How to Use the Dyson Airwrap to Achieve Your Dream Blowout, According to a Celebrity Hair Stylist

The Dyson Airwrap has taken over hair styling in a huge way. Whether you want bouncy curls, a voluminous blow out or a sleek, frizz-free moment, it basically does it all. Trust me: I have an Airwrap, and it’s been life-changing (or, at least, hair-changing). But even so, knowing where to start can be tricky, what with all the different attachments and such. That’s why I checked in with celebrity hair stylist and Dyson Ambassador, Matthew Collins, who has styled celebs like Hailey Bieber, Gigi Hadid and Priyanka Chopra, for his tips on how best to use this magical tool!

But first, if you don’t have the tool, you’re probably asking, “Why is this thing so popular?” Well, due to the Coanda effect technology (more on that in a second), the Airwrap’s barrels curl the hair with hot air instead of hot plates, which significantly reduces the exposure to harsh heat. The bottom line is, this tool can help you achieve salon-grade styles, you just have to know how to use it.

The air from the tool is pushed at a certain speed and pressure to attract the hair in a vortex-like motion around the barrel and holds it to create the curl. (This is different than normal blow dry brushes, which just blow air outwards without a pattern.) With the Airwrap, Dyson set out to create an innovative tool that doesn’t rely on intense heat to style hair, leading to less irreversible damage.

I find this style to be the easiest to achieve when I’m using my Airwrap. You’ll need to play around with it a few times to get an idea how to hold the device and how to remove and replace the different attachments. Collins recommends using two attachments for this one: the directional brush and the round brush. “Start with the directional brush attachment and just brush your hair—it’s really that simple. Brush in all directions to create maximum volume.” He then says to use the round brush to bend the ends to give a polished and blown out salon look.

But of course! This style has been the hardest for me to figure out. If you add too much hair at a time, it won’t attach to the barrels and your curl will be lifeless and fall out easily. Thanks to Collins’s advice, though, my curls have been able to hold shape all day and even the day after. “Use the smallest barrel and hold with heat for ten seconds, and with cool shot for another ten seconds. Finish that second hold, then brush out and put a small drop of oil in your hands as you brush it through with your fingers.” Trust me, it works. I finished mine off with a medium hold hairspray and it really helped my curls keep their form.

In addition to a good oil and using the snazzy cool shot setting to set the curls, Collins has another game-changing tip for getting the most out of your Airwrap. “The key is to keep ten percent of moisture in your hair before curling with the Airwrap. If you’re starting with totally dry hair, add a little spray of water or a moist texture or volume spray on the sections where you want to focus the volume or hold. If you want your ends to be less curly, only add moisture to the midshaft and root area and not on the ends,” he advises.

This style is a hot one this year and we aren’t mad about it. It’s a great daily option and the second day waves are always on point. Collins recommends using the smallest barrels for this style and says to use it like a wand curling iron. “Grab a section of hair and start manually wrapping from the root area, wrap once around then let sit for a couple seconds then wrap again and wait, continue to do this till you have wrapped the entire section of hair, but put cool shot on as you wrap the ends and let cool. This will give you a beach wave will straighter ends,” he notes. Use your favorite products to add the volume, shine and hold that work for you to achieve a long-lasting hair do.

Collins says to prep your hair for the Airwrap for curling, take the paddle attachment to smooth your hair as much as possible. He says this will stretch the hair, so it curls more easily and smoothly. “Once done, use the curling attachments as noted above, but for coiled hair be sure to leave the Airwrap in place for 15 seconds with heat and ten seconds on cool shot for extra smoothness.”

Collins says to prep your hair for the Airwrap for curling, take the paddle attachment to smooth your hair as much as possible. He says this will stretch the hair, so it curls more easily and smoothly. “Once done, use the curling attachments as noted above, but for coiled hair be sure to leave the Airwrap in place for 15 seconds with heat and ten seconds on cool shot for extra smoothness.”

Tame the texture of your frizz with a good bit of hair oil before you get started with the Airwrap. “Use the round brush attachment to smooth the shaft down before you use the curling attachments. After you’re done drying, add more smoothing cream as you brush out and finish with an anti-frizz hairspray.” If you really struggle with frizz, Collins says the Dyson Corrale straightener is another great addition to your hair tool repertoire. (To use it, recommends starting with the flat brush attachment on the Airwrap to smooth any frizz will adding volume and then finishing with the Corrale for a straight and defined finish.)