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To help you find the best hair dryer to dry and style your hair, we purchased a variety of different models and tested them on real hair in real-time. We tested 20 different blow dryers over the course of 12 hours, looking for build quality, attachment availability and motor power. Ultimately, we were looking for dryers that could eliminate moisture from your hair within minutes without causing any damage or unnecessary frizz. Hair dryers are sleek bathroom essentials that perfect straight hairstyles. Read on to check out the best hair dryer options in the market.
As a result, the Dyson Supersonic hair dryer won our top pick as the best hair dryer you can buy today. This incredibly innovative and unique blow dryer is powerful and efficient, and it doesn’t require extreme heat to dry your hair. It also features a super handy magnetic attachment design that makes it one of the most user-friendly options available today. Keep reading to learn more about the Dyson Supersonic and the other best hair dryers we included on our list for this year.
Award: TOP PICK
WHY WE LIKE IT: Our top pick doesn’t look like a typical hair dryer, but it certainly performs excellently without the need for extreme heat. It gives you tons of speed and temperature settings, along with a variety of magnetic attachments for greater versatility in styling.
The Dyson Supersonic hair dryer is definitely one of the most unique units we’ve ever seen. Instead of a long dryer head, the Dyson features a simple, open loop that looks sleek and futuristic. This dryer head is magnetic and your purchase includes a variety of magnetic attachments that simply snap into place. They can be angled in any direction depending on your needs and stay cool to the touch. The Supersonic is also incredibly easy to operate and feels good in your hand, as it is lightweight and durable.
We were also impressed with the Supersonic’s drying performance, which (literally) blew us away. You get three heat settings along with a cool touch button. The dryer’s motor is rated at 1600 watts which isn’t as high as other options, but still amazingly powerful due to the overall design of the blow dryer. The most impressive part of the Supersonic’s performance, though, is the fact that it measures air temperature 20 times every second to ensure that temperatures aren’t getting high enough to damage your hair. Yes, the Dyson Supersonic is very expensive, but its cutting-edge technology and professional-grade performance are well worth the price. If you like this hairdryer, also take a look at the best curling iron.
Award: HONORABLE MENTION
WHY WE LIKE IT: This hair dryer is powerful and compact, making it perfect for styling your hair on the go. It also provides a unique combination approach to drying technology which lessens frizz and increases shine.
The Conair 1875 Watt Full Size Pro hair dryer offers a unique approach to the internal heating element. Instead of being a single type, the Conair combines ionic and ceramic technology. The front grill emits the negative ions to speed up the drying process while the internal components are made from tourmaline and ceramic to lessen the damage that may happen while you blow-dry your hair. This unique combination also helps manage frizzy hair.
The power 1875-watt motor is one of the more powerful options on our list. The blowing speed is powerful enough to dry your hair within minutes and it also helps improve the cool shot functionality, which allows you to immediately blow cool air from the dryer to set your hair style in place. On top of the cool touch button, you have three separate temperature settings: hot, warm and cool (which is different from the cool shot button). You also get high and low speed settings. This variety in settings gives you more versatility in how you dry your hair. We were impressed with the compact design of the Conair, too. It’s compact enough to take along with you on trips and features an ergonomic handle. Unfortunately, the power cord is a little shorter than other options at just five feet long. Now, if you want to keep your hair style in check all through the day, grab the best hair clay.
Award: BEST QUALITY
WHY WE LIKE IT: This option is the best professional hair dryer on our list with an incredibly powerful motor and a ceramic heating element that provides impressively even heat. It also offers multiple heat and speed settings for greater versatility.
We were also impressed with the BaBylissPro’s overall design. It’s a little heavier than other options, but that’s due to the high-quality components. With a rubberized handle, this hair dryer is comfortable and ergonomic. It does feature its buttons directly on the section where your fingers wrap around the handle, which can be a little awkward at times. During our testing, we had a couple of instances when we accidentally switched settings or pressed the cool touch button. However, this is a relatively rare instance, so it didn’t end up being too big a deal in the long run. While you’re thinking about your morning routine, also consider grabbing the best electric toothbrush.
Award: BEST FOR FINE FOLLICLES
WHY WE LIKE IT: This option is the best hair dryer for fine hair on our list with incredibly effective ion, tourmaline and ceramic heating technologies. It also features proprietary conditioning technology to keep your hair healthy and shiny.
The Remington D3190 is the best hair dryer for fine hair due to its unique approach to heating, which is a combination of tourmaline, ionic and ceramic. With this variety in heating technology, you get the best of all worlds without damaging a single strand on your head. We also think this is the best hair dryer for damaged hair because it features an innovative and proprietary Micro-Conditioner technology that both heals your hair and protects it from further damage.
