This £99 hair dryer gives Dyson AirWrap a run for its money

There’s no denying that the Dyson Airwrap is one of the hottest hair tools in the beauty world. Whether it’s popping up all over your social media feeds or being raved about by beauty editors, it’s become one of those products that I haven’t been able to escape in recent years.

For those who don’t know, the Airwrap is a multi-styler and dryer that, instead of relying on traditional high heat like curling tongs or straighteners, uses airflow to curl, smooth, shape and dry hair using controlled pressure. According to the brand, that means it can help protect hair from issues caused by the high heat of traditional styling tools. It also removes some of the manual effort, as you don’t need to wind your hair around the curling barrel yourself. The airflow does most of the work for you.

However, perhaps the biggest downside, and the reason I’ve never taken the leap and invested in one myself, is the price. The most basic version of the Airwrap, the Dyson Airwrap Origin multi-styler and dryer, retails for £399.99.

Since its launch, plenty of brands have spotted the success of Dyson‘s airflow styling technology and created their own versions. One in particular caught my eye on Amazon because it retails for just £99 – quite a steal in comparison.

The BarberBoss Foldable Hair Dryer and Curler is made by British personal care and grooming brand BarberBoss, which was founded in Birmingham in 2020.

I knew from the outset that this wasn’t going to be a like-for-like replica of the Dyson. But because I wanted to get to grips with airflow styling and see what all the fuss was about, it felt like a sensible entry point. As an added bonus, this compact dryer and styler is designed with travel in mind. It’s lightweight, folds away neatly and, along with all of its attachments, packs into a handy travel pouch that can easily be thrown into a suitcase or weekend bag.

I’ve only ever used a Dyson Airwrap once, during a stay at a hotel in London, and if I’m honest, I found it quite difficult to get to grips with at first. Spending close to £400 on something I wasn’t even sure I’d master didn’t feel like the wisest decision. A more affordable alternative felt like a much easier way to dip my toe into the world of airflow multi-stylers.

But with both products claiming to offer professional-looking results using high-speed airflow technology, despite sitting at completely different ends of the market when it comes to price and positioning, I was keen to find out whether the £99 option could really deliver results that felt comparable to the Dyson experience.

I put the BarberBoss Foldable Hair Dryer and Curler to the test by making it part of my everyday routine. I swapped out my old hair dryer and compared it to my trusty curling tongs to see whether it could realistically replace either.

I also drew on my previous experience using a Dyson Airwrap to compare the overall styling experience.

Along the way, I considered the weight, size and how practical it would be to travel with. I looked at the attachments included in the box, how intuitive they were to use, and whether the overall package offered good value for money compared with competitors.

On arrival, the BarberBoss Hair Dryer is beautifully packaged in a sleek presentation box, with the styler and each attachment sitting neatly in their own compartments. Instructions are included to guide you through assembly, although it’s genuinely straightforward. Each attachment simply clicks on and off the end of the dryer. It also comes with a black zip-up travel pouch that comfortably holds everything.

The first thing that struck me was just how compact it is. Measuring 13 x 3 x 42.5 centimetres and weighing 1.5kg, it’s remarkably lightweight and easy to imagine slipping into a suitcase. That said, it is still a little heavier than the Airwrap, which is advertised as weighing 0.61kg.

It goes without saying that this isn’t a like-for-like replica of a Dyson product, though. My experience with the Dyson Airwrap is fairly limited, but I did notice some clear differences between the two products. That said, on first impressions, they do look surprisingly similar. Both have a sleek, modern design, contrasting chrome colourways and detachable styling heads. Both utilise high-speed motors capable of reaching up to 110,000 RPM and are designed to perform multiple styling functions from a single device.

Each offers drying, smoothing and curling capabilities while aiming to reduce reliance on excessive heat. However, once you spend more time with them, some key differences in design and technology begin to emerge, and those differences may be enough to justify the premium price for some people.

