Dyson Airwrap - Review & How I Finally Got My Curls To Last

My feelings about the Airwrap in order of “as experienced”:

First, there was the initial high from having purchased the Dyson Airwrap, followed by a honeymoon period where I thought I was in love with the Airwrap, even though I was still in the learning phase. As I reflect now, I can honestly say that I loved it at the time because I felt like I had to love it. That's how much trust I had in this thing even before using it. Then came the denial. "It must work", I said. "It’s Dyson for crying out loud. So many on Youtube love it. I need to keep trying harder.” The final destination was acceptance. I finally accepted that it was not working for my hair type. (But why did this epiphany come to me after the refund period was over? *sigh*).

The good

The device itself is a beautiful one; it is sleek and not heavy to hold. You can feel the craftsmanship and sturdiness of the Airwrap. It comes in a beautiful leather case, though I would have personally preferred a more practical option. It is too bulky in my opinion and certainly adds a whole lot of cost to us as customers.

The Pre-Styling Dryer is my favourite attachment! It dries the hair fairly quickly and is so much easier to hold than a traditional blow dryer. Truly ergonomic. I also enjoy the Round Volumizing Brush to smooth out my front layers and the top of my head.

The not so good

For reference, I have fine, thin 2b hair that is dry, bleached and damaged (good times). My issues with the Airwrap are as follows:

• The curling barrels are a complete let down. The curls look amazing for a few minutes before dropping out. No amount or type of hairspray or mousse helped me. While the method I speak of below works for me, it adds time to hairstyling.
• Let’s say you use a hair straightener. Within a few uses, you know what results to expect. It doesn’t work like that with the Airwrap. The results vary greatly with each use. That is because you have to be so careful about how wet your hair is and how much/what product to use to get it just right. It is cumbersome to be able to nail that with every use, especially when it comes to curling the hair. I found it very frustrating to have to continuously gauge the wetness of my hair to figure out when to use the curling barrels. I believe it is my hair type adding to my frustration.
• It takes longer for me to style my hair using the Airwrap as compared to using other hairstyling tools.
• Because this works on only wet hair, it makes those impromptu outings where I need to look polished quickly very difficult. A lot of planning is required as the hair must be damp to use the Airwrap.
• I feel all the brushes that it comes with are not packed with enough bristles and that the bristles are too long to create the tension required for thinner hair like mine to look smooth.
• I do not like that the Airwrap is not dual voltage, meaning you cannot travel with it. At this price point, I find that alarming but can understand that adding this feature may have added some other unwanted features such as weight to the device.
• While the variety of brushes and barrels may seem like a great thing, it was pretty wasteful for me. I think most people will find that they gravitate towards only a few of the brushes and barrels. It would be better if each barrel was a separate add-on that could be selected based on hair type and preferences. This could even lower the price point for customers. Why pay for barrels we aren’t using?

How I get my curls to last using the Dyson Airwrap

I tried everything to get the curls to last; a multitude of products tested at different wetness levels. Then, it finally happened. It worked.

I have always loved Living Proof’s Perfect Hair Day 5-in-1 treatment because it is the only product that helps my curls last for days with any hairstyling tool. If I don’t use it, my curls drop within a couple of hours. It is not a perfect product as too much can make your hair feel greasy. But with a little practice (as with everything but sadly, too much practice for me with the Dyson Airwrap), you will understand when and how much to use for your hair type.

