Billie reviews: Dyson Airwrap.
Hello my name is Lauren. I’m a Dyson fanatic and a thorough over-explainer. Welcome to my review of the Dyson Airwrap Complete.
To begin, I want to be completely transparent because you know Billie aint ever going to lie to you.
I work in the PR industry, and one of my first campaigns back in 2019 was to launch the Airwrap Styler and Supersonic Hair Dryer in New Zealand. However I no longer work for Dyson, and these are all my genuine opinions and thoughts.
I’ve been a beauty obsessive for years, frothing over what foundation Kylie Jenner was wearing and what the perfect ‘nude’ lipstick was for my glow-in-the-dark complexion. So when I landed a job on Dyson’s New Zealand PR team, it felt like a dream come true opportunity to tell the world about what I loved.
Don’t even talk to me about how exciting the cord-free hair straightener was for my husband and I (we’re both massive emos and love a good long straight fringe on-the-go. I kid you not, we straightened our fringes after we got off stage at our last show lmfao).
It didn’t take me long at all to fall for the hype of Dyson Hair, and getting to play with these premium hair tools with some of the best in the business (looking at you, Michael!) was pretty cool. So now that I’ve started writing how-to content for you beauties at Billie, it was a really full circle moment to get to write about the new Dyson Airwrap Complete.
What is the Dyson Airwrap?
The Airwrap was first launched in 2018 (and arrived in New Zealand shortly after in 2019), and in true Dyson fashion they’ve been stress-testing the technology for years behind the scenes to improve on what was already revolutionary in the beauty scene
The Airwrap is a wet-to-dry styling tool, and yields best results from freshly washed hair– so it’s great for busy people who find themselves having to wash their hair quite frequently
The tool works by blasting a focussed stream of air (hot to dry and style the hair with your chosen attachment, followed by a cool setting to lock in your style), and uses what is known as the ‘Coanda effect’ to pull your hair towards the tool and keep it there to give you some fantastic results. To explain this simply, the Coanda effect is when air that is propelled at the right speed and pressure naturally follows a nearby surface and pulls in the surrounding air. The Airwrap uses this phenomenon in the same way that planes use it to generate lift. Clever, clever Dyson engineers!
Launched in mid-June, the new Dyson Airwrap Complete has three new re-engineered attachments (that also work with the existing Airwrap) that improves on each of the curling barrels, the pre-styling dryer and the two hard brushes in the first Airwrap:
Coanda smoothing dryer: Two tools in one!
By twisting the top of the attachment you get the replacement to the pre-styling dryer (as the Airwrap is ideally used on freshly washed hair, as it’s a wet-to-dry styler), taking your wet hair to the slightly damp-feel you want to then work with the remainder of the attachments for best results
Twisting the top of the attachment the other way finishes your style by hiding flyaways in smoothing mode, attracting and lifting longer hairs for a smoother, shiny finish as the final step
Firm and soft brushes: Both brush attachments now pivot as you drag the tool through your hair to blow air in the direction that will best dry your hair (it’s the ‘Coanda’ thing again, it’s science! Ask Michelle Dickenson!)
Airwrap barrels: Game-changing… you no longer need two barrels for each style (with one clockwise and one anti-clockwise tool), as a switch at the top of the attachment changes the airflow direction so you just need one tool!
Now to be completely fair before I throw hearts at this tool we need to talk about the elephant in the room, which is obviously the price.
Understandably the $999 price tag for the Airwrap Complete isn’t an accessible cost for many, so this truly is a luxury hair tool. However for existing Airwrap owners, you can purchase the new attachments separately for $99 from Dyson directly (which I’d completely recommend as each of the new attachments improves significantly on the first release).
And now that we’ve talked about that, let me froth over everything I’m loving about the Airwrap Complete:
The new Airwrap curling barrels combine the two barrels into one by adding an airflow direction switch at the top. This makes it super convenient to only need to travel with one-sized curling barrel, and the Coanda smoothing dryer attachment for the before (pre-styling dryer) and after (smoothing dryer) with another airflow direction switch. GOSH these guys are clever.
Everything about the Airwrap feels like luxury and self-care. From the stunning leather travel case to the ritual of styling your hair
This sounds ridiculous, but I’ve been a little braver about the condition I let my hair get into. I try to wash my hair every third day because I like having less to-do’s in my day, and love a bit of dry shampoo for the in between days. Now I’m not worried about getting my hair a little wet in those in-between days because I can just whip this bad boy out.
I’m reducing as much exposure to extreme heat as I can in my hair styling routine, as the Airwrap styles at a much lower temperature than most hair straighteners and hot curling tools. I’m easily creating salon-worthy blow-outs with surprisingly little effort
The only negative I’d say (other than the price, okay guys I know) is that there really is a learning curve to truly get the best out of this tool. You’ll spend some time figuring out what barrels give your length hair what result, how to ensure the curls are maintaining, and the role it’s going to play in how much you change up your hair routine in the long run.
If you have hair that’s slightly longer than shoulder-length, I would recommend exploring Airwrap Long barrels– but you can make it work with a little practice with the standard length barrels.
Once you hit the ground running with the Airwrap, it really is hard to give up. I’ve helped a fair few beauty and lifestyle journalists and influencers achieve an intimate relationship with this tool (you know who you are), and now I get it. It’s delicious, it’s luxurious, it’s Dyson. (not an ad, I’m just insane)
To wrap things up, Billie wanted to ask Dyson’s New Zealand Hair Ambassador Michael Beel a few questions to help you all out in your journey to improve your hair health.
Loved this in-depth review? Want to see hair tutorials on TikTok and Instagram? Let us know!
Your big sisters at Billie
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Billie Q&A with Dyson Hair Ambassador Michael Beel.
Billie: You’re known as the king of big hair. How has the Dyson Airwrap helped you to achieve these powerful hair moments, and what attachment is your most used?
Michael Beel: It uses air to style, so it helps pump up the volume of each section! So for those with finer hair wishing to create a big bouncy blowout the Airwrap is ideal! The attachment I use the most is the narrowest curling barrel, creates great movement that you can brush out to get those beautiful Hollywood glamour waves.
B: What are young Kiwis asking for when they’re in your chair? What trends are very 2022 (and onwards)?
MB: Beach’s hair and glamour hair will always be in for balls and special events, but also a super sleek ponytail/bun or more of a Y2K texture with micro braids is one of the hottest trends coming through.
B: You’re the New Zealand Ambassador for Dyson Hair. How have the three Dyson Hair tools changed the way you’re styling hair both day-to-day, and also in editorial/heavily styled shoots?
MB: Well day-to-day it’s amazing! Dyson have invested millions into hair research and at the forefront of everything they do is hair health. Doing things at a lower temperature to keep the integrity of hairstyles and hair colour is what any professional hairdresser should be doing.
In terms of on set, Dyson is unparalleled in ease (especially their Professional range for the pros)… longer cords for the hairdryer, ease of use for the Airwrap and the cordless Corrale straightener is a game changer backstage and on location.
B: What’s your favourite thing about the new Dyson Airwrap Complete?
MB: The Coanda Smoothing Dryer (flyaway and pre-styling dryer attachment) to help smooth and encourage shine and to get those pesky hairlines under control. This helps to create a more polished, glamourised feel to make any hairstyle feel like you’ve just left the salon. The fact that you can also just twist the knob to change the direction of the airflow makes life so much easier!
