When Dyson released its first Airwrap in 2018, it changed the hair styling game as we knew it. No more burning our hands fingers on curling wands as we practically dislocated our shoulders to get it as close to our root as possible. The Airwrap could dry, smooth and curl all in the one glorious styling tool. And now the brand has shaken things up again with the release of the Dyson Airwrap Co-anda 2x.
You know when brands release something they claim is ‘groundbreakingly new and entirely different’, but they’ve just switched some colours and added a new camera (Apple, I’m looking at you)?
Dyson hasn’t done that.
The Airwrap Co-anda 2x is designed to be more powerful, faster and better than the two previous versions, the Dyson Airwrap i.d. and the Airwrap Origin (more on that later).
As an owner of a previous version of the Dyson Airwrap (I have the Airwrap Complete Long Multi-Styler), this new release has me wondering: is it time to upgrade? If the Co-anda 2x is so much better than the previous models, is it worth dropping a hefty $999 when I splurged on my current one only a couple of years ago?
If you’re reading this, there’s a solid chance you’re in the same boat. And because I have the coolest job on the planet, I was given the opportunity to try the Dyson Airwrap Co-anda 2x for a month so I can dish the dirt on whether it’s really worth your money. And you best believe I got my month’s worth of hair styling.
Let’s get into it, shall we?
What’s Different About The New Dyson Airwrap Co-anda 2x?
The biggest difference between previous Dyson Airwrap models and the Dyson Airwrap Co-anda 2x is its motor. It uses a Hyperdymium 2 motor that spins at 150,000 RPM, which, in normal people’s terms, means that it’s 36 per cent more powerful and produces double the air pressure. And let me tell you, there’s a noticeable difference. While my hair takes five business days to dry with my current Airwrap’s drying attachment, it was rough-dried within a matter of minutes using the Airwrap Co-anda 2x.
Because it has a new motor, it also means there’s new attachments. They’ve reverted back to their original halo-looking hairdryer design, so if you’ve got the funky looking contraption with the flyaway smoothing attachment that came with the Complete Long Multi-Styler like I do, that’s gone.
There’s the classic 30mm and 40mm curling barrels, a smoothing paddle brush, a round brush, and a brand new Airsmooth straightening attachment that straightens your hair using air rather than hot plates.
Instead of slider controls on the Airwrap, the Co-anda 2x has two buttons at the bottom of the styling tool — one to control heat and one to control the fan. There’s also a cool shot button and power button up at the top of the styler.
Like the Airwrap i.d., The Co-anda 2x uses the My Dyson app to help simplify your styling routine. It uses AI to detect how long you need to wrap, style and cool your curls if you’re using the barrels. And you can also control the heat and fan from the app if you’re not vibing the buttons for some reason.
The Co-anda 2x is also noticeably lighter than my Complete Long Multi-Styler. Not that my older version is heavy, but the latest model is a bit more comfortable to hold.
My Dyson Airwrap Co-anda 2x Road Test
I’m going to break this down into the main styling attachments I’m focussed on: the Airsmooth, Co-anda Curling Barrels and the Round Volumising Brush, as they’re the attachments I use most on my hair. The dryer and smoothing attachments are supplementary stylers that I use to help me get to the end result but aren’t the end result, if you know what I mean. They’ll be integrated throughout, but they’re not the sole focus.
The Airsmooth Attachment
I was most excited (and sceptical) to try out the brand new straightening attachment, so I beelined for that first. To be blatantly honest, I didn’t have high hopes.
When I first got my Complete Long Multi-Styler, I thought that the smoothing attachment was supposed to straighten my hair and wound up disappointed when it didn’t do what a bunch of influencers were claiming. So, the brand saying this would actually straighten my hair? I wasn’t convinced — especially since I have 2B/2C curls.
I was told that the straightener works best on dry hair, so used the Fast Dryer 2x attachment to give it a blowdry. And I mentioned it before, but let me emphasise: this dryer is fast. Like, way faster than the older Airwrap. Within 10 minutes, my whole head was dry.
The straightening attachment has arrows that point downwards, so it’s pretty foolproof when it comes to positioning your hair the right way. Press the on button, and the plates seal shut, blowing hot air as you glide them down the strand.
Two passes, and my hair was straight.
Mind. Blown.
Was it the sleekest pin straight hair that I’d achieve with a ceramic hot iron? No, but it did a bloody good job, especially since my hair is naturally textured.
I’ve seen some curlier girls say the straightening attachment doesn’t work on their hair because there’s not enough tension and heat, but if you’ve got a looser curl pattern, wavy or straight hair, this’ll work for you.
