From skincare-inspired hair serums to reparative bonding systems, haircare has evolved significantly over the years to meet modern consumer demands. Yet, despite these innovations, the technology behind the essential hair dryer has remained largely unchanged—that is, until now. Enter the Airlight Pro, a cutting-edge tool revolutionizing the way we dry and style our hair.
We chatted with L'Oréal Professionnel artist and Hair.com ambassador Madison Sullivan to learn more about the AirLight Pro. According to Sullivan, this game-changing tool offers faster drying times and custom settings for every hair type. And most importantly, it leaves you with healthy-looking hair with a glossy finish. Keep scrolling to learn why we’re officially declaring this new hair dryer #WorthTheHype.
What Is the AirLight Pro?
The AirLight Pro is the first hair dryer augmented with infrared light that helps quickly dry the hair without damage. By combining the power of light with heat and wind, the technology helps prevent over-drying your strands, leaving hair softer, shinier, more hydrated, and overall healthier-looking.
With wind speeds that can reach up to those of a Category 4 (!) hurricane, the AirLight Pro dries hair exceptionally fast. And don’t worry, despite its high speeds, the dryer won’t cause any storm-like damage. It actually projects air gently onto your strands without roughing up your hair cuticle, meaning it won’t leave you looking like you just stepped out of a wind tunnel. The futuristic device is said to help reduce drying time by up to 14%* while preserving the health and moisture of each strand.
*AirLight Pro vs. leading premium ($200+) hair dryer USA 2023.Good hair day by @abbeyyung.
What Makes AirLight Pro Different Than Other Hair Dryers?
A few things differentiate the AirLight Pro from standard hair dryers, including the drying mechanism, customization capabilities, and ergonomic design. We asked Sullivan to walk us through each of the key features, ahead.
New-age technology
The AirLight Pro uses infrared light to help dry the hair instead of relying solely on convection. For the uninitiated, infrared is a part of the natural light spectrum that carries heat energy. When used on hair, the heat from infrared light is shown to travel faster and more directly into the hair shaft. This dries your hair faster and, by extension, reduces hair’s exposure to damaging heat.
Classic hair dryers, on the other hand, typically use indirect convection heat—aka blowing hot air onto strands—to evaporate water from the inside out. While effective, this method can also strip moisture from your mane, resulting in dreaded concerns like frizz and heat damage. By comparison, the AirLight Pro works to gently remove water from the hair’s surface while still preserving its internal moisture.
Complete personalization
What really sets the AirLight Pro apart, according to Sullivan, is how you can customize the device to suit diverse needs and hair types. Until now, drying your hair has been a fairly universal process: You flick the power on, adjust your airflow and heat level to low, medium, or high, and get to work. Your dryer couldn’t adapt to your strands; instead, it gave you the same amount of energy whether your locks were fine and delicate or coarse and curly. That’s not the case with the AirLight Pro. The device boasts a built-in LCD screen that allows you to toggle between various heat and airflow levels, along with dedicated settings for sleek, curly, and coily hair.
However, no new-age device is really complete without Bluetooth connectivity. Through the app that links to the dryer, users can fine-tune their heat and wind speed settings down to the degree—right from their smartphone.
“The airflow can be adjusted in 5% increments and the heat by 15-20 degrees Fahrenheit to create super specific settings,” Sullivan says. In addition, the dryer auto-adjusts when switching the different attachments, like the concentrator nozzle and diffuser, ensuring you get the proper amount of energy every time. “Choose the best setting for your hair, select [your hair type and] the attachment you’d like—and the AirLight Pro will do the rest.”
Lightweight and comfortable to use
Ask any blowout enthusiast what their least favorite part of drying their hair is, and you’re likely to get one answer: arm fatigue from wrangling a bulky hair dryer. Fortunately, the AirLight Pro may make styling a little less painful. At just 1.7 pounds (the average dryer is about two pounds), the AirLight Pro is incredibly lightweight and comfortable to use, even during long styling sessions. A gorgeous blowout sans the muscle cramps? Sign us up.
AirLight Pro: Worth the Hype
At $475, the AirLight Pro is an investment in healthier, faster, and more customized styling. Whether you're a stylist working long hours or a consumer looking to maintain your hair’s healthy look and feel, the AirLight Pro is poised to change how we dry our hair. It’s fast, efficient, and above all, it helps protect the integrity of the hair—we can't recommend it enough. Pros can shop it now on SalonCentric, while consumers can scoop theirs up at Ulta.
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Header photo credits: @madisonsullivanhair
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