Image: Finder photography
It's no secret that heat styling tools aren't great for the health of your hair. Nevertheless, we all love our straighteners, curlers and hair dryers a little more than we probably should.
But what if you had a styling tool that didn't cause damage to your hair? What if I told you that it would not only style your hair but dry it too?
Introducing the Dyson Airwrap – it's the newest Dyson hair product and it's about to change the game. This product is a curler, straightener and blow dryer all in one glorious product. It quite literally replaces all the heating tools you already own.
Does it do what it says?: Yes, definitely.
Is it easy to use?: It takes a while to get used to, but after that, it's very easy.
Do we like it?: We absolutely love it.
Is it worth your money?: With a price tag of $699 it's pricey, but if you use styling tools, it's definitely worth the cash.
Where to buy it?: Grab it at Dyson and Adore Beauty
This device is designed to be an all-in-one hair styling tool that doesn't damage your hair. Dyson recognised a gap in the market for a single product that resolved three main hair concerns: the tangles and knots created by hair curlers, temperature damage from hot styling tools and unruly, frizzy hair problems.
So, the brand created a stand-alone tool to address all of these hair issues. Sounds great, right? But, with a price tag of $699, is this device worth it? Can it really replace all styling tools? And not just replace, but out-perform? We think so. In fact, this may just be the most exciting beauty-tech launch of 2018.
According to Dyson, the Airwrap uses "jets of air to achieve voluminous curls, natural waves and smooth blow-dry finishes at home". Dyson Airwrap is designed to wrap your hair around the curling wand by itself. No manual twirling required. There are a number of other attachments in the Airwrap kit that allow you to straighten, volumise and dry your hair. But the primary, and certainly most innovative, function is the curling.
So, does it actually curl and how well does it do that? I, myself have thick and unruly hair. So naturally I had a few doubts about whether this would work for me, and if it would work to the same standard as my straightener or curler. The product is designed to be used on damp hair – my favourite thing about it. Normal styling devices require you to dry your hair before styling, but this dries as you style.
In the images below, one is of my damp hair and the second is the finished product after using the curling attachment. As you can see, my hair is not only dry but looks and feels as though it has been professionally blow dried and styled at a salon. That's no exaggeration.
Image: Finder photography
To achieve the blow-dried curled look above, I used the 40mm barrel and placed it into the top of the Airwrap and locked it into place. I then grabbed a strand of my damp hair and left a tail of free hair approximately 10cm of length.
I then placed the Airwrap behind the tail of hair and switched the device on. The on button is an easy thumb-reach away. Flick it up to activate the hot air and flick it down to switch to cool air – this helps set the hair style. Through the unique Dyson technology, your hair will wrap around the wand by itself. As you move the wand towards your head, your hair will automatically wrap entirely around the barrel. Like a regular curler, you need to leave your hair on the barrel for a few moments. I held it for seven seconds, but the time depends on the thickness of your hair and its dampness. To finish it all off, simply turn the air to cool, turn off and pull the wand down to release the curl.
This process is new and somewhat foreign. I personally found it tricky at first, but once you get the hang of it, it's surprising easy. For me, curling my hair can be as much effort as a gym session – long, hot and inevitably leaving me with tired arms and ultimately not worth it in my opinion. But using the Airwrap takes me 15 minutes at the most to curl all my hair and it doesn't leave me with tired aching arms.
Image: Finder photography
Even if you're not a tech-fanatic, understanding exactly how the Airwrap works and takes your hair from drab to fab is exciting. The Airwrap uses a digital motor (similar to the Dyson Supersonic) that creates a high-speed flow of 100° C air to blow out of the attachments. A glass bead thermistor inside the device measures the temperature of the air 40 times a second to ensure the temperature of the air never reaches the point that it will damage your hair.
What makes this tool so groundbreaking is the new technology used to achieve curls with just hot air. The technology relies on a phenomenon known as the Coanda Effect. When jets of air are shot out of slots on a curved surface at a certain speed, these jets will naturally curve around the surface rather than just shoot straight. This phenomenon is what creates a circular jet flow of air around the Airwrap curling barrels. And it is this flow of air that literally wraps and holds your hair against the barrel. While your hair is wrapped around the wand the hot air works to dry and style it at the same time. Because the air flows out and around the barrel, there is no opportunity for your hair to become tangled, twisted or sucked in. We've all seen the YouTube horror clips.
