I hate blow-drying my hair. I’ve lamented about it’s thinness in a previous blog post, but that should work in my favor when it comes to blow-drying. Mostly, I dislike standing in the bathroom for 30 minutes with my arm hurting, craning my neck, and then feeling like it didn’t make much of a difference. My hair is wavy, but it’s rarely fully wavy or fully straight whether I blow-dry it or not. That’s why I haven’t gotten a new hairdryer for many years. In fact, I have the same hairdryer I had in college. That wouldn’t be as big a deal if you didn’t know me. But those who do, know that I’ve upgraded nearly every beauty product in my life since then. Cue my serendipitous discovery of the Dyson Supersonic Hairdryer.

Let me tell you the whole story. A few months ago while I was Konmaring my apartment, I took a good look at my blow-dryer. No, it does not spark joy! The blow-dryer itself works fine, but it’s old and made of such a cheap plastic it has that tacky, glue feeling all over the surface (they didn’t exactly use plastic designed for heat). Ready to donate it, I spent a few days looking at hairdryers, but quickly realized I didn’t know what to look for.

Because I avoid it so much, I’ll be the first to admit I am not a great blow-dryer. There were girls I knew in high school who had perfectly blow-dried hair everyday. I was not that girl. I had frizzy, baby curls that haloed my face as I sweated through field hockey practices and rowing events. I saved the blow-dryer strictly for special occasions. I haven’t changed a whole lot since then. So when I started looking for a blow-dryer, I wasn’t really sure where to start. They all seemed pretty similar, designed in the same way. Some had better colors, shorter nozzles, more power, but other than the price I didn’t believe there was much variety. I worried it wouldn’t make much of a difference to how I felt about blow-drying my hair.

Lucky for me, about a week after I started my search, Dyson announced their Supersonic Hairdryer quietly on a few technology websites. I IMMEDIATELY pre-ordered it the same hour, celebrating the fact that at least someone had reimagined the blow-dryer. It helped that I already liked Dyson products.

J has had a Dyson vacuum since before we started dating. A bright yellow, clunky thing with a giant ball that I must admit, had me pretty skeptical. I never knew anyone who owned a Dyson vacuum cleaner, but J insisted they were the best. Over the years I got to see the vacuum in action. It moved with him (as did I) over ten years from Boston, LA, and San Francisco. My favorite thing was starting with an empty canister, then filling it up with dust after a good vacuum. Dyson products are good, and I’m sold on them as a company. When I stumbled upon the announcement that they reinvented the hairdryer, I knew this was the product I had waited for.

Already Dyson has exceeded my expectations. Often when companies offer pre-orders they miss delivery windows, so I fully expected my order (set for early September) to be delayed. Amazingly they got it to me a whole MONTH ahead of schedule. I thought there would be factory delays or backorders, so I was pleasantly surprised when I received it early via FedEx 3 day!

I ordered the white version (it also comes in pink), and it came in fantastic packaging. It was very much like opening an Apple product – every accessory has it’s own little place, beautifully displayed to show off the hairdryer.

I took a quick shower, set the Dyson on high heat/high power and within a minute or two my hair was drying at the roots. Not only that, I immediately noticed the shine – my hair was looking very healthy and happy!

The Pros:

• Beautiful design, that makes me want to take good care of it.
• Lightweight, so I had no arm fatigue.
• So small!
• Oh the power!
• It’s hot, like blow-dryers are supposed to be. But Dyson insists their heat sensing technology checks the temperature 20x a second and will automatically lower the heat so as to never put your tresses at risk.
• A complete set of nozzles that attach via magnet to the head. They are easy to put on, to adjust, and take off.
• It’s quiet, easy to talk over and wont kill everyone’s ears.
• No burning smell. I once left a running blow-dryer on my bedroom carpet when I left for school. My friend insisted she could smell it years later. You definitely will not have that problem with smelling burnt hair (or carpet).
• Cute no-slip pad to rest the blow-dryer on. While this is just a little perk, it keeps everything from sliding off the countertop.

The Cons:

• The price. Starting at $400 it is definitely the steepest hairdryer around.
• Conveniently cropped out of all promotional photos is the power brick that hangs from the plug. It’s about 4″x2″x1″ and hangs 15″ down from the plug. While I’m glad this weight was not worked into the handle, it is still a hassle as it swings around while you’re working (and in my case, taps my bathroom wall). J suggested I rest it on the no-slip pad, so I’ll have to see if that works.
• While it is quieter than every other blow-dryer, on the highest level it does make a high pitch sound. You get used to it quickly, but I’m not sure how it will affect pets.
• I used to hold my old hairdryer by the head in one hand and a round brush in the other. The head on the Dyson is small and light, and the center of gravity is in the handle. I’m having to relearn how to do this technique with the new design, but will let you know how it goes.

Over the weekend I blow-dried my hair twice (two more times than the whole week before) and I already see that the Dyson has changed my attitude on doing my hair. I know when I pick it up, I’ll be satisfied with the result.

If you’re like me and looking for a different kind of blow-dryer, I’d definitely recommend trying the Dyson Supersonic. It is a well designed improvement on an old technology, plus they offer a 30-day return so there’s no harm in trying! Order yours here via the Dyson website!

Note: It seems that they are currently sold out, but sign up to be notified when they are back in stock. I’ll also be posting a more in depth review after I’ve used the blow-dryer for a while.