To want a Dyson Airwrap

[LadyHooHa]

My hair is hideously straight. Poker straight. Not-in-a-good-way straight. Just sodding straight.

I have, over the years, spent much money on heated rollers. I've tried blow-drying with a big metal brush. I've tried every effing thing to get a bit of bounce into my stupid straight hair. My current curling device is Remington straighteners - it's fine for about 25 minutes (so long as there isn't a scrap of moisture in the air) but my hair is snapping off at the ends. It's long - or was, until it started snapping off. FML.

I covet the Dyson Airwrap. I could afford it if I gave up eating for several months, and cut back on several other things. But is it worth it?

[LadyHooHa]

Poshjock, I appreciate your post enormously. I had a perm relatively recently, hoping to achieve bounce and volume, and still looked like an 80s poodle throwback.

I think I am still struggling to match my hair with my expectations (have spent about 30 years doing so). This is perhaps the real problem. If I thought £400 would completely solve the problem, I'd spend it. But I really need to hear that it wouldn't (IYSWIM).

Costa, please tell me more about the Bayliss device.

Otherwise, I am immensely jealous of anyone who only washes their hair twice a week and has natural curliness.

[wombatron]

I've also heard that the styles don't hold - I just don't think it gets hot enough to hold the style. I've heard great things about the bighair thingy mentioned up thread

[ScrambledSmegs]

I got one for Christmas . In my defence I'd actually asked for vouchers from everyone who normally gives me a present in order to buy one. Anyway, I now have it and I love it. My hair is fine, straight doesn't hold curls very well but I've followed the instructions, pin the curls till they're cool and it does work beautifully. And my hair doesn't look or smell fried! Bonus .

JL stores have demonstration stands, as does the Dyson store on Oxford Street. And you can get the box monogrammed there too, should you want that.

[Alarae]

I have poker straight hair and the only thing I have found to give me lovely large waves is the GHD wave wand.

Gives me beautiful Hollywood glamour curls. Love it.

[LadyHooHa]

Oh wow - cross posted with others!

Root perms. I am not discounting these. I feel like a complete tit to be so bothered about my hair, btw. My last perm was supposed to give me body and wave, but it looked like Kylie Effing Minogue in Neighbours in 1990, and it didn't even look that "good" once I tried to dry it.

I have far too much invested in my hair. Sorry.

[amusedbush]

I didn’t get on with the Big Hair at all. It snagged my hair, bits would get tangled up in the mechanism and the soft bristles just my hair huge and frizzy

[TransposersArePosers]

I got one (I love a hair gadget, despite being very flat of hair)

I loved my Babyliss Big Hair and and was always complemented when I'd used it, but after about 12 months of not much use it stopped working properly (the brush didn't rotate).

I figured that as there were no moving parts on the dyson it wouldn't gp wrong in the same way. It works really well on my fine, flat hair although I need to practice more with it to get the opposite sides curls going right. Impressed so far with the extra body it gives me. Expensive for a hair gadget though (although I am a believer in spending more on things that get used most whether it's shoes, make up, gadgets as the 'per use' amount is less if it's used a lot and better to spend on quality that lasts rather than cheap and needs replacing). I use this nearly every day.

[MissCharleyP]

DH got me one for Christmas and I love it! My hair is thick, wavy (but not curly) and generally PITA. The air wrap dries it soooo much quicker than my old (2 years) Babyliss, the curls to be honest don’t last that long (I do have heavy hair though) but I don’t mind as I used it yesterday and my hair is now nicely wavy and tousled. If it’s lasting curls and volume, the Babyliss Secret Curl is good (I used to get 3 days off from washing my hair) BUT it used to take me about an hour to do my shoulder-length hair and it got tangled a lot round the barrel thing. Aurora Bands are good for hair that is shoulder-length or longer or bendy rollers that you sleep in - about £4 in Boots.

[LaurieFairyCake]

I LOVE mine.

It has a hairdryer attachment that comes with the air wrap- my hair is dry in 4 minutes with it. That means I save an hour a week just by drying my hair.

I also love the curling of my hair. Now my curls DO fall out but not an enormous amount - just to lovely soft waves. My curls fall out because I wash my hair every day and it's very fine and very soft. I can keep them in about 3/4 hours by airwrapping in heat for 10 seconds, then cool shotting for 5 seconds.

This is what my hair falls out to - Rachel mcadams style.

The biggest difference is my hair is in amazing condition using the air wrap - no breakage and amazing shine.

[Theromanempire]

I am also desperate for one but cannot justify the cost!

I use something called a Perfecter styler which was about £70. Once you get the hang of the 'twist and pull' method, it is really simple and quick and gives lovely waves. They do last all day in my hair but it is naturally wavy.

