The 12 Best Hair Dryers Reviewed

Every hair dryer is really designed for a different group of people. Very few are built to suit a wide range of hair types, with the exception, perhaps, of the InStyler Turbo Ionic. This Wazor hair dryer works best for people with thick, straight, dry hair. Its high wattage rating (1,875W) makes it a little too powerful for those with thinner hair, who would be better off with something like the RUSK Engineering CTC Lite. Even those with moderately thick hair should stick to the low and medium heat setting when using this dryer.

Since this dryer does not come with a diffuser, it’s also aimed mostly at those with straight hair. People with curly, densely packed hair should rather go with something slightly different, such as the Infinity Pro by Conair. Additionally, the smoothing effect created by the ionizer will also mainly benefit those with straight hair. Since Wazor claims that this dryer creates up to 100 times more negative ions than its many ionizing counterparts, people who don’t like their hair to frizz might find this drier especially useful when it’s humid out.

In fact, depending on your exact hair type, this smoothing effect might even let you create the pin-straight hair usually achieved with a flat iron, without the risk of singeing it. While we certainly believe flat irons have their place in any salon or home bathroom, it’s also a good idea to expose your hair to as little heat as possible on a day-to-day basis. For best results in this regard, use this dryer with its concentrator attachment while running a brush through your hair at the same time.

Other Things Worth Noting

In addition to having 2-speed settings and 3 heat settings, this blow dryer also features a special cold shot setting. This delivers a blast of cool air that will help lock in a style you are working on if activated toward the end of the drying process. It also helps to protect hair that’s starting to get too hot by drying it a little slower.

A powerful AC motor should keep this dryer up and running for quite some time. Unlike some DC motors, this AC motor can easily handle its load without overheating or breaking down. A removable lint collector is another of the good points of this dryer. Instead of putting up with the hideous scent of burning dust and hair and having to remove the remnants with brushes and vacuums, you can just pop the filter off, rinse it out, leave it to dry, and snap it back into place.

Despite not snagging a top spot among our choices for the “Best This” and “Best That”, this GHD Air hair dryer is actually close to the top in terms of quality. In order to even get onto this page, a product simply has to be well-made, since we only select a dozen or so out of hundreds. Don’t be fooled, either, by the basic, black and kind-of-retro appearance of this hair dryer – not all quality dryers come in fancy colors and not all fancy-colored dryers are of high quality.

The most important factor in our assessment of the caliber of this GHD product is the fact that it receives consistently glowing reviews from satisfied consumers, ranging from regular people to professional hair stylists. Another factor that influenced its inclusion in our list is its high-end AC motor. Ask any working hair stylist what type of motor is inside their blow dryer; you will almost always be told that it is of the AC (Alternating Current) variety. Compared to DC motors, AC motors have a longer lifespan and are less likely to overheat during extended use.

Ionic drying means that this hair dryer will, through the magic of chemistry, retain more moisture inside each individual hair strand. Surprisingly, this does not cause it to take longer for your hair to dry – in fact, an ionic dryer actually works faster than a traditional, purely thermal hair dryer. Adding moisture in this way prevents frizzing and also keeps hair looking young and shiny, especially when done frequently. It even reduces the likelihood of split ends by improving general hair health.

Multiple Settings for the Perfect Style

Depending on your hair’s thickness and the stage of drying you’re at, you can adjust the airflow to any of three levels of intensity. You can also select the temperature of the air coming out of the dryer between low, medium, or high.

If you have thin hair, you probably can’t use the high heat setting on most dryers without risking damage to your hair. Thankfully, this dryer only puts out 1,600 watts. This keeps the temperature within safe limits, making this dryer a good choice for anyone with fine, delicate strands. Another dryer on this list that also plays well with thin hair is the Xtava 1875 Watt Pro, which is made specifically for people with tight curls.

Just like you should turn the heat settings down to prevent damage as your hair gradually gets dryer, the cold shot button allows you to cut the heat completely when you get towards the end of your styling routine. This protects your hair from overheating once it’s nearly dry and at greater risk of being scorched, and will also lock your style into place by cold-shocking the hair and stopping it from going limp.

If you have oily hair, you’ve probably had a few bad experiences trying to find hair care products that help with the problem instead of making it worse. There is, of course, nothing to be ashamed about in having relatively heavy hair – it’s actually preferable to very dry hair in many ways. Still, some people get self-conscious when their hair looks limp and greasy mere hours out of the shower.

