For years, Dyson, the British company that produces vacuum cleaners and purifiers, has been considered “the Apple of household appliances”: its products are very expensive and appear different from those of competing companies, in aesthetic and functional terms, and for these two reasons they have around a notable aura of prestige. In the last three years, in particular, this prestige has been felt among those with long hair: first because of the Supersonic hairdryer, which has been in existence since 2016, then, since last year, for the Airwrap hair dryer and curling brush. The Airwrap was very much desired and made to be desired a lot: shortly after its entry on the market, despite costing 500 euros, it was sold out and for many months it was not possible to buy it.
Given the prices, the Supersonic and the Airwrap by Dyson are part of that large category of objects that are very gladly received as a gift. Since we are in a period of gifts, the Consumismi editorial staff of the Post has tried them both, to compare them and give some advice to those who want to put them on their wishlist and to those who plan to give one to someone else.
The two products have been tested by four editors who have in common an almost total inexperience in styling and curling their hair on their own (we wanted to understand if Dyson's products are clumsy-proof) but that from a trichological point of view they have hair of very different shapes, lengths and strengths. What we have understood is that for some hair Supersonic is better, for others Airwrap, and that in any case the choice between the two must depend on the type of result you want to obtain.
What Airwrap is not
Before saying what we understood by trying the Supersonic and the Airwrap, it is good to immediately explain what Airwrap is and what it is not , given that due to its hybrid nature it is easy to misunderstand its functions.
It is not a straightener and it is not even an alternative to the straightener. In fact, to give shape to the hair, Airwrap uses hot air and not the direct heat of the straightener: the straightener is therefore more effective in styling, but in the long run it risks weakening and damaging them. It can be said that Airwrap replaces the hair dryer + brush combination that hairdressers use before the straightener, although Airwrap avoids contact between a very hot material – such as the nozzle of the hairdryer – and the hair, subjecting them to less stress. It does not make hair straight, or at least not like a straightener would do it: with the Airwrap brushes – among the accessories in the package – you get a natural straightness, which varies according to the type of hair, but which has nothing to what to do with that of “straightened” hair. The result does not last long, even if it depends a lot on the structure of the hair: there are those who hold the style for longer and those who lose it after a few hours. Let's say you don't have to expect to wake up in the morning and still have the same curls as the night before, unless you use hairspray or a fixing spray. With the right products and doing a few quick touch-ups in the morning (once you have mastered it, it should take a little while), you can get back to the initial result. It is not a hairdryer. Among the accessories contained in the package and which can be mounted on the central body of the Airwrap there is also a dryer, but it is mainly used to pre-dry the hair and remove excess water before using the other tools. If you want a hairdryer, the Supersonic is more suitable. What is Airwrap
The most appropriate term to define the Airwrap is styler, in the sense that, as we said, it is neither a hairdryer nor a straightener, but a tool that is used for hairstyling, hair styling. Opening the package (which is elegant and a bit bulky) is the main body of the hairdryer, which must be connected to the current and on whose handle there are the on, off, power and heat adjustment controls. There are eight accessories that can be attached to the central body: there is the pre-dryer, which has the typical “holey” shape of Dyson fans, three brushes, one of which is cylindrical “volumizing”, and two pairs of cones for making waves , one 3cm in diameter and one 4cm. The cones are in pairs because one rolls the lock clockwise and the other counterclockwise (we get there).
How Airwrap works
The first thing to know is that to get a good effect with the Airwrap you need to have wet hair, unlike when using the straightener . The second thing to know is that with Airwrap you can broadly achieve two results: a natural smooth or soft waves. For the natural straight one you can use the two non-cylindrical brushes: the one with the more pointed teeth is designed for more robust and difficult to untangle hair, the one with rounded teeth (and fuchsia color) for more delicate and already smooth enough hair. . Once you have inserted the brush you want to use on the central body of the Airwrap, just turn it on by adjusting the fan power and the air temperature and then make sure to comb your hair by sinking your teeth between the locks, so that the hot air penetrate well into the foliage. To avoid a too flat effect, you can comb the hair in reverse, that is, passing the brush under the hair, with the teeth outwards, or upside down.
Together with the brushes, or alternatively, you can use the volumizing brush, the cylindrical one: it serves to “pull” the hair and is especially good for the roots and tips of those with slightly frizzy hair, or those with very flat hair and wants to give it some volume. Basically it allows you to do with one hand what we would normally do with the hair dryer in one hand and the brush in the other. The editor of the Post with longer and smoother hair, which is often dry after drying, was very surprised by the softness and shine of the result.
The main feature of Airwrap is the technology that Dyson has patented to make waves and which exploits the Coanda effect, the physical principle according to which a jet of air always tends to follow the contour of a nearby surface. To put it simply, Airwrap's cones shoot out hot air to create a kind of vortex around them that, when approached to a strand, captures it and wraps it delicately around the cone. To behold, the effect is quite surprising and, after a bit of trying (looking in the mirror initially complicates things, especially if you are poorly coordinated), also quite easy to replicate.
