This year I finally crossed the Dyson Airwrap off my wish list. It’s a hair tool I’ve been curious about for years but always talked myself out of it because of the price. Now that I’ve used it for a couple of months, it’s time to give my honest review of the hair tool. This post will help break down the pros and cons of the Dyson Airwrap, along with who I think it’s best suited for and if I think it’s worth the price.

The Airwrap sells out very quickly, but I did just find it in stock here!

Dyson Airwrap Review

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What Does the Dyson Airwrap Do?

The Dyson Airwrap is a one-of-a-kind hair tool that uses hot air technology to style and curl your hair versus using the extreme heat of a curling iron to set your style. The complete Dyson Airwrap multi-styler set comes with all the attachment options, but they also make sets for fine hair or a set for coarse/frizz-prone hair, if you’re only interested in specific attachments.

Dyson Airwrap Pros and Cons

Pros

• Uses less heat on your hair
• Cool shot to set your style
• Multiple uses in one tool
• Can be used on damp or dry hair
• All in one hair tool that takes your hair from wet to dry
• Great for travel if you just want to bring one hair tool
• One-of-a-kind technology – Dyson invested millions into the development of this technology

Cons

• Price
• The slight learning curve with the curling attachments
• Not the most travel-friendly tool if you bring the entire set (unless you usually bring a blow dryer, in that case, you get two-for-one styling tools!)
• The cord can be heavy if the cord is hanging down (I usually sit on the floor or rest it on the vanity so I don’t notice) – this is typical with all Dyson hair products since the adapter is on the cord.
• May need to buy the longer attachment if you have long hair

How to Use It to Style Your Hair

It’s a multi-styler, so there are many ways you can use the tool! But this is how I prefer to use it. I typically start with rough drying my hair for a minute or two, then switch to the round volumizing brush to fully dry my hair and add volume. I have very fine textured hair, so I like to take this extra step to create additional volume in my hair before using the curling attachments. I also like to try and control my cowlick in the back of my head with a wide tooth comb or this attachment as well.

If I want to curl it after, I use the 1.2-inch Airwrap barrel in small sections. You hold the airwrap up to the end of your hair then turn it on and let it wrap up your hair for a few seconds. Then finish the style by applying a cool shot to set the curl. Don’t get lazy with this, it really helps! To remove your hair, simply turn off the airwrap and the curl will fall down perfectly. I promise there’s no reason to worry about it tangling or sucking up your hair. It stays wrapped completely around the outside and trust me, if my fine hair doesn’t get sucked in, yours won’t either! I actually notice more hair loss from my regular curling iron clamp.

PRO TIPS: The biggest mistake I see people make when trying out this product initially is not letting the airwrap do the work for you. Just leave out two inches of hair and turn on the airwrap to start curling, that’s it! The second mistake I see people make is not turning off the airwrap when removing your hair. This helps keep the curl intact and prevents the airwrap from blowing your hair everywhere. And third, if you find your hair is falling out of the short barrel length, use a smaller section of hair.

How to use the Dyson Airwrap attachments?

The biggest learning curve is getting used to the direction of the barrels. You get two barrels of the same size because each one has a different direction. I usually wrap my finger around the direction of the barrel to visualize what direction the curls will go, but if you put the wrong one on it’s no big deal. You can just go to the other side or switch them. If you don’t want to switch the barrel directions, you can also use the airwrap upside down on the opposite side. However, I usually just switch out the barrels as I go up my hair in sections.

Dyson recommends using the airwrap multi-styler complete with damp hair. However, I don’t have any issues curling it with dry hair. To help make the curls last and lock in volume, I like to use a volumizing spray before curling. This isn’t a must and I don’t use it every time. But if you find the style isn’t lasting, try this step!

Favorite ways to use the airwrap

To refresh dirty hair, I spray in dry shampoo and then use the round brush along the roots of my hair to give it a fresh blowout look. I’ve been wearing my hair straight more and love to use the Airwrap to blow dry and style it on hair-wash days. I use the fine brush attachment and the round brush to achieve a sleek, straight look.

How to make your dyson curls last

My hair is very fine so it requires a lot of texturizing products to maintain any curl with the Dyson. After a few hours, it will just have extra body but not necessarily curls.

• Use a pre-styling heat protectant that also texturizes your hair. I use Hot Off the Press.
• Pin the curls if you have time
• Bondi Boost Volumizing Powder
• Bumble and Bumble Dryspun Texture Spray

Dyson airwrap tutorial

Watch how I take my hair from wet to styled using the Dyson Airwrap in the video below.

