Here is all you need to know about the Dyson Airstrait, an innovative new take on at-home hair straightening …
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Dyson’s Supersonic is the best hair dryer in town, in my opinion (and now available in sleek black and gold, rather than pink). You might also have tried the Airwrap, which uses airflow to create big bouncy curls (my 17-year-old is going full Farrah Fawcett with it at the moment; big hair is back, it seems). And now here comes the Airstrait, a whole new take on hair straightening.
But surely Dyson already do a straightener? Yes, the Corrale. Chunky but effective, the Corrale is great for both straightening and waving hair; it’s cordless, works on damp hair, and avoids the intense heat of rival straighteners.
So how is the Airstrait different?
Well, it does one thing, and does it well. It takes your hair from out-of-the-shower wet to fully dry and smoothed straight, using controlled, powerful airflow to smooth and straighten, rather than hot plates. It’s a fast worker – you can go from towel-dried to leaving the house in mere minutes. Even if you’re rubbish at doing your own hair.
The use of air rather than plates is kinder to your hair. Clearly, sandwiching it between intense heated plates is pretty unforgiving. And when you’re older, you pay far more attention to damage reduction, after all the years of colouring and heat styling your poor hair. The Airstrait’s airflow also leads to a finish with much more volume. You’re not flattening your hair between plates, giving it that unforgiving poker-straight, flat to the head look – using air instead means you naturally get a lift as well as smoothness and shine. Even the first time I used it – rather badly, and impatiently, with no skill at all – my hair still looked way better than usual, and a friend thought I’d been to the hairdressers.
Dylan Bradshaw putting the Airstrait to use in his salon on South William Street.
For anyone with minimal patience and time when it comes to hair, these are big pluses. Even I can easily achieve a salon-standard blow-dry with this, and gratifyingly quickly. Though, as Dyson ambassador Dylan Bradshaw emphasises, you’ll achieve the best results if you smooth the Airstrait through your hair slowly – you will only need one pass.
Is the Dyson Airstrait worth it?
Inevitably, it comes at a cost. This is a big investment at €500, and if you already have a Supersonic, you may not feel you need this extra tool too. There is less versatility with this tool – I do appreciate the Corrale’s ease in creating soft, beach waves as well as poker-straight hair. But this is one for people who love to have straight, smoothed hair – those with hard to manage frizz, for example.
Dyson Airstrait Pros and Cons
The elephant in the room? The enormous plug/power box (not the technical term) – it weighs a ton, and means that you could never take this with you when travelling. It’s the weight of Ryanair hand luggage by itself. This is a shame – I love the neatly cord-free, easily chargeable Corrale set-up. But for home use, this is a quick-step route to groomed, good hair days every day; and with the cost of a blowdry now, in cost-per-use terms it will pay for itself pretty quickly.
To see the Airstrait in action before you commit, head to Bradshaw’s newly renovated salon in South William Street; www.dylanbradshaw.com. For more information see www.dyson.com.
Fabulously, it now has a café/shop in the front, complete with bright orange Marzocco coffee maker, Badger & Dodo coffee and healthy treats. Stop in for a flat white (you don’t have to be a client) and browse the candles, homewares (love this Rose de Sables room spray) and hair products (they stock Sam McKnight’s great range, which smells better than pretty well any haircare range).
Need To Know: The Dyson Airstrait is available from February 16; www.dyson.ie/hair-care/sign-up
