Dyson Corrale
The perfect style… for an exorbitant price.
First came a hair dryer, then a styling set, and now Dyson has expanded its beauty range further by adding flat irons to its catalogue. Called the Corrale, the hair straightener takes its name from the word ‘corral’, meaning to gather things into one place, and refers to the iron’s headline feature – its “flexing plates”.
Each manganese-copper alloy plate is only 65 microns thick – the width of a human hair – and bends slightly to gather strands of hair within each lock you’re straightening within the plates without splaying. This means that tension is spread evenly through each strand, reducing the number of times you’ll need to work the hair to style it and, thus, protecting it from heat damage and saving you time.
Each plate is also coated with tourmaline, whose ionising properties reduce static. So the chances of having shorter strands of hair sticking out at odd angles after styling is much lower compared to other straighteners.
The Corrale has inherited an updated version of Dyson’s Intelligent Heat Control technology found in the company’s Supersonic hair dryer and the Airwrap styler. Where the older Dyson beauty products can measure temperature 40 and 60 times a second respectively, the new straightener uses a platinum sensor that can do so 100 times a second. Any change in temperature is communicated to a heat-regulating microprocessor, thus ensuring steady, accurate heat throughout the styling process. There are three temperature settings to choose from – 165°C, 185°C and 210°C – and the lowest is more than sufficient to straighten even thick, wavy hair quickly.
True to Dyson’s aesthetics, the Corrale has a very sleek, futuristic design. When not in use, it can be clipped closed and, in fact, switches off automatically after a few minutes. This safety feature minimises the risk of accidental fires in case you’ve forgotten to switch it off.
The power button also gets hidden under the outer casing when the device is clipped shut, reducing the chances of automatic switch-ons when in a bag.
If you plan to travel with it by air, it will need to go into your carry-on bag as airlines don’t allow lithium-ion batteries in checked baggage. This isn’t a problem at all as the Corrale features an ‘airplane mode’ clip that disconnects the batteries.
Despite boasting features that make the Corrale safe to carry around, it’s not quite portable. And the eye-watering price is a further issue..
It’s the best hair straightener money can buy, but this kind of precision engineering comes at a very steep price that isn’t easily justified.
Sharmishta Sarkar