I tried £450 Dyson Airwrap id – save your money and go to the salon
In my thirties, a blow-dry at the salon was as essential to my party routine as a bag of Alka-Seltzer the morning after.
Working in a glamorous part of London, I snuck to the hairdresser at lunchtime and emerged with bouncy, shiny curls, ready for my night out.
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Now that I’m in my mid-forties, I still love the effect I get from blow-drying in the salon, but my life is a little different these days.
Firstly, I work from home a lot and have moved to a smaller city from London.
Let’s say my local salon caters more to the older demographic, which means they can make a lovely shampoo and set, but can’t really make a cool seventies style.
I’ve tried everything from overnight heatless curls to professional blow-dry classes, and yet it always flops or frizzes within hours.
Secondly, the price of a hair dryer in the salon has increased enormously over the years.
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In 2014 – aka the highlight of my holidays – my favorite blow-dry bar, Hershesons, located in Topshop, Oxford Circus (RIP), charged £25.
But these days, blow-drying long hair in the Hershesons bar in Selfridges costs £62.50, a figure I’ll have to reconsider.
This means it has gone from an affordable luxury to a special occasion treat.
Finally, going through perimenopause and embracing the gray has completely changed the texture and manageability of my hair.
When I was a bleached blonde and didn’t have volume-sapping hot flashes, a quality blow-dryer could easily last me a long weekend.
These days I’m lucky if it lasts a day or two, which makes me reluctant to part with the money.
So for the past few years I’ve been trying to perfect a DIY salon of my own, but I just can’t get it right.
I’ve tried everything from overnight heatless curls to professional blow-dry classes, and yet it always flops or frizzes within hours.
The closest I get to a professional hair dryer is with my original Dyson Airwrap, which gives me the texture, volume and style I want, but doesn’t produce results that last.
When I heard Dyson was introducing the Airwrap id, with technology specifically aimed at making your style last longer, I thought it could be the answer to my hair woes.
If you’re not familiar with Dyson’s industry-leading tool, the original Airwrap uses something called the Coanda effect to style your hair without extreme heat.
This basically means it uses airflow to curl, which is kinder to your hair than some other heated tools.
At almost five hundred pounds, it’s a lot of money to drop if your curls fall too.
You may have seen TikTok videos where the hair “sucks” around the barrel – that’s the Coanda effect in action.
A bit of a fag
It uses much less heat than a traditional iron or straightener, but as anyone who has ever Googled “Dyson Airwrap” or watched TikTok reviews knows, one of the most searched topics is “Why won’t my Airwrap curls stay in?” .
At nearly five hundred pounds (they’re currently on sale for £479.99), it’s a lot of money to drop if your curls fall too.
The Airwap id, the third version of the tool to be launched in six years, has Bluetooth connectivity and an app that, after a quiz about your hair, automatically controls the tool and tracks how long to heat, style and cool it. part of your hair.
In theory, this should solve the problem of curls that won’t last, because you’ll be using the right attachments for just the right amount of time.
At first glance, the ID looks pretty much the same as the original, apart from the fact that the power button has an option to slide it to ID, which puts you in control of your app.
The app itself was a bit of a hassle to set up and once you’re in there are a lot of videos and it’s not clear which ones to watch and when.
The video I was excited about – which promised to tell me how to “maximize curl retention” – was very disappointing and only told me how to use a hairdryer to rough dry my hair.
When I finally got it working, I took the hair quiz, which asked about your hair type, length, how long it usually lasts, what your styling skill level is, and what your styling goals are.
Then, under the guidance of the app, I could start styling.
A timer appears on the screen that counts down each step as you go (wrapping, where you secure your hair to the appliance, curling, where the hair is curled, and cooling, which holds the curl in place) and settings changes on the Airwrap. without having to flip a switch.
It means no fiddling with the heat settings, which made a big difference as I often pull my hair out of curl when I do it manually.
The immediate effect was neater, better defined volume and curls – and, crucially, they lasted longer.
Great gift
On average, I’d say with my original Airwrap I noticed a significant drop by lunchtime if I’d used it in the morning.
With the id it usually lasted all day, but unlike blow-drying in the salon it was a complete blow-dry. next morning.
This means more frequent restyles, but with less damage from high temperatures, so it’s a matter of time versus hair condition.
I’m happy to spend an extra ten minutes freshening up a hairstyle if it means my hair will stay healthier in the long run.
The app certainly takes some of the guesswork out for beginners, but I’m not sure I’ll use the instructions every time I style my hair because it’s an extra step that I don’t want to have to deal with all the time.
Can Airwrap replace a salon blow-dry?
No. In my experience, it cannot compete with the volume, bounce and long-lasting effects that an experienced hairdresser can achieve.
And if your hair is very thick and straight or curl-resistant, it probably won’t come close.
I would also have liked to see additional options for hair risks, such as challenging weather conditions, so you could get a boost if it was humid or raining, for example.
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It also doesn’t offer any product application tips, which is a shame.
But for my hair type—fine with a natural wave—this is the closest thing to a professional blow-dryer I’ve found, and while it’s pricey, it amounts to the cost of about a dozen blow-drys.
So if you are a regular salon goer, this could save you a lot of money in the long run.
If you already have an Airwrap, there aren’t enough new ones functions so you need an upgrade.
But if you have one on your Christmas list for the first time, it is certainly a great gift to receive.
3 of the best multistylers
Beauty editor Tara Ledden reviews Airwrap alternatives.
Revlon One-Step Hair Dryer Multi-Air Styler 5-in-1, £79.99, Boots
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This established budget option has had an upgrade and the new five-piece version offers much of the same versatility as the Airwap.
It’s quite heavy, so you need two hands, and the attachments get hot, so I can’t imagine it’s good for long-term hair health.
But fine for occasional use.
Mark Hill Pick ‘N’ Mix Air flexi air styler starter kit, £119.99, boots
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Looks great pinkand the attachments feel similar to the Dyson in the way they work (although they are much lighter and therefore feel cheaper).
There are two main problems: no cool shot to help determine the styles, and you have to change the attachment for each side of your face when curling lengths, making it a longer process.
Shark FlexStyle build your own air styling and hair drying system, £199.99
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Less than half the price of the Dyson, but still expensive, so I had high expectations.
It’s close to the real deal in terms of versatility, although you may need purchasable add-ons.
The dryer’s rotating function makes it easy to get close to your roots, but the poor placement of the buttons makes it too easy to press the wrong ones.
