Restyla Air 2.0 review: More interesting than an Airwrap dupe

Although the pearly pink Restyla 2.0 is an obvious dupe for Dyson’s infamous Airwrap, the curling wands are the least interesting part of it. If anything they are the part that lets the device down the most. Its unique look is littered with useful upgrades that make it feel sturdier and more polished, plus the huge array of attachments are more versatile than what you’ll find in your standard Airwrap kit.

If you’re in the market for a solid all-rounder hair styling device then the Restyla 2.0 will deliver more than you’ve budgeted for. But if you’re just looking for an air-powered curling wand this one probably isn’t for you.

Since the Airwrap graced us with its presence, dupes have been popping up everywhere. While it could be easy to run with that and simply focus on the air-powered curling wands included with the Restyla 2.0, there is much more to the device than just that. Pitched as an 8-in-1 styler, the Restyla can blow dry, define curls, straighten, make a bouncy blowdry, or a flicky one, and of course it can curl. Out of all of these I was able to test on my hair, the curling was the biggest let down.

Despite the low temperatures, once I used the wand attachments my hair was left dry and dull. I used my same styling routine, complete with products from Dyson’s Chitosan range, and while that usually leaves my hair with a nice sheen, this time around it looked frazzled. I believe the short curling wands are to blame. I have thick, medium length hair and this meant I either had quite a bit of overlap on the wands themselves, or I had to scrunch my hair down to fit, making the initial wrap messier. If you’ve got the patience to take smaller sections then you could probably beat this, but it didn’t work out for me. After sleeping on it (literally), I ended up liking the results a lot more, but I did run through two rounds of hair oil in that time to try and tame the frizz. Still, it is hard to argue with the hold.

Any other attachments I used didn’t have this same problem. Opting for a combination of the oval and round brush the Restyla 2.0 made styling my mane a dream. With stiff plastic pin and bore hair bristles the oval brush does an excellent job at detangling while creating smooth lines. The 1400W motor made light work of drying my hair, pounding through each section in around one minute each time. Similarly the round brush was perfect for my face framing pieces. Initially I was skeptical of how the thin pin bristles would handle my hair but I was pleasantly surprised to see them glide through small sections easily. The results were relatively tight, but bouncy curls that smoothed into flicks with a comb and a touch of hair oil.

While the Airwrap portion of the Restyla 2.0 was underwhelming for my hair, the rest of the styling options were excellent. Personally I would rather use the small round brush to get my curls, but that's me and my hair. I would hazard a guess the curling wands will be better suited to thinner hair, but it wasn’t something I could test. When we look at every other option this wavy haired girlie could test out, the Restyla 2.0 gave impressive results. Part of this prowess comes down to the smart design features Restyla has implemented, but we’ll get into that in the next section. 

Compared to similar air stylers the Restyla 2.0 doesn’t break the mould when it comes to the basic design principals, but how the details have been honed do.

The 2.0 has a wand-like design. Attachments snap on at the top of the vent, ultimately making the device an even longer wand with a fun looking head, depending on the attachment. That satisfying snap is what i’ll start with. Out of the similar devices I’ve tested, the Restyla holds its attachments the strongest. At times using the OG Airwrap I’ve lost a roller brush part way through my hair, yet even running the Restyla through tangled hair wouldn’t budge it. Releasing the attachments requires a little bit of a heavy hand on the unlock switch, but that is preferable to it flying off the handle.

Speaking of locks, the Restyla also has a lock button for its controls. Although it seems a bit unnecessary I have found myself gravitating to it more and more, in part because the positioning of the controls isn’t ideal. I was constantly pressing the buttons while I styled my hair, changing settings and then having to cascade up and down to get back to the right one. The lock button entirely stops this problem, which admittedly is of its own making. Regardless, if more styling devices had this feature I do think I would use it. Hair styling can get slippery. Wet hair, slick products, the espresso martini I am sipping on, they all contribute to fiddly fingers pressing the wrong buttons. Being able to lock in my desired settings has been a surprising timesaver which I will now be looking out for on other devices.

It probably goes without saying, but the aesthetics of the Restyla are oh so cute. It is a gorgeous shade of pale pink, further emboldened to the Y2K aesthetic with a couple lines of diamantes on its faux leather body. I feel like it should come with a matching Juicy Couture tracksuit.