It’s more affordable than tools from the likes of ghd and Dyson (The Independent)
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Ever since a certain air-powered hair tool landed on the market in 2018, fans of fancy at-home styling have been eagerly awaiting the launch of an affordable Dyson alternative and, as of this summer, our wishes have been granted: introducing, the Babyliss air wand (£120, Lookfantastic.com).
It’s competitors? The ghd duet (£379, Lookfantastic.com), the Shark flexstyle (£242.99, Lookfantastic.com) and, of course, the Dyson airwrap. At IndyBest, we’ve already reviewed this trifecta of stylers so, when I began putting the Babyliss air wand to the test, I knew what I was up against. With more than 60 years of history, Babyliss is the brand behind your first hair dryer, the crimpers that were responsible for all your 90s hairdos and let’s not forget the crazy wrap braider circa 2003.
Now, its new air wand promises to act as a blow-dryer, straightener and giver of volume-boosting bouncy locks, all for less than £150. As The Independent’s beauty writer, I have the lovely task of seeing whether the tool lives up to its lofty claims – here’s how I got on.
Step one: Testing the Babyliss air wand as a blow dryer (Lucy Smith)
With three different ways to use the air wand, I tested each different attachment (plus the built-in blow dryer) under different review criteria. For instance, starting with the drying tool, which comes as part of the wand itself without any add-ons, I proceeded to rough dry my wet hair while paying attention to the heat, speed settings and how quickly it got the job done. It’s also worth adding that I did take note of how loud and light the device was, too.
Once my hair was 90 per cent dry, I clipped on the straightening attachment. At this stage I was looking for glossy results, a brush that felt easy to comb through my hair and as short a straightening session as possible, again noting noise as well as the physical useability of the attachment.
After trying the wand both over and under my hair while straightening, I found that using an over, top-down approach left the best results (Lucy Smith)
Lastly, with the volumiser attachment, I initially went into the process hoping for a Matilda Djerf-esque bouncy blow-dry before realising that, unlike the Babyliss hot brush (£35, Lookfantastic.com), this volumiser attachment aims to add dimension and “a voluminous finish” but makes no promise of soft curls. With this in mind, I tried to mimic the brand’s own results photos for this tool, teasing my strands into flicky ends with a flattering, face-shaping finish.
I curled the brush under to create as much shape as possible (Lucy Smith) (Lucy Smith)
After completing this last step, I was aware that in an ideal world, I would have tested both the straightening and volumising attachments on 90 per cent dry hair and since my hair fully dried with the straightener, the latter results felt they had less staying power. For a more fair test, I then re-wet the front section of my hair with a water mister, styling again to test the final tool when used as directed.
The result of straightening
The Babyliss air wand’s straightener attachment helped to maximise my hair’s gloss with minimal flyaways (Lucy Smith)
The result of the curved, blowout brush
The blowout brush added a delicate feathering to the layers in my hair (Lucy Smith)
Babyliss air wand hair dryer, straightener and styler all-in-one
Weight: 335g, without attachments
Settings: Three speed, three heat
Attachments: Two – straightening and the curved brush volumiser
Maximum air speed: 123km/hr
Special features: Uses ‘dual-ionic’ technology to reduce potential heat damage
Why we love it
Lightweight, user-friendly design with easy clip-on/detach attachments
Straightening tool adds the same, if not more of a smoothing effect to hair than traditional tongs
Blow drying function is surprisingly powerful
Take note
The volumiser tool isn’t perhaps small/round enough to create drastic flicks
Avoid the highest speed setting while styling as it undoes your previous work
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Much more lightweight than a traditional hair dryer, I was surprised at the heat and power this little tool gives off. Even without its USP attachments, I’d happily pop this in my guest room as a smaller-size hair dryer.
As for said attachments, I wasn’t sure about the straightener tool at first. Using it underneath the hair (as pictured in the brand’s own demonstration) seemed to push up flyaways and broken hair strands. However, once I got the hang of using the tool in reverse – attachment face down on the hair from root to tip as pictured above – the results were smoothing. I loved the softness of my hair post-straighten and I don’t think it added any time to my usual blow-dry, straightening routine. For context, my usual tools are ghd’s helios hairdryer (£179, Lookfantastic.com) and platinum+ straighteners (£239, Lookfantastic.com).
With the curved brush attachment, I pulled the hair at the top of my head upwards from the root to create height, while curving it under my ends for a flicky, feathered finish. The tool is easy to manage, but I did find I had to go over the same sections a few times to set in the curved style. As mentioned, this tool won’t create lofty curls but it will add dimension and curve. I would be interested to test again with a mousse or holding cream to see if I could create a more drastic bounce.
It’s worth mentioning that the four-star rating I’ve given this product is perhaps led by the tool’s effective straightener and blow dryer functions. That’s not to say I wouldn’t recommend it; it achieved my usual straight style in the same time as my ghd tools for almost £300 less. It’s also considerably lighter and smaller for travelling. I would, however, give the curved brush attachment a lower three out of five rating as I found it hard to achieve the desired results with ease.
All in all, the price point of this tool is second to none. The design is aesthetic, the weight is remarkable and the way it leaves your hair feeling really is buttery soft. For me, the blow dryer and straightening attachment are the stars and help to streamline your morning routine without needing an extension plug and extra storage for all your stylers.
I like that there’s a brush on the straightening attachment so you needn’t tag team the process with your own hair brush, and clipping the attachments on and off is easy with the handy unlock button atop the styler. I personally wasn’t the biggest fan of the curved attachment, but I think I’d still use it to add movement through simple everyday styles. I also have quite heavy hair, so it’s hard to hold shape through my hair to begin with but, overall, I’d say that the attachment just doesn’t have enough of a bend in it to really pull in a big, curvy finish. Is it worth your money? If you lean towards straight styles most of the time, 100 per cent.
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