The Dyson Airwrap's secret sauce is jet engine tech

It makes your hair zip up into the barrel, just like the air does on a jet plane.
By
Jennimai Nguyen
, , and  on 
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Beauty calls. In Beauty, Hacked, we test drive the latest skincare, makeup, hair, and wellness tech while exploring the pageantry of beauty on the internet.



You might love it. You might hate it (or its massive price tag). But one thing is certain: You've almost definitely seen it taking over the beauty internet. 

The Dyson Airwrap may have debuted in 2018, but in the past year, it's found new life as one of TikTok's most viral beauty tech gadgets. On the app, #dysonairwrap has 2.2 billion views. And variations of this tag have all pulled in millions more, where videos show off the distinct device in the hands of everyone from hair pros to regular beauty fans. The unique and surprisingly lightweight device comes with eight attachments that promises to take your hair from sopping wet to dry and styled, all without damaging extreme heat. 

Via Giphy

That's what sets this pricey hair appliance apart from its competitors — the promise of preserved hair health while still creating the bouncy curl or sleek style of your dreams. It's all thanks to something called the Coanda effect, which refers to a concept applied in jet engines that leverages the curvature of air streams. 

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Sounds complicated already, right? Now, how did we go from jet engines to hair devices? And doesn't Dyson make vacuums?! This episode of Beauty, Hacked answers these questions and more. We talked to the engineering folks at Dyson to explain exactly what makes the Airwrap tick, and even got a sneak peek at the next generation Airwrap styler set to launch later this summer. 

Then, Mashable's tech reporter Jennimai Nguyen uses every single Airwrap attachment and does a side-by-side comparison against similar devices — including the Revlon One-Step, a classic hair dryer, and her trusty, crusty curling wand that's been chugging along since seventh grade. 

So is the Airwrap worth all the hype? And more importantly, is it worth that $599 price tag? Tune in here to find out, and make sure to stick around for more Beauty, Hacked.

Topics Beauty Dyson

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Jennimai Nguyen

Jennimai is a tech reporter at Mashable covering digital culture, social media, and how we interact with our everyday tech. She also hosts Mashable’s Snapchat Discover channel and TikTok, so she naturally spends way too much time scrolling the FYP and thinking about iPhones.


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