We tested the best Dyson Airwrap dupes under $300 — including the Shark FlexStyle

Don't spend $600 on a hair tool if you don't have to. (Spoiler alert: you don't have to.)
By Haley Henschel and Bethany Allard  on 
All products featured here are independently selected by our editors and writers. If you buy something through links on our site, Mashable may earn an affiliate commission.

Overview

The easiest to use and store

amika Blowout Babe Thermal Brush

Jump to Details
Another great thermal brush option

GHD Rise Volumizing Hot Brush

Jump to Details

UPDATE: Aug. 25, 2023, 5:00 a.m. EDT After conducting additional testing, we've added a new Dyson Airwrap alternative to this review — the amika Blowout Babe thermal brush.

The uncontested reign of the Dyson Airwrap has reached its end.

After testing the Dyson Airwrap and testing the Shark Flexstyle (and along with a few other dupes on the market), we can definitively say that the Shark FlexStyle is the best hot air styler for most people.

That's only sweetened by the fact that the Airwrap will run you $600, while the Flexstyle costs $279.99.

Why the Shark FlexStyle is the best Airwrap dupe

After five years on the market and two iterations, the legendary multi-functional styler has met its match in the Shark FlexStyle Air Styling & Drying System. The metallic-beige hair tool utilizes the same Coanda airflow technology once solely possessed by Dyson, and this Dyson Airwrap dupe innovates on the original's iconic design with a few subtle tweaks that give it performance bumps in some use cases. Considering it retails for less than half the price of the Airwrap, anyone who still blindly recommends Dyson's version is blowing out hot air.

This isn't to say the FlexStyle is the ideal Dyson Airwrap dupe for everyone — at $279.99, it's still technically a splurge. Below, we'll go into more detail on why it's worth it and offer up some other Airwrap dupes under the $200 mark for those willing to make some concessions for affordable DIY blowouts.

Our Pick

Read our full review of the Shark FlexStyle.

There's only one Dyson Airwrap competitor that offers similar styling results, and that's the Shark Flexstyle. Available at the Shark website starting at $279.99, you can also purchase this popular styling tool via Amazon Prime.

The similarities between the Airwrap and the FlexStyle go way beyond the fact that they're both high-end, futuristic-looking hair tools made by vacuum companies. For starters, they're the only devices of their kind that employ an aerodynamic phenomenon called the Coanda effect — this creates a spinning vortex of warm air that attracts and automatically wraps hair around their barrels, which gently dries while adding volume. They also come equipped with temperature regulation technology to minimize heat damage, and include interchangeable attachments for a range of different hair types and textures.

Considering it retails for only $279.99 to $349.99 (that's if you go for the fancy copper colorway), the FlexStyle would be impressive if its spec sheet stopped there. Except it doesn't: It one-ups the Airwrap with a twistable base that lets it double as a normal hair dryer and a diffuser attachment for curly hair.

This isn't to say the FlexStyle is flawless. It doesn't include a nice storage case or tell you exactly how hot it gets like the Airwrap does. It takes a little longer to dry, it's slightly louder, and it's missing that designer feel. After spending several months with both tools, Mashable Shopping Reporter Bethany Allard believes its overall value makes it the better choice for most buyers. As Allard concluded in her review, "[It's] hard for me to imagine a reason why you'd opt for the [Airwrap] unless you're into big purchases for the sake of big purchases, or if you're especially loyal to Dyson."

Buying Options

The Good

The Bad

Details

Read our full review of the Revlon One-Step.

The original Revlon One-Step is a bestselling hot air brush from the beauty industry veteran that originally debuted back in 2016. It was one of the first Airwrap dupes to go massively viral on TikTok long before the "de-influencing" trend took off, and we can confirm that the hype is mostly real: Its large barrel produces nice bounce, shape, and shine with minimal effort, and it's often on sale for $30 or less. Even at MSRP, you could buy ten One-Steps for the same cost as a single Airwrap.

Of course, you're going to make some sacrifices at this price point. While Shopping Reporter Bethany Allard didn't find the One-Step too heavy to hold for longer periods of time, as many TikTokers have, she did note that it's big and bulky to store. Its name is also a little misleading: You're going to fry your ends if you use it without partially pre-drying your hair first, so there's technically more than one step in the styling process.

Relatedly, this isn't the Airwrap dupe to pick if you're concerned about heat damage, as it can get quite hot. Allard says that even if you only utilize the low and cool settings, but especially if you use the high setting, that heat protectant should be a priority. At least its ultra-low price means you've got the wiggle room in your budget for a bottle of some fancy serum or spray.

