Dyson Supersonic review: What you need to know before buying
On sale for $499, this iconic hair tool is a steal right now. Three separate reviews say there’s one feature that makes it well “worth the spend”.
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Different hair tools may come and go out of fashion as hair styles do, but there’s one device that always rises to the top: The hair dryer.
A good blow dry never goes out of vogue and if you only want to invest in one tool, you better make it a hair dryer.
Not only does it do the all important task of drying your hair but learn how to wield it and you’ve got a variety of styles at your fingertips — sleek and straight, curls or big and bouncy.
The Dyson Supersonic is now on sale for $499, down from $649.
Topping the list of the world’s best hair dryers is indisputably the Dyson Supersonic, which was the innovative British company’s first ever foray into beauty back in 2016.
With a price tag of $649, it’s more expensive than your typical hair dryer — so what sets the Supersonic apart from its competitors?
According to Dyson’s Hair Care Engineering Manager Steven Ong, it’s their “obsessive” quest to find out how to dry and style hair without causing heat damage.
RELATED: Is the Dyson Airwrap really worth the hype?
“It’s this keen understanding of hair, knowing how to manage it, and our relentless approach to engineering and testing that has led us to introduce haircare technologies that are backed by scientific research and relentless testing to deliver better ways to style hair across all hair types, while prioritising hair health,” he told news.com.au.
“The Dyson Supersonic hair dryer is fast drying, powered by the small, yet powerful Dyson digital motor V9, which spins at up to 110,000rpm – up to six times faster than other hair dryer motors.”
To help you decide whether the Supersonic is right for you, we’ve had three members of the news.com.au checkout team trial the hair dryer. In all the reviews, what our team is most excited about is the Supersonic’s ability to dry your hair quickly – cutting that time by as much as half in some cases.
Read on for our breakdown of the Supersonic’s top features plus an expert guide on how to create a big and bouncy blowout.
PHILIPPA TONKIN, EDITORIAL COORDINATOR
Hair type: Thick and curly
OK, I’ll admit it. I’ve always thought that Dyson products sounded too good to be true. I’ve seen countless TikToks and how-tos of people showing off the latest device on their shiny hair and thought to myself “but surely it’s not that easy for everyone?”
I have quite thick, curly hair so the majority of the time I simply air-dry and leave my curls natural. I honestly can’t remember the last time I blow-dried my hair myself. With this in mind, I was curious to see just how well the Supersonic would go on someone with very limited blow-drying skills.
I’ve now been lucky enough to try the Dyson Supersonic and I must say I am well and truly impressed. It dried my hair so quickly. Hairdressers often tell me that my hair holds moisture really well and so it takes a long time even for them to blow dry. But I was seriously stunned at how quickly the Supersonic worked.
I started off by using the Gentle Air Attachment for a quick dry-off all over my head. I then sectioned my hair off before going in with the Styling Concentrator Attachment. In terms of ease of use, I don’t know if it is necessarily that much easier to use than a normal blow dryer but it is definitely a lot faster. It also didn’t seem as hot as a normal blow drier which I definitely appreciated when trialling the device in summer.
I started off by using a round brush, thinking I would be able to work some soft waves in like I’ve seen my hairdresser do. I quickly realised that might come after a few more practice sessions and so decided to just see how I go drying it before I try my hand at styling. Once I finished all of my hair, it was still a bit too pouffy so I decided to go in with the wide-tooth comb attachment that is designed for curly and coily hair.
This worked well to help bring down the frizz. Finally, I went over with the Flyaway Attachment. I did still have a few flyaways at the end but I think I should have tried it for longer. It did get rid of most of them though.
Considering this was my first attempt, I would 100 per cent say the Dyson Supersonic is worth the spend. Although my hair wasn’t perfect and not quite up to salon standards I would definitely wear my hair like this to work, lunch or a casual dinner.
We all know practice makes perfect and so I am excited to see what I can do after a few more trials. Coming from a thick, curly-haired girl who almost never styles her hair, this is a buy you won’t regret.
MARINA TATAS, SHOPPING WRITER
Hair type: Thick and frizzy
As someone who despises drying and styling my thick, frizzy hair, the Dyson Supersonic is one of my hair saviours.
First I wash my hair with the Moroccanoil Hydrating Shampoo and Conditioner and then wrap it up in my Coco & Eve Microfibre Hair Towel Wrap. After about 20 minutes, I carefully brush through my locks and apply two pumps of the Olaplex No. 9 Bond Protector Nourishing Hair Serum. Then, I get to work.
I really struggle to give myself a blowout so I do my own version – flipping my hair around and using my fingers to direct my strands into the stream of the air.