1. I shampoo and condition my hair.
2. After towel drying, I apply Olaplex 6.
3. Using the Pre-Styling Dryer attachment, I focus only on the roots. The roots must be completely dry for the curls to stay in place. If not, they will drop.
4. Next, I use the Firm Smoothing Brush to dry the rest of my hair until almost dry. If I leave it as damp as they recommend, this method does not work for my hair type, so it is imperative to get it to almost dry. Almost.
5. This is where there is work but it works. In a small spray bottle, I mix Living Proof’s Perfect Hair Day 5-in-1 treatment with some water (about 1.5 tablespoons of product in 250ml of water). You will have to tweak the ratio to see what works for your hair. I wish I could tell you exactly what would work for you.
6. Being careful to saturate only the areas which I will be curling and avoiding the roots, I spray the mixture on my hair. I do not spray all the hair at once; I spray only the area I will be curling because the wetness from this mixture is what is going to get the curl to hold and we don’t want the rest of the hair to dry up before we get to curl it.
7. Using the 40mm barrels, I curl in a different direction each time so that it does not become one giant curl, which happens rather easily with the Airwrap. Hold each section for 20-25 seconds. I always set it on the highest heat and airflow setting. Side note: The 30mm barrels make my hair look messier for some reason and I really do not like the look they give me.

Note: Have I tried just applying the Living Proof treatment straight to my hair while its wet and styling it after to avoid the whole step of mixing it with water and applying to drier hair? Yes! Many times just to be sure too. It just never works that way for me but it might work for you, so do give it a try too.

With this and only this method, my curls last until the next time I wash my hair which is every 2 days.

Tips

• Damp roots = frizz. Make sure your roots are completely dry.
• The Round Volumizing Brush attachment is great for setting the front layers and fringes of the hair in place. It is also great for taming any frizz at the top of your head after you are done styling your hair. Just go over the areas that need some love with the lowest airflow setting and highest heat setting. This way, you can ensure that there will be no high airflow damaging the styled hair.
• Once your hair is about 90% dry when using any of the brushes, do not continue using the Airwrap at the same setting. Set the device on the lowest airflow setting and highest heat setting. Run through a few slow passes over you entire hair on this setting. I find that it helps reduce frizz.
• If you use the barrels like a curling wand, it will give a different look than what you get by holding it the way you see on the Dyson website and commercials. Of course this way, you are not getting the benefits of the "Airwrap" technology, but it may be worth giving it a try because of the look it gives. It can get pretty hot so be careful.

• If you are not a "hair sectioner", you need to be one to use this. I find my results are far better when I properly section my hair, even though it is thin.
• Using the right products is key. This is the case when using any hairstyling tool but seems to especially be the case with the Airwrap. You have to figure out your hair type and its needs.
• You must keep in mind that it styles with blow dryer functionality meaning it does not give heat like a curling wand or hair straightener. I personally found it more difficult to use than a curling wand or hair straightener.
• Do not use it on dry hair. It works like a blow dryer. It's like using a blow dryer on dry hair - it won't do much for you except maybe frizz.
• Before releasing the curl, switch the device off so that any airflow does not disrupt the pretty curl you just made.
• Try out the longer barrels if you have longer, thicker hair. They have to be purchased separately.
• Just like with a curling wand, make sure that your hair cools down completely before you brush through it. It's tempting but don't?

Overall thoughts on the Dyson Airwrap

You know that feeling when you want to love a product but it just doesn’t perform? That’s how I feel. I am sad to be unhappy with the Dyson Airwrap. I truly believed that the Airwrap would be the answer to all my hairstyling woes.

Unfortunately, it was not. I contacted Dyson to process a return but because the return period had elapsed, they did not accept it. In my opinion, the learning curve is so steep that the 30 day return period needs to be changed to 60 days.

Considering the plethora of positive reviews on Youtube, I would say that my poor experience does not have much to do with the device itself but with my hair type. I do not believe this should be advertised as a product for all hair types unless they come out with different attachments that could work for different hair types.

The ultimate evolution of the Airwrap would be if Dyson, having a true understanding of different hair types, comes out with add-on attachments that would cater to the different hair types, with the base unit sold separately so that you could customize your Airwrap according to your preferences. I dream.

For now, I have ordered the L’Oréal Steampod 3.0 and have really high hopes for it (damn, those Youtube videos can be really convincing). I can't wait to use and review it.

Have you tried the Dyson Airwrap? I would love to know your thoughts!

Wishing you love and light,

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