Buying Options

The Good

The Bad

Details

The newest addition in our guide to the best Dyson Airwrap dupes, the amika Blowout Babe is a thermal brush, meaning you won't be using hot air to achieve your fresh-from-the-salon look. Instead, the brush uses far infrared heat that radiates from the ceramic barrel to provide even heat that'll keep a sleek style locked in, without scorching your strands. And just like the Airwrap, the Blowout Babe has gone viral on TikTok, which means if you see it in stock, don't expect it to stay there for long.

During our testing, we found that the infrared heat really delivered in providing an effortless blowout that lasts. Of course, you'll always want to use heat protectant, but with this brush maxing out at at 356 degrees, it didn't feel like we were jeopardizing our hair health. On the heat damage spectrum of the Airwrap to a curling iron, using the Blowout Brush feels like it falls somewhere in the middle.

For beginners, the round brush styling will take some getting used to, but once you do, the 1.5-inch barrel provides plenty of bounce and volume (and is still small enough to work well on shoulder length hair). You probably won't be able to achieve straight up curls, but waves are definitely in the cards. The brush also has a special negative ion mode that provided noticeable smoother looks than any blowout we got using hot air. Getting a smooth and sleek look was only made easier by the fact that thermal brushes won't blow around already styled sections when you're touching up.

Thanks to countless Dyson Airwrap dupe TikTok videos, the amika Blowout Babe is once again back-ordered, but when it's available, it's a great mid-range alternative to Dyson and Shark's styling tools.

Buying Options

The Good

The Bad

Details

a ghd rise sitting on a white bathroom countertop between two sinks

GHD Rise Volumizing Hot Brush

Another great thermal brush option

Read our full review of the GHD Rise.

The London-based hair tool manufacturer GHD (which stands for "Good Hair Day") is best known for its Platinum+ Styler, an award-winning flat iron. But it also deserves props for the Rise, a stellar thermal brush from 2020 featuring a 1.25-inch barrel and short nylon bristles that don't pull or create frizz (folks with shorter hair might prefer this barrel size over the Amika brush). It's not an Airwrap dupe in terms of being able to style while drying, as it needs to be used on already-dry hair, but it can effortlessly and quietly produce equivalent salon-rivaling shape and body without extreme damage.

Mashable Senior Shopping Reporter Leah Stodart came across the Rise after years of searching for a tool that would get her long, thick hair to cooperate for an at-home blowout. "My Beachwaver curling iron makes curls too spiraled and separated," she said. "Curling with my GHD straightener risks giving curls an accidental crease. Going the true blowout route with a hair dryer and a round brush is too loud, sweaty, and exhausting for my arms. The GHD Rise has been a solution to nearly all of these gripes."

The Rise is Airwrappian in that it comes with automatic heat-regulation technology, though it stays at a constant 365 degrees. GHD's website deems this "the optimum temperature for styling on every hair type," and Stodart considers it a plus rather than a drawback: "It means I can get started on my hair immediately without messing with settings," she said, "and I'd personally rather just have the experts tell me what temperature is safe for not frying my hair." However, heat protectant probably wouldn't hurt.

Buying Options

The Good

The Bad

Details

Topics Beauty Dyson

How we tested

Mashable reporters spent at least 10 hours hands-on testing each of the hair tools featured in this guide. In addition, Mashable Shopping Reporter Bethany Allard also spent countless hours reviewing the Airwrap and Flexstyle.

To bring you the best Dyson Airwrap dupes, we scoured Amazon, TikTok, Ulta, and other sources looking for the most popular options. We took the following factors into consideration when ranking our picks:

  • Overall design: The Airwrap has a unique form factor with swappable attachments, and no one offered an exact match or one-to-one comparison until the FlexStyle came along.

  • Overall results: Some hair tools can replicate elements of the ~Airwrap experience~ (that is, the drying and styling benefits) even if they don't look anything like it. That's why we're classifying the GHD Rise and Revlon One-Step as Airwrap dupes: They're not one-to-one knockoffs appearance-wise, but they can help consumers achieve similar salon-quality blowouts at home.

  • Power: A hair tool's power is typically measured in watts; the higher the wattage, the more heat and airflow it can produce. The Airwrap clocks in at 1,300 watts, which puts it just slightly below the average pro-quality hair dryer power-wise, and makes it capable of taking hair from wet-ish to ready in about five to 10 minutes. The Rise sits on the lowest end of the spectrum at 350 watts, so it should be used after you spend some time with a blow dryer.

  • Temperature regulation/heat settings: The Airwrap itself measures its temperature over 40 times a second to ensure it never ventures beyond 302 degrees Fahrenheit. (Your hair's keratin strands typically start weakening when exposed to heat above the 300-degree mark, Dyson says.) The only tool we tested that isn't comparable in this sense is the One-Step, but it does have multiple heat settings so you don't have to default to a constant blast of ends-scorching air.

