Multi-Stylers & Dupes
What Each Airwrap and Air Styler Attachment Actually Does
Buying the wrong configuration is the most common way to be disappointed by one of these tools.
Updated September 2026 · Sawyer V.
Curling barrels wrap and set curls. Smoothing brushes flatten and de-frizz. A round volumizing brush lifts at the root. A concentrator dries fast in one direction, and a diffuser dries curls without disturbing them. Most people use two of these regularly and buy six.
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The attachment is the tool
Air stylers are sold as bundles, and the bundle is where most of the price variation lives. Dyson publishes curling barrels, smoothing brushes, a round volumizing brush and a drying nozzle for the Airwrap Complete Long. Shark ships a configurable set for the FlexStyle — auto-wrap curlers, an oval brush, a paddle brush, a concentrator and a diffuser — chosen at purchase.
Since the handle is broadly the same across configurations, the real decision you are making is which attachments you will use. Get that wrong and you have bought an expensive handle.
What each one does
Attachment types and what they are for
| Attachment | What it does | Use it if |
|---|---|---|
| Curling barrel | Airflow wraps hair around the barrel and dries it into a curl | Curls or waves are the reason you are buying the tool |
| Smoothing brush (firm) | Flattens and de-frizzes on longer, coarser hair | Your main complaint is frizz rather than shape |
| Smoothing brush (soft) | Gentler smoothing for fine or fragile hair | Firm bristles pull too much on your hair |
| Round volumizing brush | Lifts at the root and adds body | Flat roots are the problem, which is most fine hair |
| Concentrator / drying nozzle | Narrow, directed airflow for fast drying | You want the tool to also dry your hair |
| Diffuser | Spreads airflow so curls dry undisturbed | You have a natural curl pattern to preserve |
| Wide-tooth comb | Stretches textured hair as it dries | You are stretching coily hair before pressing it |
Barrel size, the one number to get right
Curling barrels come in different diameters and the rule is the same as for curling irons: smaller wraps more turns into the same length, producing a tighter curl that holds longer. Larger produces looser waves.
Hair length changes the answer. Long hair has more weight pulling the shape out, so the same barrel gives a looser result than it would on shoulder-length hair. If your curls keep dropping, the barrel is more often the problem than the technique. The equivalent discussion for irons is at the curling irons hub.
Dyson also sells the Airwrap in short and long configurations, where the long version has longer barrels. Buying the short set for waist-length hair is a common and expensive mistake.
What you will actually use
Honestly: two of them. Most people settle into one shaping attachment and one drying attachment, and the rest live in the box. That is not an argument against the tool, but it is an argument for buying the configuration that matches what you already do with your hair rather than the one that covers everything.
- Curls are the goal? Barrels in the size that matches your length, plus a concentrator.
- Smooth blowout is the goal? A round volumizing brush and a smoothing brush. You may not need barrels at all — and if that describes you, a hot air brush may be the better buy entirely.
- Natural curls to preserve? A diffuser, and possibly nothing else.
Cleaning them
Airflow-based tools have filters, and product residue plus lint on a filter restricts airflow — which on a tool whose entire mechanism is airflow means it stops working properly. This is the single most common reason one of these feels like it has lost power, and it is fixable in two minutes.
Barrels and brush bristles also collect product build-up that bakes on and changes how heat transfers. Wipe them cool, and do not soak anything with electronics in it.
The tools on this page
Prices come from the live price layer. Where none is available the button says so rather than showing a number we cannot stand behind.
Dyson Airwrap multi-styler (Complete Long)
1,300 W is the lowest published wattage of any mains tool in this registry. That is the design argument, and it is also why it is slow on thick hair.
Shark FlexStyle air styling and drying system
Exactly the same published wattage as the Dyson Supersonic, in a tool that also converts to a dryer — the single strongest number in the dupe argument.
Questions people actually ask
Which Airwrap attachments do I actually need?
For curls, barrels in the size matching your hair length plus a concentrator. For smooth blowouts, a round volumizing brush and a smoothing brush. Most people settle on two attachments and leave the rest in the box.
What barrel size should I use?
Smaller barrels wrap more turns into the same length and give tighter, longer-holding curls. Longer hair has more weight pulling the shape out, so it needs a smaller barrel than you would expect for the same result.
Why has my air styler stopped working properly?
Most often a blocked filter. These tools work entirely by moving air, so lint and product residue restricting the intake makes them feel like they have lost power. Cleaning the filter is the first thing to try.
Do Airwrap attachments fit older models?
Dyson states that new attachments are fully compatible with older versions of the Supersonic hair dryer. For Airwrap barrels, check the specific model on Dyson's own product page rather than assuming.