SilkyAir Pro hair dryer review

One-minute review

If you want silky, frizz-free locks, the Silk’n SilkyAir Pro is sure to impress, offering fast drying speeds and powerful airflow.

While Silk’n is best known for its hair removal and facial cosmetic devices, the company has branched out into hair care with the SilkyAir Pro, and for a flagship dryer, it’s pretty impressive. This dryer has likely been inspired by the Dyson Supersonic, as are many of the best hair dryers these days.

Clad in a luxurious matt gold casing, the SilkyAir Pro lives up to its ‘Pro’ moniker with its up to 110,000rpm brushless motor, 3-meter long charging cable with a velcro strap to keep it tidy, and a neat LED screen seated in the middle of the vent, which displays temperature and airflow.

It performs beautifully, too, fully drying my mid-length, thick hair in under seven minutes.   The SilkyAir Pro has six temperature settings from 39 to 98 degrees Celcius, and three airflow settings, which can be cycled through using the temperature and airflow buttons, respectively. It even has a lock feature so you don’t accidentally change your preferred settings. There’s also a cool shot button on the front of the handle.

While the results are remarkably silky and soft thanks to the water-ion technology, the hair dryer is pretty expensive at £250. Currently, it’s not available in the US, however, a representative said it should be out there in the future.

There are a couple of annoying aspects to the dryer. The always-on screen is the most egregious, as it wastes electricity if you forget to unplug it. And while it’s fairly middle of the road when it comes to volume, I’d have liked something quieter at its price.

As a first stab into the haircare market, it’s certainly high-performing and ambitious, I just felt like it didn’t quite warrant that hefty price tag when cheaper alternatives are available. It’s only £80 less than the older Dyson Supersonic, and while I personally preferred the controls and design on the SilkyAir Pro, the performance isn’t quite as good, nor are the accessories.

SilkyAir Pro review: price and availability

• List price: £250

• Available in the UK, might come to the US

The SilkyAir Pro is currently only available in the UK for £250, although a representative confirmed it will release in the US in the future. It can be purchased directly from the Silk’n website.

As well as two magnetic attachments (a concentrator and diffuser), the SilkyAir Pro comes with a storage bag and a heat protection mat - I’m not sure why you’d need the latter for a hair dryer, though.

While it’s certainly not the worst pricing I’ve seen on this kind of product, it’s a bold move for a flagship hair dryer to come in at such a high price without necessarily having the reputation to back it.  I’m also a little concerned about the longevity of the dryer, as there’s no way to remove and clean the filter.

In saying that, it performs incredibly well and has a lovely design, so you do get what you pay for if you’re less concerned about robustness.

Price: 4/5

SiklyAir Pro review: specifications

SilkyAir Pro review: design

• LED screen

• Premium build

• 3-meter cable

The design of the SilkyAir Pro is definitely one of its standout features. From the stylish light gold colorway to its LED screen, it feels luxurious and salon-ready - especially when you account for the 3-meter long cable, which gives you plenty of room to dry with.

Its barrel is much like other concentrated air hair dryers - relatively short, stout and rounded, with a magnetic ring around the front to magnetically attach its two accessories, the concentrator nozzle and diffuser. On the rear are the filter and LED screen, which displays the heat and airflow settings when the device is turned on. Otherwise, it will display the word ‘Off’ constantly, which isn’t energy efficient or necessary. The only workaround here is unplugging the device after use - a bit of an annoyance, especially when I was rushing out to work.

On the front of the handle is the cool shot button, conveniently placed for easy access when drying. On the rear are the airflow and temperature controls, as well as an on/off/lock slider. These tactile buttons are easy to navigate even when in use, and it’s impressive how much of a difference that can make when compared to dryers like the Laifen Swift.

Silk’n has played it pretty safe with design, opting for a familiar form factor without some of the oddities and gimmicks other modern hairdryers are using to stand out, and focusing on user experience - something I personally can really appreciate.

Design: 4.5/5

SilkyAir Pro review: performance

The SilkyAir Pro performs tremendously on test, blasting out 76kph of air to rapidly dry your locks without dehydration, thanks to the water-ion technology. Consistently over the 5 weeks I tested this dryer, my hair was soft, smooth and frizz-free. I even noticed it took longer to get greasy.

It was easy for me to see the benefits of the hydrating blast. My hair is typically wavy unless treated with nourishing products, but the SilkyAir actually saw my hair forming natural, carefree curls once dry, which I was absolutely delighted with - though it was less ideal when I actually wanted straight hair.

It’s also impressively lightweight, so if your hair is thick like mine and you want to fully dry your hair, it’ll take a lot longer for the arm fatigue to kick in - and besides, it dried my hair in less than half the time of my regular hair dryer.

While it’s a little noisy for my liking at 83db on full blast, it’s pretty middle-of-the-road in terms of concentrated air dryers.

Should I buy the SilkyAir Pro?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

SilkyAir Pro review: Also consider

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How I tested the HYSapientia 24L Air Fryer Oven

• I used it as our main hair dryer for 2 weeks

• I tried it on all settings on wet to damp hair

• I tested on my own thick, mid-length hair

I used the SilkyAir Pro hair dryer for two weeks as my main hair dryer, having previously tested the Laifen Swift and tried the Dyson Supersonic, which were my main points of reference for comparative testing.

While the devices are fairly similar, there are some noticeable differences highlighted in my review, from how my hair seemed to stay cleaner to the higher number of temperature settings and the inclusion of a cool shot.

I also compared the dryer to my regular, non-concentrated airflow dryer to see how much of a difference that higher price tag brings, and was pleased to find it does indeed make a difference.

I used all its settings on both damp and wet hair, and tried its different accessories. I've been reviewing hair dryers for (almost) one year for TechRadar, and my experience of reviewing other devices spans further years. Outside of this, I've always factored haircare as a crucial part of my self-care routine.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed June 2023