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The $599.99 Dyson Airwrap looks like it was created for the purpose of taking a place in the design wing of MoMA. Though it bears little resemblance to hair tools of the past, it functions as a hair dryer and styler, and is the genesis of the multi-styler category. You don’t always expect the first of something to be the best, but that’s what the Airwrap is. Tested against its only main rival, the $299.99 Shark FlexStyle, the Airwrap comes out ahead in almost every way but price. So, while costly, the Dyson Airwrap’s ability to turn anyone into a stylist earns it our Editors’ Choice award. Design and AccessoriesThe Airwrap Complete Long is meant for people with longer than chest-length hair, which I have. For those with shorter hair, there is the Airwrap Complete. The only difference is the length of the two Airwrap Barrels that it comes with. The Airwrap also comes with a Coanda Smoothing Dryer, a Soft Smoothing Brush, a Firm Smoothing Brush, and a Round Volumizing Brush.
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All of this is packaged in a weighty but sleek box that coordinates with the color of the tool itself. The entire kit would not be out of place in the futuristic neoclassical fever dream at the end of 2001: A Space Odyssey. That said, a more travel-friendly, or at least space-saving, case would be appreciated. One is sold separately but is $60 and frequently unavailable. You can customize your Airwrap and attachments on the Dyson site or choose between the package we tested, which is for straight to wavy hair, or one for curly and coily hair which has the 1.2-inch Airwrap Barrel, Coanda Smoothing Dryer, Firm Smoothing Brush, Large Round Volumizing Brush, Wide-Tooth Comb, and Diffuser. There are also accessories available for purchase.The Airwrap is two-tone and comes in a variety of colorways, most of which are limited edition. The site currently has just two, Nickel/Copper and Prussian Blue/Rich Copper. What Makes the Airwrap Different?The Airwrap can dry and style simultaneously or separately. It does both quickly and with a bit less noise than a typical hair dryer. Heat is at the heart of hair damage, and one of the things that sets the Airwrap apart is the temperature at which it operates. Dyson says that it never exceeds 302 degrees Fahrenheit. While this is about a hundred degrees hotter than the FlexStyle’s maximum temperature, it oddly feels cooler at the same settings. There are three fan speeds and three heat levels on the dryer, easily adjustable with buttons on the wand. There is also a cold shot button to help achieve shine and lock in styles, more on that later. The Airwrap relies on the Coanada effect for smoothing and styling. Essentially, this engineering technique directs a stream of air at hair in such a way that it follows that direction and then wraps around a curved surface. In practice, it feels like magic when you hold the Airwrap outfitted with one of the barrels up to your hair and watch it wrap itself around without having to clamp your hair to the tool or rotate your wrist, as you have to with a traditional curling iron.Reduced heat or not, protecting your hair before any drying and styling is a must, so before each session with the Airwrap, I sprayed heat protectant on my wet hair first. While using the Airwrap initially feels a bit unusual since it’s not the familiar bent shape of most hair dryers, it’s an easy adjustment to make, particularly since it isn’t as top-heavy as most dryers tend to be. While it has the shape of traditional curling irons, it is much wider in the hand. It’s relatively lightweight at 1.5 pounds.Drying With the AirwrapThough it looks more like a novelty-sized curler, the Dyson AIrwrap also dries hair. There are a few options. For a rough dry, you can use the Coanada Smoothing Dryer by attaching it to the wand and then twisting the top to reveal vents. This is the first step if you want to curl your hair with the barrels or if you want a straighter style and to get most of the water out before smoothing. The dryer works quickly and does not feel too hot when it blows against the skin or scalp. While it does generate big gusts of air, it’s not terribly loud. It dried my hair in about five minutes, which is a feat, considering that my hair is both long and naturally curly.
