Best affordable Dyson Airwrap alternatives

Because the Dyson Airwrap uses warm air to curl hair, the curls don't tend to last as long on my baby-fine hair as they do with a traditional, direct-heat iron. So when I want those same soft waves that last 10 or more hours, This 1-inch Curling Iron softly and evenly heats hair to give me a fluffy curl with a lot of volume.

The heat from the iron also smooths my hair as it curls, unlike the airflow from the Airwrap, which creates some flyaways and requires I follow my curls with the smoothing dryer attachment to get the same look.

This bb hot brush from ghd is the key to that 70s-esque, Matilda Djerf fringe, IMO. Unlike Dyson’s round brush or curling wands attachments that can get too hot next to my scalp, ghd’s 1.25-inch barrel has built-in teeth that get super close to my roots for a major lift without scalding me.

Because the iron is so narrow and small, it’s way easier to use on my bangs than the Airwarp, whether I’m trying to get that curled, curtain-bang finish, à la Sabrina Carpenter, or I’m flipping in the ends of my straight-across bangs to make them look fuller.

This has to be one of my favourite hot brushes of all time – and I have tested my fair share. What I love about the ghd Duet Blowdry is it maintains a steady temperature (120°C) and air flow, so I don’t feel like I am damaging my fine strands while blow drying my hair – which many models tend to.

It can be used on damp hair and you only require a few passes for the tool to completely dry and style, illuminating frizz in the process. It’s a salon-like finish at home, and worth every penny!

My favourite way to get bouncy, Airwrap waves without an Airwrap? Hot rollers, bb. The old-school hair standby is the best way to get major volume because your hair heats up and cools around the roller, giving you a defined, long-lasting curl that isn’t easy to replicate with the Airwrap.

Here’s how I do it: I take a one-inch section of dry hair, wrap the ends under the roller, then roll it up vertically toward the crown of my head and pin it in place with the included sectioning clips.

I repeat this around my entire head, keeping the wider rollers on the top sections of my hair for extra volume, and let cool for 15 to 20 minutes. Then I gently take them down one by one in the order I pinned them up, finger-comb them, and spritz them with hairspray for hold.

Confession: I'm not a fitness girlie, meaning heavy hair tools are a no-go for me. Bellissima's Prodigy Air Multi Styler, however? She's super lightweight, meaning I can style a full head of hair without feeling like I've just done 11 rounds of weights in the gym. Winning!

With six detachable heads—a concentrator nozzle, a detangling padel brush, one large and one small round brush, and two Coanda Technology tongs—and at under £200, this set provides a lot of bang for your buck. Plus, its ion ceramic materials and digital heat controls make for less damage and ultimately, better hair health.

If the main reason you want the Dyson is because of its ability to ~simplify~ your routine with just one tool, you may want to try Revlon’s blow-dryer-curling-iron hybrid. It comes with a blow-dryer brush attachment to help grab, hold, and detangle as you dry, along with a vented curling barrel attachment that uses air to style your hair, making it v similar to the Dyson curling mechanism.

But unlike the Dyson Airwrap that holds onto your hair with just air (sometimes causing frizz and flyaways), the Revlon locks your hair down with a clamp, giving you more control over how your curls look. Plus, testers say it has a strong airflow that can fully dry and style your hair without the pre-drying the Airwrap requires.

I wish the Shark team recorded my reaction when they unveiled their FlexStyle tool to me last summer. It’s very similar to the Dyson Airwrap, though tends to be better for anyone who travels a lot, thanks to the fact that it’s both lightweight and shockingly powerful. The attached horizontal blow-dryer actually has enough power to completely dry your hair (unlike the Airwrap), and it’s so strong and effective that I’ve even used it in a pinch to get rid of the wrinkles in my skirt.

With six attachments, Beauty Works' AERIS Multi-Styler is a pretty good Dyson Airwrap alternative. This kit allows you to curl, straighten, volumise, smooth and dry in one with expertly engineered heat technology and precise digital temperature control – meaning you can style whilst you dry with zero heat damage.

Plus, it's Molly-Mae Hague-approved! And her hair speaks volumes... literally.

The only downside? It doesn't come with a diffuser attachment. So, for those with curly hair, we would recommend the Shark Flexstyle.

