Is it worth the $$$?
We tested it on women with hair ranging from chin-length to mermaid-long to find out.
Two years after launch- ing its revolutionary super-speedy hair dryer, Dyson is making literal waves in the hair world yet again. Its newest tool promises to curl, wave and smooth without extreme heat, saving your hair from unnecessary damage. The Dyson Airwrap styler utilizes the “Coanda effect”: high-speed air flow that allows hair to be styled from wet to dry in a number of ways thanks to its various attachments.
CHIN-LENGTH: EBONY
My hair: I have chin-length hair that is smooth and naturally curly, but currently wavy due to a keratin treatment I had earlier this year.
My routine: If I’m styling my hair, I’ll normally straighten it with a flat iron or enhance my curls with a curling wand. Usually, it’ll take me 40 to 45 minutes to do either.
My review: In an attempt to achieve a soft, natural wave, I used the Dyson curling attachment after washing. Overall, the results were similar to what I normally get with a curling wand, and it took me about the same amount of time. Some big pros for me were the lack of extreme heat and the way that the air literally grabbed onto my short hair to curl. Although I struggled a bit with the different attachments to get my hair to curl in the right direction — causing a bit of confusion and tired triceps — I eventually got the hang of it. I liked the bounciness of the curls it made, but they needed two layers of hairspray, like immediately, in order to stay put — which I didn’t mind, since I was saving my hair from my more damaging curling wand. Oh, and I can’t not mention the fact that this tool is L.O.U.D. It’s like using a blow dryer for 45 minutes straight, so keep that in mind if you have roommates!
SHOULDER-LENGTH: CHARLOTTE
My hair: I have thin hair, but a lot of it. It’s somewhat damaged from years of highlighting and heat-styling, so its texture is somewhere between wavy and puffy — i.e. air-drying is not an option for me.
My routine: I usually style my hair by drying it first with the Dyson Supersonic and then using a T3 curling wand to create loose waves — but I always leave the ends straight for that “lived-in” look. The whole process usually takes about 20 minutes.
My review: I first tried the mini-dryer attachment to take some moisture out of my justwashed hair, and it was surprisingly effectual considering its small size. Next, I smoothed out some of that aforementioned puffiness by running the flat brush attachment through my lengths. I was impressed by how tightly it grabbed every strand, and loved that I could achieve with one hand what normally takes two — dryer in one, paddle brush in the other. After that step was complete, it was time to try out the curling barrels. It took me a couple of tries to get the hang of it, but once I did, I loved how easily the barrels attracted and coiled my hair. I was able to get a great amount of volume, and big bouncy curls — which is a look I would love if my hair were longer, but on my current length it was a bit too flippy on the ends.
MEDIUM-LONG: JILL
My hair: I have fine, medium-long hair that is super straight. I have always kept my hair pretty natural — I’ve never dyed it — so it’s very healthy, but that also means that it’s hard to make it hold a curl. And though my hair is fine and doesn’t have a lot of volume, I have a lot of it, so styling can be time-consuming.
My routine: Typically, I blow-dry my hair using a round brush (and the Dyson Supersonic dryer), which takes me 10 to 15 minutes, or when I’m short on time I just partly blow-dry it and then let it air-dry. I often curl my hair when I’m going out, but it takes at least half an hour with a curling wand because I have so much hair.
My review: I first used the round brush attachment on wet hair and it dried my hair relatively quickly and gave me lots of volume. I’ve used other hot-air round brushes before, and the Dyson version grabbed my hair much better. The Airwrap curling barrels took some getting used to, but after a few minutes I got the hang of it — though, I had to guide the hair onto the barrel a bit more than I thought I would. The shorter pieces at the nape of my neck were nearly impossible to get wrapped around the barrel. It was nice that I didn’t have to worry about burning my fingers, but while my usual curling wand can create a wide variety of curls, the Dyson was only warm enough to create loose, wavy curls in my hair.
LONG: SIMONE
My hair: I have long, fine hair with just the slightest natural wave. I gave up on dying my hair a few years ago, so it’s currently natural and untreated.
My routine: Mornings with a twoyear-old are chaotic, so I tend to shower and do my hair at night. After washing, I’ll massage some volumizing mousse at my roots and shine serum on my ends and then blowdry my bangs and roots with a large round brush. Most days, I leave the ends to air-dry and hope for the best. The whole process takes about 10 minutes. In the morning, if I have time, I’ll give my whole head a blast from the blow dryer and brush out any kinks from sleeping on damp hair.
My review: I was super excited to try out the new Dyson. It seemed easy to use and fast — two key components in my book — and I liked the idea that it had multiple attachments. To be honest, I was hoping it would magically make me look more pulled together. ... In reality, it (mostly) delivered. I was really impressed by the blow-drying tool, which had my hair (all of it!) close to dry in a matter of minutes. Switching to the round brush tool, I tried to manoeuvre some soft waves, but mostly kept getting my hair tangled around the brush. The smoothing brush was slightly easier to use, but I opted to pull out my regular round brush and finish with the blow dryer attachment. The whole process took only 10 minutes. In the morning, I used the curling attachments to attempt beach waves. While this tool is super fun to play with, the curls didn’t make it past my morning commute. Next time, I’ll try it with some extra-hold hairspray.