Dyson’s new straightener cuts breakage and damage in half

When Dyson launches a new styling product, your hair’s health is the reason why. The brand’s Supersonic Blow Dryer ($399) became an instant hit, thanks to the fact that it can dry hair with less heat (and in less time) than its competitors, and the Airwrap ($550) revolutionized the way we thought about hot tools thanks to its ability to curl hair without an actual iron. Now, after seven years and $32 million in research and development, the brand has done it again with the launch of the Dyson Corrale ($499), a straightening iron that smooths hair with half of the damage of a regular straightener.

The iron, which launches today, uses first-of-its kind flexing plate technology that keeps strands safe. In order to properly straighten hair, you need heat to do a couple of things: break hydrogen bonds, create tension and compression to reshape hair, and control how heat hits the strands. Traditional straighteners can only apply this heat and tension to the thickest part of your hair because of flat, stiff plates. That’s why you normally need to go over each section with multiple passes in order to get it successfully straightened.

With the Corrale’s flexing plate technology, the plates move with your hair (instead of laying flat) to evenly distribute heat and tension with each pass. This means that it can get the job done with less heat than your usual iron, and the result—according to years worth of internal testing by the brand—is half of the damage and breakage to your strands. “The two types of damage we’re managing at Dyson are mechanical damage, which is caused by the repetition of the iron being used over and over again on each section of hair, and heat damage, caused by the heat emitted by the iron,” says Jon Reyman, celebrity hairstylist and Dyson global styling ambassador. “Due to the innovative design of the hair being corralled together, what we’ve discovered is that due to the tension and control of the hair, we can use less heat to get the same effect.”

The iron has three heat settings (330°F, 365°F, and 410°F), and heats up in a matter of seconds. Once heated, it relies on technology that checks the plate temperature 100 times every second to ensure even heat distribution. “Due to the tension and control provided by this new device, we’re able to preserve the integrity of the hair and keep it healthier,” says Reyman.  It can be used with a cord or cordlessly for up to 30 minutes, and comes with a sleek charging dock that will ramp up the battery to full charge in a little over an hour.

I’ve been straightening my wavy hair nearly every day since 2002, and over the years have tested all of the best irons on the market. Admittedly, I have a history of cranking my tools up to their highest heat and repeatedly ripping through large chunks of my hair until they’re flattened to my liking. While this is certainly an effective way to get straighter hair, it’s terrible for overall hair health, and I’ve got the dryness and damage to show prove it. But with the Dyson, I held the heat at the lowest setting of 365°F, and straightened small sections of hair much more slowly than I usually would. It only took one or two passes over each for my waves to be completely ironed out, and even though I was moving more slowly than usual, the iron cut down on styling time since I didn’t need to go over the same section time and time again. Not only was my hair stick straight in a matter of only a few minutes, but it looked much shinier and healthier than when I use my usual iron.

While I can only vouch for how effective the Corrale is on my own waves, pros say will have the same effect on all hair types. “Normally, for type 4-A, B or C hair, I would need to use a tradition flatiron at heat settings ranging from 420 to 440°F, to make hair straight, smooth and shiny, but because of the Corrale’s tension and control you can get the same results using far less heat,” says Reyman. And because it effectively operates on low heat, it’s less likely to break finer hair types.

The iron is on sale now for $499 on Dyson.com.

For a curling iron that’s kind to hair, shop stylists’ favorite better-for-strands selections. And if your hair is feeling dry and damaged, this $7 conditioning spritz can help.