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As someone who has thick, wavy, and downright uncooperative hair that turns into straw when subjected to any form of heat styling, I had given up on believing there would be a tool that could save me from my haircare woes a long time ago. Then, I was introduced to the Dyson Supersonic—a powerful, fast-working and damage-reducing hair dryer that transformed my unruly strands into soft, shiny and healthy locks for the first time in a decade—a feat I never imagined possible. As it turns out, some things just keep getting better.
Dyson launched a new intelligent version of its original Supersonic Hair Dryer back in spring 2024, and it’s even more impressive. The new and improved Dyson Supersonic Nural is engineered with intuitive, smart features that protect hair and scalp, enhance shine, and, most importantly, dry your hair in record time without leaving damage in its path. But is the price tag of nearly $500 justified?
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A few months after its launch, I finally got to give the Dyson Supersonic Nural a test run to see if it could tame my tresses. Read below for the results.
What Makes the Dyson Supersonic Nural Unique?
Before I jump into my experience with the Dyson Supersonic Nural, it’s important to note the key features and selling points of this hair dryer. The Dyson Supersonic Nural comes with three innovative styling features that sets it apart from its predecessors: scalp protect mode, attachment learning, and pause detect.
Scalp Protect Mode: In scalp protect mode, the Nural is designed to adjust and reduce its temperature setting as it gets closer to your scalp. This all works by an invisible time-of-flight sensor that measures the distance between the dryer and your scalp. By protecting your scalp, the dryer also protects your scalp’s precious moisture levels, which contribute to overall hair health and appearance. However, it’s worth noting that the scalp protect mode doesn’t work with all the attachments, specifically the flyaway attachment, wide-tooth comb, and wave+curl diffuser.
Learning Attachment: With the Nural’s learning attachment, the dryer is able to remember the last heat and airflow setting you used with each styling attachment, automatically applying those same settings each time that attachment is in use, and that consistency is worth its weight in gold.
Pause Setting: From checking our phones to co-managing our skincare and beauty routine, we all need to take breaks while drying our hair. That’s why the Dyson Supersonic Nural’s pause setting is such a game-changer. If you put the dryer down, the Nural turns off the heat and decreases airflow and noise, so you can take a sip of that morning coffee or apply your daily foundation. When you pick it up again, the dryer powers right back up to its last setting without skipping a beat.
Speed You Wouldn’t Believe + Damage-Reducing Technology
With locks as thick as I have, conventional dryers typically take around a good 25 to 30 minutes to dry my hair, and that’s before I go in and finish it up with a curling iron or straightener.
With the Dyson Supersonic Nural, if I want to get a super quick, basic dry, I can knock it out in about 10 to 12 minutes on the high-temperature setting. If I’m taking my time to style my hair, it takes about 15 minutes to 20 minutes for a salon-quality blowout.
I recommend the medium heat setting if you’re looking to save time but also want to style your hair with some patience and practice along the way. It may take some time to get a system down, but once you do, you’ll be able to knock out a drying session much faster than you would with a traditional hair dryer.
Next-Level Shine
What I found most impressive about the Dyson Supersonic Nural is that my hair health was visibly improving over the course of about a month. It went from a straw-like texture with brittle ends and flyaways to smooth, silky locks with moisture locked in that I’d only have to style every four to five days. Even my stylist was amazed by the improvement of my hair from one styling session to the next.
Curly-Hair-Approved
As someone who has walked around with waves that just looked deflated and dull, I was hoping I would find an attachment with the Dyson Supersonic Nural that could enliven and energize my so-so waves and give them the bounce and body that I hadn’t seen in a long time. The new wave+curl diffuser attachment that comes with the Nural is the answer to my prayers. I’ve had a love-hate relationship with diffusers in the past, but this easy-to-use attachment isn’t like other diffusers—it’s equipped with two modes.
The dome mode, my favorite of the two, draws airflow away from the scalp, spinning air in and around the curls to promote and infuse smoother, longer waves, curls, and coils with bouncier, rounded, shapelier ends. The regular diffuse mode helps create more body and volume with your textured curls, which is typical of most diffusers. I found it great when used in conjunction with dome mode. In other words, you don’t have to choose between the two and they actually work brilliantly together to create volume, body, bounce, and definition.
I wish I could say that I was naturally gifted when it comes to doing my hair, but for most of my life, I’ve struggled to achieve the results I want unless I’m paying a premium at the salon. Believe me, I long for the day when I can afford to get a blowout twice a week. Until that day, I’m left to fend for my own hair, but thanks to the Dyson Supersonic Nural, that job is now so much easier.
What I Liked:
- The design: As a ’90s kiddo who appreciated clear, see-through electronics, I loved the transparent backing near the handle that illuminates each heat setting – a vibrant and welcome design addition. The Nural color palettes you get to choose from, from a turquoise-esque hue, along with a rose gold and cobalt blue, also make this hair dryer a pretty piece to add to any collection.
- The attachments: Let’s face it: a hair dryer lives and dies by its attachments, and the Dyson Supersonic Nural comes with five that address a variety of needs.
- Healthier hair: I was impressed with how my once-frizzy, flat hair recaptured bouncy, defined waves just by using this tool.
What I Didn’t Like:
- The price: There’s no way around it: $500 is a lot to spend on a hair dryer, but if you’re looking for an innovative tool that does it all and is willing to put in the financial investment, you won’t find a better dryer than this.
- Heavy in the handle: The Dyson Supersonic Nural might look lightweight, but it carried some weight in its handle that, if held for a long time, does tend to wear on you.
The Verdict
The Dyson Supersonic Nural is the best Dyson hair dryer we’ve seen on the market thus far, including its comparable predecessor, the Dyson Supersonic. The combination of the smart features along with the gentle, hair-aware drying that promotes and protects scalp and hair health is unlike any we’ve seen before. If you’re someone who struggles with styling, this damage-free hair dryer will get you the results you’re looking for, with a slight learning curve you’ll quickly overcome.
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