I've been using the Dyson Airstrait for around a month now, and it's now one of my favourite tools to use.
But I'll admit, I was sceptical at first. Prior to the release, when I was asked if I wanted to try the Dyson Airstrait, £449.99 / $499 in the states, of course I said yes. There was so much hype over this new hair tool at the time and my Instagram feed was full of influencers showing their followers how to use it. I'd watched Dyson's ambassador Victoria McGrath show off her sleek, straight locks on Instagram and she declared it the "best product in the game" and she was "blown away". I was intrigued, to say the least.
I wanted to try it for myself. I have a LOT of hair. It's also pretty frizzy when it's not styled, and drying it and styling it takes a LONG time. I've perfected curling my hair with my hair straighteners, but I rarely straighten my hair as it takes forever to get it looking salon-like.
Taking the Dyson Airstrait out of the box gave me a similar giddy feeling that I get when I take off the plastic screen protector thing off a new iPhone. Much like Apple, Dyson just has the X Factor when it comes to first impressions and it just looked so shiny and new.
© Leanne BayleyInside the box, you get the Dyson Airstrait - which promises wet-to-dry straightening with air and no hot plates or extreme heat. You also get a non-slip heat mat with Dyson branding on it.
I was quite surprised by the huge plug for it though, I have to say. This is quite unusual these days really. But regardless, I was very excited to use it. On the plug there was a QR code linking to the manual, which I really liked. I also went on to the @dysonhair Instagram account to watch a few influencers use the tool so I had a good understanding of what to do on first use.
Getting started, it's very simple, but weirdly feels complicated. It just feels like a totally new way of doing your hair, and after years of blow drying with a hairdryer followed by a straightener, this just felt strange at first. It's hard to un-do 20+ years of hair habits.
I started by brushing my hair - it wasn't sopping wet, it had been in a towel while I did my makeup - so I'd say it was 30-40% dry.
You start by unlocking the Airstrait by sliding the lock button down and following the instructions on the small screen. You begin by drying your roots with the arms of your straightener closed, directing the airflow towards the roots. In fact, you can do this with the arms locked or just hold them closed - I did the latter. I opted for maximum airflow and a higher temperature.
Once your roots are pretty dry, you set your straightener to Wet mode. You can change your temperature here. For example, if you have fine hair, opt for the lower temperature, and if you have thick hair like me, go for the higher mode.
© DysonIt's worth noting that I needed a hair grip and a hair brush, but if you regularly straighten your hair, you'll no doubt have these at arm's length anyway. I will say, and this might be a little bit greedy, but I kind of wish there was a snazzy Dyson brush in the box just to give you the full experience or even just a Dyson-branded grip.
Once ready to get sleek perfect hair, you hold your Airstrait so that the airflow is directed downwards and start to pass sections of hair through the arms, and you repeat until each section is dry.
© DysonAt the end, I followed Victoria's lead and set the Airstrait to Cool mode to set my style.
There are other things you can do with the Airstrait, but let me talk about my experience here!
At first, I found myself getting confused with the direction of the nozzle. Maybe it's because I don't always look in the mirror while doing my hair (I might be watching a TV show or Instagram Stories) but for this, because of the nozzle, I needed to concentrate. I definitely got used to it after a few passes, but at the beginning, I changed hands and had the nozzle pointed the wrong way.
I feel like the handle of the Airstrait could benefit from a groove or texture so that you know you're holding it in the correct position (for when you're not looking in the mirror). But maybe that's just me! I'm not going to give the white coats at Dyson my top tips on creating hand-held tools (or maybe I just did, sorry about that!).
I really enjoyed straightening my hair though with the Airstrait, I loved how you could see the transformation instantly and it felt safe, and it seemed kind to my hair as well.
At the end of doing my hair, I was amazed by how straight it looked. It genuinely looked like I'd been to the hairdressers and it felt clean and 100% dry. It was easy to style the back of my hair as well, but I do think it's really key to dry those roots at the start. Don't rush through that, or else you're not getting the full effect.
If I had a negative, apart from accidentally blowing the nozzle in the wrong direction a couple of times, it would be that my hand and arm had a bit of a workout. If you think about it, when you dry your hair with a hairdryer you might have a little bit of a pause before straightening, which gives your arms a break. I mean, if you look at the positives of this, I'm going to have Jennifer Aniston arms by the end of the month.
This hair tool doesn't just do wet to dry, it also works on dry hair, which means you can refresh your style in the days after. To do this you have to set your straightener to Dry mode and there's an additional Boost when needed. The Boost gives it a shot of extra heat - ideal for a fringe for example.
One thing I love about the Airstrait was the Idle mode, which seems pretty dull writing that to be honest, but between passes, your straightener activates idle mode and the airflow reduces and then increases as soon as you close the arms. It just feels like it's working with you and you don't have to press buttons all the time.
I've never used anything like this before. I thought it might be similar to the ghd Duet Style, which is another wet-to-dry hair tool, but it does feel and look different.
I think this is perfect for someone with thick hair, someone who maybe goes to the salon once a week for a blow-dry for sleek hair (this will save you so much money in the long run), or for someone who loves Dyson hair tools.
© Leanne BayleyI have continued to use my Airstrait. It looks chic and I'm definitely more used to it. I'm surprised it doesn't have a holder to slot in (a bit like the Dyson Corrale has) because when you have a Dyson product you're happy for it to be on display. Most of all, I'm looking forward to less hair damage in 2024 - say goodbye to heat damage and say hello to swishy healthy hair!
The Dyson Airstrait is available now.