  • Cord length: Professional-quality styling tools can have cords as long as 8 or 9 feet — the Airwrap's measures 8.5 feet — but you can get away with a shorter one if there's an outlet right next to your vanity.

  • Weight: You're going to be holding your hair tool above your head for a significant amount of time, so the lighter, the better. (The Airwrap weighs a pound and a half, for what it's worth.)

  • Noise level: It's not a major dealmaker or breaker, but the Airwrap is noticeably quieter than the average hair dryer or hot air brush.

As of August 2023, we've updated our recommendations to include the amika Blowout Babe Thermal Brush. We've still got a full review in the pipeline for one other possible Airwrap dupes; check back to see if it makes the cut:

  • The Revlon One-Step Blowout Curls ($74.99) is a new iteration of the budget-friendly hot air brush with a detachable, vented, ceramic-coated barrel that's said to dry and curl at the same time.

Frequently Asked Questions


Originally launched in 2018 and then updated in the summer of 2022, the Airwrap garnered a cult following for its ability to dry, smooth, and curl without the use of extreme heat. It comes with a suite of brush and barrel attachments, as well as a case for easy storage.

The second-generation Airwrap is available in three different variants for different kinds of hair:

For a long time, the Dyson Airwrap was the only styling tool of its kind, and so it was able to justify its $600 price tag. However, as of August 2023, there are a lot of Dyson Airwrap alternatives that are just as (or nearly as) good — and cost under $300.


So is the Dyson Airwrap worth it for anyone? We found that it retained an edge over the Shark Flextyle in a few use cases, so if budget is absolutely no concern and you're a ride-or-die Dyson stan, then we believe it's worth it. However, the average shopper will get the same results by going with a hair care tool like the Shark Flexstyle instead.

Shopping Reporter Bethany Allard had high expectations when she took the Complete Long variant for a spin, given its reputation and $600 price point. And while she did get compliments "every single time I styled my hair with this product," Allard ultimately walked away from her weeks-long trial period thinking the Airwrap was "just fine." Its learning curve was steeper than she expected, its case took up a lot of room, and it took too long to curl her long hair (with limp, short-lived ringlets). Its smoothing attachments did manage to produce some impressive results, but they still weren't life-changing enough for Allard to justify the Airwrap's cost.

That being said, there are a few minor reasons one might be inclined to gravitate toward an Airwrap instead of a comparable dupe. It dries slightly faster and runs a little quieter than the FlexStyle, for one thing. It's not so quiet "that it would make any functional difference in say, waking up a roommate over the Shark," Allard said, but it's "slightly more pleasant to listen to as you do your hair." And the whole kit has a premium luxury feel — for some, the Dyson name will be a key selling point.

In terms of sheer value, though, the FlexStyle is the obvious best choice for most consumers.


No matter what kind of device you wind up buying — even if it's an actual Airwrap — consider ordering some styling products while you're at it. Dyson itself recommends using hairspray to "maximize curls' longevity" and a heat protectant "whenever possible." The company's Global Lead Stylist Amy Johnson also suggests applying a mousse to your roots while your hair is still wet for extra volume.

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Haley Henschel
Senior Shopping Reporter

Haley Henschel is a Chicago-based Senior Shopping Reporter at Mashable who reviews and finds deals on popular tech, from laptops to gaming consoles and VPNs. She has years of experience covering shopping holidays and can tell you what’s actually worth buying on Black Friday and Amazon Prime Day. Her work has also explored the driving forces behind digital trends within the shopping sphere, from dupes to 12-foot skeletons.

Haley received a B.A. in Journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and honed her sifting and winnowing skills at The Daily Cardinal. She previously covered politics for The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, investigated exotic pet ownership for Wisconsin Watch, and blogged for some of your favorite reality stars.

In her free time, Haley enjoys playing video games, drawing, taking walks on Lake Michigan, and spending time with her parrot (Melon) and dog (Pierogi). She really, really wants to get back into horseback riding. You can follow her on X at @haleyhenschel or reach her via email at [email protected].

Mashable Image
Bethany Allard
Shopping Reporter

Bethany Allard is a Los Angeles-based shopping reporter at Mashable covering beauty tech, dating, sex and relationships, and headphones. That basically means she puts her hair through a lot, scrolls through a lot of dating apps, and rotates through a lot of different headphones. In addition to testing out and rounding up the best products, she also covers deals for Mashable, paying an especially obsessive amount of attention to Apple deals and prices. That knowledge comes in handy when she's covering shopping holidays like Prime Day and Black Friday, which she's now done for three years at Mashable.

She graduated from New York University with a B.A. in Journalism and English Literature. You can follow her on X @betallard and reach her by email at [email protected]. In her free time, you'll find her playing her Switch, hanging with her cat Mila, or cooking something new in her kitchen.


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