dailynewsnblog
Tell most hair-care enthusiasts you want to upgrade your hair dryer, and I’d bet good money you’ll be asked, “Will you buy a Dyson?” That would have been a ludicrous question more than a decade ago when the brand specialised in vacuum cleaners, but not since it took the luxury hair-care market by storm in 2016 with its Supersonic hair dryer.
The Supersonic ripped up the hair-dryer rulebook, with its distinctive design, lightweight feel and quiet operation. Eight years after the original, Dyson launched the Supersonic Nural: an upgraded version with new tricks up its sleeve.
Upgrading to one of the best hair dryers is still one of my top beauty tips: they’re better at controlling heat levels and dry hair faster. All the same, is there really any need to spend up to £400?
Having put the Supersonic Nural hair dryer through its paces and compared it with 19 other hair dryers that I tested, I was mostly impressed. Still, a few niggles ensure it’s not a recommendation without caveats.
How I tested
Over the month I tested the Supersonic Nural, I took note of the look, feel and finish of my hair. I timed how long it took to rough-dry hair and achieve a smooth blow-dry, and judged the effectiveness of the scalp-protect mode, as well as the versatility and intuitiveness of the controls for more precise styling.
I also used all of the attachments. In each case, I was hoping to dry my hair quickly, leaving it with minimal frizz and feeling healthy. Comfort was also a factor: I didn’t want my arms to ache or to feel any wrist strain in use.
For more quantitative test results, I used an anemometer to measure the Supersonic Nural’s top wind speed, plus a sound meter to assess noise levels from 15cm away. I popped this data into my comparison spreadsheet to see how the hair dryer measured up to the competition.
What you need to know
Dyson hair dryers are notoriously expensive. Prices start at £219 for the original Supersonic with its concentrator nozzle attachment, and climb to £450 for the latest Supersonic R hair dryer – the smallest, lightest and most powerful model that Dyson offers.
Sitting slightly below the Supersonic R is the £400 Supersonic Nural. As with its stablemates, it comes with intelligent heat control to prevent the excessive temperatures that can damage hair, and uses Dyson’s patented Air Multiplier technology to draw in surrounding air through the ring shape, for a claimed three times more airflow over models with a conventional shape.
The Nural uses the Dyson Digital Motor V9, the same motor as the original Supersonic. This is marginally heavier and less powerful than the Hyperdymium motor in the brand’s Supersonic R hair dryer, but still spins at a whopping 110,000 RPM. That’s plenty fast enough for most people.
On a basic level, the Nural has three speed levels, three heat settings and a continuous cool shot. All these can be controlled by small buttons on the rear of the dryer, alongside a button that turns scalp-protect mode on and off. On the handle, there’s a dedicated cool shot button and a power switch. It has a 2.62m cord, which is perfect for home use.
The most tangible difference between the original and the Nural is its scalp-protect mode. This sees the device adjust the temperature of the air based on the dryer’s proximity to the scalp: the closer it gets, the lower the temperature goes. This means you never burn your scalp or frazzle any of the delicate new strands as they grow. Dyson claims this strengthens the scalp barrier, balances oils on the scalp, and reduces visible flakes and shedding.
Another clever addition is pause detect, which automatically slows the dryer down when it’s placed on a surface. This is ideal for those who section their hair while drying, or place the dryer down during a round-brush blow-dry.
Dyson offers eight different magnetic attachments for the Nural. Whether you buy the version for straight and wavy or for curly and coily hair, you’ll find five attachments in the box, with others available to buy separately.
All the Nural’s attachments have RFID tags that are programmed with the ideal heat and speed settings, eliminating any guesswork on the user’s part. If you prefer to tweak the settings, it will then remember these the next time you use that attachment.
That, alongside the high-end design, is one of the main reasons to invest in a Dyson hair dryer over other high-end options. Most of its competitors only include a concentrator nozzle and diffuser, with the closest equivalent in attachment range being the £220 Shark SpeedStyle Pro. The Shark also features a Scalp Shield mode, but it’s not automatic or proximity-based like the Nural’s. Instead it’s activated via a button on the handle (so no different from simply reducing the temperature on any old dryer).
Specifications
Power: 1,600W
Motor speed: 110,000 RPM
Temperature settings: three, plus a cold shot
Speed settings: three
Attachments:
Straight + Wavy version: diffuser, flyaway smoother, smoothing nozzle, gentle air attachment, concentrator nozzle
Curly + Coily version: gentle air attachment, wave+curl diffuser, wide-tooth comb, flyaway attachment, concentrator nozzle
Weight: 485g (without wire)
Maximum wind speed (tested): 29.2m/s
Volume range (tested): 75-81dB
What we love
There’s much to like about the Supersonic Nural. Its design is attractive – it’s made from a lightweight-but-sturdy plastic, with a metallic finish that screams high-end. I tested the Nural in the limited-edition Amber Silk colour, but it’s also available in blush pink, navy or dark blue. There have been various limited-edition colours, too, so it’s always worth checking the Dyson website before you buy.
Its vegan leather presentation case – which is free in some limited editions, but costs £60 separately – is another luxury. It houses all the attachments – bar one, which I’ll moan about momentarily. If you prefer to ditch the case, the dryer is compact enough to fit in most vanity drawers.
