Everything You Want to Know About the New Dyson Airwrap Styling Tool, From a Beauty Editor Who Tried It

There's a dilemma I face nearly every morning I want to have a good hair day: Do I want clean hair or styled hair? If I wash my hair, I barely have enough time to dry it, let alone curl it. If I want perfect curls, I have to push the limits of dry shampoo for yet another day (or two or three). But Dyson's latest innovation, it seems I won't have to choose.

Two years after introducing its groundbreaking Supersonic hair dryer, Dyson now has the beauty industry buzzing over Airwrap, a new styling tool that promises to replace your entire kit of hot tools with one device that uses jets of air to blow dry, curl/wave, and straighten all in one. I know—it sounds way too good to be true. That's why I put it, and all of its accessories, to the test. Read on for everything you need to know before considering buying this new $500 wonder tool.

Airwrap™ Styler dyson sephora.com $499.00 Shop Now

It styles hair wet! This is the biggest draw for me. As I mentioned, having to dry hair completely before using hot tools makes styling hair a really time-consuming process. The Airwrap can be used on damp hair and dries it at the same time as it sets a chosen style. It works fast, too (but more on how later).It's way less damaging than traditional hot tools. There are two heat settings and one cooling setting on the Airwrap, but I'd say none of them go beyond what the lowest setting on a hair dryer feels like. For someone with color-treated hair, I'm always aware that prolonged extreme heat (think: 400+ degrees, as is an option in many hot tools), can not only fry ends and whittle away strand strength, but alter dye finish as well. The tool doesn't rely on heat to primarily make the hair curl or straighten, but rather the strength of high-speed air flow. This means you could style your hair without having to worry as much about damage.It comes with multiple accessories. The Airwrap has a wand base with different head attachments, including a dryer (like a mini version of the Supersonic), two paddle brushes, a round brush, and two widths of clampless curling barrels. That's six tools, so you could virtually replace your entire hair kit.

Throw out everything you've ever learned about curling your hair—the Airwrap uses completely new technology that defies the traditional mechanics of curling hair. After six years of development and a whopping 642 prototypes, over 200 engineers and scientists created a motor that manipulates air in a phenomenon known as the Coanda effect. The Coanda effect happens when high-speed air in a cylinder creates a vortex (like a jet engine). In the tool, high pressure air flows through six slots in the barrel, which causes hair to attach itself to the surface.

This is how it translates into action: You take a 1-inch section of damp hair, and starting from the bottom, the air flow makes the strand wrap itself up around the bar (no clamp or hands required). You hold it there for ten seconds (you can play around depending on what kind of curl you want), turn on the cool setting, then turn off the Airwrap to let a perfect curl fall. You repeat all around your head.

Yes. It does take a lot of getting used to, especially if you're curling, since you have to use two curling wand heads—both with opposite airflow directions—instead of one. The first time I tried it, I was totally confused and couldn't quite figure out the motion, but it came much easier the second time and I did my whole head starting with wet hair in about 25 minutes (that's about the same amount of time it takes me to style completely dry hair).

I brushed out my hair using just my fingers for a natural finish. Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

I tried the dryer, round brush, paddle brush, and both sizes of the barrel. Every single one gave hair the same finish: Extremely shiny, soft, smooth hair. My hair has never looked that healthy after heat-styling. It also has never looked that voluminous and bouncy. I couldn't stop touching my strands and compliments kept coming my way all day—someone even asked if I had just gotten a professional blowout. That's the best way to describe the Airwrap's biggest benefit: It's the best blowout you could possibly DIY.

As for curls, I don't think the Airwrap could one hundred percent replace a curling iron. The curls you get are natural-looking, so if you wanted a look that requires precision, like Veronica Lake waves, the Airwrap wouldn't be my go-to.

My hair after using the Dyson Airwrap at 2PM, after the curls fell.

Sort of. When I first styled my hair in the morning using the smaller curling barrel (1.2 inches), I was so impressed with how tight the curls were—they mimicked my usual results from a curling iron. But, even when I used generous amounts of hairspray all over, the curls eventually fell. That being said, I actually loved how the curls dropped, leaving soft bends in the hair that looked really effortless but very polished.

I also tried the Airwrap without using any styling product and the perfect waves and shine in my hair lasted until the next time I had to wash it.

No! As long as you brush your hair beforehand, it's pretty impossible to tangle your hair or get it caught in the tool in any way. I was really zealous with the way I used the wand around my hair and it never knotted.

At the Airwrap launch, I saw celebrity hair stylist Jen Atkin use the smoothing paddle brush attachment on a model with tight, coily natural curls. It turned straight in one pass right before my eyes.

Like the Supersonic ($400), the Airwrap is definitely pricy. There are three packages: you can get the Complete Styler with all the attachments ($550, amazingly already sold out on Sephora), Smooth + Control Styler with four of the attachments meant for frizz-prone hair ($500), and Volume + Shape styler with four of the attachments for fine hair ($500).

Only you can determine if this price point fits in your budget, but if you're someone who styles your hair regularly, wants to save time, and wants to protect your hair from iron damage, it could very well be worth the investment. It's like getting six tools in one (note: a high-quality curling iron alone can go for $150+ so price-wise, it evens out).

Don't use the Airwrap on too-wet hair. If you're fresh from a wash, you should towel-dry, then rough-dry your hair before using the tool. Using it on too-wet hair meant it took longer for curls to set. Don't use it on too-dry hair. When I waited too long and my hair air dried too much, I had to re-wet it to get results I wanted. The tool relies on streams of air simultaneously drying your hair to set a style, not heat, so you can't use it on totally dry hair. If you already have dry hair and want to use it, however, spritzing water on it will help just fine.Use small sections of hair. For the most control over your style, use one-inch sections of hair. Whenever I tried to use any more than that, the drying mechanism wouldn't work as evenly or it'd be too much hair at once to wrap around the barrel and I'd have to go over the section again or break it up in two parts.

Airwrap™ Styler dyson sephora.com $499.00 Shop Now

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