My most-requested review of the year; not from readers, but from friends and family. Which is unusual, because most of my friends and family couldn’t really give two hoots about beauty things! I suppose, though, that the Supersonic hair dryer from Dyson is far more than a “beauty thing”: this is cutting-edge technology, precision engineering and a tool that promises faster and more efficient drying. Everyone wants faster and more efficient drying – especially people who have unruly hair or have to wash and dry it more frequently than most.

Read: 5 Best Time-Saving Things For Your Hair…

Dyson’s Supersonic has been lauded as some sort of hair-drying dream machine; quiet, incredibly fast and with intelligent temperature controls that keep the heat to a level that won’t damage your hair. The catch? It’s £299. See what I think of it (and how it compares to the Parlux 385, an incredibly powerful and lightweight dryer) in my video below. If you’re loathe to watch the video then I’ve summarised my thoughts on the Supersonic below the screen – just scroll down to spoil all the fun. (Joke. I know lots of you read this on the tube or bus and it’s not convenient to have my sweet voice ringing out for everyone to hear.)

You can find the Supersonic at Selfridges here – more technical info on the Dyson website. Please note that my sample came in a leather case, this does not come with the consumer model. The dryer is also available in silver and white, I’ve just discovered!

This is not a sponsored review or ad; the hair dryer shown is a press sample but with no obligation to review. At the moment the dryer is exclusive to Selfridges, link above. The Parlux dryer is on LookFantastic here.

Supersonic Likes:

The weighted handle (the motor is in the handle and not in the main body of the dryer) which gives it an expensive, precision-engineered feel.

The magnetic nozzles – they are so easy to attach and detach. Usually I hate trying to change nozzles on hair dryers, so I don’t bother!

The refined feel of the air-flow that doesn’t mash your hair all over the place and make it frizzy. My hair looked really sleek even though it dried faster than usual.

The heat control function that stops the dryer from reaching temperatures that would damage your hair. Usually I find that dryers get far too hot and you have to keep on messing with the switches – this one is at just the right temperature, though you can make it cooler and there’s also a cool-shot button.

Supersonic Dislikes:

It wasn’t quite as lightweight as I was expecting. Not a dislike, but I didn’t know where else to say it! There’s also the price issue, but you’ll have to watch my rambling video for my thoughts on that…