The Co-anda Curling Barrels (And i.d. Curl Function)
Because of the Dyson Co-anda’s more powerful motor, the brand claims that your Airwrap blowout will hold better and last longer. The i.d. function also is supposed to give you the perfect curl depending on your hair type and texture, determining how long you should be curling each piece for.
On my first go, the i.d. function pissed me TF off. Maybe it’s because I’d never used the Airwrap i.d. before, but I felt rushed having only eight seconds to get my hair and wrap it around the barrel.
It tested my patience, but I persevered. Once I got used to the app’s timer, I actually didn’t mind it. But unless I’m multitasking while getting ready and need my brain for something else, I’ll stick to counting to 10 in my head rather than racing the My Dyson app’s clock.
The first time I used it, I also found the bottom of my hair wasn’t wrapping around the barrel as well as my Complete Long Multi-Styler, which baffled me, since the Co-anda 2x is twice as powerful. I later realised it was because I’d used the smoothing brush before using the curling barrels.
For context, with my current Dyson, I need to thoroughly smooth out my hair or else my natural texture peeks through the perfectly orchestrated curls. However, the new smoothing brush is so good, it smoothed out my hair too much. Once I learned from my mistake and did a rough smooth instead, my hair wrapped around the barrel much better.
My biggest issue with my Complete Long Multi-Styler is that even when I add mousse and hairspray, my curls never hold when I use the 40mm curling barrel. Because the Co-anda 2x is so much more powerful, this wasn’t an issue, and my loose curls actually lasted a couple of days.
The 30mm curling barrel is still my favourite, since it lasts a good four days up until the next wash day. It also gives bouncier, tighter curls than the 40mm barrel, so you can switch it up depending on what look you want to go for.
The Round Volumising Brush 2x
The round brush is my most-used attachment on my Complete Long Multi-Styler, so I was keen to give the new and improved version a go. The new tapered bristles are supposed to cause less breakage and release the hair more easily.
To be wildly honest — and a bit controversial — I prefer the old brush. I know this one is better for your hair, but when it comes to styling a whole head of hair, I think the older attachment was easier to manoeuvre and do my little curling tricks through my thick head of hair. The result with both brushes is the same, but I feel like my arm got less tired with the previous one.
Dyson Airwrap Co-anda 2x: My Thoughts
This is an undeniably better Airwrap than my Complete Long Multi-Styler. It’s stronger, faster, and the attachments are smarter. I wouldn’t say it’s quicker to curl or straighten your hair, TBH, especially if you want to do a thorough job, but the hair drying attachment is definitely speedier.
Because it is so powerful, I found myself occasionally burning my scalp if the curling barrels got too close when I was using the highest heat setting. I’m not sure if it’s actually hotter than previous models, or if it just feels that way because of the more powerful airflow, but I needed to turn down the heat setting on occasion so that it didn’t scald my head.
As I mentioned previously, my curls lasted longer than they typically would with the Complete Long Multi-Styler. Hey, even my hair stayed straight for days after using the Airsmooth — something I didn’t think would happen.
The My Dyson app and the i.d. function is fun, and great for people who aren’t confident in curling their hair, but TBH, I prefer to raw dog it and count in my head.
While I had zero issues curling my hair with the new Co-anda 2x barrels, I do wish they were a little longer. I find it easier to work with longer barrels so my hair doesn’t slip off the end, but hopefully they’ll come out with some longer versions eventually, like how they did with the Dyson Airwrap Original.
Is It Worth Upgrading My Dyson Airwrap To The Co-anda 2x?
I can’t lie, I’m super tempted to retire my current Dyson Airwrap Complete Long and upgrade to the Airwrap Co-anda 2x — it’s miles ahead of the rest. But there’s that hefty $999 price tag hovering over it, too.
Look, it is a hair dryer, straightener, curler and blow out brush all-in-one. If your hair tools are looking a little grim and you’re due for an upgrade, I say it’s 100 per cent worth the investment.
However, if you’re like me and you have a perfectly functioning older model of the Dyson Airwrap that’s only a couple years old, I’d say hold off. Yes, the Co-anda 2x is marginally better, but that doesn’t mean you should let a perfectly good hair tool go to waste. If your Dyson is looking a little worse for wear, that’s another story.
At the end of the day, the Dyson Co-anda 2x is a worthy investment. If you love styling your hair, then you’ll definitely get your money’s worth.
You can shop the Dyson Airwrap Co-anda 2x on Dyson’s website.
Image credit: Alyssa Forato / Dyson
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