The Nural is staggeringly quiet, with volume levels ranging between 75 and 81dB in my tests. That makes it the second quietest hair dryer I’ve tested, just a touch louder than the Cloud Nine Airshot Pro on its fastest settings.
I adored the scalp-protect mode, which made drying my hair comfortable and allowed me to disengage during the process. This isn’t a luxury I get with most hair dryers, which require me to manually lower the temperature at the scalp, or suffer the consequences.
The dryer took about seven minutes to rough-dry my hair, which is a few minutes slower than the most powerful hair dryers I’ve tested. However, my hair was left feeling smooth and healthy, with the flyaway attachment quickly handling any rogue hairs for an effortless finish that lasted until my next wash. The magnetic attachments were easy to swap, and the automatic settings meant I could make the most of them without faff.
I’m not a fan of doing round-brush blow-drys: I haven’t quite got the knack of using a round brush, so I’m often left sweating profusely, with my arms feeling as if I’ve done 40 reps by the end. But the Supersonic Nural’s lightweight, evenly weighted design made sure my arms and wrists didn’t feel the strain, even when tackling the tricky spots on the top of my head. And when sectioning my hair, the pause detect was an invaluable little luxury that I’ll miss when I’m using a different hair dryer.
The results from the blow-dry were beautifully smooth, with plenty of volume where I wanted it. The Dyson’s speed settings provided extra control when styling the shorter hairs that frame my face, and the cool shot set the style quickly. My hair felt noticeably smoother than usual, thanks to having been dried with more gentle heat.
What we don’t love
Let’s start with the obvious: the Supersonic Nural is expensive. At full price, you’ll be splashing out about £400 (although you could find one for about £300 at the time of writing). There’s definitely no need to spend that much, with plenty of equally powerful options available for less in our test of the best hair dryers.
If you have a sensitive scalp and are tired of accidentally scorching it, no other hair dryer offers the same automation as Dyson’s scalp-protect mode. That said, the sensor isn’t flawless. During testing, it would sometimes lower the temperature when there was no need to. Mercifully, it never incorrectly increased the temperature in my tests, but I found the random lower temperatures slightly frustrating, since this added to overall drying times. You can easily disable scalp protect mode, of course, but you’d be missing out on one of the key selling points.
Another gripe was that the presentation case – as gorgeous as it looks – didn’t have enough space to store all the attachments. No matter how much rejigging I did, I couldn’t get the diffuser attachment to fit, meaning I had to let it gather dust on top of the case. For a case this expensive, that isn’t good enough.
Finally – and this is nitpicking – when I unboxed the hair dryer, I was prompted to download the MyDyson app. Now, I’m not a fan of having random apps clogging up my phone, but I will be happy to do so if useful features are on offer. Sadly, all you get with the Supersonic Nural is styling and maintenance advice – which is available online. If you buy the Nural, do yourself a favour and skip the app.
Warranty and repairs
All Dyson hair-care products, including the Supersonic Nural, are covered by a two-year warranty. During that time, Dyson will repair or replace your hair dryer if it stops working. You can also buy spare parts and replacement attachments from Dyson, which arrive with a one-year warranty.
As with all Dyson hair stylers, the Nural has a filter that needs cleaning once a month, or when you see the LED cleaning light switch on. This is easy to do: remove the filter cover at the bottom of the hair dryer’s handle and gently clear out any dust with a small cleaning brush. If necessary, you can use soapy water, but you’ll need to wait for the filter to fully dry before reassembling. Full cleaning instructions can be found in the instruction manual or on Dyson’s YouTube channel.
You can also find product-specific troubleshooting tips on the Dyson support page, which is exactly where you’ll be directed if you download the app, so I recommend skipping the middleman. Dyson also has a helpline (0800 298 0298) where you can book a repair if your model is under warranty.
If your Dyson kicks the bucket after its warranty expires, all isn’t necessarily lost. Secondhand sites such as Sell My Dyson will buy old Dyson hair dryers, to stop all the parts from going to waste.
Should I buy the Dyson Supersonic Nural?
There’s no getting past it – the Supersonic Nural is a brilliant hair dryer that is well suited to people with sensitive scalps. Scalp burn and frazzled hair will be a thing of the past; it’s staggeringly quiet with an attractive design, a clever pause-detect feature and a brilliant range of attachments. It’s a clear cut above hair dryers of old. Whether that’s worth £400 will, of course, depend on your budget.
I’m not convinced. In fact, you can get a very good hair dryer for far less. For less than £150, you can buy the Head Jog Futaria hair dryer, which is lighter and faster. Or you could opt for the reliable Hershesons hair dryer, which is my top pick for most people. However, if you want to splash out on a luxury hair dryer and you have a sensitive scalp, you certainly won’t regret buying the Supersonic Nural.
For more:
The best hair dryers for smooth and speedy styling
The best hot brushes for a salon finish at home
The best hair straighteners for foolproof styling
Sarah Matthews is a consumer journalist who specialises in health and beauty reviews. In her four years of product testing, she’s worked her way through countless hair styling, hair removal, light therapy and skincare tools. Outside work, you’ll find her screaming from the rooftops about the importance of using heat-protection spray every time you dry your hair
