Dyson Airwrap Smoothing Brush: Full Review and What to Buy Instead
The Dyson Airwrap is genuinely impressive. It also costs $600. Here is exactly what you are paying for and what delivers 90% of the same result for a fraction of the price.
The Dyson Airwrap is a genuinely well-engineered piece of hair technology. It does things other tools cannot easily replicate. It also costs $600 or more depending on the configuration, requires a meaningful learning curve, and weighs significantly more than most hair tools. If you are considering the Dyson Airwrap smoothing brush attachment specifically, this review covers exactly what it delivers, where it falls short, and what you should consider buying if you want smooth, frizz-free hair without the premium price tag.
What the Dyson Airwrap Actually Does Well
The Dyson Airwrap's signature technology is the Coanda effect: a phenomenon where air moving at speed clings to a curved surface. Dyson built a barrel around this effect, which allows the tool to wrap hair around the barrel using air pressure alone rather than grip or clamp. The result is a curl or wave with no heat clamp, which theoretically reduces a specific type of heat damage from contact styling.
For creating curls and waves, the Airwrap is genuinely impressive. It produces results that look salon-quality without the skill level required to curl with a traditional iron. The smoothing brush attachment, called the Airwrap Firm Smoothing Brush, uses a combination of high-speed airflow and moderate heat to dry and smooth simultaneously, producing a blowout-like result.
Build quality is excellent. The tool feels premium in the hand, the attachments click on and off cleanly, and the temperature and speed controls are well-designed. For someone who wants one tool that does multiple things, the Airwrap delivers variety that a single-purpose tool cannot match.
The Dyson Airwrap is best for creating curls and waves on damp hair using the barrel attachments. The smoothing brush attachment is effective for a blowout finish. If smoothing is your only goal, the full Airwrap ecosystem is more than you need and more than you should pay for.
The Coanda Effect Explained
When fluid, including air, moves over a curved surface, it tends to follow that curve rather than travel in a straight line. Dyson applies this at the barrel, creating high-velocity airflow that clings to the curved surface of the barrel and draws hair toward it, wrapping it without mechanical grip. This is the core innovation of the Airwrap.
For the smoothing brush attachment specifically, the Coanda effect is less central to the function. The smoothing brush works more like a conventional blow-dry brush: airflow passes through the bristles while heat is applied. The Dyson branding and engineering are present in the motor quality and temperature consistency, but the smoothing mechanism is not dramatically different from a good conventional brush.
Cordless Ionic Smoothing Brush
Ionic smoothing, cordless, rechargeable. 90% of the Airwrap smoothing result for 10% of the price.
See the ProductWhere the Airwrap Disappoints
Weight. The Dyson Airwrap body weighs approximately 800 grams, and with the smoothing brush attachment, it is noticeably heavier than any standalone smoothing brush. For a 5 to 7 minute session, this is manageable. For styling thick or long hair that takes 15 to 20 minutes, the weight becomes fatiguing in a way that lighter tools do not.
Learning curve. The barrel attachments require practice to use correctly. The smoothing brush attachment is more intuitive, but beginners often struggle with the airflow direction and how to position the tool relative to the hair section. Results in the first few weeks are inconsistent until the technique is learned.
Price for what you actually use. Many Airwrap owners find they primarily use 2 of the 5 or 6 attachments that come with the set. If you bought the full Airwrap for the smoothing brush attachment specifically, you have paid $600 for a tool whose smoothing function can be replicated by an ionic cordless brush at approximately 10 percent of the cost.
At $600 for the full Airwrap set, the per-use cost at 5 uses per week over 2 years is approximately $1.15 per styling session. A quality cordless ionic brush at $49 over the same period costs approximately 9 cents per session. The result difference on a smooth-hair day: minimal.
What You Are Paying For (vs What You Actually Use)
The Airwrap premium is for the motor technology, the Coanda barrel attachments, the build quality, and the Dyson brand. All of these are real. The motor is genuinely better than most competitors. The Coanda curling is genuinely unique.
But if your primary use case is smoothing your hair, eliminating frizz, and getting through your morning routine in 5 minutes, you are not using the Coanda effect. You are using the smoothing brush attachment, which uses heat and airflow in a way that a dedicated ionic smoothing brush replicates at a fraction of the cost, with the added benefit of being cordless and far lighter.
"The Dyson Airwrap is worth $600 if you use it for everything it does. For smoothing alone, you are paying for a lot of functions that stay in the drawer."
Our Pick vs. the Airwrap for Smoothing
On a like-for-like smoothing comparison, both tools produce frizz-free, polished hair. The Airwrap finish is slightly more refined on thick, long hair where the higher airflow volume helps dry and smooth simultaneously. The ionic cordless brush finish is comparable on medium-length and fine hair, often with more natural movement because there is no directional airflow pressing the hair flat.
The practical differences favor the ionic cordless brush for daily use: it is lighter, heats up faster (60 seconds versus 2 minutes for the Airwrap), requires no skill to operate effectively, and can be used anywhere without an outlet. For travel especially, the cordless ionic brush is the clear winner. The Airwrap requires a corded outlet and a wide power supply.
Cordless Ionic Smoothing Brush
Ionic smoothing, 5-minute session, cordless and lightweight. For daily frizz-free hair without the Airwrap price tag.
See the ProductThe Honest Recommendation
Buy the Dyson Airwrap if: you want to curl and wave as well as smooth, you have the budget and will use multiple attachments regularly, and you are a hairstyling enthusiast who genuinely values the engineering.
Buy a quality ionic cordless smoothing brush if: your primary goal is frizz-free, smooth hair in the morning, you want a tool that works anywhere, and you prefer spending $49 over $600 for a result that covers 90 percent of your daily needs. For most people, that is the right answer.
Cordless Ionic Smoothing Brush
The Airwrap alternative for people who want smooth hair, not a full styling studio. Cordless, ionic, $49.
See the Product