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Each of the top-tested hair dryers in the GH Beauty Lab's most recent test has a cold-shot button, which can help to close the hair's cuticle and lock in the style, preventing frizz once you're finished drying. To get a smooth, sleek blowout, James says to use a concentrator nozzle and a hair brush. Wrap your hair around the brush, then, point the nozzle directly at the brush without touching the bristles.
Revlon Airflow Control Dryer
We use our unique methodology to test products in three labs across the country and with our network of home testers to determine their effectiveness, durability, ease of use, and so much more. Based on the results, we rate and recommend products so you can find the right one for your needs. I went looking for independent research explaining the benefits of negative ions for hairstyling and came up empty-handed. I even happened upon an online physics forum where scientists were trying to hash it out to no avail. The matte black and chrome or white and rose gold finishes also made it feel like a luxury to use. That’s not necessary, of course, but I do like for my beauty products to look beautiful.
Best for volume: GHD Air 1600W Professional Hair Dryer
To minimize heat damage, look for tools that feature multiple temperature settings because high heat isn't always necessary—especially for fine hair types. If you have the time, low heat is best for stymieing damage caused by heated hair tools, and don't forget to prep with a heat-protectant. You might already be using one, though, as many leave-in products include protective ingredients. Cosmetic chemist Ginger King previously told Allure readers to look for heat-protecting products whose formulas feature ingredients like meadowfoam seed oil and VP/DMAPA acrylates copolymer. Familiar additives like aloe and argan oil help, too, sealing the hair cuticle for extra defense.
Our Testing Process
The retro-looking Conair Pro Yellow Bird Hair Dryer is one of the hottest dryers we’ve tested (reaching over 245 °F). But at a pound and a half, it also ties for the heaviest dryer we’ve looked at. Its buttons are strangely placed and unlabeled, and it doesn’t have a cool shot. It used to be our favorite dryer that came with a straightening pick, but we now prefer the Pattern Blow Dryer. You get a styling concentrator, a flyaway attachment, and a wide-toothed comb, plus a “gentle” air attachment and a diffuser. This dryer also features a drying sensor to protect your clothes from heat damage and save energy.
The pro-grade dryer comes with an ionizer switch at the top that lets you customize your blowout to your needs. All you have to do is simply press 'volume' or 'smoothing' and let the ionic blow dryer do its thing. I personally went for the smoothing option as my wavy hair was looking particularly unruly on the testing day. I'm happy to report that the smoothing option does exactly what it says it will — I was left with a sleek blowout, even on a humid summer day in New York City. The amount of damage caused by using a blow dryer, flat iron, and then a curling wand, all to achieve a single style is quite extensive.
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There's a perfectly acceptable range of speed and heat settings, including a cool shot option to set your style. The best hair dryers also come with variable heat and speed settings for quick, yet gentle, blow drying and technology that helps to nourish hair and improve hair volume. Specific modes for scalp care and ‘cool shot’ blasts for setting your style are also useful features to look out for. Choosing a hair dryer that is lightweight and comfortable can also be a dealbreaker.
"The heat settings are great and the hottest option can get really hot. The high was powerful enough for a rough dry and some oomph, while the low setting provided just enough airflow to effectively style my hair." As soon as we picked it up, we were surprised at how light it was and it never felt heavy or made our arms ache as we dried our hair. It was so easy to use, we’d even call it foolproof, and loved being able to toggle with the heat and airflow options. Despite its time-efficiency, the airflow felt gentle and never too hot on our head and scalp— be sure to still use heat protectant spray. We also appreciated the four attachments that came along with the dryer — a diffuser, two concentrator nozzles, and a star-shaped nozzle specifically for those with fine hair and sensitive scalps.
Steam settings are ideal for drying wrinkle-prone fabrics and reducing static as well as reviving clean-but-wrinkled clothes, like a load of laundry accidentally left in the dryer too long. Though steam cycles aren’t a replacement to ironing, they should help cut down that chore. When assessing dryer capacity, also think about your washer’s capacity—you don’t want to end up with a significantly larger washer capacity only to have to spend more time doing smaller drying loads. “Most standard dryers offer between 5.0 and 7.0 cubic feet of capacity, which equals to about nine to 15 full-sized bath towels per load,” Ashby says. The right capacity for you will depend on the amount and type of laundry you’re doing, as well as the size of your space. After considering things like budget, size of your space, and the type of hook-up, you’ll next look at the functionality of the machine.
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In addition to that, you may want to consider the placement of the buttons, what attachments it comes with, and how long you can expect the dryer to last. I’m a veteran lifestyle journalist who’s been covering hair tools, among other topics, for over a decade for outlets like Elle, O, The Oprah Magazine and Martha Stewart Living. I’ve had my hair every color and length, and I’ve gotten spiral perms twice (including once when I had baby bangs).
"To prevent heat damage, keep the nozzle at least 1 inch away from the brush and don't stay at one spot for long," he explains. "Blow dry each section in fluid motions until you've finished your whole head of hair." Quiet and controlled, the airflow and temperature were reflective of the dryer’s professional standing, and our hair and scalp didn't feel scorched, or even slightly overheated, at any point during the trial. At the hands of the luxe, lightweight and effective tool, the resulting blowout of our hair felt like a professional one.
The loudest models I tested—the Kristen Ess and Shark models—topped 80 decibels, which veers into heavy traffic territory. Prolonged exposure to noise levels over 85 decibels can actually damage your hearing, according to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Of course you won’t be using your hair dryer continuously for hours on end—but still, that’s loud. If you like to listen to music while you get ready, it would be drowned out. We started by looking to other publications—Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Allure, Elle, and others—making a master list of all the hair dryers they recommend.
It's effectively a large brush with air vents below the bristles to style your hair as you dry it, and it gave our tester's fine hair a decent shine and kind of volume they'd typically only get from a professional blow-dry. Barbara Booth is a former editor at Select who has published several guides on self care and beauty products. And because any hot styling tool like a hair dryer will damage hair to some degree, it's also crucial to protect strands from the effects of heat. Before blow-drying, "always prep hair with a leave-in styling product that provides heat protection," Alvarez suggests.
This makes it suitable and convenient for all hair types and textures, and we love a universal product. It also boasts a powerful motor that dries hair quickly without inflicting damage. In fact, it has intelligent heat control to help protect hair health and shine. One of our favorite hair dryers to hit the market is the Pro Dryer 2000 from Harry Josh. You can easily switch between ionic and non-ionic settings, supported by a 1,875-watt motor. In total, it has eight speed, heat, and ion settings with a 9-foot cord, and weighs just about 2 pounds.
It was one of the quieter hair dryers we tried - measuring around 83 decibels on its highest setting - and gentle enough to use on children. This hair dryer has eight speed settings, which means you can opt for a leisurely blow out, or get the job done quickly if you’re in a rush. We take our hair dryers very seriously — so much so that we’re testing the latest and greatest that come out yearly to give you the most up-to-date info on which tools you should buy. We tested 21 of the newest dryers this year alone (34 total including the ones we tested previously), trying them in our lab on volunteers with all types of hair, from fine and straight to thick and curly. We made sure to give each tool a fair shot by having professional hairstylists use them on our testers for the best results. While we thoroughly enjoyed using this dryer and the concentrator nozzle it came with, we were curious as to how it would perform with a diffuser on curlier textures if we wanted to dry our hair curly and not straight.
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