By now most mall-goers in India are aware of Dyson and its differently-designed air purifiers, vacuum cleaners and the hair dryer that has a hole in the centre. The Supersonic hair dryer lacked any styling tools as part of the product and is meant for a quick damage-free dry, but the new Airwrap Styler is both hair dryer and styler. You wouldn’t generally find us featuring too many non-digital, non-connected products on this page, but we sometimes make an exception for interestingly designed ones — and the Airwrap is certainly that.

There are stylers in the market with rotating heated brushes that wrap hair, holding on tight until released into a curl. But they use bristles and often snag the hair, even pulling strands out. And they use a lot of heat. But the Airwrap actually uses air to attract your hair to it and wrap it around its barrel tools. It is difficult to believe unless seen and experienced. No hair is pulled out and one doesn’t even feel a tug on one’s precious strands. In fact, you have to look in the mirror to be quite sure the section of hair has actually gone around the barrel.

The Coanda Effect

The curling barrels use what is called the Coanda Effect to wrap hair. It’s the tendency of a high-speed flow of air to attach itself to a surface, even if the surface is curved. The challenge for Dyson was how to use this effect and attach hair to a relatively small barrel. To make that happen, they created multiple slots around the barrel. Each slot multiplies the air flow as it jumps from one section to the other, increasing the airflow speed. Dyson’s V9 digital motor pumps out the air. When brought close to the hair, the barrel takes the strands with it, twirling it around itself very gently.

The Airwrap Styler is actually a whole kit in a fancy tan leather case — quite heavy. If you’re planning to travel with it, you’ll need to look for a small cloth or canvas case that will take in just the wand and your favourite attachments. Otherwise, it’s meant to be something that sits at the dressing table. The charging cord is actually long and thick and the plug substantial, so carrying it in a bag or small suitcase will take space and add to the weight.

There are two sets of Airwraps that have slightly different attachments. One is the Volume and Shape, meant for limp, flat, fine hair. It has a soft smoothing brush, a round volumising brush, and two 30 mm barrels for curling and waving. The tricky thing is that the barrels come in sets of two for curling in both directions and you really have to learn to quickly identify which direction you’re about to work with and also see whether the barrel is to be held behind the hair or in front. Letting two young girls loose on the device, I was amused to find them struggle over which way the wrap was going to happen. By the time they would figure it out, the hair would be dry.

There’s also a pre-styling dryer attachment, which is just the hair dryer part. There’s the wand itself, and a leather pad on which to place the styler, if you like. Also a small cleaning attachment. The other set, Smooth and Control, is meant for frizzy and unruly hair. This set has a much firmer smoothing brush, and 30 mm plus 40 mm barrels. The rest is the same except there’s no round brush because it could snag very curly hair. If one wants attachments from the other set, they can be bought separately for around ₹3,000 each. Of course, in the real world, that would be the cost of an entire hair dryer, but if you are interested in keeping your hair as damage free as Dyson promises, you might want to invest in the Airwrap. You can also buy the full set for a whopping ₹40,900, the cost of about 25 regular hair dryers and styling brushes.

The long-term effect of the styler can’t really be gauged because it’s a very new product. But Dyson does say that the internals of the styler sense the temperature 40 times a second and adjust to maintain a healthy level without ever reaching a point where the heat can damage the hair. There are also heat and speed settings on the wand. Of course, you might want to ask yourself whether a regular hair dryer with curling attachments could also be used at nice and low heat settings and much lower costs.

Practice for perfection

Using the Airwrap actually takes about a week of practice. It’s suggested that you unlearn what you have known so far about drying and styling your hair. With the Airwrap, you need to bring your hair to about 60 per cent dryness. Then, section the hair so that each segment isn’t disturbed by the work on the one next to it. Now, keeping to the back of the curling want, leave about an inch and a half of hair free and bring the barrel close to it, after turning it on. Hold the device vertically. The hair will wrap around it and you bring it closer to your head. Hold for 10 seconds and press the button to give it a shot of cool air. Turn it off and slide the barrel out and down to see a perfectly spiralled curl. Using the brush attachments is easier and one can smoothen it on top for a tamer, straighter look and from underneath to lift the hair from near the roots and give it a bouncy look. If unsure how to use the device, visit a Dyson store for a demo. You can also book a demo on their website. It takes a little time learning, but the demos are actually very effective.

Dyson says that both men and women in India are showing a high level of interest in the Airwrap. Because it works in minutes, one obvious target audience is anyone who wants a quick set before setting out to the office or for a meeting or social occasion. How long and how firmly the curls will stay in will depend on the hair type and on additional products such as styling gels and hair sprays that can be used. But if it is selling as much as the company says it is and you’re considering it, our recommendation would be to first try it at a store and see if it does what you’d like with your hair and if that effect lasts as long as you would expect it to.

Price: ₹34,900 for specific set, ₹40,900 for full set

Pros: Unique heat protection methodology, versatile styling attachments, very quick to use, professional looking results at home

Cons: Very expensive, steep learning curve, curls don’t last long-term for everyone, not easy to travel with, can leave fly-aways

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