Every girl I know with long hair has been asking me about Dyson’s new curling tool — whether it’s awesome and worth the $700 price tag. Well, I’ve used it for two days and it’s actually pretty awesome; but that’s undoubtedly, a crazy price.

There are 3 sets available for purchase. The “Complete” set with all the attachments is the most popular (and most value for money, if you can call it that), and is currently sold out on Dyson’s website, and at TANGS. And apparently, TANGS isn’t taking any more pre-orders for this set because the list is “out of control”; plus, they just ran out of the Smooth + Control set over the weekend.

Price doesn’t seem to deter Dyson’s immediate target audience (rich people). For the rest of the normal world who’s lusting after it, but need to justify the purchase, read on.

above: the pre-styling dryer attachment

All the sets include the pre-styling dryer, which resembles a mini Dyson Supersonic (it’s very cute!). The idea is to blow dry hair from wet to damp, preparing it for styling. This dryer isn’t as powerful as the Supersonic (it is smaller after all), but it gets the job done. Hair becomes semi-dry in minutes.

above: the soft smoothing brush attachment

Next, there are three brushes and two curlers to choose from. Since I have short hair, I tried the Airwrap Styler on my seven-year-old who has long, very straight hair. And you know what… it is as marvellous as they say, in the many YouTube videos I’m sure you’ve been incessantly watching.

above: The result of using the 40mm airwrap barrels and soft smoothing brush

The two smoothing brushes work by blowing out hot air as you brush. So instead of juggling a seperate brush and hairdryer, you just have this one thing in your hand, leaving your other hand free to section hair. This reminds me of the BaByliss heated brush — although I must say I haven’t tried that, but reading about how it quickly heats up to 200°C has me worried for my hands, hair and scalp. The Dyson Airwrap regulates the temperature ensuring that it always stays below 150°C.

The barrels come in two sizes: 30mm and 40mm, and as a pair: clockwise and anti-clockwise airflow directions. It’s pretty much trial-and-error figuring out which direction to use on which side of your head (depends on how you want your hair to flick and curl), and when you turn it on, prepare to get blown away. The barrels attract and roll hair around quickly, and once you release, hair is magically curled. This even worked on my short length; it gave more volume and shape to the lengths of my hair, and for once, my hair actually had a “style”.

So you may have heard some rumours about the Airwrap; mainly that the curl doesn’t hold for long. It’s somewhat true; using hot air to style hair isn’t as long-lasting as say, wrapping your hair around a scalding tong — which might I add, not just damages hair, but is dangerous to your fingers and head. Also consider the effort it takes to manually wind your hair around curling tongs; the Airwrap just sucks the hair around its barrel. I wouldn’t “fry” my hair and risk my fingers for a longer-holding curl; I would just use hairspray.

ABOVE: Dyson Airwrap STORAGE BOX

I have to add, with the Airwrap Styler, you are paying for luxury. Just look at the box it comes in. The storage case alone is a piece of work; there are neat compartments for everything, and it doesn’t feel cheap.

VERDICT

If you can afford it, have been lusting after it since it was announced, and will put in the effort to actually use it — buy it. If you need to justify its value, think of it as a Supersonic hairdryer + BaByliss + curling iron all-in-one. If you’re thinking a salon perm will only cost you $300 and you can just wash and blow, think about when the perm dies off and you need to pay $300 again… and again… and again. Lastly, it was a lot of fun using this device, and the results are impressive; even on short hair. I started out a sceptic, but now if anyone asks whether I would recommend it — Yes. Yes, I would (cc. Mikeller, Jermaine, Shivani, Carol, Emily, Danielle, Dollei, Ann, Edith, Diana).

SOME FINAL THINGS TO CONSIDER:

• You need space on your dresser to store the box. It’s big.
• I suspect Dyson will release the Airwrap in other colours, just like they did with the Supersonic. So if you don’t like pink, and are not in a hurry to own this, give it a few months before you regret this very spendy purchase.
• The Airwrap is not travel friendly; it’s a rather long device. Although I’m sure many girls will not care and bring this along everywhere they go.
• Speaking of travel, the one you buy in Singapore won’t work in the States or Japan unless you have a transformer (which is usually large and heavy).

the dyson airwrap styler is priced from $649 and is available at shop.dyson.com.sg, and selected departmental and electrical stores such as Robinsons The Heeren and TANGS at Tang Plaza.