Bad hair days: who needs them? If you’re somebody who struggles with frizz, like me, then the struggle to dry your locks in a way that doesn’t leave them sticking up every which way is an all-too-real problem.
Fortunately, hair company Cloud Nine may have discovered the answer. The brand's new hairdryer, the Airshot Pro, has just come on the market and promises to deliver endless options for styling and taming even the most unruly of hair.
The hairdryer, which is an upgraded version of the slimline Airshot model, comes packed with all sorts of nifty hardware to make the hair-drying experience as easy – and, crucially, as healthy – as possible by including temperature regulators to protect shine and Ionic Drying technology to prevent frizz (but more on that later).
But how does it stack up in the real world: is it really both lighter and mightier than its predecessors? We set off to find out.
Specs
- Weight: 440g (including cable)
- Power: 1600W
- Cable length: 3m
- Temperatures: Low (39 degrees), Medium (47 degrees), High (85 degrees)
- Voltage: 220-240V
- Accessories: Diffuser, Precise Drying Nozzle, i3 Earbuds
Design
Make no mistake: the Airshot Pro is a very good-looking piece of kit. Matt black and impressively lightweight, it came in a pleasingly sleek, compact box that gradually unfolded to reveal more and more accessories. Ticking the eco-box, it also boasts reduced packaging, which is nice. It oozes class – and it’s also quite small for a hairdryer, making it ideal for storing in my cramped London flat.
The attachments – comprising a slimline precise drying nozzle and a diffuser – also look lovely (they, too, are matt black, making my hair drying experience feel very high-end). Even better, they snap into place magnetically with a satisfying click, while the 3m long cord meant I didn’t have to dry my hair while crouched by the plug socket - always a plus and not always a given when it comes to heated tools.
The dryer itself lets you choose between three fan speeds and three temperatures – hot, medium and cold – which can be cycled through by dint of two discreet buttons. The only issue with the buttons is where they’re placed: on the handle of the dryer. While this was usually fine, I did find that my hand would occasionally slip and turn the temperature and fan speed up and down; not a big deal, but it did get annoying.
Features
The Airshot Pro comes stuffed with a whole lot of features for something that only has two attachments. The hairdryer itself is equipped with Ionic Drying Technology, as well as the patented ‘Cool shot’ feature, which is achieved by pressing down on the temperature button and providing a ‘shot’ of cold air to hold the hair in place once styled.
What is Ionic Drying Technology? It works by reducing the amount of negatively charged particles clinging to every strand of hair, thus reducing frizz and improving shine. Did it work? It’s hard to tell – but frizz levels drastically improved.
That’s not all though. One of the Airshot Pro’s big selling points is its ability to switch between hot and cold hair-drying temperatures – hot for those wanting to style or blow out their hair, colder for people wanting to avoid frizz and set waves. Even better, the dryer switched between temperatures and fan speeds remarkably quickly, making the whole drying experience feel rather seamless and slick.
As one of those people who struggle with frizz, using the dryer’s cold setting with the diffuser attached was a revelation – my hair was suddenly frizz-free, which was wonderful, but the downside was that it took twice as long to dry.
The Airshot Pro’s other big advantage is its volume. We’ve all been there: trying to hold a conversation with a friend while the dryer is blasting at full volume, only to have to abandon it midway through due to noise problems.
That isn’t really a problem here. I don’t know what silencing wizardry the Cloud Nine engineers have worked to make their Eco Precision Motor, but the dryer works remarkably quietly for the power of its fan – and that’s before you use the handy extra earbuds to cut the noise still further. I also appreciated the dryer’s dust-removal setting, which blasts air backwards through the filter to clean out any accumulated dirt, thus extending the dryer’s shelf life.
Verdict
The Cloud Nine Airshot Pro may be an expensive piece of hardware, but with the amount of technology that’s been packed into it, it actually feels like you’re getting a pretty good deal.
In addition to the dryer and attachments – all of which feel robust and look great – the dryer also lives up to its promise of reducing frizz, while also decreasing the amount of heat damage you usually get from blow-drying wet hair once every day or so. Did it improve shine? It was hard to tell – but if you want a high-end drying experience (and know your hairdryers), this is a quality, easy-to-use option that very much blew us away (pun intended).
