Our Editor Swears This Hair Tool Rivals a Trip to the Salon

If there's anything I've learned over the last seven months, it's that I'm a creature of habit. My routines make me happy; I'm more productive when I actually get ready; and I've realized just how important a little self-care is. I'm starting to realize a lot of people are discovering the same thing about themselves. "Right now it's easy to let our favorite little rituals fall to the wayside," says Michaela Bushkin, my co-worker and the senior fashion editor at Who What Wear. "I've barely done anything to my hair during quarantine, and my mood has suffered because of it," she tells me. "But now I'm just so bored of wearing my hair straight all the time." She made it her mission to find a product that would give her a fresh new ’do without sacrificing the health of her strands. 

So she hit up Lauren Eggertsen, a close friend and fellow co-worker, for some advice. "I trust Lauren on pretty much everything from the fashion trends I should try to what to order at restaurants. She's never failed me." So she didn't think twice when Lauren suggested investing in a product from the experts in hair health, Dyson. The Dyson Airwrap™ styler—a tool that curls, waves, smooths, and dries hair all at once with no extreme heat—could be just the thing to help boost her mood and bring her hair back to life. If intelligent heat control and the Coanda effect (an aerodynamic phenomenon that attracts and wraps hair using only air) can't do it, nothing can. Did it work? Watch the IGTV above to find out, then simply keep scrolling for a step-by-step guide on how Michaela got her hair to look even better than after a trip to a salon.

Before jumping in, it's worth noting that the Dyson Airwrap comes with six styling attachments, meaning you can create a number of hairstyles using one tool. Every set comes with a pair of 1.2- and 1.6-inch barrels, a firm smoothing brush, a soft smoothing brush, a volumizing brush, and a pre-styling dryer. Now that that's out of the way, let's dive right into how to use it.

Start with wet hair and use the pre-styling dryer until your locks are 80% dry before attaching the 1.2 inch barrel.. Hair should be slightly damp before using a styling attachment because the Dyson Airwrap dries as it styles—the most genius feature.

Start on one side, using high heat and air, and make sure the arrows on the barrel are pointing away from your face. Hold a piece of hair to the mid-shaft, so the tip of your hair is able to wrap around the barrel using only air—this is known as the Coanda effect. Michaela wanted more casual loose waves, so she used the 1.2-inch-barrel styling attachment here.

Before you release the curl, it should be completely dry. Then, set your style with the cold shot for five to 10 seconds and turn the machine off. Repeat until this half of your hair is done.

Once you've finished one side, move onto the other. Switch out the barrels, so the arrows are pointing away from your face, and repeat the previous steps until this side is complete.

Spritz on some hairspray and that, my friends, is it. All in all this style takes Michaela 20 minutes, and as she puts it, the results are insane. "I’ll admit the tool is an investment, but I’m happier with the results than I am with a salon blow out. Unlike visiting a salon, I know exactly what I’m going to get and I can get the same look without extreme heat damage, so it’s really a win-win," says Michaela.

If you still need some convincing on making the investment, we did a cost-per-use analysis to make your decision very easy. Spoiler: It's worth it.

Shop the Dyson Airwrap:

Interested in the Dyson Corrale™ straightener? It's one Who What Wear editor's secret to having a good hair day.