With ionic dryers having become more popular, this problem has only gotten worse for people who don’t understand the science behind drying hair. Ionic hair dryers trap moisture inside individual strands of hair before drying the outside. While this is a blessing for those with thin, dry, brittle hair, people with oilier hair will actually find it a hindrance, as their hair becomes too waterlogged and heavy.

Best for People With Oily Hair

This hair dryer from Pibbs brings you all the features you’d expect from a modern hair dryer (including multiple speed and heat settings, and several more), but without the moisturizing effects of an ionizer. Instead, it uses traditional filament heating, in which electrical coils are heated and air is blown past them.

Though die-hard ionic dryer fans talk about this being sub-optimal, people with thick or oily hair should experience exactly the opposite. People with dry, brittle hair should stay away from this type of dryer, but if your hair is already infused with extra moisture, you have little to worry about.

There’s More to It than That

There are a number of other traditional blow dryers that would work well enough for people with oily hair. What sets this one apart from the crowd is its other positive qualities. Since traditional, filament-based hair dryers are more prone to overheating than infrared and ionic hair dryers, it is nice to see that one comes with overheat protection – an automatic safety switch that will turn the entire unit off if its internal temperature gets too high.

Four temperature settings allow you to maximize drying speed: blast your hair with very hot air at the outset of your haircare regime, then cool it down gradually as it gets closer to dry. You can also choose among three speed settings, which you will find useful if your styling amounts to more than pulling everything into a ponytail. High speeds are great for that wispy, windblown look, whereas low speeds are important when you are carefully working to craft flowing curls with a round brush.

Weighing in at 17 ounces, this is also one of the lightest hair dryers on our list. Though the RUSK CTC Lite and a few other options on this page weigh slightly less, this appliance is still much easier to maneuver than most. The benefits of a lightweight, compact blow dryer will immediately be apparent to anyone with joint problems or who spends a large portion of their day waving a dryer around other people’s heads.

Consumer feedback for this travel-friendly hair dryer has been little short of outstanding. Though the same can be said for all the blow dryers on this list (a big part of why they were chosen to be featured here in the first place), each stands out for its own reasons.

With Nano Titanium and Much More

One of the most unique features of this dryer is its Nano Titanium technology. Without getting into the technical stuff, I will tell you that it speeds up the drying process significantly.

The Nano Titanium unit takes the place of the ceramic element found in many of the other hair dryers on this list, which means that this one may not offer quite as much protection for your hair. The built-in ionizer, however, takes up some of the slack by locking moisture inside and preventing split ends. Though this arrangement does mean you’ll need to be a little more careful when using this dryer, it still provides superior protection compared to traditional coil-heated hair dryers.

For Average Hair

Since this dryer isn’t as gentle as some of the others on this list, I wouldn’t recommend it for people with thin and dry hair. That being said, people with fine hair rarely have an actual problem drying their hair quickly.

If you need a dryer for use at home, you should also know that, Nano Titanium notwithstanding, a 1,000-watt dryer will never dry long, thick hair as quickly as a more powerful model. While this product’s performance is certainly impressive for its size, you’ll want to go for something else unless you’re specifically looking for a portable dryer.

Comparable Special Features

Like most of the other hair dryers on this list, this one incorporates multiple fan speeds and heat settings for better control. A concentrator attachment makes it easier to use this dryer to create custom looks. This focuses the stream of air on a narrow strip, allowing you to follow it with your hairbrush. If you are planning on straightening your hair or using a round brush to create slight waves, this accessory will come in quite handy.

What will appeal most to a certain class of person, though, is that this dryer can run on either 110 or 220 volts, making it a good choice for international travel. The handle folds almost flat against the body, it weighs only 8 ounces and the cord end is reinforced, too, meaning that this is our number one choice for traveling with.

Though it is a short step behind our choice for “Best for People with Curly Hair” (the Infinity Pro’s Advanced Styling Tool), this hair dryer is still a pretty good choice, especially for those working within a tight budget.

Excellent for Those with Curls

About half the price of the Infinity Pro, this dryer still manages to cram in many of the same benefits. To give one example, it dries hair using both ceramic infrared heat and an ion generator. This means that, like the Infinity Pro, it offers some protection against the heat by simultaneously heating your hair from the inside out and locking in moisture from the outside in. Significantly for those of you with dry hair, this prevents frizzing, not only while you’re drying your hair but for hours afterward.

