Dyson Supersonic Nural Review: New hair dryer is ‘mind-blowing’
Set to “blow your socks off”, we’ve broken down what you need to know about Dyson’s new hair dryer — and whether it’s worth upgrading to.
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From stick vacuums to robot vacuums, to heaters and air purifiers, to the coveted Supersonic Hair Dryer and the Airwrap Complete Styler – Dyson truly has something for everyone.
But their latest launch, coined the “most intelligent hair dryer yet”, is set to blow your socks off.
We got the chance to review it ahead of its Australian release and the Dyson Supersonic Nural is unlike anything we’ve seen before.
Not just your average hair dryer, this intelligent (and super intuitive) hair tool is built around the idea of scalp and overall hair health – auto-adapting the temperature to give you a fast blow-dry with zero heat damage.
It’s also the most recent Dyson launch in the beauty space, with another 20 new products set to arrive in the next four years, as part of an $885 million investment project.
But at $749 the first question you’ve probably got is whether the Supersonic Nural is actually worth its pricetag.
After testing it for two weeks, and comparing it to the original Supersonic hair dryer that I’ve owned for six years, these are my honest thoughts on the brand spankin’ new Dyson Supersonic Nural Hair Dryer.
1-MINUTE REVIEW: DYSON SUPERSONIC NURAL HAIR DRYER
Dyson Supersonic Nural Hair Dryer
Dyson Supersonic Nural Hair Dryer
What You Need To Know
To sum it up, if your scalp and overall hair health is a priority to you, I highly recommend investing in the Supersonic Nural Hair Dryer.
We can all admit the price tag is high – sitting at $749 – so I’m not going to say it’s something everyone needs. But it will definitely be worth the money if you have the means.
The brains behind Dyson have created a hair dryer unlike anything we’ve seen before.
The Supersonic Nural is built with incredible intuitive tech, a network of sensors to auto-adjust the temperature depending on how close the hair dryer is to your scalp. And the super advanced technology explains why the price tag is so high.
The Supersonic Nural is also incredibly easy to use, thanks to the clear cap showcasing the air temperature through the capsule illumination – you see it change from cool blue all the way through to vivid red.
But is scalp health really that important?
Let’s face it – if you’ve got a healthy scalp, you’ll have a healthy head of hair. Protecting your hair from heat damage with the Supersonic Nural will keep it strong, shiny and preserve your colour.
What comes in the box: Dyson Supersonic Nural hair dryer, flyaway attachment, gentle air attachment, styling concentrator, wave+curl diffuser, wide-tooth comb, presentation case and instruction manual.
HOW WE TESTED THE DYSON SUPERONIC NURAL HAIR DRYER
At news.com.au checkout, it’s our mission to help you make informed shopping decisions. To ensure you buy the right product at the best price, we rigorously test products so you don’t have to. As well as sorting through mountains of consumer reviews, product manuals and conducting thorough product research, our team of expert writers puts each product we review through a series of hands-on tests to ensure we give you honest feedback about its performance and whether it’s worth your hard-earned money.
I used the Dyson Supersonic Nural Hair Dryer for about two weeks, in a range of different scenarios. I used it to dry my hair after washing it, to change up my hairstyle and to smooth it in between washes.
To learn more about the new hair dryer and why scalp health is so important, I also spoke to Jake Reynolds, Hair Care Engineer at Dyson, and Chelcey Salinger, certified trichologist.
HOW WE EVALUATED THE HAIR DRYER
- Function and features
- Scalp protect mode
- Attachment learning
- Pause detect mode
- Range of attachments
- Comparison of the Supersonic and the Supersonic Nural
- Price: How much does the Dyson Supersonic Nural cost?
- Verdict: Should you buy the Dyson Supersonic Nural?
- Other comparable hair dryers
FULL REVIEW OF THE DYSON SUPERSONIC NURAL
The Dyson Supersonic Nural is the first innovation of the original Supersonic hair dryer that came to market in 2016 – something that I’ve personally owned, used and absolutely loved for around six years.
Keep on reading for my detailed review of the Dyson Supersonic Nural, and how it compares to the original hair dryer.
FUNCTION AND FEATURES
The Supersonic Nural has all the bells and whistles you look for in your average hair dryer – and then some more.
You move the orange power switch button to turn the device on, and then on the actual head of the hair dryer, you can control the temperature and speed of air, each with three settings. There is also a button at the very top of the head to turn ‘scalp protect mode’ on and off – more on this later.
The hair dryer also has a handy cool shot button to keep your hair style set into place.
There’s also a pretty long power cord (sitting at 2.8m) making it super easy to use, wherever you’re set up.
As you can see in the image below, Dyson have also decided to include a clear end cap, a “window to our world” as they call it.
“Through this transparent display, consumers can witness firsthand the sophisticated mechanisms at work,” Jake Reynolds, Dyson Hair Care Engineer, told news.com.au checkout.
“Transparency is a core value at Dyson.”
I really love this idea because you get to see all the innovative technology up close and personal.
SCALP PROTECT MODE
Scalp health (and overall hair health) is really having its moment in the beauty industry right now. From scalp treatment shampoos to scalp hair masks to scalp massagers, everyone is taking about where their hair grows out of.
“Scalp care is so vital,” certified trichologist Chelcey Salinger told news.com.au checkout.
“The scalp is where our hair follicles are held, and it controls the health of our hair as it continues to grow.