The blow dryer is also designed well, even if it is a little bulkier and heavier than other models we’ve tested. The handle is comfortable and the power cable includes a handy hook at the base of the handle so you can hang the dryer up. We do wish the power cord was a little longer, but the five-foot length is sufficient for most home needs. The Remington D3190 also includes both a diffuser and a concentrator attachment. They attach firmly to the dryer and give you different ways to use your dryer and achieve different or more targeted results. Speaking of hair, you should also grab the best hair gel for men. And if you want to conduct shower tasks like shaving and lathering, while still maintaining the same temperature settings, install the best handheld shower heads.
Award: BEST ON A BUDGET
WHY WE LIKE IT: If you’re looking for the best affordable hair dryer, look no further than this option. It’s also incredibly compact without sacrificing too much drying power.
If you’re looking to save a buck or two and still have enough power and efficiency to dry your hair evenly, the Revlon 1875W Compact and Lightweight hair dryer is the best choice for you. It measures in at just 3.4” x 9.4” x 7.2”, making it the perfect size to pack in either a carry-on or checked bag. If you do pack it on a trip, you won’t have to worry about it taking up too much space.
Fortunately, you also don’t need to worry about sacrificing too much power or efficiency to get this compact design. It’s not as powerful as other options, even in spite of its 1875-watt motor, but it can still dry your hair fairly quickly. It’s also got triple-coated ceramic heating elements for an incredibly even heating experience. This allows you to prevent extensive damage to your hair and helps to manage frizz. For more of your bathroom needs, you may want the best toothbrush holder too.
Award: BEST FOR FRIZZY FOLLICLES
WHY WE LIKE IT: This is the best hair dryer for frizzy hair on our list due to its negative ion tourmaline heating element and multiple heat/speed settings. It also features an incredibly ergonomic design in the handle and a durable design overall.
The Jinri Professional Tourmaline hair dryer offers 1875 watts of motor power so you can dry your hair quickly and efficiently. This power mixed with the negative ionic technology and included diffuser attachment makes this a great option for people who have frizzy, thick hair. You also get three different heat settings – high, medium, low – so you have a high level of flexibility in how you dry your hair to prevent it from frizzing up even more. The included diffuser attachment is also an excellent addition to help with the frizziness.
We were really impressed with the Jinri’s handle. It’s ergonomically designed and extra comfortable, helping you hold it for longer periods of time with ease. The button positioning is a little awkward, especially since the on-off orientation matches the direction of your fingers when curled around the handle. However, after a few uses, you get used to this and can learn to avoid the accidentally pressing of buttons during use. Overall, the Jinri Professional is durable and efficient, which is why it made our list. Doing your hair in your best-lighted makeup mirror has never been so easy.
Award: BEST HIGH POWER
WHY WE LIKE IT: This hair dryer is compact, lightweight and extra powerful with its 1875-watt motor. While many of the options on our list feature a similar motor power, this unit blew harder and dried hair faster, along with preventing static and frizz.
The NITION Negative Ions Ceramic hair dryer stays true to its name by providing an ultra-efficient heating element that’s infused with tourmaline, silver and argan oil. It’s also ceramic coated for additional heating efficiency. This combination makes it perfect for shiny and smooth hair without any of the static you see in other hair technology. The best part of this dryer, though, is how powerful it is. Its 1875W motor is similar to other models we’ve reviewed, but our testing revealed a much more powerful experience.
The NITION is also compact and lightweight, making it a good option for travel or at-home use. It can run a little loud, especially on high settings, but it was something we got used to after a few uses. Fortunately, the dryer includes three different heat settings and two wind speed settings for maximum flexibility. We were also impressed with how easy the NITION was to maintain. The air filter compartment is incredibly easy to access and the filter is easy to clean so you can extend the life of your hair dryer without a problem.
The ultimate test of a good hair dryer is how well it dries your hair without causing lasting damage. That became our baseline for all of the products we included on our list. If a blow dryer dries your hair but also damages it at the same time, it didn’t make our list. We gave bonus points to options that include additional features that mitigated frizziness and dryness.
Next, we looked at the overall design of the hair dryers we tested. The best options were ergonomic and lightweight, making them easier to hold for longer periods of time. While we didn’t award anything extra for compact designs, we definitely included some compact options on our list for travel or tight bathroom spaces. As a part of our evaluation on design, we considered how well the buttons on the handle were placed and gave preference to blow dryers with buttons that don’t get in the way of your fingers.
Finally, we rated options based on different heat and speed settings, along with any included attachments. The more heat and speed settings, the higher the score. This is because more settings give you more flexibility in how you dry your hair. If the hair dryer includes attachments, they should be durable and easy to attach. Plus, they should stay attached until you’re done with them.
