My review of the Dyson Airstrait, Dyson’s new hair straightener

I tried out the Dyson Airstrait to see if a “wet hair straightener” really worked as well as a traditional flat iron.

Among the various experiences on my bucket list, trying out a Dyson hair tool ranks fairly highly. I think I’m in the minority in never having used Dyson products (excluding a vacuum cleaner) and I’ve been desperate to finally be part of the in-club. The designs always look so sleek and the technology feels beyond comprehension.

Almost everyone in the FJ office swears by their Dyson. Every time they step into the office with their bouncy curls, I’m jealous. I tried a dupe not long ago, and while I’m pretty confident using a standard curler, I couldn’t wrap my head around the barrel technology.

For more hair and beauty features, check out our Beauty section.

Part of the appeal of the Dyson hair range, aside from the prestige, is how it’s meant to drastically reduce heat damage. Until recently, I’ve had to get by with my trusty (and ancient) gHD dryer and hair straightener and while they’re great, my hair hasn’t coped well with all the heat. I had a crisis about my hair last year and vowed to only wear it natural.

Then when Lara, Fashion Journal‘s features editor, bounded into the office one morning asking if someone would like to test out the Dyson Airstrait, my hand shot up. It felt far less intimidating than the Airwrap and I figured it was a chance to style my hair without singeing it off.

 

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How the Dyson Airstrait works

I won’t pretend to understand the intricacies of the Dyson Airstrait’s technology. But the TLDR is that by using air, rather than hotplates, it’s better for your hair than a traditional straightener. It blows down at a 45-degree angle to create the tension required for a smooth style. In doing this, it combines two tedious steps (drying and styling), into one, halving the amount of work you have to do.

How to use the Dyson Airstrait

If you asked me five minutes in what I thought of the Dyson Airstrait, my initial feedback would’ve been fairly grim. I was armed with the instructions and dozens of TikTok videos, ready to try it out, but couldn’t seem to make it work. My wet hair was blowing everywhere and becoming increasingly tangled. My review? Impractical.

Embarrassingly, a little while later, I realised it was user error. I’d been holding the Dyson Airstrait upside down. After turning it the right way up, it worked shockingly easily. I wet my hair again and towel-dried it before applying some heat protectant. Then, I pre-dried the roots with the tongs closed on the ‘wet’ setting and sectioned my hair into parts.

From there, it’s fairly straightforward. All you need to do is clamp the ‘wings’ around your hair and the Dyson Airstrait blows out warm air to dry and straighten your hair at once. I did this in small sections, roughly two centimetres wide, repeating until it felt smooth and dry. Following that, I ‘sealed’ my hair by switching it to the ‘cool’ mode.

You can also play around with settings like the temperature, opting to set it based on your hair type and adjust the airflow. Afterwards, I ran some oil through my hair and called it a day.

The Dyson Airstrait results

My hair felt great after using the Dyson Airstrait. It was fully dry and my roots didn’t feel damp at all. After months of leaving my curls to airdry, it was also nice to be able to run my hands through my hair without catching on any knots.

Immediately after using it, I did feel as though my hair wasn’t as smooth as it would be with my usual hair straightener. Surprisingly though, this eased throughout my night. I went out for drinks (to show off my new hairdo, of course), and by the time I got back home, it was a little less fluffy and a lot more silky. It held nicely after a few days and my hair felt healthy – it didn’t have that burnt smell you often get from a traditional hair straightener.

Would I try the Dyson Airstrait again?

All up, the Dyson Airstrait process (not counting the painful learning curve at the start) took under 20 minutes, which is far less than it would’ve taken to dry and then straighten my hair. This in itself was a massive win.

While I wouldn’t be in a position to drop $749AUD on a Dyson Airstrait, I can safely I’ll be using mine again. It was fun and easy to use, and I’m determined to get that timestamp down ever further the more dexterous I become with it.

For more on the Dyson Airstrait and black hair, head here.