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The upgrade has some completely new attachments — but is it worth $600?

When the original Dyson Airwrap launched in 2018, it was truly shocking. The makers of the $400 Supersonic hair dryer upped the ante, charging nearly $600 for a hair tool that claimed to dry and curl or straighten at once. What was even more shocking for me was that, as a rather frugal consumer, I decided that the Airwrap was worth the coin.

I have thick, curly, frizz-prone hair (a blessing, as many with fine or straight hair tell me!). The thing is: I like to wear it straight, and in a pre-Airwrap world, that meant spending lots of time and money at the salon multiple times a month. Each session would end with the stylist, forearms undoubtedly on fire, telling me, "you've got a lot of hair." Hair that I could never blow out on my own — until the Aiwrap.

I've used my Airwrap religiously since it launched and not only has it virtually eliminated my need for salon blowouts, but I like knowing that my hair isn't getting absolutely fried as it may with traditional heat styling — one analysis by our Good Housekeeping Institute Beauty Lab product testing pros showed that the original Airwrap with the round brush attachment reached around 158ºF at its highest temperature and airflow, which is far cooler and therefore less damaging than a flat iron or curling iron that can reach temperatures of over 350ºF .

Then, on June 2, Dyson launched an upgraded, reengineered version of the Airwrap, releasing attachments that both improved ease of use and answered common consumer gripes. I teamed with Beauty Lab Executive Director Birnur Aral, Ph.D., to test out the new Dyson Airwrap both at home and in the GH Beauty Lab — and what we found might surprise you.

When it comes to the new engineering on the upgraded Airwrap, some changes you can see, some you can't. Here's what's new:

It depends on if you're opting for the version designed for short hair, long hair or curly hair. On the sets for short or long hair, the attachments offered are pretty much the same, but the long version (the one I have!) is designed for hair that's longer than chest-length and has curling barrels that are — you guessed it — longer. Here's what comes with the $600 purchase:

Then there's the Dyson Airwrap Multi-Styler Complete Curly/Coily, designed specifically for styling curly or coily hair. (I opted out of this one since, although my hair is curly, I don't heat style it when I let it go natural). That one comes with:

Yes — all attachments from the original and the new versions are compatible, interchangeable and can be mixed and matched to use on either base. So if you already have and love the original Airwrap, you don't need to trade in your old model for the new one — just buy the upgraded attachments you like the best (currently only available directly from Dyson's website), or even the full set of upgraded Airwrap attachments for $199.99.

In preliminary Beauty Lab tests, Aral carried out temperature measurements using three different attachments with each the old and new devices. The results showed some slight performance differences. Here's what she found:

The new Complete currently retails for $599.99. How does this compare to the original? The first Airwrap hit the market in 2018 for $549.99, though today the original retails for $579.99.

If you already have an Airwrap, you don't need to run out and buy the 2.0 — it makes the most sense to just get the attachments you really want instead. But. if you're buying an Airwrap for the first time, we recommend buying the new version. Keep in mind: "Dyson will sell the old design until stock runs out so this question of old versus new might be a temporary one," says Aral.

Here are my thoughts on the new attachments:

It entirely depends on your hair type and hair goals, your lifestyle and, of course, your budget — $600 is an exorbitant amount of money to spend on a hair tool, that's pretty unarguable. But, for someone like me who likes to regularly get smooth, sleek blowouts on naturally curly, thick hair, it really did change the game. What once cost me a salon visit I can now do on my own whenever I choose. I also love that the heat is so much gentler which means less damage to my hair over time.

That said, the tool isn't without flaws. Aside from the sky-high price point, there's a substantial learning curve when it comes to adapting to the innovative technology at first — it took me a matter of months, not days, to really figure it out. And not every attachment is a fit for everyone: I really only ever use the smoothing attachment, the curling barrels, the round brush and the firm smoothing brush. You'll also have to consider your hair type and what you're trying to achieve: While my hair happens to hold a curl well, the Airwrap might not be right for you if your hair struggles to hold a style as the gentle heat may not be strong enough to set a style (although that can be improved by using styling products like a mousse or using the curling attachments on damp hair). Lastly, if you don't plan on styling your hair with the device regularly, it may not wind up being worth the cost.

Even with its imperfections, the Airwrap has a cult following for a reason. And in the GH Beauty Lab, we can't get enough.

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