You can also use it to straighten or go for bouncy curls. Worth a Google at YouTube videos about it.

[Poshjock]

Don't apologise for being invested in your hair. It's a good thing that you want a style that suits you and you are proud of.

I read that Barrack Obama only wore 2 colours of suit, to remove the mental load of thinking about what to wear in the morning. I view my hair like this now I have found a style that works with me and for me. I don't have to think about, or worry about what to do with my hair. I have had this style for 5 years now and styling my hair takes so little time as I am not fighting it and I'm well practiced at it.

I would thoroughly recommend finding a style for your poker flat hair that suits you then you are not trying to make your hair do something everyday that it is not inclined to do naturally. Colour is also a brilliant way of giving style and interest.

I do believe that hair products such as perms and colours are much improved than the crazy chemicals we had in the 80s! Our children would never understand!

Much as I really like the Airwrap, as someone has already said a big spend is wholly justifiable if you get good use out of it and it's cost per use becomes minimal if it works for you. I don't think it would become a daily workhorse for me so I'll probably pass.

Sounds like a demo stand at JL would be worth a visit for you OP

[LadyHooHa]

Oh God. I am in an agony of indecision. I realise that it's a First World Problem, though!

[LadyHooHa]

Poshjock, really appreciate your niceness. I know it's superficial and silly, especially when I have next to no disposable income. I fully expected to be flamed! But you have all been lovely. Thank you.

[Cerseilannisterinthesnow]

I thought about it and thought that would be great for me but the price put me off. I don’t curl my hair enough for it to be cost effective.

I also noticed that most reviews are one extreme to the next. The ones that said they were amazing and nothing was like had been given them by dyson to review. The other reviews by people who had bought them with their own money were either really bad or a bit meh

I can get the same result with my straighteners or if I want curls that last a few days I use a wand

[animallikeyou]

If you are looking for a curler the GHD creative curl wand is actually amazing.

[PoutySprout]

Dyson is one of the biggest twats there is.

YABU.

[Curlypop]

I've got one and it's seriously amazing. Ask away if you want to know anything particular

[Thewifipasswordis]

Just go and get a permanent wave put in your hair. It's like a super loose perm. Much cheaper! Airwrap curls dont last any longer than heated rollers or a curly blow.

[Thewifipasswordis]

Also the babyliss big hair brush from damp/dry would be way better for you OP.

[Dramallama16]

Does the smooth version work on frizzy hair? I want one too but I’m scared of the price. If it makes my hair smooth and sleek I don’t mind paying it though!

[ShinyMe]

Have you tried Curlformers? I have very fine, long hair that never holds a curl ever from heated things, and like you I've tried all sorts. Curlformers work though. They're like sausagey plastic wraps and a long stick which you use to pull your hair through into the wrap, and then you can leave to dry, or use a hairdryer.

I think they work because you're not wrapping the hair around itself, you're using the wrap to make the hair into a curl shape and then leaving it like that to dry.

[starryeyedsnowgirl]

I wish Mumsnet would do one of their product tests on these. I think there would be loads of volunteers!

[QueenofWhisperz]

I have one. I have used it on several different hair types.

It works well enough on all of them.

My primary reason for getting one was, I have quite a few girlfriends who can all do my hair, but I can't do theirs. I'm not good with African hair and I wanted to be able to 1. have something in my house that everyone could use effectively and 2. Easy to clean with the amount of products I use in my hair.

It's fine. My sisters have baby fine hair and it works for them.

[LadyGAgain]

@amusedbush - please can you tell me what advice the lady gave you for the hairdryer? I got one for Christmas and would love to understand it all a bit more. Thank you!

[amusedbush]

@LadyGAgain

Of course! So I have naturally curly hair (type 3A curls) which I like to wear straight. Each strand is very fine but there’s a lot of it so it frizzes easily. In terms of length it sits at the top of my bra band.

My complaint was that my hair was really fluffy after using the Dyson and it was getting very, very tangled while drying it. The woman said this is really common.

The wider of the two slim nozzles acts as a diffuser. I was told to hold the dryer still instead of shaking it around and let the air do its job. Once my hair is 75% dry I switch to the slimmest nozzle. The woman told me to switch from a round brush to a large paddle brush and to press the nozzle right into the bristles, against the hair, on the highest heat and speed settings.

I can honestly say I haven’t had any more tangles while drying it and it’s so smooth I don’t have to run the straighteners over it.

She also showed me a trick with the big curl diffuser attachment. If someone doesn’t have curly hair but would like more body to it, you can lower a section of hair onto the diffuser (with the dryer off) and then spin the attachment round and round with the hair in it before switching the dryer on.