Long tips on the diffuser attachment make this a good choice for people with curly hair. Again, it isn’t quite as good in this regard as the Infinity Pro, which has an even better diffuser with a larger number of prongs. This allows it to dry hair more quickly and thoroughly and also allows you some styling options a brush or curler doesn’t.

Other Things Worth Mentioning

Though the low price and exceptional quality of this dryer should be enough to convince most budget-conscious people that it’s worth buying, there are a couple more positive qualities to discuss.

Three heat settings, three wind speed settings, and a cold shot function allow you to customize your blow drying experience. This is not only important for drying hair safely, but comes in handy when creating advanced styles that last all day. You can set it to hot and fast to cut through the slick wetness of thick hair, or leave it soft and balmy to finish drying finer hair. Once you’re nearly finished, hit the cold shot button to activate a steady stream of cold air that will fix your hairdo in place.

If the name didn’t already give away the fact that this is a lightweight hair dryer, take our word for it.

Weighing in at about 15 ounces, this is one of the most lightweight hair dryers on the market. In our list, only the Pibbs Twinturbo 3200 comes close at 17 ounces. This is even more impressive considering that both have a 1,900-watt power rating.

If you’re someone whose arm gets tired after a few minutes of blowdrying, consider how helpful such a machine may be in your life.

More Than Just Lightweight

There is a lot more to this dryer than simply its ergonomics. For starters, it uses both ceramic infrared heating and a tourmaline ionic generator, a combination that helps prevent your hair from being damaged by heat. By heating both the inner and outer layers of the hair strand, ceramic infrared heating places much less stress on it than old-style dryers. The ionic generator further protects hair because the negative ions it produces seals the hair, trapping moisture and preventing split ends.

The protective and hydrating effects of ceramic and tourmaline elements are what brought this dryer to my attention. Though it is comparable to many other ceramic-meets-tourmaline hair dryers (of which you’ll find a bunch on this list), this one beats most of its competitors in terms of price and weight.

Styling is Key

With a fairly typical range of heat and speed settings, this hair dryer helps you to get just the style you want. Start with the higher speed and warmth settings for quick-dry results. If you have thin hair, you may want to avoid the highest heat setting, since this 1,900-watt dryer which may produce just a little more heat than your hair would like. Set your final style by switching over to the cold shot setting – many people don’t know this, but rapidly cooling your hair makes the result of your efforts last much longer.

Unfortunately, this dryer doesn’t come with a diffuser attachment, since many people with tight curls also experience problems with dry, brittle hair. It does, however, have a handy concentrator attachment that’s useful for creating a variety of effects on straight hair.

It’s hard to pinpoint one single thing that makes this stand out as a professional-quality hair dryer: several things come together to make it such. One of the biggest factors that point to this being a nearly salon-level hair dryer, though, is its durable AC motor.

Without getting too technical, I’ll just say that an AC motor is much stronger, long-lasting, and powerful than a typical DC motor like you’ll find in the InStyler BLU Turbo Ionic Dryer. Though installing this type of motor increases the price of a hair dryer, it is certainly worth it for someone who uses their dryer often and doesn’t want to replace it too soon.

A second factor that makes this a professional-grade hair dryer is its combination of proprietary infrared heating technology and a tourmaline ionic generator. These two elements mean that this dryer will protect your hair from overheating, reduce frizz, and make your hair stronger, shinier and healthier in the long run.

Fully Hydrated No-Frizz Hair

Many people (women and men both!) suffer from the frustration of having dry, frizzy hair. They may think that humidity is the problem (since some people’s hair poufs up at the slightest hint of rain), but this is only part of the story. If your hair is properly hydrated to begin with, it won’t absorb as much water from the atmosphere, which is why the moisturizing properties of an ionic hair dryer reduce frizz.

A diffuser attachment makes drying those curls even easier. Anyone who prefers to celebrate their naturally tight curls knows that it can be difficult to dry each strand right to the root without singeing the ends. Using a bare-bones, traditional dryer means that they have to use the lowest heat setting, taking at least twice as long. The wide space the Kadori’s diffuser covers, combined with its many long prongs, allows it to dry large areas of hair at a time with air that penetrates right to the root.

Other Considerations

The soft rubbery finish on the outside of this dryer’s handle makes it easy to hold, even with slippery hands. This is great for those who use mousse or similar hair products, as well as people who have a hard time maintaining a grip for a long period of time (including anyone with arthritis).

