Would you pay $500 for a hair straightener? Dyson thinks you should
Want sleek hair with less damage? The Dyson Corrale could be the answer—for a price.
Credit:
Dyson
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I’ve been known to drop a few hundred dollars in one sitting at the salon, but this has always been to transform my hair, from say, brunette to blonde. Yet when Dyson debuted its Corrale hair straightener, which retails for $499.99, it raised my eyebrows. Could a single hair appliance be so transformative (in its own right) to be worth the price of a new flat-screen TV?
Dyson, whose vacuums were its first claim to fame, is the same innovative brand behind the cult-favorite Supersonic Hair Dryer, which retails for $399.99, and the beloved Airwrap Styler Complete, which costs a whopping $549.99, both of which we tested in our labs and on our heads here at Reviewed. We loved the Airwrap Styler when we tested curling irons, and could see someone justifying its (very) high price because it includes a kit of tools that create beautiful curls of various shapes and volumes, as well as a hair dryer attachment that ostensibly eliminates a whole separate tool for that styling step. But our enthusiasm for the Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer is less ardent, as we got comparable results from hair dryers costing a fraction of the price.
We haven’t tested the Corrale yet, but we studied its claims to learn why it may be the Next Big Thing in hair-styling appliances.
The Dyson Corrale claims it’s less damaging to hair
The Dyson Corrale usess "flex plates" that wrap around the hair.
In the promotional materials, the company claims its Dyson Corrale uses less heat on your hair, resulting in half the amount of damage. But the flat iron has three heat settings, all of which are within the normal range for a straightener: 330°F, 365°F, and 410°F, so it’s not a matter of not having high temperatures, but more so how well the Corrale straightens hair in one pass instead of multiple—another claim made by the company.
The stars of the show are its “flex plates,” which are made with manganese copper alloy, a material that’s flexible but durable, instead of the typical ceramic or titanium of other hair straighteners. When you put your hair in between the plates, they corral the hair and shape around it to apply more even tension and heat to all strands. This way, your hair will stay in between the plates instead of fanning out. Typical flat irons rely on heat alone to achieve sleek results, according to Charlie Tatham, Dyson’s design engineer, in a promotional video for the tool, but the Corrale’s flexible plates allow for more control to achieve the same smoothness with less heat exposure. This should mean 50 percent less breakage, reduced frizz, and fewer flyaways, Dyson says.
The Corrale is cordless and therefore more versatile
The Dyson Corrale is cordless but comes with a cord in cases you need a charge.
The Corrale is also cordless, which makes maneuvering much easier. It's true that there are other cordless straighteners out there, but Dyson claims to do it better. The company says you’ll get about 30 minutes of styling time on any heat setting per charge. That should be enough for me on my past-shoulder-length, medium-thick hair, especially if I don’t have to make several passes on each section over and over.
You may attach the charging cable if you need extra time beyond the 30 minutes (or you forgot to charge it the day before). Setting the Corrale on the charging dock for 70 minutes fully recharges it, but you can prolong its use by placing it on the dock while you let down sections of hair.
The Corrale comes with its own heat-resistant pouch, too, so if you find you have to pack it up quickly, you won't have to worry about burning yourself or anything else.
Should you get excited about the Dyson Corrale?
The Dyson claims to damage your hair 50 percent less than typical straighteners.
After testing the Revlon One-Step Hair Dryer and Volumizer and realizing that it’s possible to dry and straighten my hair enough in 30 minutes that I don’t need to spend any additional time using a flat iron, I don’t feel the same sense of urgency I imagine I would if Dyson came out with this product before the Revlon came into my life.
However, I’m still eager to get my hands on the Corrale to see how well it achieves the pin-straight style that the Revlon can’t quite master, especially as I'm someone who tries to limit further damage on my bleached and often heat-styled hair. Plus, the Corrale also claims that, using different techniques, it can form C curls (straight hair that curves inward or outward at the end, a la Sandy in Grease) or soft beach waves in addition to super-straight strands, so I’m eager to play around to see what styles I can create.
Taking Dyson’s claims at face value, I expect the Corrale to get my hair straighter and smoother in less time than our current best-overall hair straightener, the $150 Neuro Smooth Iron, or than our best value, the Remington Anti-Static Ceramic Hair Straightener, which I use and love (well, before the Revlon One-Step came into my life, that is).
However, I wouldn’t expect to see major changes in my hair’s health, as the Dyson (nor any other heat appliance) can’t undo damage that’s already been done. And prior to straightening, I’d expect to use a hair dryer, which the Corrale doesn't include and comes with its own potentially hair-damaging heat. I’m hopeful that the Dyson could reduce damage on a micro-level simply by not forcing me to go over the same section of hair multiple times, as I must do with my current straightener. Overtime, for frequent users, this could make a difference—though I’ll have no real way to evaluate that.
I'll be getting a Dyson Corrale to test in short order and will report on my results ASAP.