Remember the Wet 2 Straight flat irons of the early 2000s? Sure, they kind of worked to straighten your hair, but you may as well have put your wet strands directly into a cast-iron pan because they basically seared your hair and left it with tons of heat damage to boot. The thought of putting my hair through that again makes me break out in full-body hives, so you can bet I was immediately skeptical when I first heard about a tool that promises to take your hair from wet to straight.
However, when Dyson comes out with a new hair tool, I listen. The Airwrap alone has transformed how I style my hair. Before I had one, I was abysmal at doing my own hair. Now, I leave the house looking like I just had a blowout despite only spending 15 minutes on my hair. The same goes for the Supersonic Hair Dryer, which gets my hair dry quickly and doesn't leave any flyaways. That's why when Dyson released the Airstrait last week, I let my curiosity override my skepticism.
The Airstrait works differently than any other straightener because it doesn't rely on hot plates to smooth hair. Instead, the tool uses the powerful airflow that Dyson is known for to dry and straighten hair without heat damage. In fact, the highest temperature you can set the Airstrait to is 285°F, which is much lower than most hot tools.
"Having a strong understanding of how to manipulate and realize the potential of powerful airflow is fundamental to the performance of the Dyson Airstrait straightener," James Dyson, the company's founder and chief engineer, shared in a press release. "This expertise, which we've gained over the last 25 years, is what has enabled us to deliver our first wet-to-dry straightener with no hot plates and no extreme heat damage. Delivering the ease-of-use that people love about straighteners but with high-velocity air blades, saves time, maintains hair strength, and achieves an everyday natural straight style."
While the tool looks like your average straightener, it has a few cool functions. You can clamp it dry and use it as a hair dryer to rough-dry your hair and scalp. You can also choose from three different settings—wet, dry, or cool—to style your hair. When in the "wet" mode, you can choose from 175°F, 230°F, and 285°F (the thicker and curlier your hair is, the higher you'll likely want to go temperature-wise). On the "dry" setting, you can choose 250°F or 285°F or a "boost." You can also control airflow. As a safety precaution, the machine automatically turns off when set down.
I decided to test the Airstrait on myself to see just how easy it is to use. I have extremely thick, wavy hair that typically takes 20 to 30 minutes to dry. If I add straightening into the mix, I'm looking at at least an hour in front of the mirror.
What is it like to use the Dyson Airstrait?
I started with towel-dried hair and was immediately impressed. While I did two passes, I could have gotten away with one and still had impeccably straight strands—and I even took a large section. I did my whole head in 15 minutes—I timed it.
I also used it when my hair was already dry, and it took me nine minutes to get all of my hair pin-straight. The great thing about this tool is that, unlike a traditional flat iron, it doesn't flatten your hair. Instead, the airflow allows you to maintain volume, so your hair still has body even though it's straight.
How does the Airstrait work on different hair textures?
This was one of my first questions after learning about the tool. As a white woman with wavy hair, it's no surprise a tool like this would work well on my hair type. I attended a Dyson demo where they showed us how the tool works on 2C curls, 3B curls, and 4C curls. The tool made each texture straight in the same amount of time. If you have curlier hair that you'd like to straighten in less time and with less heat damage, this might be the tool you've been waiting for.
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This article was published at an earlier date and has since been updated.