“The most tangible difference a healthy scalp can make is the disappearance of dandruff and improved growth from reduced inflammation.”
Reducing the heat temperature on your scalp will help you maintain moisture levels and prevent over drying your locks.
According to Mr Reynolds “there is currently no other hair dryer on the market armed with the technology to cater to and protect scalp health”.
“Scalp Protect mode automatically adjusts the heat settings to ensure that the temperature at the scalp remains at a consistent 55°C/131°F.” he said.
“This is done through a ‘time of flight’ sensor, which projects an invisible infra-red beam to measure the distance between the machine and your hair.”
As you can see in the image above and below, the head of the unit features illuminated LED lights to indicate what the temperature will be.
When a high heat is being emitted, the lights will go red. The closer you go to your hair, it will eventually turn yellow, letting you know you’re drying your hair at an ideal temperature.
ATTACHMENT LEARNING
Attachment learning is a really exciting feature for Dyson as it uses their technology, i.e. a bunch of different magnets, to recognise which attachment is connected and adapt to your preferred style settings from the last time you used it.
I found this feature super handy when I was in a rush to get through my hair style, and is just another way to show off how smart Dyson tech really is.
PAUSE DETECT MODE
That’s not all – Dyson just can’t quit apparently. They’ve included a chip in the machine to recognise when it is being put down.
The LED lights will then turn blue, the heater will turn off and the airflow and noise will dramatically decrease.
Pause detect mode is great if you’re in the middle of styling your hair and need to quickly grab something, shoot a text or change the song.
RANGE OF ATTACHMENTS
I was so excited to see how many attachments the new Supersonic Nural came with and I really enjoyed playing around with them.
In the presentation case, you get the flyaway attachment, gentle air attachment, styling concentrator, wave+curl diffuser (a brand new attachment specifically for naturally curly hair types) and the wide-tooth comb. They’ve all been designed to cater to a bunch of different hair types.
My favourite by far is the flyaway attachment – clip it on, run it along your hair and watch your frizzy hair instantly disappear. It truly makes such a difference and I noticed straight away how much smoother it made my hair look.
COMPARISON OF THE SUPERSONIC AND THE SUPERSONIC NURAL
According to Dyson, the Supersonic Nural has 123 more unique parts than the original Supersonic – telling of just how much the technology has improved.
I found the hair dryer itself is just as powerful, fast and quick drying as the original but all these added features – scalp protect mode, attachment learning and pause detect mode – really blow it out of the water. Who knew a hair dryer could be so smart and fancy!
PRICE: HOW MUCH DOES THE DYSON SUPERSONIC NURAL COST?
The Dyson Supersonic Nural will cost you $749. In saying that, around the big sale events like Black Friday, we do see Dyson hair tools go on sale so you can wait for those.
But if you’re keen to get your hands on it now, the Supersonic Nural is sure to be a worthwhile investment, considering just how advanced this special hair dryer truly is.
VERDICT: SHOULD YOU BUY THE DYSON SUPERSONIC NURAL?
If you’re on a hair health journey and are keen to invest in a brand new hair dryer, the Dyson Supersonic Nural is the one.
After using it consistently for about two weeks, and comparing it to the original Supersonic, it’s clear that this new beauty tool is set to become a new favourite for Dyson lovers everywhere.
Not only does it style your hair with absolute ease, but it protects your hair at the same time. No heat damage? Sign us up!
The $749 price tag is high, but if you have the cash to spend, this would definitely not be a bad investment. The outer surface of our hair is made of cuticles and when exposed to extreme heat, these will open up and their natural shine destroyed. Investing in a healthy scalp will naturally lead to a healthy head of strong, soft and shiny hair.
OTHER COMPARABLE HAIR DRYERS
There’s a lot of great hair dryers on the market – in fact, we’ve rounded up all the best ones here – but none of them truly compare to the Dyson Supersonic Nural if you consider the amount of intuitive tech that goes into it.
If however, you’re just looking for a super powerful and easy to use hair dryer, I highly recommend either the original Dyson Supersonic or the ghd helios.
The Supersonic comes with loads of different attachments if that’s important to you, although it is on the pricier side, sitting at $649 (but you can often find on sale). It is very fast drying, powerful and gives a beautiful shine to your hair.
The ghd helios will set you back $350, and is my personal favourite for how powerful it is – it’s also the favourite of many hair stylists and professionals.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE DYSON SUPERSONIC AND THE SUPERSONIC NURAL?
Mr Reynolds said the Nural has “all the core technology and fast drying capabilities of the Dyson Supersonic hair dryer.”
But the real difference? The added feature of scalp protect mode of course.
“It also has intelligent features to help simplify your routine, including Attachment learning and Pause detect,” he said.
“While the Dyson Supersonic offers fast drying and styling, the Dyson Supersonic Nural goes one step further, offering fast, intelligent drying and styling.”
HOW DOES THE PRICE OF THE DYSON SUPERSONIC NURAL COMPARE TO OTHERS ON THE MARKET?
These days you can get an affordable hair dryer for under $100, or you can splurge a bit more and spend around the $150-$350 mark.
Priced at $749, the Supersonic Nural is one of, if not the, most expensive hair dryer on the market. But the technology certainly doesn’t compare to others on the market.
“We know customers are willing to pay more for machines which work effectively and are
engineered to last,” Mr Reynolds said.
“We invest countless hours and many millions every year developing and testing our machines and pioneering unique technology. Our machines cost a little more because of this.”
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