Nicky Clarke AirStyle PRO review: effortless, beautiful curls with this 2-in-1 hair dryer and styler
TL;DR: The Nicky Clarke AirStyle Pro is lighter and more powerful than both the Dyson AirWrap and the Shark FlexStyle, and the results are stunning.
I’ve spent a small fortune over the decades trying out the best hair curlers, the best hair straighteners, and the best hair dryers in my quest to achieve beautiful, bouncy curls at home. In fact, you could say my mission started at the age of 10 after my mum finally gave in to my demands for a corkscrew perm (it was the late 80’s).
You see, once the perm fried my hair to within an inch of its life, I swore I’d never repeat the process again, and so began a lifelong journey to finding the perfect hair curling tool. That’s also when my love/hate relationship with hair tools started, because who here hasn’t experienced the incredible high you feel after finding a tool that does what it promises, along with the crushing disappointment that comes with spending your hard-earned cash on a hair tool that doesn’t work as well as you’d hoped?
So, when I saw a 10 second video demo of the new Nicky Clarke AirStyle PRO Infrared & Ionic Hair Dryer & Styler in action – giving the user big, gorgeous, apparently effortless curls in seconds – I knew I had to get my hands on one pronto. Once I did, it didn’t disappoint. In fact, I’m going on record to say it might just be my favourite hair tool of all time. Read on to find out why.
NICKY CLARKE AIRSTYLE PRO REVIEW: PRICE AND AVAILABILITY
The Nicky Clarke AirStyle PRO is now available to buy in the UK for a recommended retail price of ￡249.99 from nickyclarke.com and Amazon UK. It's also available to buy in the US for a recommended retail price of $349.99 from Amazon US.
NICKY CLARKE AIRSTYLE PRO REVIEW: UNBOXING AND DESIGN
First off, I need to express my love for the premium packaging on this dryer which screams luxuriousness and sexiness in equal measure while simultaneously welcoming you to ‘the future of Air Care’ (yes, I’m calling cardboard sexy – see the proof in my unboxing video below).
Inside the box, you’ll find an even sexier black and chrome hair dryer, a detailed instruction manual, and four styling accessories including two Aircurl styling attachments that utilise airflow to create curls and waves, one Concentrator nozzle for precision blow drying, and one Curly Hair Diffuser that gently dries, adds volume, defines curls, and reduces frizz.
Weighing in at an incredibly lightweight 350 grams (under 12 ounces) without attachments, the professional-grade Nicky Clarke AirStyle PRO hair dryer has a T-shaped design that’s sleek and compact, with self-cleaning capabilities for optimal performance and longevity, plus a 2.8-metre 360° swivel power cord for flexible styling maneuverability.
On the front of the barrel, you’ll see three easy to reach buttons consisting of a cool shot function at the top, a temperature button in the middle offering three heat settings, and a speed button at the bottom providing three speeds for customisable styling for all hair types. Even better, these buttons light up via super bright LEDs for easy and precise control of the settings.
You’ll also find an on/off switch on the back of the barrel featuring the very welcome bonus of a lock setting when you flick it all the way to the top to ensure you can’t accidentally change the heat and speed settings or hit the cool shot button whilst drying your hair.
NICKY CLARKE AIRSTYLE PRO REVIEW: FEATURES
Designed to deliver a salon-worthy blow dry in the comfort of your home, the Nicky Clarke AirStyle PRO boasts innovative features that combine cutting-edge technology with convenience for optimal usability.
It’s powered by a salon-strength 2000-watt motor utilising brushless technology for a super powerful airflow that’s said to speed up drying and styling time while protecting your hair with infrared and ionic tech. In spite of all that power, it also manages to operate at a very quiet 74 dB.
The AirStyle Pro claims its infrared tech helps to promote blood circulation and reduce styling stress on the hair cuticle by drying hair faster at a lower temperature while offering anti-inflammatory benefits for healthier hair and scalp. Additionally, the ceramic air inlet and ionic conditioning keep your hair smooth and frizz-free while infusing your locks with shine, eliminating static electricity, and minimising heat damage.
