Dyson Supersonic™ Hair Dryer Straight + Wavy Review: fast drying without frying your hair

I’ve always thought expensive hair dryers were mostly hype, so I went into this Dyson Supersonic Straight + Wavy (Prussian Blue/Rich Copper) kind of ready to roll my eyes. I’ve been using mid-range dryers in the £40–£70 range for years, and they all more or less did the same thing: loud, hot, a bit heavy, and they left my hair slightly frizzy unless I spent ages with a brush. So when I unpacked a dryer that costs several times more than my usual, my first thought was basically, “This thing better be magic.”

For context, I’ve got medium-length straight hair that tends to puff up at the ends if I blast it with heat for too long. I wash my hair 3–4 times a week, so a dryer isn’t some special-occasion gadget for me, it’s part of the routine. I used the Supersonic for a bit over two weeks, every wash, and I forced myself to put my old dryer away so I wouldn’t keep switching back without noticing.

In those two weeks, I tried it on different settings: max heat and speed when I was in a rush, lower heat when I had time, and I rotated through the included attachments (concentrator, gentle air, and the flyaway tool). I mainly focused on two things: drying time and what my hair actually looked and felt like once it cooled down. If a dryer is slower or fries my hair, I don’t care how fancy it looks.

Bottom line before getting into details: it does dry faster and feels less harsh on the hair, but it’s not some miracle wand. It’s good, clearly better than my usual cheap dryer in a few areas, but there are also a couple of annoying details and the price is going to be a sticking point for a lot of people. I’ll break down what actually worked for me and what felt a bit overhyped.

Let’s be honest: this thing is expensive for a hair dryer. You can easily find decent dryers for a fraction of the price that will still dry your hair. So the real question is not “does it work?” but “is the extra comfort and performance worth the extra cash for you personally?” After using it for a couple of weeks, my answer is: it depends on how often you blow-dry and how much you care about speed, noise, and hair condition.

If you dry your hair almost every day, have medium to long hair, and you’re trying to avoid damage, the Dyson does bring real benefits: faster drying, less frizz, and a more controlled, less aggressive heat. Over time, that can mean less breakage and fewer fried ends, which might save you some money on treatments and trims. You’re also paying for a quieter, more comfortable experience, which you do feel each time you use it. In that context, the price starts to feel more like a long-term investment than a random splurge.

On the other hand, if you only blow-dry once or twice a week, have short hair, or just don’t care much about small improvements in texture and noise, this is probably overkill. A solid mid-range dryer will get the job done for you without burning such a big hole in your wallet. The Dyson is clearly better, but not so much better that it makes sense for everyone. It’s more of a “nice upgrade” than a basic necessity.

So in terms of value, I’d say it’s good for heavy users who are picky about hair health and comfort, and just average for casual users who only need something that blows hot air. You’re paying a premium for the design, the tech, and the brand, and while you do get real benefits, you’re not getting a miracle device. It’s a strong product with a price tag that will only feel justified if you use it a lot and actually care about the differences.

The first thing you notice is the look. Even if you don’t care about aesthetics, this doesn’t look like a normal hair dryer. The motor is in the handle, the head is a hollow ring with the Air Multiplier tech, and the colour (Prussian Blue/Rich Copper) is actually pretty nice in real life. It looks more like a gadget than a bathroom appliance. If you leave it out on the counter, it doesn’t scream “cheap plastic dryer,” it just blends in as a decent-looking object.

From a practical point of view, the design does help with balance. Since the motor is in the handle, the weight is more centered in your hand rather than pulling forward. When I compared it to my old dryer, I noticed I didn’t have that wrist strain after doing a full dry and quick rough style. The 0.68 kg weight isn’t ultra-light, but because of how it’s distributed, it feels lighter in use than the number suggests.

The controls are on the back of the head and on the handle: you’ve got a main power/speed switch, heat controls, and a cool shot button. I agree with one of the Amazon reviewers: the cool shot button placement is a bit awkward. It’s near the main switch, and you have to feel around for it. After a week I got used to it, but at the start I kept switching speeds instead of hitting cool. It’s not a deal breaker, just mildly annoying for something that’s supposed to be very user-friendly.

