Anyone who has spent 40 minutes blow-drying their hair in a hotel bathroom only to watch humidity undo it all before breakfast will understand why Dyson's new Airsmooth is turning heads. Launched in the UK on 8 September after a debut at a Berlin showcase, it's the brand's first dedicated hot brush — and, unusually for Dyson, one of its most affordable hair tools.
The pitch for travellers is simple: it dries and smooths hair from wet in a single step, so there's no need to pack a hair dryer, a round brush and a hot brush separately. No interchangeable barrels either, unlike the Airwrap — the brush is the whole gadget, with a small head protector. It weighs just 0.6kg, which makes a genuine dent in a toiletry bag.
The feature frequent flyers will care most about is universal voltage (100–240V). It'll work in Tokyo, New York or Marrakech without a converter — you only need a plug adapter for the socket shape. The two-metre cable is more practical than it sounds, given how often the only free hotel socket sits nowhere near a mirror, and how UK hotel bathrooms tend to offer just a weak shaver socket that can't run a hair tool. It's also quiet enough for a 5am start when someone else is still asleep.
On performance, our reviewer — a beauty journalist with fine, curly hair plus extensions, testing in London on a day with 72 per cent humidity — came away impressed. Dyson's dual bristle technology uses flexible bristles that diffuse airflow at the base for scalp comfort, plus anti-snag bristles that don't catch extension bonds or tapes. The brush doesn't rotate, so there's no tension or tugging at the roots. Intelligent heat control measures air temperature more than 20 times a second, and three heat settings run from a gentle 85°C up to 113°C, with three speeds.
The speed is the standout claim: drying from wet took about 10 minutes instead of her usual 40-plus. The finish survived an hour's walk in humid air without the usual halo of frizz, and the style lasted a few days. Humidity frizz happens because hair absorbs moisture from the air and loses its smooth shape, so a result that holds is no small thing.
There are caveats. The brush head is large — great for volume, but awkward on fine, thin hair or underneath extensions. And it's a smoothing tool: if you want to define curls rather than stretch them, you'll still need a diffuser. It also won't fully replace a hair dryer for everyone, despite handling the job of dryer and round brush in one.
Who should care? Travellers with frizz-prone, curly or fine hair who want a single, lightweight, voltage-safe tool for trips to humid destinations. As our reviewer puts it, skincare, make-up and haircare are areas where cheaper options can work — but hair tools are worth investing in. Hers is coming along on a trip to Korea next month, which is as practical an endorsement as any. For more detail, see the original review from Condé Nast Traveller UK.
