Dyson Airstrait review: they’ll make your hairdresser jealous

Introduction 

2024 truly is the era of the wet to dry hair straightener. The GHD Duet Style got there first, and now the Dyson Airstrait has arrived to give it some much needed competition.

Dyson as been top dog in premium haircare ever since it launched the Supersonic hairdryer, with the Corrale straightener and Airwrap curler also raising the bar – but the Airstrait is the company’s most exciting release to date. Which I say as someone who loves tech and has naturally wild hair. 

The $500/£450 Airstrait has the same premise as the $399/£379 Duet Style – it takes hair from wet to dry, while simultaneously straightening it. That means shorter styling time, without using hot plates that cause heat damage. It’s an undeniably premium product, but still cheaper (if I’m allowed to use that word) than buying both Supersonic hairdryer and Coralle straightener. If it does the job of both, it suddenly seems well priced…

Spoiler: It does indeed do the work of both.

Design & build

You won’t mind having the Dyson Airstrait on display in your bedroom; they have the good looks and excellent build quality to match their high price. The nickel and copper colour combo is equal parts techy and trendy. A handy button on the bottom lets you close them for easy storage.

Dyson has opted for the width of a standard straightener, as opposed to the GHD Duet’s wide build. The copper parts that stick out are the diffusers, which work to flow the air onto your hair and prevent the irritable hot feeling you can get when whipping your hair into shape. I approve wholeheartedly.

Substantial yet chunky, the straighteners feel lovely in the hand. The perfect size, I would say.

The five buttons for changing settings give a definite click as the LCD confirms your selection. There are several drying and straightening options, but they’re easy to get used to. I also rate the auto-pause feature, which stops the machine if it’s inactive for more than three seconds. That might sound minor, but is great for morning multitaskers like myself who are easily distracted.

How it works 

How does the Airstrait take hair from wet to dry, while simultaneously straightening it, using just air instead of hot plates? It’s partly down to the bespoke Hyperdymium motor that lives in the straightener’s handle; it has a 13-blade impeller that spins at a whopping 106,000rpm. This punches almost twelve litres of air through the machine every second, and generates up to 3.5kPa of air pressure.

Two 1.5mm apertures along the arms of the straightener then accelerate that airflow, creating two high-velocity downward blades of air. These are projected at a 45-degree angle, forming a single focused jet, which has enough force to straighten hair as it dries it. The super controlled airflow gives the smooth and shiny finish you want for straight hairstyles. 

Dyson’s familiar intelligent heat control function also returns here. It uses glass bead thermistors to measure the airflow temps 30 times a second; a microprocessor then regulates the heating element to stop the airflow exceeding the required temperature. It prevents heat damage, and protects your hair’s natural shine.

Performance

Using the Airstrait is a pleasant and intuitive experience. You can both see and hear it working as you dry and straighten, which I liked. It has pre-set wet and dry styling modes, plus a cool mode for setting your hairstyle.

In wet mode you can choose between 80°C (175°F), 110°C (230°F), and 140°C (285°F) – personally I always used the hottest mode as I have very thick, strong hair that is a touch on the hard to manage side. Those with thin or damaged hair will do better with a gentler heat, so it’s great to have the choice. 

In dry mode, the Airstrait acts a straightener – just using air instead of hotplates. You can choose between 120°C (250°F) or 140°C (285°F) and either low or high airflow. The cool shot really does work if you want your hair to look sleek all day.

Time-wise, I sectioned my hair as I would to straighten it properly, and worked the appliance through in sections. It definitely cut my styling time, as opposed to drying then straightening – it made light work of my naturally very thick and wavy hair. 

Two other things blew me away. Firstly, how soft and healthy my hair felt each time I used it, with no sign of any heat damage or frazzling. The second, which for me is a triumph: my hair stayed straight on day two and day three after use. That’s completely unheard of for my tresses. On day four it desperately needed a wash, but first I used the Airstraight on boost to restraighten. I have to say it did as good a job as my trusty Cloud Nine straighteners would. 

Dyson Airstrait verdict 

The Airstrait is premium bit of kit in terms of price, but also performance. I would be happy to do away with my hairdryer and straighteners in favour of one of these.

I only know about how the Airstait performs on my hair type, but as I happen to have lots and lots of wavy hair that is often unruly, I imagine it will be excellent on most hair types.

• Buy the Dyson Airstrait directly from Dyson here