Depending on just how damp your hair is, the thickness of your hair, and the particular style you are trying to create, you will find that having different heat and fan speed settings is pretty important. Three temperature settings and two speeds allow you to get a customizable experience every time you blowdry. It also has a cold shot setting for when you want to lock in that final curl or flip by rapidly reducing your hair’s temperature.

As we keep pointing out, the best hair dryer for you is likely to be different from that for your spouse, children or roommate. It’s all about hair type: people with thin hair, thick hair, curly hair, oily hair and dry hair all have their own requirements. What makes this particular dryer special is that it will work well with almost any hair type.

Great For Sharing

The secret to this dryer’s share-ability lies mostly in its adjustable ion generator. Ion generators help lock moisture inside individual hair strands, protecting them and reducing their tendency to frizz up. Though this technology is a blessing for people with dry hair, it can be a hindrance for people with oily hair, making it look greasy even when it isn’t. With this Instyler dryer, however, you will be able to select a lower or higher ion output to suit your hair type.

Concentrator and diffuser attachments add to the flexibility of this hair dryer. You can easily use the concentrator to create sleek, straight hair or gentle waves. Alternatively, the diffuser lets you dry dense or tightly curled hair, or try a new styling technique. This type of versatility is simply invaluable when you have to share a single blow dryer among multiple people with different hair types.

It Keeps Going

There is more to be said about this hair dryer’s positive qualities. For one thing, its Jet Turbine fan is capable of creating a more powerful airflow than many of the other hair dryers listed on this page, supposedly drying hair in half the time without sacrificing gentleness. Its performance belies its power rating of 1,500 watts. Multiple speed and heat settings, including a cold shot button, serve to extend the number of people this hair dryer will satisfy.

At first glance, you may think this is just another basic hair dryer you can find at the local drug store, but you’d be wrong. Despite its modest appearance, it has a lot to offer. From its motor to the type of heat it produces and several less important features, this unassuming dryer can hold its own among good company.

To begin with, this dryer consumes 1,750 watts of power. Though this is not the highest of all the dryers we’ve listed here, don’t be fooled. The special compressor design makes it run equivalently to a more powerful model while also keeping the noise level down.

This dryer provides ceramic infrared heating and a tourmaline ionic generator which work together with the special fan to dry your hair faster, while still being much gentler than the typical electric coil dryers of the past. By locking in moisture and using a kind of indirect heat, this combination of drying technologies stops frizz before it starts and protects against split ends.

Ergonomically-Friendly

Another thing I love about this hair dryer is its ergo-friendly handle. You may notice that many other blow dryers have their handles mounted on the rear. While this makes some sense, this also leaves the whole unbalanced, placing unnecessary strain on your wrist. It’s also only 7 inches long and weighs a shade under a pound.

The only other dryer on this list that boasts a similar handle placement (though it’s almost twice the weight) is the Infinity Pro by Conair. However, that dryer is intended for an entirely different group of people, since it’s best suited to drying tight curls. This dryer is a better option for people with straight or loosely curled hair.

Additional Features

In addition to what’s outlined above, this hair dryer can be set to two fan speeds and three heater adjustments. A cold shot button adds an extra styling option, while the removable filter makes life a little easier. When you start to notice the unit overheating or smell dust burning, simply pop the filter off, give it a quick clean, and put it right back on.

One of the characteristics that distinguishes the various hair dryers on this page is the type of motor each is equipped with. Some have AC motors (preferred by professional stylists) and others use the DC type (more affordable but less reliable). This dryer stands out because of its brushless motor.

Whether AC or DC, the majority of motors have “brushes” (actually, sticks of graphite) inside them which wear down over time. It is usually the breakdown of these brushes which causes them to quit working, not melting wires or burning insulation. While the brushless motor inside this particular hair dryer will not last forever, it will almost certainly keep on going far longer than those of every other hair dryer on this list. In fact, Conair claims that this motor will last up to 10 times longer than its competitors, including salon-quality hair dryers with AC motors.

Furthermore, if you’ve read through a few other reviews, you’ll have realized that power output, measured in watts, is an important way of classifying a dryer’s performance. Since brushless motors work a little differently, this 1875-watt hair dryer is roughly equivalent to a typical 2000W model.

Heating Style

Interior ceramic plates equip this blow dryer with infrared heating, which is known to be much gentler on hair than direct electric heating. This is great for anyone with brittle hair or who already has (and needs to repair) split ends. A built-in ionic generator further enhances this hair dryer, allowing it to encapsulate moisture inside your hair strands for extra protection and a better appearance. This works well with dry to medium hair, but people with oilier hair would be better off looking elsewhere.