We tried to use them at home, relying only on YouTube tutorials (very useful even when you want to try to do complicated things), and then in one of Dyson's shops, interviewing a hairstylist, as they say, and making us curl a few strands. .
Before starting with the waves, you must use the pre-dryer on wet hair to prevent the strands from being excessively impregnated and therefore too heavy to be captured by the cones. However, stop long before they're dry, or the crease won't last. When you are ready to start with the waves, choose which side of the head to start with – it is better to stop the hair on which you do not initially work with a clip – and then take the corresponding cone: the waves must always go outwards, so that with the arrow going to the left for your right side and the one with the arrow going to the right for your left side. From experience we advise you to learn this rule and forget about it because, especially in front of the mirror, it is a moment to lose the space-time references and to be overwhelmed by destabilizing philosophical thoughts (is that my hand? Does movement really exist? is beyond the universe? and so on).
Separate the lock from the rest of the hair with the help of a flannel and pinch the lock with your fingers about 10 centimeters from the end. Turn on the Airwrap, wait a few seconds for the air to be warm, and slowly bring it closer to the tip of the lock until you see it curl. Then let go of the lock and bring the Airwrap close to your head, without twisting it. Stay still like this for 10-15 seconds and then, when you start to feel too hot (if you feel it before 10-15 seconds try to keep the temperature lower), cool the air for a few seconds, turn off the Airwrap and remove it: there is a single button to switch on, off and activate the cold jet, so it is very convenient. If in the end the result seems very good in theory but not very usable in society, run your fingers through the locks and they will immediately take a softer shape.
The hairstylist we spoke to explained to us that the effects we had obtained could have been revived, hours after the fold (for example after a night of sleep), by repeating the operation, simply by wetting them a little earlier.
What is Supersonic
Supersonic is a hair dryer: it is not used to fold the hair but to dry it, although obviously it can be used to style it with a brush. It consists of a central body and three accessories to be mounted on it from time to time, even if the expression “mount” is unsuitable for describing the “sense of completeness and harmony” that the magnetic attachment arouses.
After using Supersonic, an editor said she felt the sensation of a softer air than usual on her head, which was immediately resized by her colleagues with a more scientific approach (air is always air), but has been partly explained by the Dyson experts: Supersonic in fact works thanks to a motor much faster than any other hair dryer (in the version with the V9 engine it reaches 110 thousand revolutions per minute), which is located in the handle and which captures the air and he spits it out very fast and hot. The air is hot without exaggerating: even when it is at maximum, it never reaches too high temperatures, annoying for the user and harmful to the hair. The advantage of having the motor in the handle also prevents the hair from ending up against the ventilation grids, getting damaged, as sometimes happens with traditional hair dryers.
Supersonic has a diffuser for wavy and curly hair and two straightening nozzles, one more delicate for a natural straightness and one with a more concentrated air jet for those who want to make attempts at hairstyling with a brush. The diffuser has the traditional concave shape, but the plastic teeth are shorter in the central part to allow room for the curls to bend better, maintaining their natural shape. Both for its shape and for the drying speed of the Supersonic, it makes life easier for those with a lot of hair, very long and curly: you get a nice natural effect in a short time.
The spouts, on the other hand, have a double-layered structure made so that even bringing the ends in direct contact with the hair (as you shouldn't do with traditional hair dryers, to avoid damaging them), the hair is not heated since it does not touch the innermost and warmest layer, but only the outer one.
In conclusion
Dyson Airwrap and Dyson Supersonic are two different things, serving two very different purposes: the first is good for people who dedicate or plan to devote time to give a fold (wavy or smooth) to your hair after washing it, the second is a hairdryer to dry your hair faster than other hair dryers, and more or less that's enough. The waves of Airwrap are suitable for those who want to obtain a natural effect and not damage the hair with the straightener, but do not last long, especially on straight and thin hair. In addition to the waves, however, Airwrap can also be used to obtain a natural and voluminous smooth, always dedicating some time to it and knowing that it will not last more than a day (especially if it has been raining outside for a month); in general it is suitable for those with straight and slightly wavy hair. Supersonic is good for those who want a high-quality, silent hair dryer that dries hair quickly, whether it is curly or straight, without damaging it and enhancing its natural shape. For those with curly hair it is the most suitable product.
How to try it and where to buy it
The best thing you can do to decide if you really want a Dyson hair product and, if so, which one is go and try them in the Dyson Demo Stores, which are in Milan, Turin, Rome, Venice and Naples. On certain days and times there are hairstylists available to answer your questions and have you tested the products: you can easily book a free meeting, the only important thing to do is to go there with clean hair.
Even if you are thinking of buying a Dyson product as a gift to someone, know that the person you are giving it to always has time to go to one of these stores after receiving it, for a practical demonstration of how to use it. If you don't want to go to a physical store (many stores that sell home appliances have Dyson products), you can buy them online on the Dyson website. The Airwrap costs 500 euros, the Supersonic 400 – and it is at the same price, or very little less, even on ePrice.
On eBay you could find them at lower prices (but always check that the seller is reliable, in the official Dyson shop there are no hair products), while on Amazon you can find them at a slightly higher price.
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But you can also search for them on Google.
