Ever since a certain air-powered hair tool landed on the market in 2018, fans of fancy at-home styling had been crying out for an affordable Dyson alternative. Last summer, our wishes were granted: enter the Babyliss air wand (£141.71, Amazon.co.uk).
With more than 60 years of history, Babyliss is probably the brand that provided your first hair dryer, the crimpers behind a generation of 90s hairdos, and the beloved Y2K crazy wrap braider. Now, its new air wand promises to act as a blow-dryer, straightener and giver of volume-boosting bouncy locks, all for less than £150.
However, the brand’s three-in-one styler faces stiff competition. It’s up against the ghd duet (£268, Amazon.co.uk), the Shark flexstyle (£249.50, Amazon.co.uk) and, of course, the Dyson airwrap. We’ve already reviewed this trifecta of stylers at IndyBest, so I knew what the Babyliss was up against.
As The Independent’s beauty writer, I had the lovely task of seeing whether the tool lives up to its lofty claims – here’s how I got on.
How I tested
With three different ways* to use the air wand at the time of testing, I tried out each attachment (plus the built-in blow dryer) in different real-world scenarios. I started by rough drying my wet hair with the drying tool, which comes as part of the wand itself. As I worked, I paid attention to the heat, the speed settings and how quickly it got the job done. I also made notes about how loud and light the device was, too.
Once my hair was 90 per cent dry, I clipped on the straightening attachment. At this stage I was looking for glossy results, a brush that felt easy to comb through my hair and as short a straightening session as possible, again noting noise as well as ease of use.
I then tried the volumiser attachment. I initially went into the process hoping for a Matilda Djerf-esque bouncy blow-dry before realising that, unlike the Babyliss hot brush (£33, Amazon.co.uk), this volumiser attachment aims to add dimension and “a voluminous finish” - it makes no promise of soft curls. With this in mind, I tried to mimic the brand’s own results photos for this tool, teasing my strands into flicky ends with a flattering, face-shaping finish.
After completing this last step, I was aware that in an ideal world, I would have tested both the straightening and volumising attachments on 90 per cent dry hair, and since my hair fully dried with the straightener, the latter results felt they had less staying power. For a fairer test, I then re-wet the front section of my hair with a water mister, styling again to test the final tool when used as directed.
*Something to note: since the air wand launched in July 2024, the brand has now released a third attachment to smooth flyaways, which I have not tested.
Why you can trust IndyBest reviews
Lucy has been reviewing beauty products for more than five years and, in terms of hair specifically, she’s covered the likes of L’Oreal, Ghd, Hershesons and more. For IndyBest, she’s headed up guides to the best hair dryers and the best shampoo and conditioner, and she’s spoken to experts – trichologists and hair stylists – to pick their brains on everything from the latest trends to treatments for itchy scalps. Below, see her honest review of the Babyliss air wand.
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Babyliss air wand hair dryer, straightener and styler all-in-one
Much more lightweight than a traditional hair dryer, I was surprised at the heat and power packed into this little tool. Even without its USP attachments, I’d happily pop this in my guest room as a smaller-size hair dryer.
As for the attachments, I wasn’t sure about the straightener tool at first. Using it underneath the hair (as pictured in the brand’s own demonstration) seemed to push up flyaways and broken hair strands. However, once I got the hang of using the tool in reverse – attachment face down on the hair from root to tip as pictured above – the results were smoothing. I loved the softness of my hair post-straighten, and I don’t think it added any time to my usual blow-dry, straightening routine. For context, my usual tools are ghd’s helios hairdryer (£127.99, Amazon.co.uk) and platinum+ straighteners (£189.99, Amazon.co.uk).
With the curved brush attachment, I pulled the hair at the top of my head upwards from the root to create height, then curved it under my ends for a flicky, feathered finish. The tool is easy to manage, but I did find I had to go over the same sections a few times to set in the curved style. As mentioned, this tool won’t create lofty curls, but it will add dimension and curve. I would be interested to test it again with a mousse or holding cream to see if I could create a more drastic bounce.
Read more: Best scalp massagers that promote hair growth
Just bear in mind that the four-star rating for this tool is because of its effective straightener and blow-dryer functions. That’s not to say I wouldn’t recommend it; it achieved my usual straight style just as fast as my ghd tools for almost £300 less. It’s also considerably lighter and smaller for travelling. However, I’d give the curved brush attachment three out of five - I found it hard to achieve the desired results with ease.
Buy now £120.00, Amazon.co.uk
The verdict: Babyliss air wand
All in all, the price point of this tool is second to none. It looks good, it’s lightweight, and it leaves your hair feeling buttery soft. For me, the blow dryer and straightening attachment are the stars and help to streamline your morning routine without needing an extension plug and extra storage for all your stylers.
I like that there’s a brush on the straightening attachment so you needn’t tag team the process with a hair brush, and clipping the attachments on and off is easy with the handy unlock button atop the styler. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the curved attachment, but I think I’d still use it to add movement through simple everyday styles. For balance, I have quite heavy hair, so it can be hard to hold shape through my hair. However, the attachment just doesn’t have enough curve to pull in a big, curvy finish. Is it worth your money? If you lean towards straight styles most of the time, 100 per cent.