For Your Curls

Locking in moisture will help to keep any tendency to frizzing under control. What makes this dryer the best for thick, curly hair, however, is its diffuser attachment. This is simply a nozzle fitting that helps to separate your locks and allow hot air to penetrate, which means your ends won’t already be bone dry while your roots are still soaked.

The Infinity Pro is specially made to prevent this from happening. Its extra-long prongs let it infuse heat all the way to your scalp so that you can evenly dry even the densest mop of hair. This isn’t just a question of comfort: if your hair is very curly or thick, you risk scorching the tips if you use the wrong kind of hair dryer – further aggravating that split ends situation.

Other Things to Note

In addition to everything mentioned above, you’ll be glad to know that this dryer also has the following features: multiple speed and heat settings, cold shot function to finish off your blowout, three color options (red, silver, and blue), and a handle positioned near the middle of the body of the dryer for a better balance in your hand.

We’ve certainly talked about the importance of ionic drying technology more than once on this review page; unless your hair naturally holds a lot of moisture, this is most certainly a feature you should demand from your hair dryer. As it turns out, though, just looking for the word “ionic” might not be the best you can do.

Just like the Kadori Professional, this Berta product uses a special kind of infrared heating which is even better at passing through the sheath of a strand of hair, heating the core instead. This is much gentler and less likely to cause damage. Perhaps even more importantly, the manufacturer claims that the ion generator in this dryer is 100 times more efficient than those of their competitors, meaning that it seals the surface of your hair much more quickly, providing additional protection. The Wazor 1875W Ionic makes the same claim and is actually similar in a lot of ways.

High Performance

This extra level of safety becomes especially important when you consider that this hair dryer works twice as fast as some others. Interestingly, due to its special ion generator, it’s comfortable to use even so: your scalp won’t get uncomfortably hot even though it uses 1,875 watts. This dryer does not, unfortunately, come with a diffuser, so people with exceptionally long, heavy or curly hair should not expect to see the same results.

With an AC motor, this Berta dryer comes in at the top end of our preferred wattage range. You can select between three heating settings, though, and the powerful ionic action may even make it a good choice for people with medium-fine hair. If your hair is exceptionally brittle, though, another dryer may be the safer option.

Other Notable Qualities and Features

A professional quality AC motor allows this dryer to stand alongside such incredible comparison models as the GHD Air, Kadori L.I.A., Wazor 1875W Ionic and Elchim 3900 dryers. An AC motor is lighter, longer-lasting, and more durable than the DC motors found in cheaper hair dryers.

Other features are this dryer’s 2 speed settings, 3 temperature settings, and cold shot button, which together allow you to select just the right settings for your hair care goals. Also, a removable filter allows you to clean out dust and debris without a struggle.

If you are looking for a high-quality hair dryer with a little extra attitude, this might just be the one for you. We’ll get into more detail about the quality part in a moment, but first, let’s look at its outstanding aesthetic design.

Style

Arguably the most obvious thing that sets this hair dryer apart from most is the way it looks. Not only is it available in a variety of colors, but each of these also is slightly metallic, and some feature an inlay of another color which wraps around the filter and down the back of the handle. In case you’re curious, the color options include metallic red, shiny white, black with silver highlights, black with rose gold highlights, black with gold highlights, and just plain black.

The sweeping curves of the main part of the unit are typical for most hair dryers and actually have an aerodynamic purpose: this focuses the stream of warm air for better control. What is different about the shape of this dryer is its handle. Thicker at the bottom than the middle, its design makes it quite easy to hold, as does the fact that the body is well-balanced on top of it. Holding it will be easier for people with an impaired grip, although the placement of the controls on one side of the handle makes it awkward to use with your left hand.

Quality

This dryer’s 2,000-watt rating is just over the maximum we recommend, meaning that only people with very thick hair should ever need to use it at full power. People with fine hair should steer clear of this product – unless you’re very careful, thin stands will quickly turn into a frizzy mess. If you have medium hair, you can still simply select the medium heat setting.

This dryer uses a ceramic infrared heater and ionic generator that protects your hair from the somewhat harsh process of heating and drying. One heats the inside of the strands first, while the other causes the outer layer to seal, locking moisture inside. Elchim can also boast that this is an AC motor. AC motors are usually sure to last much longer than their DC counterparts and can run at full power for longer without overheating.