The 18 best hair dryers of 2024, tested and reviewed

Table Of Content

• The Lightweight Rusk W8less Beats All the Pricey Hair Dryers I’ve Tried. And It’s Under $100.
• Best overall hair dryers
• Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer
• Healthy Ionic
• InfinitiPRO by Conair Frizz-Free Hot Air Brush
• Best for Styling: Shark SpeedStyle RapidGloss Finisher & High-Velocity Hair Dryer
• Upgrade pick: RevAir

It’s also lightweight at just 1.7 pounds, and has an ergonomic design, making it easier to style your hair, according to the brand. The 2001 is a true classic, two-time winner of the prestigious “Allure Best” prize, best hair dryer according to Life & Style and “Best Beauty Buy” for the magazine InStyle USA. Two speeds, five temperatures, high-pressure air compression technology, reliable and efficient. It has been adopted by many hairstylists and schools thanks to the long life of its motor, which guarantees 2,000 working hours. At 0.6 pounds, the Gold ’N Hot Ultra-Lightweight Dryer with Tourmaline is the lightest dryer we’ve tested. However, the measured air speed was only 45 mph, and we found the handle thick and awkward to hold.

The Lightweight Rusk W8less Beats All the Pricey Hair Dryers I’ve Tried. And It’s Under $100.

Although it comes with a concentrator to focus on specific areas while blow drying, you can also use a diffuser, which is available separately. If you’re willing to splurge on a dryer, you might consider the Dyson Supersonic. It has consistently been our favorite to use since we first tested it in 2016. The motor sits in the handle, making the nozzle shorter and easier to maneuver. The handle doesn’t vibrate at all, which wasn’t true of other “luxury” models we tested.

Best overall hair dryers

You can use the Smoothstyle on wet hair mode to dry it off, or on dry hair mode, which activates the heated ceramic plates to style your strands, according to the brand. The RevAir is unlike any other hair-drying, heat-styling tool we’ve tested. For people with Type 3 or 4 curl patterns especially, this vacuum-like device is gentle on fragile strands and can cut down total drying time significantly. One tester, who usually requires two back-to-back appointments with a professional stylist at Drybar, now achieves similar drying and smoothing results with the RevAir in as little as 20 minutes. The RevAir has an exceptionally large footprint compared with most dryers. The entire corded machine weighs about 8 pounds and is the size of a toaster.

Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer

Sarah Han after using the Dyson hair dryer with smooth, frizz-free hair. Although the 1,875-watt Revlon Compact Styler is a wallet saver at around $10, the savings do not make up for the dryer’s added heft, its lack of attachments, and its reduced wind speeds compared with those of our picks. The Conair 1875-Watt 3-in-1 Ionic Styler has a long row of grills (and a brush attachment) instead of a circular nozzle. It gives you no way to attach a diffuser, which means you’re stuck with a single-purpose dryer.

The 15 Best Hair Dryers, According to Hairstylists 2022: Dyson, Harry Josh, and More SELF - Self

The 15 Best Hair Dryers, According to Hairstylists 2022: Dyson, Harry Josh, and More SELF.

Posted: Wed, 13 Apr 2022 07:00:00 GMT [source]

You get a styling concentrator, a flyaway attachment, and a wide-toothed comb, plus a “gentle” air attachment and a diffuser. If you have curly hair and prefer using a diffuser to dry it, you have to buy one separately (though it’s best to buy a hair dryer that comes with one). We found that on the top setting, most dryers blew air at about 40 mph as measured a couple of inches away from the nozzle.

Healthy Ionic

The motor sits in the handle of the dryer rather than in the head. The handle is straight and a tad thicker than that of the Rusk W8less, too. Dyson says the motor placement makes the weight of the dryer more balanced, since it’s not top-heavy. The difference isn’t huge, but over weeks of using the Supersonic, we found ourselves appreciating the configuration. If you have trouble holding a typical dryer overhead, the weight distribution of this one might make gripping easier, a reader told us. Made out of genuine wood with Italian craftsmanship, protecting hair integrity and adding shine..

