hair Straighteners.

Best for: Every day use that’s kind to colour.

These are the straighteners that all other straighteners want to be.

A high quality, lower heat appliance that looks after our coloured manes while giving us the most fabulous, swishy hair results.

It beats Cloud Nine by a fraction. We love the temperature settings on Cloud Nine but don’t want to take the risk of scalding our colour.

Factor in the slightly more expensive price for Cloud Nines, and it’s ghds all the way for us.

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Parting words.

The Cloud Nine vs ghd straighteners battle is a tough one.

Both brands are trusted, both have loyal customers and both offer great products at reasonable prices.

ghds are the straight-up winner for us.

When using any sort of heated tool, remember not to apply high temperatures directly onto damp hair

Instead, try deep conditioning treatments and heat protectant spray that will protect against damage while also giving life back into dull strands.

Good luck!