You can't use sopping wet hair with this product – it needs to be slightly damp. So, there is a small dryer that can get your hair to 80% dry, then you can start styling. Your hair holds a style more effectively when dried in the form you're after, be it straight or curly. Wetting your hair breaks the hydrogen bonds and drying your hair resets them – this is what allows you to change the style of your hair. The Airwrap also allows you to blast your hair with the cool air before turning off the hot air which will set the style and result in a longer wear – the cold air fully sets the hydrogen bonds so your new style stays put. I definitely believe the cold air setting feature is what helped my curls last longer than normal.
The Dyson Airwrap is designed to cover all bases of hair styling. There are seven attachments that come in the Dyson Airwrap kit.
There is the pre-styling dryer, which is a smaller version of the supersonic hairdryer. This attachment is great to take your wet hair to the damp stage where you can begin using a styling tool. Then there are four curling barrels – two 30mm and two 40mm – and each size has a barrel that wraps to the right and one that wraps to the left so you can perfect and customise your curls.
Lastly, there are three different brushes to suit different hair types. The Soft Smoothing Brush has purple tips on the bristles and works for those with fine and thin hair. The Firm Smoothing Brush is for those with thick and/or coarse hair. The Round Volumising Brush is similar to the ones you see in the salon and is great for adding volume to your hair.
Image: supplied
The thick brush was one of the attachments I found myself reaching for the most. This grew to be my favourite because it works on both wet and dry hair. It made my hair feel like I'd come straight from a professional blow dry and it didn't feel damaged afterwards. Each attachment is designed to work on all hair types and can be used on damp or dry hair, so it's an incredibly versatile tool that I found to be really user-friendly.
In comparison to other hair styling products, the Airwrap is much kinder to your hair – according to Dyson's studies on heat and hair damage. The brand's research shows that hair damage occurs at temperatures over 100° C. This product is designed to never breach an air heat of 100° C.
So, how does it stack up against other industry leaders? A GHD straightener has a temperature of 185° C and also cannot be used on wet hair. The Cloud Nine hair straightener can have a temperature between 100° C and 200° C, but again, it can't be used on wet hair. The Babyliss hair curler with 5 stars on Adore Beauty has three temperature positions of 190° C, 210° C and 230°C. Dyson's research shows these temperatures can lead to severe heat damage if used continuously.
So, compared with the industry leaders, the temperature of the Airwrap will cause the least damage to your hair. When using this product, you can truly feel the heat difference. Your hair feels light and fluffy after using the Airwrap rather than stiff and hot.
The Dyson Airwrap is a plug-in contraption. The cord length is 2.6 metres so you have a lot of room to move when doing your hair. It also weighs 0.59kg which means you can say goodbye to sore arm syndrome when curling, straightening and blow drying.
However, just because this product is super light doesn't mean it doesn't have strength. The Airwrap has a power measure of 1,300W and an airflow of 13.5ls/sec. Dyson also offers a two-year warranty for this product so you can invest your money with confidence.
For $699, the Dyson Airwrap seems like a steep price tag. However, when you put the price of your straightener, curler and hair dryer all in one product, you realise you really are getting more out of the investment. For me, there are three main reasons why this product is as groundbreaking and amazing as it claims to be: it styles your hair wet, it's less damaging than other heat styling tools and it comes with multiple accessories.
Additionally, considering that the Dyson Supersonic Hairdryer costs $500, the Airwrap really gives you a greater range of tools and possibilities. Plus, you really don't need to be a hair professional to use this product. The curling technique can take a few goes to get the hang of but when you've nailed it once, you've got it down pat from there.
The versatility of the product is also a big tick for us as it's formulated to work on all types of hair including fine, thick and coarse hair.
To put it simply, this product is one that I can't see myself without or never using again. It's created a simple hair routine that leaves me with a DIY professional blow dry minus the hair damage.
You can buy the Dyson Airwrap today. It officially went on sale on 10 October 2018.
The Dyson Airwrap is available to purchase both in-store and online at Dyson. You can also purchase it from official stockists like Adore Beauty, Sephora
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