I Tested the New Dyson Airwrap That Delivers Shampoo Commercial-Level Volume and Shine
Hair envy is a serious struggle. Can we all agree that ’90s shampoo commercials showing models with long, impossibly glossy, voluminous and smooth hair set us all up for unrealistic expectations? Contrary to what these commercials suggest, getting full, gorgeous hair like that is so not as easy as simply lathering up with their trendy new shampoo and walking out the door. And that’s probably a big reason why, after years of chasing my dream hair, I had all but given up. Yet when Dyson announced earlier this year that they were expanding their highly coveted line of hairstyling tools with the revamped launch of a 2.0 version of their bestselling and oft-sold out Dyson Airwrap, the optimist in me wanted to give it a whirl in hopes that, just maybe, this would be the Holy Grail of perfect, commercial-worthy hair.
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Why is Everyone Obsessed with the New Dyson Airwrap 2022?
I’m not prone to hyperbole, but it wouldn’t be untrue to say that the Airwrap completely revolutionized how we think about styling our hair — and turned just finding one to purchase into a competitive sport. And as imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, an entire copycat category of ‘Dyson dupes’ emerged in world hairstyling, since Dyson’s line of hair tools are so elusive.
Ever since its launch in 2018, the Dyson Airwrap has garnered rave reviews from professionals and beauty enthusiasts, countless awards and a general reputation for being one of the most innovative and effective hair tools in recent memory, second only to another Dyson tool, the Dyson Supersonic hair dryer. And now, the Airwrap 2.0 is positioned to be the most important beauty launch of 2022.
In a nutshell: The Airwrap was designed with all hair types in mind to deliver the results you’d expect from a standard hot tool, but rather than harnessing heat to style hair, the Airwrap uses precisely directed airflow to style, shape and set your hair.
According to Dyson, the multi-styler is powered by an “aerodynamic phenomenon” called the Coanda effect, which essentially wraps hair to the barrel by manipulating the surrounding airstream, giving you salon-quality looks without any of the damage.
If you were willing to bear the cost of the OG Dyson Airwrap, you were essentially purchasing a lifetime supply of hair looks, courtesy of the six attachments that came along with it. You’ll still get six attachments — albeit, new and improved — with the new Multi-Styler to curl, wave, straighten or smooth your hair, no hair diffuser necessary.
Without knowing much about the premier Airwrap, I turned to Chicago-based celebrity stylist, Alex Brown, for her thoughts because I can count on her to keep it real when it comes to hair tools and products.
“The Airwrap is my go-to!” she said of the original tool. “I love all of the attachments it comes with and the heat control is amazing because it ensures the brush will never get too hot for your hair. Plus, you can wrap your hair around the barrel attachments to achieve a very bouncy blowout.”
What is the New Dyson Airwrap 2022?
If you thought the Dyson Airwrap was just a curling iron, you’re wrong — but you’re in good company. In fact, the Airwrap 2.0 it’s a multi-styling, all-in-one type of tool that comes with several different attachments to dry, curl, brush and smooth hair.
I opted for the complete set and everything about it is luxurious, even the sleek, leather-like storage case with velvet dividers and trays to house all of the different parts.
Here’s everything you can expect when you splurge for the Dyson Airwrap Multi-Styler:
Coanda smoothing dryer to smooth and dry hair
1.2” long curl barrel to create tight curls
1.6” long curl barrel to shape looser waves
Firm brush to straighten hair
Soft brush to detangle and tame flyaways
Round volumizing brush to volumize and curl ends
Cleaning filter brush
Storage case
Dyson Airwrap Multi-Styler Pros + Cons
There are plenty of reasons to love this engineering feat, yet the very best features may be the ones you don’t even see.
Pros
Designed for all hair types and textures
All attachments dry and style simultaneously without extreme heat
Enhanced engineering for overall faster process and increased control
Three airflow styling speeds to create versatile looks
Three heat settings for total temperature control, including a cold shot to set hair
All attachments are charged with negative ions to reduce hair static
New attachments work on the OG tool + old attachments are compatible with the new Airwrap
Improved attachment mechanics with Coanda airflow for longer-lasting styles
New Coanda smoothing dryer attachment has two settings — pre-style and smoothing mode — to quickly dry hair and set the style as a last step, respectively and promises up to 58% less frizz
Comes with an easy-to-store protective case for the full suite of tools
Cons
The $599.99 price tag
Need to read the instruction manual to get the most out of the attachments and features
How We Tested the Dyson Airwrap Multi-Styler
Products tested: Dyson Airwrap Multi-Styler, plus each of the 6 attachments at least twice
Testing time period: 10 days and counting
Styling products used: DpHue’s Color Fresh Leave-In Conditioner Mist to protect my color, add a boost of hydration and amp up the shine.