"It concentrates the air and aids in directing the airflow exactly where you want it to go," Abergel previously explained. This concentrated airflow also helps the cuticle of the hair lay flat so that it will be shinier and less frizzy, according to Los Angeles-based hairstylist Kiki Heitkotter. NBC Select newsletter editor McKenna Moore says this blow dryer and diffuser combo has been her most consistently used option after it was recommended to her by her hairstylist. After removing excess water from her hair and letting her curls air dry as long as possible, Moore, who has fine, 3a curly hair, uses the dryer to add shine and volume without adding frizz.

Best for Styling: Shark SpeedStyle RapidGloss Finisher & High-Velocity Hair Dryer

It has a long, 9-foot cord, and it’s less grating noise-wise than other dryers. It also comes with five magnetic attachments, including a diffuser, all of which are exceptionally easy to add or remove mid-blowout. This T3 AirLuxe comes recommended by Foster because it’s great for all hair types and has a compact, sleek design. There’s a Volume Boost button that adds volume and texture, and inside the T3 is a smart microchip that digitally controls 15 heat and speed combinations.

Upgrade pick: RevAir

It has been adopted by many hair stylists and schools thanks to the long life of its motor, which guarantees 2000 working hours. This Conair tool is a favorite of Foster’s because of its powerful ion generator that reduces frizz. This model has a 1.5-inch titanium ceramic-coated barrel that distributes heat evenly, and its ionic technology ensures a no-frizz blowout, according to the brand.

That blowing air was around 200 °F (more if we held the dryer in place for a few moments). Although some dryers achieved faster wind speeds than others, interestingly that didn’t end up translating to notably or consistently faster dry times once we used them on our hair. Since 1945 we have been developing and manufacturing in Milan professional hairdryers, stylers, tools for hairdressers and treatments, taking care of the needs of each type of hair. The 2001 is a true classic, the two-time winner of the prestigious “Allure Best” prize, the best hair dryer according to Life & Style and the “Best Beauty Buy” for the magazine InStyle USA.

If you want to add volume, consider using the wide tooth comb attachment, or use the concentrator nozzle attachment to focus on the roots and small sections. To keep your dryer in good condition, don’t forget to clean the filter and wipe away any product residue, like leave-in conditioner or a heat protectant, according to the brand. Last year, Shark expanded its lineup with the Speedstyle (a traditional hair dryer) and the Smoothstyle, a 2-in-1 hot tool.

The dryer allows her to adjust the temperature and intensity settings to meet the needs of her hair each day. “I absolutely love how easy this combo is to use, especially for a girl who’s never styled her hair much before,” she says. Thanks to the right combination of air flow, heat and power (2400 W at 240 V) this professional hair dryer reduces drying time by more than 30%.

If you can’t or don’t want to leave the house with wet hair, you need a hair dryer. Former digital deputy beauty director Sophia Panych agrees about the efficiency. The Remington Damage Protection Hair Dryer D3190 comes with a diffuser and a concentrator, but it’s bulkier and heavier than other models we tested.

Familiar additives like aloe and argan oil help, too, sealing the hair cuticle for extra defense. Foster says this lightweight professional-grade hair dryer packs a powerful punch. “As soon as you turn it on, [your hair] dries quickly,” says Foster, adding that it also stores very easily.

Most of these “features” are useless at best and pseudoscience at worst. Shannon Palus reviewed hair dryers for Wirecutter from 2015 to 2017. Among the models we tested, it tied for blowing the hottest and fastest air. Professional hairstylists know how important a powerful, fast and lightweight dryer is which saves time and seals perfectly the cuticles preserving hair integrity. Jessica Cruel blow drying her natural hair with the Dyson Airwrap straightening brush.

Can we honestly deem a high-end diffuser hair dryer worthy of your hard-earned cash if it’s never been tested on curls? We’re proud that our staff spans a wide range of ages, skin tones, hair textures, genders, and backgrounds, which means that we are able to fairly assess any beauty product that comes into the beauty closet. 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.