My life was forever altered when I tried the original RevAir. This monstrously large vacuum-like hair tool is the future of blowouts. You section your wet or damp hair and feed it into the hose, wait 30 to 90 seconds, and then remove your hair to reveal stretched-out, straight, dry locks. It’s magical. Now, RevAir has an updated version with a higher price tag, but almost anyone can appreciate the small improvements.

It’s called a reverse dryer, because instead of hot air blowing out on your hair, it pushes down toward the hose in the direction of the hair cuticle, reducing frizz. Tiny holes around the opening of the wand direct air to the scalp, but it feels cool on your head. As scary as it looks, the wand won’t eat your hair.

Sized Down

The most significant update to the RevAir Reverse-Air Dryer is its size. It’s made up of a hose, wand, and base, but the old base was 10 x 9.5 x 9 inches—RevAir has shrunken it down to 7.78 x 7.95 x 7.26 inches. That might not read as much of a difference, but my husband and I both gasped when we opened the box. The hose is also thinner and shorter. I don’t think the RevAir will ever be small, but my bathroom countertop sure appreciates these changes. 

It not only takes up less space, but the dryer is also lighter and easier to use—dare I say something you may even consider traveling with if you don’t mind the 8-pound weight. There’s a Total Package version for $70 more that adds a tote bag and a host of other accessories, like a hair towel, comb, spray bottle, clips, plus an additional filter and foam liners.

Other upgrades include a new detachable wand rest that slips right under the handle, a small digital screen for tension instead of a dial, and a small redesign that ditches the bright blue accents for matte black styling, delivering a more sleek and professional look. The company says the machine is also now quiet enough that you can have conversations while using it. I didn’t find that completely accurate; it’s not overbearingly loud, but it still sounds like any other hair dryer.

Straight Arrow

As with the original, your results will vary depending on your hair type, and you may have to try a few different methods before you master the RevAir. My curls aren’t super tight, but my hair is thick and coarse, and an all-around pain to deal with. My results were straighter when I had damp hair instead of soaking wet hair, and I kept my hair in the wand between 45 and 60 seconds. Clean hair works better than days-old curls, and oils are best used after using the dryer. 

You get the same settings: seven tension levels and two heat settings—158 and 220 degrees Fahrenheit—plus cold. When I straighten my hair, I typically need to use a flat iron at heat settings between 420 and 450 degrees, but going so hot can be damaging to hair. I like that this isn’t much of an issue on the RevAir. Unlike a blowout with a round brush that often requires a whole lot of pulling, this vac-like system is also painless. 

Even on the same settings, I noticed the new model saved me a few more minutes over the original, though I still usually needed another flat iron to smooth out some of the unavoidable puffiness. If your hair is already smooth, you can probably skip this step.