Is a $599 Humidifier Really Worth the Price Tag?
Last winter, I experienced one of the worst skin flare-ups of my life. I have eczema and extremely sensitive skin and thanks to the cold weather outdoors and the heating systems used at home and at work, the skin on my face began to rebel, becoming itchy, inflamed and severely dry. No matter how many layers of creams, serums and oils I put on, by mid-day I could feel my skin begin to tighten and get itchy. It got so bad, at one point my skin literally started shedding. Needless to say, I vowed to never let it happen again.
Since I moved into my condo four years ago, I’ve noticed that my unit itself is extra dry in comparison to, well, my parents’ house in the suburbs. When I first moved in, my mom insisted I get a humidifier, but after spending a ton of money on furniture, I settled on a generic brand found at Walmart. Long story short, it didn’t exactly help.
So this year, I decided to hunt for a new humidifier. I consulted some friends and a lot of them recommended Dyson’s version. Being very familiar with the brand (I swear by my Supersonic and V6 vacuum), I knew Dyson would have la crème de la crème of humidifiers.
After doing some research on it, I realized I wanted to try it for these three reasons:
- It’s hygienic. Unlike my humidifier, the Dyson claims to kill 99.9 per cent of bacteria, which, as we all know, can easily be harboured in a humidifier. With this humidifier you’ll get clean, purified air distributed evenly throughout the room. Oh, and it’s certified asthma and allergy friendly by the Asthma Society of Canada, which is key for me, since I suffer from both.
- It has an automatic mode. This was super important to me, since I never knew how high to set my previous humidifier. I would fiddle around with it, but could never seem to find the right mode for the humidity levels (which I had no clue of) in my condo. This resulted in me not feeling any difference or me waking up to a puddle of water beside my bed. Oops.
- It looks good. Not gonna lie, the aesthetically-pleasing design was a big deal for me because I care about the interior design of my place. And bonus: it is really quiet so it won’t disturb you during the day (or night).
My only concern? The hefty price tag. $599 is a lot of money to invest in a humidifier… especially when the last one I bought was $30. However, I was fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to try the Dyson Humidifier and guys, I have to say, it is worth the price.
Below, see a 4-week diary of life with (and without) my Dyson humidifier.
Week 1: No humidifier
My skin hates me… or at least, is starting to. I feel the flare-up coming from below my epidermis, just waiting to come out and wreak havoc all over my face. The skin around my eyes is dry and flaky, and I’m attempting to hydrate and conceal the redness, but it’s just a mess. By mid-day, I look in the mirror and I see my concealer lifting and the redness becoming more prominent. My face just feels uncomfortable overall. I attempt to douse myself in thermal water spray and though it provides immediate relief, my face just feels more dry afterwards.
Nighttime is the same… I slather ALL the creams (OK, not all, but a fair amount) and go to bed thinking I’ll wake up with soft, supple skin. WRONG. My face seems to have absorbed all the product before I even fall asleep and I wake up with a dry face that instantly turns red the moment I hit the shower (and no, the water wasn’t THAT hot). I’m tempted to put the humidifier to use after day three, but I suck it up for the testing. You’re welcome.
Week 2: Humidifier
Finally, I can set this baby up and (hopefully) have my skin improve. Assembling it is easy, and the tank is quite huge so I can leave it on for a fair amount of time before having to re-fill it (Dyson says a tank of water lasts 18 hours, to be honest, I haven’t kept track. What I do know is I can put it on before bed and wake up and still have it going strong…whereas my old one would be empty by the time I was awake). I feel as though my skin feels less dry and more hydrated, but I think to myself, perhaps it’s a placebo effect. But when I get to the office and feel my skin starting to tighten again, I realize at home, the humidifier really is making a difference.
Week 3: No humidifier
Not gonna lie, I am very tempted to just keep using the humidifier, given the good state my skin has been in. But alas, the testing wouldn’t be as effective, so I regretfully clean my humidifier (more on that later) and turn it off. My skin feels instantly dry. It also doesn’t help that it’s colder this week, so my heater is on much higher. It’s not just my face that is feeling the effects of a humidifier-free life, my hands and very dry and itchy and the skin on my legs looks like a reptile’s. What I didn’t realize before was that my sniffles and sneezing had gone away while the humidifier was in use. This week though, while cleaning, a sneeze attack comes on. I’m literally counting down the days until I can plug my humidifier back in again.
Week 4: Humidifier
Instant relief. When I turn it back on, I ponder whether sitting in front of it for 10-15 minutes is a bad thing. (I want that purified air on my face, dammit!) I decide against it and just let my humidifier do its thing. My skin is still dry, mind you, but it’s definitely not in the same state it was in with no humidifier in use. Of course, there are other factors at play too that are helping me out: products (SkinCeuticals Phyto Corrective Gel, Retexturing Activator and Emollience Cream, Consonant HydrExtreme and Avene XeraCalm A.D. Lipid-Replenshing Balm and Cleansing Oil are my godsends), supplements (I’ve been taking probiotics and omega-3s regularly) and lower stress levels (thanks to daily meditation and exercise), but the humidifier really does make a difference.
So is it worth it?
