IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser.

Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer: The best hair dryer for my curly hair

Dyson hot tools left one curly-haired beauty writer delighted — especially with the Supersonic hair dryer. Here's why.
Dyson Supersonic hair dryer review 2020. See the best hair dryers and blow dryers for every hair type, according to hairstylists. Shop Dyson hair dryers, Revlon hair dryers, Conair hair dryers and more.
"One of the reasons why I chose the Dyson Supersonic hair dryer is its built-in heat-protecting technology," writes Leila Najafi, who outlines what makes the Dyson Supersonic hair dryer a worthwhile investment.Dyson

Over the years, I’ve spent hundreds of dollars on blow dryers and I’m forced to buy a new one approximately every two to three years when parts overheat, leaving the hair dryer malfunctioning. So I decided to spend a little more money and time researching a quality product that would last me longer — rather than costing me as little as possible while it’s on sale. Specifically, I was looking for a hair dryer model powerful enough to straighten my thick, curly 3b hair and one that included both a smoothing nozzle and diffuser attachment for when I wanted to style my curls. Finally, I also filtered blow dryers to those easy to travel with since my last blow dryer was heavy and bulky.

Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer

I read a ton of reviews for different hair dryers on Amazon, Sephora and Ulta, ultimately choosing the very highly-rated and stylish Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer. I don’t own any other Dyson products but I do know that Dyson has a strong reputation for heavily investing in the engineering, technology and design of commonly used household products like vacuum cleaners and air purifiers. The Supersonic Hair Dryer, which Dyson launched in 2016, was developed over four years with help from more than 100 engineers. Blow dryers aren’t usually affordable — and the Supersonic certainly takes this to new levels with its $400 price point — but a good hair dryer should last many years and the more I read about the Dyson Supersonic and how it was built, the more I was intrigued to give it a try. The Dyson Supersonic hair dryer is also readily available to purchase online. Beyond shopping directly through Dyson, I can also find the Supersonic hair dryer at Nordstrom, Best Buy, Walmart, Bed Bath & Beyond, QVC, Amazon, Sephora, Ulta and Bergdorf Goodman.

Dyson also launched its first-ever loyalist sale, which means previous customers — defined as having bought and registered Dyson products in the past — get 20 percent off sitewide, including hot tools, such as the Dyson Airwrap Complete or Dyson Corrale hair straightener. To get the discount, you have to buy from Dyson before Dec. 20.

I love that it’s designed for different hair textures and styles.

Why I love the Dyson Supersonic hair dryer

Not all hair is created equally and one of the things I love about the Dyson Supersonic is that it’s designed for different hair textures and styles. While I straighten my hair often, I also like to style my hair curly sometimes, which requires a versatile blow dryer that can help with both.

My hair also tends to be on the dryer side from years of coloring and blow drying on a regular basis, so I try to take care of it with weekly masks and leave-in conditioners that counterbalance the effects of heat and chemical damage. One of the reasons why I chose the Dyson Supersonic hair dryer is its built-in heat-protecting technology.

  • The first thing I noticed about the Dyson Supersonic was how light it is at 1.8 pounds and how different it looks compared to other blow dryers.
  • While other blow dryers have a long nozzle, the Dyson Supersonic hair dryer is very compact.
  • It’s also uniquely sleek. You can get it in four different colors and finishes: Iron/Fuchsia, Black/Nickel, White/Silver, Black/Purple. Dyson also created a limited edition Supersonic gift set with a bonus case and presentation kit in Copper while Fuchsia comes with a wide tooth comb and round bristle brush for easier at-home blowouts.

The attachments on the Dyson Supersonic allow me to easily switch between hairstyles and create different looks. A lot of blow dryers come with a diffuser attachment but I find that they are not as powerful as the blow dryer is for straightening. The diffuser that came with the Dyson Supersonic was forceful and high-pressured— it dried my curly hair faster than other diffusers I’ve tried in the past. The package came with a non-slip mat, a storage hanger, and three magnetic attachments:

  • Smoothing nozzle, which is good for a sleek look with volume at the roots
  • Styling concentrator, which helps create that effortless wavy look
  • Diffuser, which speeds up drying time for curly hair, while also defining curls without frizz

I like using the three attachments that come with the Supersonic, but if you want more variety, you can purchase a wide tooth comb attachment, which can help smooth curly and natural hair textures or a gentle air attachment made for anyone with a sensitive scalp and fine hair.

When I’m blow drying my curly hair, I have to blow dry the same section repeatedly to eliminate frizz and get the hair smooth and straight — it requires a lot of pressure and heat to create the desired look. Because the Dyson Supersonic hair dryer is so powerful, it dries hair faster than other blow dryers in the market, which further protects hair from excessive heat damage. Of course, it also cuts my hair prep time in half — I can appreciate any hair product that saves me time.

Dyson Supersonic: Specs and features

The Dyson brand is known for its rigorous testing and highly engineered products — as NBC News previously reported, the company invested $71 million to develop the Dyson Supersonic hair dryer. Here are some of the features that help the Dyson Supersonic hair dryer stand out.

  • The small but mighty V9 motor is especially strong and especially small —about half the size of other hair dryer motors, Dyson claims.
  • The hair dryer includes three easy-to-remove magnetic attachments.
  • Engineers worked to reduce the Supersonic noise emission and, according to independent quiet product awards program QuietMark, “it’s acoustically tuned for conversation … to produce one inaudible frequency ... enveloped by a vibration reduction system, further reducing the transfer of noise between the motor and the case.”
  • The hair dryer has three speed settings (low, medium and high) and four heat settings (82 degrees, 140 degrees, 176 degrees and 212 degrees Fahrenheit).

Catch up on Select's in-depth coverage of personal finance, tech and tools, wellness and more, and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to stay up to date.