Best Pick: Dyson Airwrap Complete

I haven’t for one moment regretted buying Dyson’s Airwrap Complete, which absolutely cuts my styling time more than half and leaves hair meaningfully smoother and a lot less damaged.

I originally wanted the much-lauded Supersonic Hair Dryer that was retailing for about $400 in the US but I ended up getting the Airwrap Complete instead. I justified buying it since it contains 6 attachments: 2 sizes of curling barrels, 3 brushes, and a version of the original Supersonic — all in a lovely tan storage case. Not a bad deal considering it retailed for just about US$150 more!

This uses the same technology and motor. The key difference, aside from wattage, is that the Airwrap does all the heavy lifting for you — it can curl, smooth, and dry. Instead of heated plates or barrels, it employs the Coanda effect that uses hot air to style hair. All you have to do is place your hair near the barrel, and it automatically does the gripping and wrapping for you.

It works really well, provided you have the “right” type of hair for it (i.e. straight to slightly wavy). Based on online reviews, I’m not sure whether it will work well enough on other hair types.

Pre-COVID-19, my go-to attachments were the 40mm barrels to add body and texture to my short bob. When it comes to hair styling, I’m virtually an imbecile. How I wish that I could perfect the art of hair-curling. I’ve been practising for well over a decade, and no luck yet. Usually, I grunt and swear whilst I try to work out which way I need to turn the hot tool, then I grunt and swear again trying to avoid third-degree burns to the tops of my ears. This is why I like this — it literally does all the work.

Now with daily life and social activities coming to a grinding halt for the past couple of months, it has become possibly the world’s most expensive hair-dryer. I mostly just use the dryer attachment to rough-dry my hair. There is no super hot airflow with the Airwrap, but that’s fine since I only use the medium heat setting on my regular hairdryer anyway. If I’m stepping out, I mist my hair with water then use the smoothing brush attachment for a quick once over.

It must be said that there’s a learning curve with the Airwrap. A lot of people online also seem to make the big mistake of using it on completely dry hair, not knowing that the Airwrap styler needs to be used when hair is still slightly damp — exactly like you would a blowout. lt will not deliver results if the hair is already dry.

Is a US$500 hair styler really worth it? Let’s be honest here, Dyson is a luxury brand — some call it “the Apple of appliances”. It’s not aimed at those who are budget-conscious or cash-strapped. If you’re regularly blowing out or curling your hair, you will benefit from being subjected to far less heat, and you’ll benefit from spending far less time in front of the mirror. Whether you think it’s a wise acquisition or a waste of money is largely down to whether the upsides are worth the hefty price tag.

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