Fortunately, the Dyson Supersonic can dry my whole head of hair – and I’ve got a lot of hair, thank you Greek genes – in under 10 minutes. Other blow dryers I’ve used have taken me a good 20 minutes, so that’s when you know it’s good.
The Dyson Supersonic is quick, efficient and saves me time. My hair looks soft and smooth, plus I feel good knowing that I’m not using extreme heat on my hair.
EDWINA CARR BARRACLOUGH, SENIOR MANAGER ECOMMERCE CONTENT AND STRATEGY
Hair type: Frizzy and dry
I’ve been using the Dyson Supersonic hair dryer since it was first released in 2016. So despite being someone who’s decidedly not a Hair Person (I’m fairly resigned to my frizzy, dry mop), considering I’ve had a good seven years to test it out, I think my findings count for something.
One of the first things I noticed about the Supersonic is how damn fast it dries your hair – no more sore wrists! I’m generally done and ready to go about my day in five-ish minutes. As someone who has likely bleached my hair more than my toilet, I adore the fact the Supersonic measures the air temperature over 40 times a second, regulating the heat to ensure it doesn’t damage my hair.
I’m hopeless at actually styling my hair with a hair dryer but I find the Styling Concentrator Attachment delivers a smooth look that makes me appear to have made some effort. The 28°C cool shot is also effective at minimising the boofy post-blow dry look I can often get.
The only downside I see to the Supersonic is its price. $599 is so much money to drop on a hair dryer. Having never had a problem with it in seven years of use, I guess my cost per use ratio is on the lower side now, so if you’re a regular blow drier and have the cash, you won’t regret it.
While I don’t think there’s anything else on the market that can rival the Dyson Supersonic right now, having also tried the Parlux hair dryer, I can definitely recommend that as a more affordable, but still deluxe, alternative.
HOW DOES THE SUPERSONIC FLYAWAY ATTACHMENT WORK?
Released in 2021, Dyson’s Supersonic Flyaway Hair Attachment is the result of over 10,000 hours of professional stylist trials involving more than 420 hairdressers across 80 salons around the world, Mr Ong said.
“We noticed that stylists use a round brush and blow dryer to smooth stray hairs, whereas self-stylers seeking that same salon standard sleek finish turned to high heat solutions after styling, such as straighteners with fixed plates,” he said.
“This final pass exposes the hair to unnecessary additional heat, increasing the risk of preventable damage.”
To stop at-home stylers from damaging their hair by getting rid of flyaways using high heat tools (which causes breakage that ironically leads to more flyaways), Dyson developed the Flyaway Attachment which works by “lifting longer hairs and hiding those pesky flyaways”.
“It harnesses the Coanda effect to hide flyaways in a single pass for a smooth shiny finish – without the need for extreme heat,” Mr Ong said.
“This creates a salon standard finish by automatically attracting and lifting longer hairs to the front, as a second jet pushes flyaways through the hair tress and out of sight.”
Dyson Supersonic Flyaway Hair Attachment (Iron), Dyson, $49
HOW TO CREATE A BOUNCY BLOWOUT WITH THE SUPERSONIC
First, start with “clean, wet hair as this helps maintain your blowout”, instructs Global Dyson Styling Ambassador Peter Thomsen.
After adding a volumising mist to the root of your hairs, start pre-drying your hair on medium speed and low heat using the Gentle Air Attachment.
Next section your hair out evenly, with Thomsen advising: “Try not to style too much hair at once or you won’t get the light, bouncy look that we’re going for.”
Switch to the Styling Concentrator Attachment at the medium speed and heat settings.
“Using your large Dyson Vented Barrel brush start brushing your hair underneath and rotating away from your scalp while simultaneously using the Dyson Supersonic hair dryer to blow on the section of hair,” Mr Thomsen said.
“Remember to lift and dry your roots.”
Make sure to follow the brush all the way down your hair with the Styling Concentrator Attachment, repeating these steps on your other sections of hair.”
To finish, attach the Flyaway Attachment and set to high speed, low heat, however, if your hair is thick you may want to chose a higher heat setting.
“Hold until hair attracts to the attachment then slowly run down your hair to hide flyaways,” Mr Thomsen said.
“Part your hair and bring to the front, rotate the Flyaway Attachment 45 degrees and style the back.”
To finish, run a finishing cream through your hair with your fingers and add a spritz of dry textured spray.
Find out whether the Dyson Airwrap is really worth the $899 price tag here, plus read our review on the ghd Duet Style here.
If you’d like a cheeky discount on your next shop check out news.com.au Coupons with discount codes for big brands like Adore Beauty and Sephora.
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