In our series Trial Run, TZR editors and writers put the buzziest new beauty products to the test and share their honest reviews. This week, editorial director Angela Melero is testing the buzzy L’Oréal Professionnel Paris AirLight Pro.
Unlike the rest of the world who seems to be collectively chopping off their hair, I’m growing out my longstanding bob. As luck would have it, I’m currently in the throes of that oh-so fun awkward length that hits just at the shoulders. In addition to a slicked-back bun — a look I’ve exhausted at this point — the only other tolerable styling option is my natural waves, worn loose and parted down the middle. While I’m going for effortless with the latter look, we all know a good amount of effort is indeed involved. A heat protectant spray, a quality curl cream that brings out my natural shape sans stiff, crunchy finish, and a solid blowdryer that makes some frizz-free magic happen. My new tool of choice? The L’Oréal Professionnel Paris AirLight Pro.
While only on shelves a couple of months, the cutting edge hair dryer, which boasts patented infrared technology for faster drying time and less heat damage, is already lighting up the internet. “The infrared technology not only helps with drying the hair faster, but omgoodness the SHINE,” said hairstylist Adreanna Nicole Roach in a recent TikTok post. “I’m obsessed with how every single one of my clients has been so glossy after just a blow dry.” Beauty content creator Abbey Yung agreed, showcasing her silky smooth blowout on camera and claiming, “I was able to dry my hair super quickly and get the smooth, sleek, straight result you see in this video with JUST the dryer. I was so blown away by this when I first tried it.”
After seeing and hearing this feedback, you can imagine my level of intrigue. Ahead, I chronicle my experience with the revolutionary, app-powered blow dyer.
AirLight Pro
Harnessing patented infrared light technology, this revolutionary hair tool is designed to speed up drying time while preventing heat damage.
L’Oréal Professionnel –Fast Facts
- Price: $475
- Size: 1.7 lbs.
- Best For: All hair types
- Product Highlights: Infrared light technology, AirLight Pro App, two professional attachments
- What We Like: Speedy drying time; soft, shiny finish; customizable and varied settings
- What We Don’t Like: So far, so good
- Rating: 5/5
How TZR Keeps Score: 1/5: Making a return; 2/5: Keeping as a backup; 3/5: Finishing to the last drop; 4/5: Recommending to my group texts; 5/5: Already on auto-replenish
The Blow Dryer
This highly-anticipated blow dryer from L’Oréal has been touted (by the brand) as the next generation of hair drying. As mentioned before, the tool harnesses infrared light technology, which allows for 14% faster drying time, 11% less energy used than other dryers, and maximum hydration/less heat damage. A completely customizable experience comes by way of the included app, which allows you to adjust heat, styling modes (sleek, curly, and coily), and intensity.
My Typical Hair Routine
Because of the thick, wavy nature of my hair, blow-drying and styling is always a bit of an ordeal, and one I only suffer through about once a week. After washing my hair, I’ll gently towel dry and spritz it with a nourishing leave-in conditioner and/or a heat protectant spray (I currently love Crown Affair’s Leave-In Cream and Olaplex’s Volumizing Hair Heat Protective Weightless Blowout Mist). I’ll typically let it sit for about 10 to 15 minutes before applying a curl cream (Fenty Beauty’s The Homecurl Curl-Defining Styling Cream). Then, I’ll blow-dry using a diffuser attachment (I’ve been on the Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer train up until now). I find that fully drying my hair often leaves it a bit too voluminous and frizzy, so I’ll typically stop when it’s about 75% dry. I’ll let it air dry naturally to finish up and top things off with a blast of Shine Spray from Beachwaver as heat-styling can leave my hair a bit dull and lackluster.
My Experience With The AirLight Pro
Because this was my first experience with an app-powered hair tool, I needed to get acquainted with the tech of it all. Luckily, the brand provides detailed and easy-to-follow set-up instructions, so connecting my tool to the iPhone app was easy and took all of about five minutes. Once connected, I was able to play with my dryer’s settings. For my go-to natural wavy look, I opted for the curly mode and chose a heat setting of 175 degrees Fahrenheit and full 100% fan intensity. Easy peasy.
The rest of the process was pretty standard. I popped on the included diffuser attachment, parted my hair down the middle, and started to dry my hair. Because I like a more natural look, I don’t section off my hair when drying. I’ll typically begin at the bottom, which often takes the longest to dry and work my way around my head. I’ll then tilt my head on each side to the dry the top half of hair.
As previously mentioned, I often leave my hair a bit damp to allow it to air dry on its own, but for my AirLight Pro experience, I decided to take it all the way to the finish line. From start to finish, the drying process only took about 10 minutes, a record for this thick-haired girl. While a fresh blowout, for me, often is a bit poofy and overly voluminous — it typically take a few hours to settle and deflate a bit. I found my finished product with the AirLight Pro to be considerably softer. For good measure, I removed the diffuser and blasted the top and crown of my head with a cooler, sleek setting, but I don’t think I actually needed to do that.
I’m happy to report that my finished product was just as shiny as TikTok reported. I didn’t even need to reach for my finishing spray. My hair felt silky to the touch and had light bouncy look to it. It was like I’d just stepped out of the salon. Because I don’t wash my hair every day, I typically need to refresh my hair a bit with blow dryer and/or hot tools in the days following a blowout, but my post-AirLight Pro hair needed no touchups besides a bit of dry shampoo. I’m a believer.
Is L’Oréal Professionnel’s AirLight Pro Worth The Price Tag?
At $475, the AirLight Pro is definitely more expensive than other top top-tier blow dyers. However, considering the tool is designed to last 10 years and the quality and energy-saving factors, I say this is a worthy long-term investment. It also comes with a two-year warranty that covers any defects or breakage in normal usage conditions. Sounds like a winner to me.