The New Dyson Airwrap Attachments
Revamped curling barrels: The original barrels could only propel air in one direction, meaning you’d have to switch barrels halfway through curling your head to maintain a consistent curl pattern, the 2.0 barrels can spin air in both directions via tighter pressure and more controlled airflow, which offers bouncier curls with major staying power. What’s better than one new curling barrel? Two! Use the skinnier barrel for tighter curls and the wider one for looser beach waves.
Dyson Airwrap curling barrel Airy brush heads: The new brush heads have been tweaked to accommodate additional air vents to provide a straightening and smoothing effect that will outlast any blowout you’ve ever had, especially if you pair it with dry shampoo (I can vouch). You’ll get two here as well — a firm and a soft brush.
Dyson Airwrap brush Dyson Airwrap brush New Coanda smoothing dryer: This brand-new attachment that will take your hair from sopping wet to mostly dry (the ideal state for styling) in minutes. But don’t expect it to look like a hair dryer nozzle — it looks kind of like a mailbox slot, only it shoots air downward, from root to end, making flyaways a thing of the past. This attachment is especially great for frizzy, curly or coarse hair textures.
Dyson Airwrap drying attachment Round volumizing brush: Firm bristles offer the perfect amount of tension for a voluminous style with mega shine.
Dyson Airwrap round brush
How to Use the Dyson Airwrap
Not knowing much about the premier Airwrap, other than the fact that it is a very big deal, I was a little intimidated by all of the next-gen attachments and features. Before I even thought about getting started, I familiarized myself with the attachments and their features and I also read the instruction manual — you can never be too prepared. If you want to see how Dyson does the new Dyson Airwrap 2022, check out their tutorials to learn how to get a range of looks at home.
Since straight, soft hair is usually out of reach for my coarse, frizzy and somewhat curly strands, I decided to try the smoothing brushes first. After showering, towel drying, I spritzed in Dphue’s Leave-In Conditioner Mist and combed through. Next, I pulled out the Coanda smoothing dryer attachment, rather than a normal hair dryer and set it to “pre-styling mode,” before I rough drying my wet hair until it was dry-ish.
Then I swapped the dryer for the large firm brush with the increased number of air vents and basically just brushed my hair until it was totally dry. When I looked in the mirror, I saw that my never-smooth hair was, in fact, magically smooth, soft and shiny.
I felt so confident with my newfound skills that I decided to roll with it and curl the ends, which was not quite as simple as just brushing your hair, but mastering the beach wave wasn’t difficult either.
In just 12 minutes, the final result was a head of hair that looked smooth, shiny, voluminous and full of wavy body. Now that we’re on a hybrid WFH and in-office schedule, I’ll be able to shower and style my hair in record time.
Is the Dyson Airwrap Worth It?
I like to think of new items in terms of cost per use. If you consider that the average blowout including tip is around $75 (depending on where you live), then you only need to use your Airwrap eight times to make it pay for itself. For the Dyson’s price point, it’s understandable that you may want a little extra insurance, which is likely why they offer a two-year warranty, should anything go haywire.
I’m not someone who uses a lot of hair tools, let alone with any kind of regularity — mostly because I never knew how to, so I always just claimed to love the way my air-dried hair looked. But the new Airwrap is a truly stunning piece of machinery, even for people like me, and because it’s so versatile, it’s really the only hair tool you’ll actually need — I even used it like a traditional hair dryer!
The Airwrap is seriously great, but there are a few specific types of people who would especially benefit from having one. If you’re a fan of blowouts, or the blowout style, then I can’t think of a better tool than the Airwrap for you. Without fail, it will deliver shine, volume and silky smooth hair every time (even if you think you’re doing it all wrong). Or if your hair is generally hard to manage, the Airwrap will become your new best friend, taming flyaways on your behalf and getting scraggly ends into a straight line. And for those who care about the health and quality of your hair, then hands down, put those traditional hot tools away in favor of this one, which just uses lukewarm wind.
However, if you think you could probably go a year or two without squeaking in eight uses, then you’re probably better served spending your money elsewhere.
Tools this legendary can be frustratingly elusive and don’t certainly don’t stick around for very long, so if you spot one, run.
Meet the Expert
Alex Brown is a Chicago-based celebrity stylist who trained under hair pioneer and founder of Ouai, Jen Atkin. Brown is responsible for some of the world’s recent favorite hair looks, as worn by Hailey Bieber, Kendall Jenner, Chrissy Teigen and the Hadid sisters. She may take a no-nonsense approach when it comes to hair, but her striking creations are anything but serious.
Meet the Author
Kaitlin Clark is the Beauty + Style Commerce Editor at WWD. Her ultimate goal in life is to recreate 90s supermodel hair with ease and during this journey, she’s tested everything from DIY hair masks to glosses to the latest hair tools. She’s happy to report that Dyson has brought her closer than ever to her goal. Off-hours, you can find her strolling through the Brooklyn Botanic Garden or hopping on a train for a long weekend out of New York City.
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