Who do you recommend the airwrap for?

This is the ideal tool for someone looking for a tool to either help style and smooth frizzy hair, or create volume in flat hair, or someone looking for an all-in-one hair tool that uses less heat on their hair. Because there are multiple attachments, it works for a lot of different hair types from curly hair to straight hair.

The typical curl you achieve using the Airwrap curl attachments is a voluminous finish, similar to a style you would achieve with hot rollers. I personally find hot rollers really difficult to use because they don’t stay in my hair very easily, and I always get creases from the clips. I have seen people use the airwrap as a pre-heat tool prior to applying rollers to their roots for mega volume, but I don’t think that’s necessary since you can set the curl with a cool shot unless you’re not leaving the house for a while and want it to be fresh before leaving.

This is also a great tool if you’re looking for something to heat protect your hair. For those of you with really damaged hair, this would be a great solution! It’s still applying heat, but much less than a typical curling iron.

If you’re someone who likes to style your hair more beachy, you need to use a slightly different technique to avoid the ends of your hair from being curled. You can use the barrels like a wand and manually wrap your hair around the barrel (with the wand pointed down) to leave out the ends. It’s totally doable, but I would probably reach for my curling wand to get that look instead.

If you’re looking for more of a blowout look, the Dyson Airwrap can give you that look too. It can basically replace a flat iron because it can dry your hair straight. The bonus with the Airwrap is it gives you tons of volume.

Airwrap Vs. Curling Iron

With my hair type and length, the Airwrap doesn’t replace a curling iron, if I want very defined curls or waves. Since the barrel is slightly larger, the curls do fall out in my hair over time and I’m left with a straight look with volume and body on the ends (you can see what I mean in this post). Sometimes I use the Dyson, then add in a few curls on the top section of my hair to lock in a more defined curl, but not always. I just want to point that out for those of you with a similar hair type who want it to replace your curling iron or to achieve very defined curls. My friends with longer hair or hair that holds curls better do get a very similar look to a curling iron. Dyson carries a 0.8″ attachment that gives a more defined curl. But I currently can’t find any in stock.

Before and After Dyson Airwrap Results

Here is my hair before, styled with a 1-inch T3 curling iron attachment. I still love the look, but it’s hard to achieve that bouncy, voluminous look with a traditional curling iron.

You can really see the difference and how bouncy and healthy my hair looks after styling with the Airwrap. I styled this with completely dry hair and no extra volumizing products.

Is the Dyson Airwrap Worth It?

I would consider the Dyson Airwrap a luxury hair tool, and there aren’t any other hair tools that even compare in design, research, and versatility. The tool was originally released in 2018, so if you’re still waiting for a Dyson Airwrap dupe, I don’t think you’re going to find it. What’s unique about the Dyson Airwrap is that the motor is on the handle. Therefore, that helps get precise and controlled air flow to your hair. I really appreciate the research and investment that went into creating this hair tool, and for that reason I 100% think the Airwrap is worth the price.

Does the Airwrap ever go on sale?

Usually, the Dyson Airwrap is excluded from any promotions except during the Sephora VIB sales twice a year, but they usually go really fast with very limited inventory available at the sale price. I was lucky to find one refurbished, and I’ve seen some on eBay as well. Just be careful and look into the seller before purchasing one there! If the price is too good to be true, that’s always a red flag.

Where to Buy the Dyson Airwrap?

So a quick heads up, this hair tool is sometimes hard to come by. It’s in high demand and isn’t overly produced, so it sells out frequently. The best place to typically find it in stock is directly at Dyson. If you’re lucky enough to snag one on sale during a Sephora sale (typically April and October), you can check if it’s in stock here.

What’s Included in the Dyson Airwrap Complete Styler?

Here is what’s included along with their typical styling use. I bolded the attachments I use the most.

• 1.2-inch Airwrap™ barrels – creates voluminous curls or waves.
• 1.6-inch Airwrap™ barrels – creates loose curls in longer hair
• Firm smoothing brush – engineered to smooth and control frizz-prone hair.
• Soft smoothing brush – engineered to gently align and smooth fine hair.
• Round volumizing brush – engineered to volumize and shape fine, flat hair.
• Pre-styling dryer – takes hair from wet to damp, to prep for styling.
• Dyson Airwrap™ Base

It also comes with a nice storage case but I will warn you, it’s very heavy! It’s not something I would travel with. I prefer to just bring the Dyson and my favorite attachments, like the curling barrels in a travel bag. I usually don’t wash my hair on trips unless I have to, so I usually just bring the curling attachments to refresh my curls.

