Dyson vs. the beauty market: is it really worth every penny? Yes, but it's not the only solution
There are beauty objects we don’t actually need, but somehow still manage to convince ourselves we want. Dyson is probably the most obvious example. A $400 hair dryer? A straightener that costs over $500? A few years ago, that would have seemed absurd. Today, though, all it takes is watching enough videos on social media to start thinking that maybe that price actually makes perfect sense. After all, if it can dry, straighten, curl and supposedly do all of that while causing less damage to the hair, why shouldn’t it? And that’s exactly the problem: how much of what we’re buying is actually technology, and how much is desirability? Dyson has turned hair tools into cult objects, and the beauty market followed along. But between the Airwrap, Supersonic and the new Airstrait, are they really worth spending that much on, or are we paying a significant part of the price simply because it’s Dyson?
Dyson vs. the beauty market: is every penny really worth it?
The Supersonic hair dryer
A few years ago, a hair dryer was simply that: a hair dryer. You bought one, used it and never thought about it again. Dyson, on the other hand, managed to turn it into an object that, somehow, made us start wondering what we were actually using to dry our hair. Among the different models is the Supersonic, the original one, powerful and fast at drying. Then there’s the Supersonic Nural, which adds sensors capable of automatically adjusting the temperature and certain settings, including a scalp-protection mode. And finally there’s the Supersonic r, smaller and, most importantly, much lighter (great news for our arms), designed for more precise drying and more defined styling. So, yes, the differences are there. But the question is: do we actually need it? Or can we find cheaper alternatives that, more or less, do the same dirty work of simply drying our hair?
The Airstrait straightener
@minniefrr @Dyson UK air straight on wavy frizzy hair I was worried it wouldn’t be smooth enough but hellloooo. @Kérastase hair elixir @Color Wow UK dream coat #dysonairstait #dysonairstraitwavyhair #dysontutorial #haircare #hairtutorial original sound - m.i.n.d.i07
The Airstrait starts with a genius idea: why dry your hair and then straighten it when you can do both at the same time? This tool works on wet hair and, thanks to a high-pressure airflow, dries and straightens it simultaneously, without using traditional hot plates. If you usually blow-dry your hair and then straighten it, saving time can genuinely be an advantage, and, above all, you avoid putting a hot straightener through your hair yet again.
The Airwrap multi-styler
@dyson_anz Think the #DysonAirwrap is just for curling? Think again. Watch as @Jode shows you the 6-in-1 versatility of the new Airwrap Co-anda2x attachments. #DysonBeauty #AirwrapTutorial #HairTok original sound - Dyson ANZ
The Airwrap is the product that has become the ultimate object of desire. We’ve seen it so many times on social media that by now, it almost feels strange not to own one. The promise is the one we all know: dry, straighten, curl — basically, create practically any style we want, with a single tool, without exposing the hair to high temperatures. And, we have to admit, it works. But that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s worth owning. The Airwrap makes sense if you’re the kind of person who changes their style often and actually uses all the attachments. If you’re buying it just to create a few curls on the weekend, though, you risk ending up with an extremely expensive tool that spends more time in a drawer than in your hands. The technology is real, but part of the price we pay is also for the fact that it has become that Dyson.
The verdict
The final verdict is pretty simple: Dyson works, but it’s not the only brand that knows how to do its job well. There’s no denying that Dyson really has brought something new to the world of hair tools. The technologies are innovative, the products work and, in some cases, they can genuinely make our routines easier. But that doesn’t mean Dyson is the only way to go. If what you’re looking for is a powerful hair dryer, a straightener that’s gentler on your hair or a tool to speed up your styling routine, there are equally valid alternatives at significantly lower prices. The point, then, isn’t to question the quality of Dyson, but to ask whether that price difference really translates into better performance, or whether, at least in part, we’re also paying for the idea of owning that product and for the fact that it has become a status symbol as much as a tool for hair.