I Tested Three Viral T3 Hair Tools – Here Are My Completely Honest Thoughts
Main image – Courtesy of writer
As someone with a well-documented lack of any kind of hair skills, it’s fair to say that I’m not what you would call adventurous when it comes to styling my locks.
When I’m not air drying it, it’s a quick rough dry, or – if I’m feeling particularly fancy – a pass through with a blowdry brush.
The one tool that did manage to convert me somewhat though is T3’s viral Aire 360 – a three-in-one styler to rival Dyson and Shark’s offerings.
The tool’s high ease of use makes it perfect for a styling novice like me, while the lack of damage (thanks to its ceramic design) has actually made doing my hair a pleasure.
Which is why when T3 asked me to try three of their other bestsellers, I was intrigued to see whether my success with their Aire 360 was confined to that tool alone, down to beginner’s luck, or whether I’d be able to replicate my success with their bestselling blowdryer, straightener, and curler.
Read on for my slightly mixed results.
T3 AireLuxe Hair Dryer
One of the brand’s flagship products, the AirLuxe (£199.99 from T3 UK /$224.99 from T3 US) boasts an ion-rich airflow that claims to cut dry time in half while retaining up to 60% more hair moisture.
This smart dryer even contains a microchip to monitor and digitally control heat, minimising heat exposure and damage.
I have to say that my first impression – beyond the loveliness of both the packaging and the tool itself (each device comes in a glossy white with pretty copper detailing) – was the weight of the dryer.
After handling my Aire 360 so much, I’ve been used to an almost weightless experience, so it took me back a little to actually notice the weight of a dryer again. Having said that though, compared to equivalents from other brands, the AireLuxe still feels fairly light.
My next impression was how ridiculously easy it is to programme this thing. There are five heat settings, three speed settings, and a handy cool shot. That’s it – no faffing around with endless buttons, yet still plenty of control.
Switching the dryer on, I was impressed too with how quiet it is – no deafening whirring here – and I set to work rough drying my hair.
As I’ve mentioned above, I truly am not the best at styling; I tend to end up with plenty of volume, but even more frizz. So I wasn’t holding out a ton of hope for using this tool on its own without even a solitary pass of a straightener afterwards.
I was pleasantly surprised though when after 20 minutes with the dryer and a paddle brush my hair looked relatively tame. You’ll see from my photo below that frizz was at a minimum too.
Image – Courtesy of writer
Better still, my strands actually felt less damaged than normal after rough drying.
The only downside? My arms were fairly tired after their mini workout with the AireLuxe. But my freshly-styled hair that lasted a good three days frizz-free more than made up for it.
T3 Lucea ID
This is where my review gets a little mixed. Let me start out by saying that I love a straightener. As a true millennial, I grew up in an era where straighteners were first non-existent, then revered, then an essential daily item.
So when I first got hold of the Lucea ID (£199.99 from Wallis UK /$299.99 from T3 US) I was fairly confident that I would be able to work this tool without any fuss. Ironically though, it was the device I struggled the most with.
That isn’t because this isn’t a good tool though, it’s because the Lucea’s slightly futuristic buttonless design completely confounded me for the first three times I attempted to use it.
While *seriously* chic, the LED-only design here actually makes it quite difficult to select your preferred setting, IMHO. Which is a bit of a shame, since the main selling point here is that there are an impressive nine heat settings to give a really customised straightening experience for all hair types.
Image – Courtesy of writer
The brand even promises “one-pass” styling here, but since I was initially baffled by the lack of buttons I found that the first few times I used this I ended up stuck on a super low heat and actually had to go over each section multiple times.
Having said all this though, once I actually worked out how to use the Lucea ID, I was really impressed. Unlike my ancient GHDs, these glide through my hair without snagging and I also get no sensation of heat damage after use either.
Overall, would I recommend this tool? Yes, but you’ll likely want to watch some how-to videos first.
T3 Singlepass Curl
The Singlepass Curl (£150 from Wallis UK /$169.99 from T3 US) is another one of T3’s biggest sellers thanks to its promise of bouncy, natural-looking curls that last all day.
With a ceramic barrel for smooth styling with less heat damage and a supposedly snag-free clip, how did I get on then?
As it turns out, well. Despite being a bit of a beginner when it comes to curling my hair, I really loved the soft waves the Singlepass Curl gave me and I was very happy to note that my hair didn’t feel at all frazzled after using.
Unlike the Lucea ID too, the Singlepass Curl is super easy to operate. It also has a total of nine heat settings, but these can be found by simply clicking the bottom of the barrel to the right. The same mechanism turns the device on and off.
As with any curler though, you’ll want to have your technique down before actually experimenting on your hair – particularly because the ceramic barrel here gets insanely hot, so you won’t want to accidentally touch any part of it if you’re new to using a curling iron.
Image – Courtesy of writer
I’m personally thrilled with my new-found ability to give myself natural-looking curls though and can’t wait to experiment with some further looks.
The takeaway
Overall, while I’ve had a couple of niggles about usability here, I’m still a fan. And I do think that part of any hesitancy I have is likely down to being truly spoilt by my experience with T3’s genuinely exceptional Aire 360.
Having said that, these three tools still all perform really well. And when I compare them with their equivalents from other brands that I’ve tried, they generally come off better – in particular because they make my hair feel noticeably less damaged than most other tools.
The overall brand experience too is, as ever with T3, high here. From the packaging and the little cable tidies which come with every device, to the tools themselves, the feel here is definitely brand new iPhone vibes.
Ultimately though, whether any of the above represent good value for you will come down to your hair’s particular needs, your budget, and how often you’re likely to use these devices.
From my perspective though, I’m pleased to have these three new tools in my arsenal for whenever I feel like switching up my style.
Get Glowing!