(Credit: Chandra Steele)
I straighten my hair pretty much every day, usually with a blow dryer and round brush, followed by a flat iron. With the Airwrap, there are three options for styling hair straight: the Soft Smoothing Brush, the Firm Smoothing Brush, and the Round Volumizing Brush. Each of them are for different types of hair. The Soft Smoothing Brush is made for fine hair, with a paddle shape populated by widely spaced, pliable plastic bristles tipped with spheres. The Firm Smoothing Brush for thick, coarse hair has a similar form factor but slightly stiffer bristles. The Round Volumizing Brush is designed for curly and coily hair, with a round style covered in dense nylon bristles. Given that I usually use a round bristle brush to straighten my hair, I thought the Round Volumizing Brush would be the only one that could get my hair looking acceptably straight to me. But surprisingly, I got the best blowout by using the Soft Smoothing Brush. I sectioned my hair as I normally would to dry it and held the ends of each section loosely with my hand while drying. I could feel the slight pull of the Coanada effect as I ran the brush through my hair. In the end, I was left with a bouncy but straight style I was more than happy to walk out the door with, with no flat iron necessary, sparing my hair from the 440-degree scorching it normally receives.I tried the Firm Smoothing Brush and Round Volumizing Brush as well, with nearly identical results from the former and slightly less smooth and styled results from the latter. Curling With the AirwrapThe Hair—straight on top, loose curls on bottom—is a ubiqutious trend you’ve surely seen on TV. And The Hair is what the Airwrap Barrels produce without a barrage of stylists. My curly hair is far removed from this screen-friendly style, drying on its own in a 2C pattern that is never consistent in how good it looks. Once I heat-straighten it, there is no way to then produce the loose curls of The Hair. But with the Airwrap, I can. I’m able to use the barrels to achieve curls after either a rough dry or a smoother one achieved with one of the brush attachments.
(Credit: Chandra Steele)
You can vary curl size and use both barrels or go for one consistent size and stick to either the 1.2-inch or 1.6-inch barrel. For the length of my hair, I prefer the latter. Both barrels perform in exactly the same way. You choose which direction you want to create the curls, turn the knob at the top accordingly, then hold the wand at the bottom of your hair, a bit away from your head. Air is blasted through the vents and your hair is drawn like a magnet to the barrel and you pull your arm in to complete the curl. Hold the curl for a few moments, then release and move on to the next set of strands. For a looser curl, run your fingers through the strands. Ironically, my hair does not hold artificially created curls, so I have to fortify them with hairspray after styling to keep the look. Smoothing With the AirwrapAs anyone who straightens their hair or even heat-styles it knows, flyaways are a dead giveaway. They’re the product of both breakage and rebellious strands. The Coanada effect of the Airwrap mostly eliminates them, but if you want an extra level of shine and control after you style or want to make that rough dry into a smooth look, you can attach the Coanada Smoother and go over any flyaways.
(Credit: Chandra Steele)
To function as a smoother and not a dryer, attach the Coanada Smoother and turn the knob at the top to cover the vents. After a rough dry, I did this and guided it from the top of my part down the length of my hair. It straightened out frizziness and tamed the flyaways that normally float above my part. The Airwrap’s Cold Shot Button
(Credit: Chandra Steele)
With any of the styling or drying options, you can press the cold shot button. A blast of cold air increases shine and can help a hairstyle hold, particularly in hot or humid weather. Most hair dryers have them, and they’re generally a button you hold down with your thumb continuously to use, which is how it functions on the FlexStyle. On the Airwrap, though, you push and hold the button up with your thumb. This is not only unwieldy as you try to maneuver the Airwrap around your entire head, but it is painful if you frequently text or type and thus overextend those exact muscle and nerve groups. It’s the biggest miscalculation Dyson makes design-wise with the device. Airwrap or FlexStyle?The Airwrap out-tested its closest rival, the Shark FlexStyle, for more fully eradicating frizz and making hair look like it was done by a professional. If you’re curling your hair regularly with the Airwrap, you’ll appreciate that you don’t have to swap out barrels halfway through, as you do with the FlexStyle. Also, the Airwrap is far better when it comes to curling hair that is chest length or longer since it has extended barrels, an option that the FlexStyle lacks. While the Airwrap is twice the price of the FlexStyle, Dyson does offer deeper discounts than Shark on refurbished models, which can bring the cost down considerably. Sometimes, you can score a deal at authorized retailers like Sephora or Ulta when they hold sales. You can also scour the Dyson site for closeouts on colors.Verdict: You’ll Save on the Salon in TimeIf you’re blowing lots of cash at blowout bars, the Dyson Airwrap is a good deal, costing about the same as twelve salon trips. But if you’re used to using a dryer, a brush, and maybe a heat tool or two, the Airwrap is exponentially more than you’re used to spending. The Shark FlexStyle has a much more approachable starting price and is worth considering if you’re shopping on a budget, but it falls just short of shear perfection. If you want salon-like results on the regular, the Airwrap will eventually pay off, and for that, it earns our Editors’ Choice award.
Dyson Airwrap Complete Long
The Bottom Line
Though it costs as much as multiple trips to the salon, the Dyson Airwrap Complete Long multi-styler and dryer is the fast track to magazine-worthy hair on a daily basis.
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