When it comes to your hair, you don’t want to take any chances, so you want a hair dryer you can rely on that won’t fry your follicles and will last for a long time. There are thousands of blow dryers on the market in every price range, so it can be hard to figure out which one is right for you. We have put together this well-researched buying guide to give you the ins and outs of hair dryers to help you make the right choice for your hair.
Hair dryer basics
Hair dryers have remained pretty much the same in design since their inception. A heating coil heats the air inside while a fan blows air over the heated coil to produce hot air that then dries your hair. The basic principle is simple, but some dryers do a better job than others. What you really want to know is how hot does the air get and how fast does it move? This is based on a few basic features.
Wattage
You will see most hair dryers give a wattage rating that should correlate to how hot the air gets, but this isn’t always the case. The claim of power on the box does not necessarily mean that the dryer will do a better job, so you want to look a little deeper. In this day and age, most of us want to conserve energy, so low-wattage hair dryers are also showing up on shelves. With that said, most experts suggest looking for a hair dryer of 1500 watts or more.
Materials
The biggest myths in current hair dryer technology are that certain minerals or ions will change the way a dryer makes your hair feel. Some dryers claim to infuse your hair with negative ions, or they have tourmaline crystals to reduce frizz. In reality, this is mostly just marketing buzz to try to get you to buy a product, but there are no conclusive tests that show these materials do anything to your hair at all. Do not pay more for a hair dryer that makes claims about using ions or minerals to defrizz your hair.
Heating element
Another buzzword in marketing is that the dryer is “ceramic.” Ceramic heating elements are used in most dryers, and it is just a way of getting the air hot. Ceramics heat up quickly and work well, but they don’t change the way the dryer works. Again, the bottom line is that the dryer is able to push hot air over your hair to dry it.
What features should you look for in a hair dryer?
Beyond getting hot and blowing air quickly, there are some features that make some hair dryers better than others.
Weight and comfort
The first thing you want in a dryer is for it to be comfortable for you to use. A dryer should be lightweight and easy to handle because if it is bulky or doesn’t fit in your hands well, then you likely will not want to even use it and end up buying another one. Look for a dryer that is right around 1 pound or less. That doesn’t seem like much, but if you have longer hair and have to hold it for 10–15 minutes, the weight adds up quickly.
Cool shot
When you finish drying and styling, a cool shot button will make the dryer blow cool air over your hair to set it. This is a nice feature to have, especially if you are heavily into styling.
Power and heating controls
The buttons and triggers should be easy to operate and well marked. Just like size and weight, if the controls are complicated or buttons are hard to press, you will not enjoy using the dryer as much. Look for a dryer that has clearly labeled heating controls and blower controls giving you the ability to set the heat and speed to meet your hair’s needs.
Accessories to look for when buying a hair dryer
Depending on your hair type, there can be certain accessories that are invaluable when you are drying your hair.
Diffuser
If you have curly or wavy hair, a diffuser is a great way to dry the hair while relaxing it and lets you dry it section by section.
Concentrator nozzle
A concentrator nozzle is good for frizzy hair to avoid overdrying. You can work section by section carefully drying as needed.