Review: Dyson Airstrait

Dyson reinvented mundane appliances like the hairdryer and vacuum cleaner years ago. Who hasn’t heard of the Supersonic hairdryer that “spins faster than an F1 car”, released in 2016, which I reviewed and fell in love with – and now own one. Excellent marketing from Dyson, by the way.

Last August, I reviewed the Dyson Corrale, which you can read here. I didn’t pay attention to the Airwrap because I have wavy/curly hair and don’t need a curler.

I’m back with another Dyson review, this time it’s the new Airstrait styler that launched in South Africa in March 2024. I received one for my birthday and thought I’d do a quick review on it. Based on the TikTok reviews I’ve been seeing, I was most excited to try it out for myself.

The Airstrait is priced at R11 999 and is a direct competitor to the ghd Duet Style, which is R7 300.

Dyson Airstait Quick Look

• 2-in-1 wet-to-dry styler
• Straightener with no hot plates
• Spins up to 106 000rpm; 3.6kPa pressure
• 1600W; 3 heat settings
• LCD colour display
• Price: R11 999

Unboxing and controls

You get the styler, heat mat and plug inside the box. The plug is huge and you need to test it every time you plug it in for use. There’s instructions on the plug on the order that the buttons need to be pushed. It is in the order of: reset; test (the rest button should pop up out at this step); and reset again. That’s it.

The wet-to-dry styler has two main modes – drying from wet, or straightening from dry hair. And each of these modes has their own temperature controls. The wet hair mode allows for 80°, 110° and 140° C selection, whereas the dry hair mode has 120°, 140° and Boost mode. You can then choose fan speed, and if you want it to blow hot or cold air.

Every time you switch the Airstrait on, after you do the plug test, it will do its own cleanup.

Another thing to note is that the dryer is a specific hum to it, and it is loud when you use it, similar to the Supersonic. But it doesn’t scare my cat, so that says something.

Dyson also has an intelligent heat monitoring sensor that makes sure it won’t over heat. According to Dyson, it “regulates airflow temperature up to 16 times per second, to prevent extreme heat damage and protect hair’s natural shine”.

Airstrait usage

I’ve been using the Airstrait for just over two weeks now and I’ve not used other hair tools for drying my hair. It is recommended you do a quick blow dry to your roots before you start drying/styling. You can clip both halves together and dry away like a hair dryer, which makes it easier to hold and move.

If you look at the above picture, the air vents need to face downward when you are drying your hair. If you forget to do this in the beginning when switching from your right side to left, you can immediately tell by the direction your hair will fly up.

For reader reference, my hair is shoulder length and not very thick, so it takes me about 10 minutes to dry my hair completely when I wash it, and I take about 2-3 passes to get it straight. And in this context, I mean dry to straight. Not using it on my already dry hair to make it straight.

My hair is also on the wavy side vs. very curly like when I was younger and living in Durban. My hair has since changed, also since living in Johannesburg. My curl is more relaxed now. But if you have thick, curly hair, I urge you look at videos on TikTok to see what a remarkable difference it has made to those using it.

I am eliminating a previous step of drying my hair, and the ironing it, which is extremely efficient and saves me time. I’m always about convenience, which is why I’ve been using it exclusively since I receive it. Why would I go back to drying my hair another way?

Also, the main thing about this product, arguably the biggest draw card, it does not have hot plates that normal straighteners have. It uses air flow to dry your hair. Subsequently, I’ve not been using heat protecting products in my hair. It leaves my hair in good condition that is soft to touch. Interestingly, this product is not a volumiser, so keep that in mind.

I didn’t remember to take pictures while using it apart from my initial video I shot and recorded drying my hair twice. You can see that with a quick unboxing on TikTok here:

@nafisaakabor Unboxing the new #DysonAirstrait – from wet to styled in ~10 minutes. #dyson #hairtools ♬ Aesthetic – Tollan Kim

The Airstrait is also about 1kg heavy (2.2 pounds), so you can feel the weight eventually while drying your hair. I feel like my dominant right hand does get a bit sore as I use it for both sides. When I switch to the left, I still use my right hand despite attempting to use my left and failing a bit.

The Airstrait is 1600W and has an auto pause function, which is great for efficiency. I can plug it on my portable EcoFlow power station if there is load shedding.

Final thoughts

The Dyson Airstrait is an excellent tool if you want to spend as little time drying and styling your hair. It’s also more of a “low maintenance” type of tool, because it does two things really well – drying and straightening, compared to say an Airwrap with loads of attachments that also creates volume. This product is suited best for those with curly or wavy hair who like a sleek look without the heat damage, because it will pay off in the long run.

It’s a bit on the bulky side to take with you on holiday, which I don’t recommend unless you absolutely must. Check the voltage in the country you’re in, as Dyson products usually don’t work in markets that have different voltages, even with a conversion adapter; i.e. if you buy it in SA, it should work in Europe but not in the US and Japan, etc – unlike the Corrale wireless straightener that you can charge at home and take abroad.

At the price point, you should also consider the ghd Duet Style. I don’t have personal experience using the ghd version, but I am a fan of Dyson’s technology of late.