One of the things I love most about the BarberBoss is its portability. Thanks to the foldable handle, it would easily fit into hand luggage without taking up valuable space or adding too much weight. It essentially eliminates the need to pack both a hair dryer and a curling tool, combining them into a single device. It’s also small enough to slip into a gym bag, and at home I’ve found it much easier to store than my old bulky dryer because it folds away so neatly. The travel bag is another thoughtful touch that is equally useful for weekends away as it is for keeping everything tidy in my bedroom.

The BarberBoss arrives as a complete five-in-one package, including a styling concentrator, anti-frizz nozzle, left and right auto-wrap curling barrels and a primary drying attachment. That means there’s plenty of versatility straight out of the box and lots of opportunities to experiment with different hairstyles without needing to buy anything extra.

The Dyson Airwrap Origin includes a more streamlined set of attachments, featuring a 40mm Airwrap barrel, a smoothing brush and a fast dryer attachment.

In my experience, both products take some experimentation and patience, particularly when it comes to the curling barrels. Thankfully, there are plenty of YouTube tutorials featuring the Dyson Airwrap, and because the styling method is very similar between the two products, I found it easy to pick up useful tips and techniques.

Once I got the hang of it, I really liked the results. The curling barrels worked surprisingly well on my thick hair, although I did need to section it carefully to make sure I wasn’t trying to curl too much at once. The finished look is much looser than what I’d get from my regular curling tongs – more of a soft beachy wave or salon-style blowout – but that’s exactly what these products are designed to create, and it’s a look I genuinely enjoyed.

I was also surprised by how quickly it dried and styled my hair. Each section took no more than a couple of minutes, which meant I could dry and style at the same time rather than tackling them as two separate jobs. It definitely speeds up the process, though I would still reach for my tongs if I wanted more defined curls or extra precision around my fringe.

Drying is where this product really won me over. Compared with my old hair dryer, it’s significantly lighter and far less cumbersome to use. Gone are the days of standing in front of the mirror with an aching arm halfway through drying my hair. It’s also noticeably faster and quieter. I genuinely couldn’t believe I could go from soaking wet hair to completely dry in under 10 minutes. Considering my hair is both long and thick, that’s something my old dryer could never achieve.

However, if you dig into the technology and specifications, you’ll find that Dyson’s biggest advantage lies in its approach to heat management. Excessive heat remains one of the leading causes of hair damage, particularly for colour-treated or chemically processed hair. The Airwrap claims to continuously measure airflow temperature and regulate heat to help prevent extreme thermal exposure. This level of monitoring is one of the product’s strongest selling points and contributes significantly to its reputation as a hair-health-focused styling tool.

The BarberBoss also promotes gentler styling through airflow technology and offers multiple temperature settings, including a cold-shot function and a hot-and-cold cycling mode. However, it does not offer the same level of advanced temperature monitoring found in the Dyson system. If you have particularly fragile or damaged hair, that distinction could be an important consideration and may make the higher price worthwhile.

Given its price point, I came away genuinely impressed by the BarberBoss. As someone who is only just getting to grips with airflow styling, I think it’s a fantastic entry point into the category. It’s lightweight, portable and easy to store, but what surprised me most was how powerful it feels.

For me, it’s proved to be an excellent alternative to the much more expensive option and has very easily replaced my old clunky hair dryer.

It probably won’t completely replace my curling tongs, but it’s become my go-to on busy mornings when I want styled hair without spending ages drying and then reaching for a second tool. Being able to dry and style at the same time is a real time-saver.

That said, there is a learning curve, particularly when it comes to mastering the curling barrels.

There’s also no way of knowing yet how it will hold up over the years or whether it will match the lifespan of a Dyson product (that’s something I’ll have to report back on in the future). But so far it’s done exactly what it promised to do, I’ve genuinely enjoyed using it, and considering the price, I think it gives the Dyson a surprisingly good run for its money.

However, if it’s Dyson’s advanced technology and focus on heat protection that appeal most to you, then the splurge may well be worth it.