Dyson dry time: How long does styling with the airwrap take compared to the Dyson blowdryer?

I’ve tested the styling time between the Dyson Airwrap, and the Dyson hairdryer, and used my regular T3 curling iron to complete the style. Here’s how the dry time compares between the two techniques.

• Dyson Airwrap: 12:25 minutes from wet to bouncy voluminous curls
  • I switched from the pre-style attachment to the round volume brush around 3 minutes, then started using the curling attachments around 4 minutes. My hair was mostly dry, but not dry enough to start using a curling iron.
  • In comparison, if I wanted to use hot rollers to get a similar look to the completed style from the airwrap, it would take 35+ minutes to put them in and let them cool, Plus, I would have a ton of creases in my hair. Sure, I could do other things while they were setting in my hair, but I usually can barely move my head without them falling out lol.
• Dyson Blow Dryer: 4:05 minutes from soaking wet hair to straight, blow-dried hair (my natural hair texture is smooth and straight). My hair was completely dry, but I usually like to give my hair some cool time before jumping right into a hot curling iron.
• T3 curling iron styling: 11:48 minutes
  • Comparing the two curling tools, I can use a curling iron slightly quicker because I usually don’t bother sectioning off my hair when using a curling iron and it doesn’t require switching out barrels to change the direction of the curls. Also keep in mind that with a curling iron, I like to hold the curl as it cools for a few seconds to help it set a little bouncier. But with that in mind, I’m surprised by how there was only about a 30-second difference between the two.

I wouldn’t say that I would get rid of my T3 curling iron and replace it with the Dyson completely. I use multiple attachments on my curling iron to achieve different looks, and my hair holds the curls better with the T3 than with the Airwrap. But the Dyson gives my hair volume and bounciness that the curling iron ever could!

Dyson Airwrap Dupes

At the moment, there are no true dupes for this hair tool since there are multiple attachments to give you multiple looks. Not to mention, the technology and research that goes into a $600 hair tool isn’t going to compare to a dupe. However, there are tools that can be used similarly for a similar effect for less. Let’s review them!

Revlon One-Step Hair Dryer

I tried this once and honestly didn’t even finish styling my hair before I packed it back up to return. I know so many rave about it, but for my hair type, it wasn’t ideal. I have very fine textured hair, and I felt like the barrel and brush were super stiff, too large, and didn’t grab my hair well. I would also be careful if you use this hair tool with the heat you’re applying to your hair. Hot tools like these aren’t great for already damaged hair or hair you’re trying to protect from extreme heat. But if you’re just looking for a dryer round brush combo this would be something to consider for much less.

Is it a dupe? In my opinion, I don’t think people should even compare the two. It’s a single styler, whereas the Dyson Airwrap complete styler has a round brush attachment, a coanda smoothing dryer attachment, two straightening brush heads, and two different barrels for curls.

Chi Spin N Curl

The latest Dyson dupe to hit the market is the Chi Spin N Curl. This tool uses a curling iron that wraps your hair for you to create a curl. Personally, the thought of this tool twisting my hair gives me anxiety and I don’t want to try it out, but people swear it won’t tangle your hair. I would say if you really struggle with using a wand or curling iron, maybe this tool is perfect for you.

Is it a dupe? I don’t see how people can even compare this tool to the Dyson Airwrap. It’s not controlled by air and you have to use it on dry hair.

Which Dyson Airwrap to Buy?

I can see how you can be conflicted in this situation because they do perform similarly. I own both, so I’ll break down my thoughts.

The Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer is a very powerful tool engineered to protect hair from extreme heat damage while still providing fast drying and smooth styling. The Dyson Airwrap has an attachment to also blow dry your hair and it’s surprisingly powerful, but not as strong as the hair dryer itself. If your primary goal is to improve your blow-drying time and not your styling, then I would get the Supersonic Hair Dryer.

But personally, I use my hairdryer less now that I have the Airwrap and opt to style my hair with it instead. I still get an effective blow dry, but I love using the round brush to dry my hair for added volume in my fine hair. I find it much easier to style with versus using a round brush and blow dryer separately. It’s also easier on my arms 🙂 So if it were me, I would recommend the Airwrap for its versatility over the blow dryer.

Final Thoughts

If you couldn’t tell, I’m a big fan of my Dyson Airwrap, and I’m glad I finally splurged on it. It doesn’t even compare to any other hair tools I have. Does it completely replace my curling irons? Not exactly, but I have never been able to achieve an at-home blowout and the volume this hair tool gives me. If you’re willing to splurge, I highly recommend it!

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