Like I said earlier, yes. If you’re able to shell out $599, or use points of some sort (I used my Hudson’s Bay points to help offset the cost of my V6!) to get yourself a Dyson Humidifier, do it. The only thing I dislike is the cleaning process, which needs to be done weekly and a more thorough cleaning monthly. Though they do outline how to clean the humidifier in the instruction booklet (and via a handy video), they advise using citric acid, which I don’t have at home. Vinegar was suggested as an alternative, but no measurements were provided, so I kind of just winged it, meaning I don’t actually know if I’m cleaning my humidifier properly or not.
Other than that, no complaints. Honestly, I’m considering buying another one for another room in my condo… I’ll just need to save up first!
The Dyson Humidifier is available in three different colours at dyson.ca for $599.
, I knew Dyson would have la crème de la crème of humidifiers.
After doing some research on it, I realized I wanted to try it for these three reasons:
It's hygienic. Unlike my humidifier, the Dyson claims to kill 99.9 per cent of bacteria, which, as we all know, can easily be harboured in a humidifier. With this humidifier you'll get clean, purified air distributed evenly throughout the room. Oh, and it's certified asthma and allergy friendly by the Asthma Society of Canada, which is key for me, since I suffer from both.
It has an automatic mode. This was super important to me, since I never knew how high to set my previous humidifier. I would fiddle around with it, but could never seem to find the right mode for the humidity levels (which I had no clue of) in my condo. This resulted in me not feeling any difference or me waking up to a puddle of water beside my bed. Oops.
It looks good. Not gonna lie, the aesthetically-pleasing design was a big deal for me because I care about the interior design of my place. And bonus: it is really quiet so it won't disturb you during the day (or night).
My only concern? The hefty price tag. $599 is a lot of money to invest in a humidifier... especially when the last one I bought was $30. However, I was fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to try the Dyson Humidifier and guys, I have to say, it is worth the price.
Below, see a 4-week diary of life with (and without) my Dyson humidifier.
A post shared by Chloé (@chloe_thesweetheart) on Nov 13, 2017 at 6:40pm PST
Week 1: No humidifier
My skin hates me... or at least, is starting to. I feel the flare-up coming from below my epidermis, just waiting to come out and wreak havoc all over my face. The skin around my eyes is dry and flaky, and I'm attempting to hydrate and conceal the redness, but it's just a mess. By mid-day, I look in the mirror and I see my concealer lifting and the redness becoming more prominent. My face just feels uncomfortable overall. I attempt to douse myself in thermal water spray and though it provides immediate relief, my face just feels more dry afterwards.
Nighttime is the same... I slather ALL the creams (OK, not all, but a fair amount) and go to bed thinking I'll wake up with soft, supple skin. WRONG. My face seems to have absorbed all the product before I even fall asleep and I wake up with a dry face that instantly turns red the moment I hit the shower (and no, the water wasn't THAT hot). I'm tempted to put the humidifier to use after day three, but I suck it up for the testing. You're welcome.
Week 2: Humidifier
Finally, I can set this baby up and (hopefully) have my skin improve. Assembling it is easy, and the tank is quite huge so I can leave it on for a fair amount of time before having to re-fill it (Dyson says a tank of water lasts 18 hours, to be honest, I haven't kept track. What I do know is I can put it on before bed and wake up and still have it going strong...whereas my old one would be empty by the time I was awake). I feel as though my skin feels less dry and more hydrated, but I think to myself, perhaps it's a placebo effect. But when I get to the office and feel my skin starting to tighten again, I realize at home, the humidifier really is making a difference.
Week 3: No humidifier
Not gonna lie, I am very tempted to just keep using the humidifier, given the good state my skin has been in. But alas, the testing wouldn't be as effective, so I regretfully clean my humidifier (more on that later) and turn it off. My skin feels instantly dry. It also doesn't help that it's colder this week, so my heater is on much higher. It's not just my face that is feeling the effects of a humidifier-free life, my hands and very dry and itchy and the skin on my legs looks like a reptile's. What I didn't realize before was that my sniffles and sneezing had gone away while the humidifier was in use. This week though, while cleaning, a sneeze attack comes on. I'm literally counting down the days until I can plug my humidifier back in again.
Week 4: Humidifier
Instant relief. When I turn it back on, I ponder whether sitting in front of it for 10-15 minutes is a bad thing. (I want that purified air on my face, dammit!) I decide against it and just let my humidifier do its thing. My skin is still dry, mind you, but it's definitely not in the same state it was in with no humidifier in use. Of course, there are other factors at play too that are helping me out: products (SkinCeuticals Phyto Corrective Gel, Retexturing Activator and Emollience Cream, Consonant HydrExtreme and Avene XeraCalm A.D. Lipid-Replenshing Balm and Cleansing Oil are my godsends), supplements (I've been taking probiotics and omega-3s regularly) and lower stress levels (thanks to daily meditation and exercise), but the humidifier really does make a difference.
So is it worth it?
Like I said earlier, yes. If you're able to shell out $599, or use points of some sort (I used my Hudson's Bay points to help offset the cost of my V6!) to get yourself a Dyson Humidifier, do it. The only thing I dislike is the cleaning process, which needs to be done weekly and a more thorough cleaning monthly. Though they do outline how to clean the humidifier in the instruction booklet (and via a handy video), they advise using citric acid, which I don't have at home. Vinegar was suggested as an alternative, but no measurements were provided, so I kind of just winged it, meaning I don't actually know if I'm cleaning my humidifier properly or not.
Other than that, no complaints. Honestly, I'm considering buying another one for another room in my condo... I'll just need to save up first!
The Dyson Humidifier is available in three different colours at dyson.ca for $599.){kind=link}