As someone with very curly coarse hair which frizzes when dry, I’ve struggled to tame it all my life. Blow-drying it merely increases its volume four-fold and straighteners while great, flatten it so that it doesn’t feel like my hair at all, plus straightening it takes ages and damages it! Getting it professionally blowed-dried is lovely; it behaves and is still full of body, but like most of the world, I don’t have the money and time to get it blow-dried every week.

I’ve been eyeing this brush for a while now, put off by the hefty price-tag, all while wondering if it really does walk the walk. Finally though, having tried a few cheaper options with disappointing results, I took the plunge and haven’t looked back. The brush is compact though for some may feel hefty. It comes in a sleek box with minimal packaging.

I unpacked it and eagerly held down the on-off button to get it going. After a moment it beeped and flashed, and began to heat up. I waited impatiently and after around 90 seconds, it beeped again to indicate it was ready. The light stayed on and grabbing it, I began to pull it through a section of my dry frizzy hair. It took two tries to get it just right; the slow glide that seems to do the trick. In three strokes, the section of my hair became instantly smoother and shiny and I moved on to the next bit. In all, it took me around 6 minutes to work through my thick coarse hair.

I next tried the brush when I next washed my hair: I followed my usual routine of washing, then blasting my hair with my 2600w hairdryer. As usual, this left it looking like the wrong end of a battered broom. Rather than smothering it in defrizzing products and tying it back with hairpins to tame the front, Out came the GHD glide. Within five minutes (yes I timed it) my hair was transformed from its usual frizzy mess to a shiny manageable mane. I now use the glide once every few days, when the dreaded frizz shows its face In the month I’ve had it, I’ve probably used it more than my GHD straighteners which I’ve had for over seven years.

A few points to be aware of though: this brush will not straighten the same way straighteners do — I’m always left with the odd kink near my scalp. Personally I don’t mind that, it’s better than my usual frizz. Second, it won’t turn off if you accidentally press the button when using it — like I do each time I use it. To turn it off, hold the on-off button down for a few seconds; it will beep and flash, then go off. Third, its not the easiest thing to clean; I wait until it has cooled down, then clean it using a toothbrush which is simple enough to do.

Overall though, it has transformed my hair; I thought I’d have to live with frizzy hair, had resigned myself to it and accepting that for me straighteners though getting rid of the frizz, were to damaging to my already dry hair, now I enjoy sleek shiny hair on a daily basis. I doubt any hot brush can produce poker-straight hair, but this one at least gets rid of one of my worst enemies, frizz.