One design point I did appreciate is the noise level. It’s not silent, but it’s noticeably quieter and less shrill than a standard dryer. The tone of the noise is less annoying, so I didn’t feel like I was blasting my eardrums every morning. If you’re drying your hair while someone else is sleeping in the next room, they’ll still hear it, but it’s less like a jet engine and more like a strong fan. Overall, the design isn’t just for show; most of it actually helps in daily use, with a couple of small ergonomic quirks.

Using this day to day, the main thing I noticed is how little effort it takes to get my hair from wet to dry. Because it dries faster, you’re not holding your arm up as long, and that alone makes it feel more comfortable. For my medium-length straight hair, I went from about 10–12 minutes with my old dryer to around 6–8 minutes with the Dyson on medium to high speed. That doesn’t sound huge on paper, but when you’re half awake in the morning, cutting a few minutes off is actually nice.

The handle is slim and easy to grip, and the surface has enough texture that it doesn’t feel like it’s going to slip out of your hand when your fingers are slightly damp. The weight distribution helps a lot: I didn’t get that tired forearm feeling even when I used the concentrator and tried to be a bit more precise with styling. If you have shoulder issues or you’re just not a fan of holding heavy things up for long, this is a noticeable improvement over bulky dryers.

Heat-wise, comfort is good. The air feels strong but not like it’s burning your scalp. Even at the higher heat setting (it goes up to around 100°C), it never gave me that “my head is roasting” sensation I get with cheaper dryers that just blast heat. I used the Gentle Air attachment a few times when I wasn’t in a hurry, and it spreads the air more softly, which is nicer on the scalp but obviously takes a bit longer to dry. It’s a good option if your scalp is sensitive or if you’re drying someone else’s hair.

On the downside, the button layout does take some getting used to, especially if you’re coming from a classic handle-with-all-buttons-on-the-side design. The cool shot is not super intuitive to find with your thumb at first, and the placement near the main switch means you can hit the wrong thing. Also, the cord is fine but not as flexible as it could be; when you twist around a lot, it can feel a bit stiff. So comfort is generally strong, but there are small details that could be smoother for the price range.

In terms of build, the Supersonic feels solid in the hand. The body is mainly aluminium with some plastic parts, and nothing creaks or flexes when you grip it hard. The finish on the Prussian Blue/Rich Copper model looks like it will resist small scratches fairly well, though I didn’t throw it around to test that. After more than two weeks of daily use, it still looked brand new: no marks, no discoloration from heat, and the attachments still clicked on with the same firmness as day one.

The air filter at the bottom of the handle is something you’ll need to keep an eye on. With my old dryers, I often forgot to clean the back filter until I noticed the airflow dropping. Here, the intake is down near the cord, and you can see when dust starts to build up. Cleaning it is straightforward, but you do have to remember to do it if you want to keep performance stable. Given the price, I’d say regular maintenance is worth the extra minute every couple of weeks.

The cord feels thick and robust, which is good for durability but makes it slightly less flexible than a thinner cable. I wrapped it loosely for storage and didn’t see any kinks or twisting after repeated use. The strain relief at the handle end seems well-built, so I don’t expect it to fray quickly like some cheaper dryers I’ve owned, where the cable is the first thing to fail.

Long-term durability is hard to judge after only a short test, but Dyson’s reputation and the general feel of the product suggest it’s built to last more than a couple of years. Still, the 2-year limited warranty is just okay for this price bracket; I would have liked to see 3–5 years to really inspire confidence. So yes, it feels premium and sturdy, but you’re still taking a bit of a bet that it will live up to its price over the long haul.

On the performance side, the 1600 W rating might look lower than some 2000+ W dryers, but in use it doesn’t feel weak at all. The airflow is focused and strong, and the Air Multiplier tech does seem to push a lot of air through that small head. On the highest speed, it’s more than enough for a quick rough dry. On medium speed, you still get decent power but with a bit more control, which is where I stayed most of the time. The low speed is really only useful if you’re doing very precise styling or working near the roots and don’t want hair to fly everywhere.

The four heat settings give you enough control without being confusing. I mostly used the second and third settings; the lowest one felt almost like room temperature, more like a cool breeze than a drying setting. The maximum heat is hot, but not scorchingly hot like some cheap dryers. Combined with the temperature control that supposedly measures air temperature multiple times per second, you don’t get those random super-hot bursts that can fry a section of hair by accident.

