Since the Dyson AirWrap launched back in 2018, almost everyone has tried to get their hands on the coveted styler – or have looked for alternatives to get similar styling power at a cheaper price.
One such hair tool is the Revamp Professional Dynamic Pro Blow Dry 7-in-1 Ionic Air Styler – wow, what a mouthful. Aside from the insanely long name, the Revamp Ionic Air Styler (which is what I’ll call it from now on to save my sanity) promises similar results to the Dyson AirWrap at a smaller price tag.
After testing the Revamp Ionic Air Styler for a few weeks, it’s definitely one of the best AirWrap alternatives out there and it even has a few features that the Dyson model doesn’t have. So, can it take on the Dyson AirWrap or the Shark FlexStyle? Let’s see…
Revamp Ionic Air Styler review: price and availability
The Revamp Ionic Air Styler costs £179.99 and is available to buy at Revamp and select retailers like Boots, Currys, Argos and Very. While this isn’t a price that I would necessarily call ‘cheap’, it’s more inexpensive compared to the Dyson AirWrap’s £479.99 and the Shark FlexStyle’s £299.99.
At time of writing, the Revamp Ionic Air Styler has been discounted to £120, so it gets regular price cuts if you want to buy it for cheaper.
Revamp Ionic Air Styler review: unboxing
The Revamp Ionic Air Styler comes in attractive packaging, and features the main air styler body, a travel beauty bag and six interchangeable attachments. The accessories include an oval blow dry brush, a straight and shape paddle brush, a retractable bristle brush, a ProAir precision concentrator, and two auto air curl barrels – one for left and one for right.
When I unboxed the Revamp Ionic Air Styler, I was surprised by the size of the attachments, and the sheer amount of brushes that there are. There’s a nice selection of accessories to play with – although I’d maybe say there were one too many brushes – and they all felt well made and high quality.
I also thought some of the brushes were a bit chunky, and found it a little odd that it came with two curl barrels for the different airflow directions. The Airwrap only has one barrel and you can change the air direction by twisting the top of the attachment when it’s attached to the styler.
Revamp Ionic Air Styler review: design and features
The Revamp Ionic Air Styler has a similar design to the AirWrap, where the main body of the styler houses the controls, and you attach the accessories on the top. The Revamp Ionic Air Styler comes in a pink-gold colourway that looks pretty and is comfortable to hold – it’s not as light as the AirWrap but it’s certainly not heavy, either.
Powered by a digital intelligent brushless motor, the Revamp Ionic Air Styler expels extreme air volume up to 110,000 rpm. It has three heat settings and three speed settings to choose from, a cold shot and pause function which are all easy to control and customise by the buttons on the main body of the styler. An on/off button is also towards the bottom of the styler, while the top has two sliders that lock and unlock the attachments and twist the handle to turn the Revamp Ionic Air Styler into a hair dryer.
Suitable for all hair types, the barrel and attachments of the Revamp Ionic Air Styler are infused with Progloss super smooth keratin, argan and coconut oils – something that Revamp adds to many of its hair tools to help improve the health of the hair.
Revamp Ionic Air Styler review: performance
As someone who regularly uses my Dyson AirWrap, I was excited to try the Revamp Ionic Air Styler to see how it performed in comparison. I initially found that the Revamp Ionic Air Styler was slightly heavier than the AirWrap, but enjoyed the weight and feel of it, as it was comfortable to hold and easy to use.
One thing I think the Revamp Ionic Air Styler excels in is its adjustable controls. It has many heat and speed settings to choose from – all of which aren’t too noisy, even at the highest levels – and the buttons are large enough that they’re easy to press but not too big that they take over the entire styler. The cold shot could get colder, but the best part of the Revamp Ionic Air Styler is its twist handle.
The Revamp Ionic Air Styler comes with a concentrator attachment, which I was initially confused by as it seemed strange to dry your hair with the styler standing upright. But the Revamp Ionic Air Styler cleverly twists to become a hair dryer, which makes it much easier, comfortable and effective to use for drying. It also came in handy with some of the brush attachments, too.
The barrels are what I was most interested in, as the AirWrap’s barrel is my favourite accessory to use. I found that the Revamp Ionic Air Styler’s curl barrels were really effective and gave tight, bouncy ringlets and waves. The only criticism I have of them is that they could come in different sizes – I have quite thin hair so it wasn’t an issue for the barrel to catch it, but for people with longer and thicker hair, I think they might struggle to get their locks around the barrel.
I found the Revamp Ionic Air Styler to be very powerful and to dry hair quickly. The brushes give a new blow dry – although I still think there doesn’t need to be as many as there are. The main issue with the attachments is that they’re very chunky and get very hot, regardless of the heat that you use.
Revamp Ionic Air Styler review: verdict
If you’re looking for a good quality AirWrap or FlexStyle alternative which won’t break the bank, then the Revamp Ionic Air Styler is one that I’d recommend. It has an attractive design, handy accessories and it’s more adjustable than the AirWrap, thanks to its twist handle. It has a few teething problems it could work on like the overheating and size of attachments, but it’s hard to beat it considering the price.
Revamp Ionic Air Styler review: alternatives to consider
I’ve mentioned the Dyson AirWrap and the Shark FlexStyle constantly throughout this review, so I’d recommend these two as alternatives – although you will be paying double and almost triple if you buy them. I’d also suggest looking at our list of Dyson AirWrap alternatives, as we’ve found some great picks from BondiBoost, Bellissima, Revlon and more.