Finally, the cool shot function helps to seal the hair cuticle for a natural shine while setting your style in place for all day hold. Best of all, you only need to press the cool shot button once for it to work, unlike many stylers and hair dryers which require you to keep your finger on the button.
NICKY CLARKE AIRSTYLE PRO REVIEW: PERFORMANCE
The Nicky Clarke AirStyle Pro provides a fantastic balance between power and heat and will do wonders for the condition and appearance of your hair while drastically speeding up your styling time.
Without a doubt, the infrared and ionic tech helps to leave hair looking and feeling sleek, healthy, super soft and shiny, whichever attachment you use and however you style your hair. But it’s the little, thoughtful details that make all the difference to the user experience.
I love the lock on the on/off switch which prevents you from accidentally hitting the temperature, speed, and cold shot buttons when you’re blow drying your hair, along with the really bright LED lights that let me see at a glance which heat and speed settings I’m working with (I can’t wear my glasses when I’m styling my hair so things can get fuzzy and confusing pretty quickly).
I also love how incredibly lightweight and easy on the ears the AirStyle Pro is (my dog doesn’t run for the hills when I’m using it), and I really love the cool shot button which activates with a single touch and doesn’t require me to keep holding it down.
But the absolute highlight for me must be the two AirCurl attachments which, bizarrely, Nicky Clarke only gives a cursory mention to on their website. The brand says these attachments utilise ‘airflow to create effortless curls and waves’, and that certainly sounds similar to the airflow-based Coanda technology used in the Dyson AirWrap and the Shark FlexStyle that sees air blown out of the slits in the curlers to attract hair around the barrel and make it cling to the surface.
Now, while I haven’t used the Dyson AirWrap before (so I can’t compare it to the Nicky Clarke AirStyle Pro), I have tested the Shark FlexStyle. And while it’s fair to say I had to spend hours and hours watching tutorials of the FlexStyle and playing around with different hair products and the dampness/dryness of my hair to get any sort of successful results with the latter, no effort was required when using the AirStyle Pro.
On my first use, I just held sections of my hair near to the Aircurl accessories (there’s one for the left side of your hair and one for the right), and they were immediately sucked towards them and started curling nicely around the attachment. It didn’t matter if my hair was a bit wetter or if it had dried out a bit during my styling time, and I didn’t have to experiment with using loads of styling products or with pinning my curls up afterwards to make the style hold either.
I simply washed my hair, applied heat protector, got the tool out of the box, plugged it in, and off I went grabbing sections of hair and curling them. Moreover, each curl was consistent in its shape and longevity, and the result was a beautiful head of curls on my first attempt.
I can’t explain for sure why the AirStyle Pro’s Aircurl attachments work so well. Maybe it’s the longer length, or the shape, or the slits in the attachments, or the greater power behind the airflow (the Dyson AirWrap has 1200 watts of power; the Shark FlexStyle boasts 1600 watts of power; and the AirStyle Pro has 2000 watts of power). Either way, Nicky Clarke isn’t saying, and I don’t really care. I’m in love, and my search to find the best hair curling tool can finally be called off.
NICKY CLARKE AIRSTYLE PRO REVIEW: VERDICT
The Nicky Clarke AirStyle Pro Infrared & Ionic Hair Dryer & Styler is both lighter and more powerful than the Dyson AirWrap and the Shark FlexStyle. The result is effortless drying and styling that won’t give you arm ache but will deliver all the amazing hair straightening, defining, and curling results you could possibly wish for.
Additionally, the AirStyle Pro possesses infrared & ionic technology to boost the health of your hair and scalp by promoting blood circulation, reducing styling stress on the hair cuticle, minimising heat damage, and offering anti-inflammatory benefits while leaving your hair shiny, smooth, and frizz-free. In short, this tool is hard to beat.