Once and For All: Is the Dyson Airwrap Worth It?

Welcome back to Once and For All, where we figure out whether the stuff people rave about, cherish, and form their entire identities around is actually worth the investment. We've looked at cast iron pans, linen sheets, and more, and today, we're investigating Dyson's internet-famous Airwrap hair styling gadget.

Some people like to splurge on bottle service (have fun with the 700% markup on that bottle of Patrón), while others have zero issue spending their hard-earned clams on Airbnbing a geodesic dome in the desert. For others yet, there are more practical ventures—perhaps learning to make perfect poached eggs via Gordon Ramsey’s MasterClass. When it comes to big purchases, we all have different ideas about what’s actually worth it. Which leads us to one of the most hyped (and priciest) hair tools out there, the Dyson Airwrap. 

As with any Dyson product, the Airwrap—a medium-sized, high-end, multi-styling hair gadget—has quickly accrued legions of fans swearing allegiance to its oversized storage case. It’s sold out and been restocked a bajillion times, taken over TikTok, and become the most storied beauty appliance on the internet. It’s also very expensive. But could a device that costs $600 be worth it for someone like me who is lazy AF? Sure, I want Rapunzel hair, but getting ready to go out already feels exhausting sometimes, and adding hair-wrapping into the mix is just another thing for my never-ending to-do list. Still, my curiosity was piqued—so I thought I’d give the damn thing a shot. I wasn’t sure what I was in for, but all I know is it’s high-tech, has overshadowed even the popularity of Dyson’s god-tier vacuums, and this girl’s video went viral for showing dudes how it worked.  

What makes the Dyson Airwrap different from a standard blow dryer or curling iron is that it uses air pressure, rather than heat, to give you a professional-level blowout at home. Powered by a digital, 13-blade spinning impeller motor, it produces three precise airflow speeds that gently attract hair to its surface as you’re styling. Instead of manually lifting hair piece by piece yourself, the airflow grabs hard to reach hair all by itself. To put it simply, it’s a two-in-one blow dryer and styler. To further simplify things, the airflow temperature is measured and regulated using intelligent heat control, so your tresses are being styled without extreme heat, mitigating damage. 

It also features six different attachments: a smoothing dryer, 1.6” curling barrel, 1.2” curling barrel, firm smoothing brush, soft smoothing brush, and round volumizing brush. Expect Lady Godiva curls from the barrel attachments, a volumizing blowout from the round brush, and sleek, straight looks from the smoothing brush attachments. 

I haven’t used many hair tools in my day, so using this was like going on a first date: I didn’t know what to expect, and figured I may want to ghost after 15 minutes. Lucky for me, my roommate has one, so I didn’t have to make a huge financial commitment to test it out. We played hair salon (sans the hairdresser trying to cut off more hair than you asked for—why do they do that???) to see whether this futuristic Flowbee lives up to its promises. 

Since Dyson recommends your hair be about 80% dry before styling, I washed my hair, allowed it to dry somewhat, and started using the Airwrap on sections of my hair. While all hair types can benefit from this device, the smoothing dryer works best on naturally straight or wavy hair, like mine. I watched it magically attract and then pin down and iron out my strands through its two jets of air, working to dry and straighten at the same time. According to Dyson, it will give you 58% less frizz, which seems to be true given the results I experienced. All I did was rub some argan oil throughout my hair to keep everything shiny and subdued and I looked like an SSENSE model for the rest of the day.

Next came the styling part. I went with the soft smoothing brush with more gentle bristles since my hair is super-fine. I watched the Dyson Airwrap in awe as it glided down my hair, leaving behind a sleek trail of sheen as smooth as these silky sheets I wanna cop. Like a sentient robot version of Jonathan Van Ness, it brushed and blow dried each strand to My Little Pony perfection. Ultimately, it left me with a silky smooth straight look, just as if I’d had magic worked on me by the pros. After I was done smoothing things down, I set the style with a shot of cold air, which seals the hair cuticle. My look was complete. Even better, the smoothness lasted about three days—on par with a fancy blowout, and sadly, it finally had to go when it was time to wash my hair. I needed a device that would do the work for me, and I’ve found it. 

Truthfully, though, I’m not surprised it put on a stellar performance. I saw the extremely effusive positive reviews on Dyson’s website, and it’s clearly a fan favorite among the haircare crowd. If you suffer from frizz, this sucker is your holy grail and one-way ticket to glossy hair town. Or, if you just want a rad gadget that will do all the hair hard labor for you, that’s cool, too. 

TL;DR: The Dyson Airwrap is a workhorse for your mane, man bun, tresses, whatever you want to call your precious locks. It may look daunting at first given its tech-savvy specs and attachments, but it’s so easy your 70-year-old barber on Bowery can use it. That’s how you know it's great, given my grandmother doesn’t even know how to send a text message but could master the Airwrap. Gift it to your friend that has hair that looks like they stuck their finger in a socket, or yourself, you hardworking champ. 

The Airwrap is available for purchase on Dyson’s website. 

The Rec Room staff independently selected all of the stuff featured in this story. Want more reviews, recommendations, and red-hot deals? Sign up for our newsletter.