Not many people know that Revolution Makeup also have a branch of haircare products... from scalp massagers to angled curling tongs and my personal favourite, this six-in-one mega styler.

For a bargain price (bc I'm balling on a budget, people), you can style your hair in six different ways, thanks to the variety of detachable heads included. Whether you're after bouncy curls (40 mm round brush) or a sleek straight finish (large paddle brush), this kit can do it all.

Of course, for the price, its technical capabilities are limited; I'm talking two pre-set heat temps (aka, if your hair is on the more coily side and a lil more stubborn to style, this may not be the one for you). But (!!) if you are in the market for a no-fuss, does what it says on the tin styler, then I cannot recommend this bby enough.

For those who are specifically looking for smooth, bouffant, bouncy hair with unreal levels of gloss, this tool is perfect. The new Glossi 2-in-1 Hot Tool and Air Glosser (I mean, the name alone just makes you want to use it).

The tool uses both heat-controlled ceramic plates with powerful airflow to not only dry hair and lock down frizz, but to create an ultra-sleek and polished look, even after a few swipes. So you can use this to dry, volumise, shape and smooth all in one. Streamlined (and affordable) hairstyling... we love to see it.

The SilkyAir Flex wins at both style and efficacy. The sleek design means the tool is easy to handle – no aching arms here, thank you! – and each of the five attachments easily slots in to ensure a faff-free styling experience.

As for the features, it comes with two paddle brushes, two autowrap curling wands as a concentrator nozzle to dry the hair – as at the heart of the tool is a hair dryer so you really only need one gadget to go from dry to fully styled.

And speaking of the dryer, this gizmo has a need for speed too, with a 110,000 rpm motor that can reach an airflow of 57 km/h. Monday mornings just became a heck load easier.

The T3 Aire 360 Multi-Styler & Blowout System contains four types of attachments to dry, curl and give your lengths a salon-like blow-out. Sure, there are others on this list of a similar ilk, but what sets the Aire apart is it delivers mega-volume without any of the heat damage. How? It uses Aire 360 Technology to style by using air, and not heat. Plus, the attachments are coated in CeraGloss™ ceramic to ensure a silky-sleek result.

Keeks says: "As a loyal Dyson girly, I was shocked to have my head turned by an alternative, but I loved the glossy finish that the Aire Multi-styler gave me and in fairness, while it looks like a dupe, it works in a different way to Dyson's multi-styler. The ceramic coating used means that my style stuck around longer and the smoothness it created genuinely lasted days. I wouldn't use on damp hair though, in the way that you can use an Airwrap on damp hair, because the barrels get too hot and may cause damage."

When someone asks me for a Dyson Airwrap alternative for getting silky, straight hair, I point them to the wildly good YouTube reviews for Tymo’s straightening brush. Truly, reviewers with fine hair, long hair, curly hair, type-4 hair, thick hair, you name it, all swear by this brush for getting a sleek style in less time than it would take a typical flat iron or the Airwrap.

Why? The brush head has narrowly spaced “teeth” that help disperse your hair through the brush for even heat distribution to each hair strand to avoid having to go over each piece multiple times, whereas the Airwrap’s brush heads have wide-spaced teeth that don’t emit as much heat.

My only annoyance about the Hershesons Multi-Tasker is that I didn’t use it sooner. This bb was sitting in storage for months waiting to be tested, and since the day I used it for the first time, it has been my go-to tool. It has all the styling attachments I need – a waver to create beachy crimps, a round brush for a bouncy blow-out and a 33mm curling wand to create big, old-money-style curls.

Each attachment is made with a ceramic coating, so no matter the style you’re after, you’ll achieve polished, defined and frizz-free curls. Tbh, I love all the attachments, but I find myself reaching for the round brush most often. It creates salon-like curls that look completely effortless and it’s useful for doing my fringe – the soft bristles mean you can put the tong right up to your roots without overheating.

Cleverly, the tool is also available in two iterations – one for short hair and the other for long – so you’ll get attachments designed for your length.

Mark Hill's version of a multi-flex styler comes with three heat and speed settings, plus four starter kit attachments. What makes it so brilliant, however, is that the base is compatible with all of the brand's tool heads, meaning you can invest in a number of different barrels and tongs that you can switch out and use with the Air Flexi technology. Clever, huh?