I spent $600 on the Dyson Airwrap and it was worth every penny

This isn’t a product review, but rather a love letter to my favorite hair tool. My obsession with the Dyson Airwrap Styler began months back when all of my social media feeds became overcrowded with ads for the styling kit. Video after video showcased people with hair of all different types blow-drying their strands into salon-quality styles, from blowouts to voluminous curls—but without the visit to a stylist.

After countless failed attempts to snag it (it sells out quickly and often), I finally got my hands on it—and let me tell you, it's worth the hype. As a beauty writer, it’s my job to test makeup, hair tools, and skincare products, which is why I can say with certainty that the Dyson Airwrap is the best tool I’ve ever wielded. My arsenal of tried products includes curling wands, blow-dry brushes, hair dryers, and flat irons, but nothing I’ve used has ever resulted in a more professional-looking style than the one I achieve with the Airwrap. Read on to see just why I can’t stop talking about it—seriously, it’s my go-to conversation starter.

What is the Dyson Airwrap?

The Dyson Airwrap is a styling kit that replaces a hair dryer and curling iron. Before the Airwrap, I’d only known Dyson as a vacuum brand. The company’s beloved vacuums are the only ones my mom would purchase—and in turn, the only ones I used when she made me clean. But in more recent years, Dyson has gained fans for its hair products that, like all of the brand's products, are known for their unique technology and sleek designs. The Airwrap is no exception.

The tool comes with multiple attachments—a pre-styling dryer (for just getting hair dry), a round volumizing brush (for a full-bodied blowout), a soft smoothing brush (for a basic blowout), a firm smoothing brush (for a sleeker, straighter style), two 1.2-inch barrels (for spiral curls), and two-1.6 inch barrels (for looser curls)—and will replace your entire arsenal of hair tools. The kit includes two of the same size barrel because each one curls in the opposite direction, allowing you to curl toward or away from your face on each side of your head.

What does the Dyson Airwrap claim?

Every aspect of the Airwrap’s design is deliberate, according to Dyson, and it’s composed of technology that makes it easier to use. For example, it uses Dyson’s digital v9 motor that’s also present in its Supersonic Hair Dryer to create a continuous stream of air. From there, the tool makes use of the “Coanda effect,” which is responsible for attracting the hair to the barrel and wrapping it around the barrel using the stream of air. This way, all you have to do is hold the end of a section of hair up to the Dyson and allow it to latch on—there’s no clamping the strands down or holding the hair in place until it curls, which can cause creases or burn your hands.

The Airwrap is also designed to be used with wet hair, so it dries, curls, and sets the hair at once without the need for separate drying and styling processes. In fact, Dyson warns that you shouldn’t use the Airwrap on dry hair, as your style is less likely to hold. Lastly, the styler promises to cause less damage to the hair, as it creates a pattern in wet hair using airflow rather than “extreme heat.” It claims to have intelligent heat control, too, which means that the tool measures its own temperature up to 40 times per minute to prevent heat increases that could lead to hair damage.

What's it like to use the Dyson Airwrap?

The Airwrap is the easiest tool I’ve used—no exaggeration. Despite Dyson’s claim of no “extreme heat,” I always apply the Bumble and Bumble BB Heat Shield Thermal Protectant Mist before I begin. I’ve noticed zero damage on my hair from the Airwrap, but I’m extremely careful with hair tools because my hair is fragile from bleaching. After drying my hair to about 80% with the pre-styling dryer, I clip my hair into four sections with creaseless clips and get to work.

I normally start the styling portion of my routine by using one of the smoothing brushes. I alternate between the two attachment options depending on what I’m looking to achieve. For straighter, frizz-free locks, I go with the Firm Smoothing Brush; for a soft, fluffier finish, l use the Soft Smoothing Brush. The smoothing brushes work similarly to any other blow-dryer brushes, meaning you run it through hair in sections from above or underneath it. I go over the top layer of my hair first to straighten my hair out and then go underneath the hair to add volume. I then use the 1.2-inch barrels (if I’m in the mood for smaller curls) or the 1.6-inch barrels (if I want those huge Hollywood-style waves) to achieve the salon-like blowout that I crave.

Once the attachment I want is on, I hold the hair up near the attachment and the air vacuum sucks the hair in and causes it to wrap around the barrel with the direction of the airflow. I use the barrel that is in the direction away from my face—I switch between the two different ones depending on which side of my hair I’m styling. Normally, I hold the hair for about 15 seconds in warm air and then I set the curl by switching the temperature to cool for a few seconds using a button on the handle. Then, I turn the air off to release the curl. It sounds time-intensive, but the whole styling process takes me about 20 minutes from start to finish and I’m always left with a voluminous, bouncy blowout.

Does the Dyson Airwrap do what it claims?

Thanks to the Airwrap, I no longer need multiple tools to achieve a professional-looking blowout. So yes, in terms of style results, the Dyson achieves what it claims to. And you, too, can say goodbye to juggling a blow-dryer, curling wand, and/or straightening iron at once.

The answer is more nuanced when it comes to the tool's ability to delivers those results without causing damage to the hair, though. When Reviewed tested the Airwrap amongst curling irons and wands, lab results showed that the tool reached just below 302°F. This is less than a typical curling iron barrel, but it's not insignificant when it comes to heat on your hair. Damage to the hair is difficult to measure, particularly because you can experience damage from anything, including sleeping on wet hair, brushing it, dying it, or even tying it into a hair tie. Given that the Airwrap uses heat to style, it probably damages the hair, but its lower temperature (at least when compared to other curling irons) is likely better for your hair in the long run than other options.

Is the Dyson Airwrap worth it?

Yes, yes, yes, and yes. I wanted to say I didn't need the Airwrap due to its hefty $600 retail price, but the incredible results I’ve experienced make it worth every single penny to me. Not only am I able to expertly blow-dry my hair, I’ve eliminated all my other hair tools and save myself time doing my hair. No matter how many times I use it, I remain, er, blown away by the results and its efficiency.

Let's talk money for a minute. If I were to buy each of Reviewed's best hair dryer, best curling iron, and best flat iron, I'd spend a total of $511, and I'd have filled the entire under-sink cabinet in my bathroom. If I were to get my hair professionally blown out every week, it would cost me about $45 per visit. While these numbers don't make the investment price of the Dyson disappear, they provide some context for why you might be willing to spend the money on this one toolkit.

Don’t just take my word for it—Reviewed named the Dyson its “Best Splurge” pick for curling irons because of its versatility and voluminous, bouncy results. It's a must-try if you love the results you get from a salon but haven't found the right tool to replicate the style at home.

$600 at Sephora