It promises a hair revolution. Marketed for a year in the United States, Canada and Mexico, the Dyson Airtrait has finally been available in France for a few weeks. The English brand, which creates an event every time it releases a jewel of hair technology, has increased the desire of its French clientele to a crescendo by interfering in the stories of beauty influencers, who were able to test it in preview and extol the merits of this new model capable of drying and straightening hair in a single pass.
A concentrate of technology that works without plates or excessive heat, and which promises not to damage the hair. And which has already won several awards, including the prize for best innovation awarded by the New York Times. But in practice, what is the Dyson Airstrait worth? 20 minutes tested it* for you.
A two-in-one hybrid
The strength of the Dyson Airstrait: “offering a new way to straighten different types of hair from wet hair, without heating plates or damage caused by heat”, promises the brand, thanks to “a powerful flow of concentrated air which dries and simultaneously smoothes wet hair. A hybrid model which makes it the “first straightener for hair, from wet to dry”, specifies the brand, which underlines its high-end positioning with a model with a very elegant design.
“The fruit of five years of research and development”, this innovation makes it possible to offer “the ease of use that users appreciate in straighteners,” assures James Dyson, founder and Chief Engineer of the brand. But with high-speed airflow, we save time, preserve hair strength and achieve naturally straight hair every day.”
How ? First thanks to the air flow of the device, accelerated by the two 1.5 mm openings located along the arms of the straightener, creating two high-speed descending air jets. Projected at a 45° angle, they converge to form a single jet of concentrated air, capable of straightening hair as it dries, and aligning hair strands. A feat made possible by the motor that powers the straightener: small, light, but powerful enough to generate this directional air flow thanks to its thirteen-blade propeller which rotates up to 106,000 rpm. And, a signature of the Dyson hair care range, the Airstrait features intelligent heat control, measuring the temperature of the airflow thirty times per second to prevent heat damage and protect the hair.
A model to tame
When you take the Dyson Airstrait out of its box, you say to yourself that you just have to plug it in, turn it on, with the promise of having goddess-like hair in the snap of your fingers. In practice, it’s a little more complicated than that. You must first get to grips with this new model, and read the instructions carefully, if only to understand how to turn it on after plugging in its enormous socket block equipped with “Test” and “Reset” buttons.
This block is a “PRCD” socket, for “Portable Residual Current Device”. “The straightener’s powerful air-drying technology for wet-to-dry use requires a PRCD outlet to test electrical current for safety reasons,” explains the brand. A test to be carried out each time it is used. Beyond its grip, the model is no more bulky than other straighteners and can easily fit into your suitcase, especially since it saves the space that a hair dryer would take up. But with this device, not sure if it will work abroad when first plugged into an adapter. And if you look closely at the box, the Dyson Aistrait is not supplied with a carrying case.
Then you have to choose between wet hair or dry hair mode. If they are too wet, they can be pre-dried, particularly at the roots, by tightening the pliers to activate the drying. Then, we simultaneously dry and smooth strand by strand. Wicks which must be rather fine, because the opening of the pliers is quite narrow, 1.5 to 2.5 cm. You can also choose between the dry hair mode, the benefit of which is less obvious with the hair dryer which activates in all cases, not making it the quietest model for styling your hair in the morning in complete discretion. And although the device is rather compact, after about fifteen minutes of styling, the wrist gets tired.
A revolution for all hair?
And the result? Let’s say it depends on your hair type and your expectations. For type 1 or 2 hair, naturally straight or wavy, it’s a hit: the Dyson Airstrait will quickly become a daily ally, allowing you to dry and straighten your hair in the snap of your fingers with a natural, supple and smooth finish. bright.
For textured hair types 3 and 4, on the other hand, naturally curly or frizzy, the finish is less convincing. The hair is certainly soft and shiny, and we feel that it has not been attacked by excessive heat, a real strong point of the Dyson Airstrait compared to its competitors. But they are a bit flat at the root and foamy. For fans of hair straighteners who like a glowy result with a mirror shine, very smooth, with the possibility of giving volume to the roots and movement to the strands with a small turn of the wrist to avoid the flattened wand effect, there, it’s less wow. “If you want a very smooth result or wavy waves, then you have to use another device for finishing,” advises an expert hairdresser from the brand.
Last detail for people tempted to treat themselves to it, its price: 499 euros.
* Model loaned by the brand for the duration of the test and returned at the end.