The latest and greatest beauty product to go viral on TikTok is none other than the Dyson Airwrap Complete. So many videos have shown the near-comical learning curve it takes to get the hang of such a styler, said to “give people a great smooth finish without using extreme heat,” according to hairstylist and Dyson ambassador Jen Atkin.
With all the hype surrounding the styler, Allure couldn’t wait to get a few editors’s hair wrapped around the hot tool. To give it a fair, well-rounded review, I recruited two of my colleagues with different hair types from mine to provide some tips and tricks from our personal experience with the Dyson Airwrap Complete.
Before we get into the reviews, though, let me show you the details that made this tool an Allure 2021 Best of Beauty Award winner. The Airwrap works by harnessing a scientific phenomenon called the Coandā effect, in which high-velocity air inside round objects creates a powerful vortex (think jet engines). You can thank Sir James Dyson, the CEO and engineering-obsessed eccentric behind the eponymous brand, for producing your favorite space-age vacuum, fan, hair-dryer, and now, styling tool.
He made the gadgety Airwrap possibly the most desirable hair-styling tool ever to exist, in my humble opinion. So what’s included, you ask? Inside the sleek storage case, you will find individual pockets where each of the six styling attachments can be stored, as well as a deep pocket for the Airwrap’s base and cord. The attachments are comprised of 1.2- and 1.6-inch Airwrap barrels to create loose or voluminous curls — your choice. A firm smoothing brush for frizz control and a soft smoothing brush for fine hair. Along with a round volumizing brush to shape your hair and a pre-styling hair-dryer.
With so many attachments to choose from, it can be a bit of a learning curve to find the right tools for your hair type, which is where we come in. I along with two other Allure editors — varying in hair textures — give their take on the tool below.
Allure’s beauty and wellness editor, Taylore Glynn, gives the ultimate tip after trying the tool for the first time. “This tool works best on a damp head,” she advises. (If you don’t have time to shower, the brand’s tutorials recommend spritzing your hair with water from a spray bottle.) After washing her hair with Sachajuan’s color-protecting shampoo and conditioner she towel-dried, ran a couple of drops of Crown Affair’s lightweight hair oil through her hair, and air-dried about 70 percent of the way before plugging in the Airwrap Complete.
After snapping the pre-styling dryer attachment, which Glynn notes looks like a mini version of Dyson’s best-selling Supersonic Hair Dryer onto the tool, she flipped her head upside down and blow-dried her roots for extra volume. “Then came the intimidating part: actually styling the hair,” Glynn remarks. After taking a beat to recognize which 1.6-inch barrel to use for the correct curl direction, “the rest of the process was awkward but easy,” she jokes. After getting the hang of things, she began separating her hair into sections, winding them around the wand one by one, and switching barrel attachment to style the other side. “Just follow the barrel arrows for styling direction,” Glynn says.
