Dyson’s Flyaway Blow Dryer Attachment Review: A Salon-Quality Finish

Since Dyson’s debut of the Supersonic Hair Dryer in 2016, the brand has proven itself a leader in more than just the home appliance (read: vacuums) space. With a team of engineers and hairstylists from around the globe, the brand released a line of hair tools that use innovative technologies to preserve the integrity of our hair—the latest being a Flyaway attachment for the OG hairdryer.

You might be thinking, “Why do you need an attachment just for your flyaways?” (Because I did too). The answer: It’s actually designed to make getting a smooth, sleek, salon-finish easier to create at home, explains Veronica Alanis, Dyson Design Manager. “We watched stylists use a round brush and blow dryer technique to smooth stray hairs,” she says. “We found that this was an incredibly difficult skill to master for self-stylers at home.” 

She says that, based on the team’s observations, people were turning to straighteners with fixed plates to achieve that smooth finish, which can add unnecessary heat damage. This attachment is a way to “mechanize the round brush and blowdryer method for the everyday styler” using the Coanda effect, which Alanis describes as the phenomena when air—at the right speed and pressure—naturally follows an adjacent surface. 

Real talk: I initially thought this attachment was unnecessary, but I felt totally exposed as she explained why the team created it. I realized that I, too, skip the round-brush-blow-dryer method and immediately reach for my flat iron when I want to style my hair. With that, I decided to put the attachment to the test. Read on to learn more. 

About My Hair: Medium-coarse and wavy

My hair is medium-coarse and wavy—a texture that I am extremely grateful for because it holds a style well and has a slight shine. It’s long and thick, making heat-styling a beast. So if it’s not being styled by a professional, I either opt to air-dry my hair with a moisturizing leave-in conditioner or, as mentioned, straighten it with a flat iron.

How to Use: As the final step in your styling routine

According to Jen Atkin, Dyson Global Styling Ambassador and celebrity hairstylist, this attachment is meant to be used as the last step to your hairstyling routine when creating a sleek salon blow-dry finish. “This attachment is designed to be used when hair is dry, tucking in those newly created flyaways behind and out of sight,” she says. “For coarser hair types, you’ll want to have the airflow on high. For those with finer hair, select medium airflow—always on the cold airflow setting."

Her prescribed regimen for wavy hair like mine requires multiple steps before actually putting on the Flyaway attachment. She suggests, first, blow-drying hair until it is 80 percent dry, then using the Styling concentrator (an extension the Dyson Supersonic comes with) and a boar bristle brush to dry it thoroughly. Finally, attach the Flyaway attachment to smooth and add shine.

At first glance, that seemed like a ton of effort (I get tired thinking about styling my hair), but the process took less than 20 minutes (15 minutes and 24 seconds, to be exact). I got lazy wielding the boar brush, so I dropped it halfway through the process and used my fingers to help finish drying my hair before hitting it with the Flyaway attachment. 

The Results: Smooth, extra shiny hair

As you can see from my before photo, I have a lot of hair that can get voluminous when I skip the leave-in conditioner. After washing it and styling as Atkin suggested, I was left with smooth, sleek hair. Yes, it has a salon-level smoothness and luster, but I wouldn't compare my handiwork to a professional's. My ends, particularly, aren't as soft as they would be if a hairstylist worked on them, and my hair does not feel as bouncy. Perhaps I could get those ends and that bounce with a little more practice with the device.

The Design: Chock full of Dyson innovation

Like everything Dyson creates, the Flyaway attachment is very innovative. The brand utilizes something called the the Coanda effect (a term used to describe jet flow) to lift longer hairs and hide flyaways — all with the use of, well, air.

The Value: It’s an investment

Think about it: To use this attachment, you must first own a Dyson Supersonic Hairdryer, which costs $430 in the brand's new bundle that includes all of the tool's attachments. The positive of purchasing this set is that, well, you own the Dyson Supersonic, which is beloved by hairstylists and beauty pros for its innovative design. If you already own the hairdryer but didn't buy it as part of this revamped set, the cost of purchasing the attachment on its own is about $40.

Because the attachment requires that you first own the hairdryer itself, this gadget will cost you $$$. And while you can definitely live without the new attachment, you can count on it to give you a salon-quality finish from home—and fast.

Similar Products: Nothing compares

There isn’t much like the Dyson Flyaway attachment in terms of design, but there are other hair tools out there that can create a beautiful smoothing effect—some without the hefty price tag. You can opt for a blowdry brush (like one of these) or even the brand’s Airwrap, which uses the same Coanda effect to style hair, according to the brand.