Let’s return to 2009. I’m in middle school, rushing to prepare in time to make my top quality, flatironing my sopping-wet hair as my mom screams at me for being late (again). On reflection, I wish she had been yelling at me for mainly frying off my hair (apparently, the loud sizzle wasn’t clue enough for me). Fast-forward to 2023: I’m a beauty editor, still at all times late, at all times rushing, but I’ve learned that regardless of how far behind schedule I’m, I can’t damage my hair.

My hair is positive and long (currently reaching just a few inches below my bra strap) with a soft wave. It’s also pretty brittle after years of warmth (yes, sometimes applied right after exiting the shower) and my refusal to get haircuts. My current routine is as follows: First, a rough dry with a blow-dryer, then I am going in with a 365°F iron to get as near a mirror-like shine as possible.

My hair hates me for the double heat, so I’m at all times on the lookout for a approach to reduce my high-temperature styling time. I used to be hoping to search out it with the most recent Dyson hair innovation, a wet-to-dry straightening tool called the Airstrait, which, the brand says, gets the job refrained from using hot plates. Dyson has truly revolutionized the hair-tool space because the company launched its Supersonic blow-dryer in 2016, and almost every Allure editor has made a shrine to the Airwrap, which debuted two years later. Expectations have been high around here for the Airstrait, the fourth tool within the lineup.

Here, three of my colleagues and I — all with very different hair types — test the Dyson Airstrait to see whether it lives as much as the no-heat-damage-while-straightening claims. We also compare it with a few of the existing hot tools in our bathrooms.

On this story:

• Overview
• The technology behind the tool
• How exactly does it straighten without heated plates?
• Does the “no damage” claim take a look at?
• How I tested it
• More reviews
• Pricing and value
• Where to purchase it

The Dyson Airstrait is a hair tool designed to concurrently dry and straighten your hair. James Dyson, founder and chief engineer, told Allure recently that his vision for the Airstrait was to deliver the benefit of use that individuals love about straighteners but without the damaging hot plates. Its goal is to save lots of you time and save your hair from the warmth damage a standard hair dryer and flatiron could cause. The Airstrait looks, roughly, like a typical flatiron, albeit wider and just, well, fancier.