Noise-wise, it’s clearly quieter than a standard hair dryer. It’s still a hair dryer, so don’t expect silence, but the sound is more of a soft whine than a harsh roar. I could still hear a podcast at medium volume while drying my hair, which I can’t really do with my old dryer unless I blast the volume. That might sound trivial, but if you’re drying your hair several times a week, that kind of comfort matters.

As for reliability over the test period, I didn’t have any overheating issues or random shutoffs. The airflow stayed consistent, and the attachments never loosened or fell off. There’s a 2-year limited warranty, which is decent but not mind-blowing given the price. In short, from a pure performance angle – power, control, and noise – it’s strong. It does what it says: fast drying, controlled heat, and less annoying noise than usual.

Out of the box, you get the hair dryer body, three magnetic attachments (Concentrator, Flyaway Tool, Gentle Air attachment), and the usual paperwork. No travel pouch, no stand, nothing fancy beyond that. For the price, I kind of expected some kind of basic case or at least a simple fabric bag, especially since the dryer looks like something you’d want to protect, but no, it’s just cardboard and plastic packaging that you’re going to throw away.

The dryer itself is pretty compact: about 28.8 x 9.8 x 7.7 cm and roughly 675 g. On paper that doesn’t say much, but in hand it’s noticeably lighter than the chunky drugstore dryers I’ve used. The cable is a standard corded electric setup, not insanely long but long enough to reach from the socket to the mirror without doing yoga in the bathroom. It runs at 1600 W, 240 V, with 3 speed settings and 4 heat settings, plus the cool shot button.

The magnetic attachments click on and off very easily. That’s actually one of the first things I liked: I didn’t have to wrestle with a plastic nozzle that gets stuck when it’s hot. You can rotate the nozzle with one hand while drying, which sounds minor but in daily use it’s actually handy. The Flyaway Tool is the most “Dyson-looking” piece: it’s shaped differently from the usual nozzles and is supposed to smooth the top layer of hair. It takes a bit of practice to angle it right, but it does do something visible on frizz and little baby hairs.

So overall, in terms of what you get: it’s fairly minimal but focused. You’re not drowning in random plastic bits you’ll never use. On the flip side, if you’re expecting a full styling kit with brush, diffuser, or a storage solution in the box, you’ll be disappointed. It’s very much a “here’s the core dryer and three attachments, that’s it” kind of package.

This is where the Dyson actually earned its keep for me. In simple terms: it dries hair fast without cooking it. My usual routine is towel-dry for a minute, then blow-dry. With my old dryer on high heat and high speed, I’d need around 10–12 minutes to get my hair fully dry and somewhat smooth. With the Supersonic on medium heat and high speed, I was consistently done in about 7–8 minutes. If I cranked it to max heat, I could shave that down to roughly 6 minutes, but I didn’t feel the need most of the time.

The brand claims it protects hair’s natural shine and avoids heat damage. I can’t scientifically prove that in two weeks, but I can say this: my hair didn’t feel dried out or crunchy at the ends, even when I used it several washes in a row on higher heat. Normally, with my old dryer, I’d start to see more frizz and slightly rougher ends after a few consecutive days of high heat. With the Dyson, the texture stayed smoother, especially when I used the concentrator and finished with the cool shot.

The Flyaway Tool is a bit of a learning curve. The first time I used it, I held it wrong and got weird bends in my hair. Once I followed Dyson’s instructions and angled it properly, it did help flatten the top layer and tame small flyaways. It’s not magic, but if you take an extra 2–3 minutes at the end, you can get a cleaner, more polished look without needing a straightener. For straight and wavy hair types, it’s more useful than I expected, especially if you don’t want to add more heat tools into your routine.

Overall, in terms of effectiveness, it’s solid: noticeably faster drying, less frizz, and hair that feels less beaten up after repeated use. It’s not going to fix already damaged hair, and you still need basic products (heat protectant, maybe a smoothing serum) if your hair is tricky, but as a dryer alone, it clearly does a better job than the basic models I’ve used before. The main question is whether that improvement justifies the price, which I’ll get to in the value section.