The 4 Best Hair Dryers of 2024 Reviews by Wirecutter

Table Of Content

• Ga.Ma Italy Professional IQ Perfetto Hair Dryer
• The 14 Best Hair Dryers for All Types of Curly Hair, Tested and Reviewed by Editors
• According to experts and beauty editors, these are the 5 best hair dryers for curly hair
• Best smoothing
• Best for Smoothing and Straightening: Drybar Double Shot Oval Blow-Dryer Brush

Most hair dryers are effective at blowing hot air toward your head—sometimes quite fast—in order to speed along your hairstyling. It’s the small differences between models that can make a big difference overall, particularly with daily use. During their evaluations, our Beauty Lab pros assess features like preheat time, temperature range, overall settings and ease of use. We also had a panel of at-home testers try the irons at home and report back on factors such as the lasting power of the resulting curls and ease of use.

Ga.Ma Italy Professional IQ Perfetto Hair Dryer

When you've got curly hair, finding a great hair dryer that won't encourage frizz can be particularly hairy. Do you follow the Curly Girl Method and want to limit hot tools (FYI, the occasional diffuser on low-heat is okay), or just use a blow dryer strictly to diffuse your hair? Get yourself the Bed Head Diffuser Dryer that combines a dryer and diffuser so it's (a) less bulky, (b) has a head big enough to dry larger sections of curly hair quicker, and (c) features tourmaline ceramic material for smoother, less frizzy hair.

The 14 Best Hair Dryers for All Types of Curly Hair, Tested and Reviewed by Editors

We evaluate all the important features you'd consider at home like the ease of use, drying time and overall performance. We also tried a few top-rated models firsthand (with the help of professional stylists), evaluating them based on power, settings, speed, technology, attachments, portability, standout features, and overall value. Our team then combined these results with our research of fan favorites and stylist-recommended picks to craft this list of curly hair hero dryers. 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.

According to experts and beauty editors, these are the 5 best hair dryers for curly hair

Although there are only three heat settings — low, medium, and high — it really felt like there was a difference between each level, while still putting out a consistent stream of air. We mostly stayed with the medium setting because the highest option was so hot that it was uncomfortable at times. We dry our hair once or twice a week, and our favorite style to create is a traditional full-bodied, bouncy blowout, which was easy to accomplish with this dryer — and fast. Another key feature we're keen on is the dryer's high speed brushless motor, which produces a strong air flow and dries hair in little to no time.

Best for Smoothing and Straightening: Paul Mitchell Neuro Halo Tourmaline Touch-Screen Hair Dryer

That's why we put all types of curling irons to the test in the Good Housekeeping Institute Beauty Lab, to help you find the best curling irons that are actually worth your money. Similar to the noted downside of our budget pick, which is also from Conair, the button placement on this higher-end model caused a bit of a pause for us. Located on the side of the device and positioned close together, the buttons are sensitive and we found it became too easy to switch settings accidentally. It’s lightweight and easy enough to grab, but if you happen to handle it the wrong way, you'll likely interfere with any saved settings. Plus, the handle is designed for those who are right-handed, making it more difficult to use for left-handed people.

Best smoothing

A diffuser is also available, although it's sold separately, which was disappointing. Sleekly designed with just two easy-to-use buttons, including an on/off button that slides up and down, and a second button for toggling between settings, the Instagrammably pretty tool has enough grip to hold it comfortably. Plus, it’s compact enough to store or travel without added hassle, and the accompanying storage bag and stand prove useful both at home and on the road. Blowouts are typically the first step in the long process of straightening curls.

13 Best Hair Dryer Brush Devices for At-Home Blowouts - Vogue

13 Best Hair Dryer Brush Devices for At-Home Blowouts.

Posted: Fri, 22 Mar 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]

What To Look For In a Hair Blow Dryer For Curly Hair

It does get loud when in use, so if you're trying to covertly get ready, this might not be the right compact dryer for you. However, after a few wash-and-go tests, our curly-haired testers found that they liked using the included DevaFuser attachment, a unique hand-shaped diffuser that helps dry curls and waves without losing definition. You can buy a universal-fit version of the DevaFuser for any attachment-compatible hair dryer. Despite what magazine lists and advertisements would have you believe, most hair dryers are one-size-fits-all. No dryer will make your hair exceptionally more voluminous and glossy than another. What your hair looks like comes down to technique, products, and, in large part, its natural characteristics.

Dyson Supersonic

Aeroprecis technology sets this dryer apart, gives it a longer-life, brushless motor, and uses advanced internal aerodynamics. However, the powerful airflow travels at 120 kmph and it feels a tad noisier compared to the other hair dryers I tried, but it did feel like I had a lot of control over the settings. Tracee Ellis Ross recently launched this award-winning blow dryer, equipped with four separate styling attachments. "A nozzle helps concentrate airflow for precise styling, while a diffuser helps enhance natural curls or add volume to the hair," says Heemskerk.

We were also surprised by how powerful the motor was, despite its small size. Under 12 ounces and with a decibel level of just 79 (compared to traditional dryers that clock in around 90 or higher), our favorite travel pick is one of the quietest dryers we've encountered. While this hair dryer works with all hair types, those with thick hair will especially love the blend of power and performance that this option provides.

Hair diffusers are pronged attachments that snap onto the end of the hair dryer’s nozzle and are a secret weapon for all curl patterns. The best hair diffusers are designed to dry the hair in its natural state, according to Nai’Vasha. They distribute the dryer’s airflow over a larger surface area, so you get less direct heat, which tends to flatten out curls. They’re also an efficient way to dry even short, curly hairstyles, just be sure to use low heat to softly coax your hair into shape without creating excess frizz or flyaways, says Yepez.

It also has a mere one year of warranty coverage, and its nonintuitive touchscreen felt gimmicky. Although the Dyson dryer’s feel and attachments are improvements over those of our other picks, we also found features we didn’t like and a few that we were neutral on. At 1.3 pounds, it’s noticeably heavier to hold than the W8less, especially after several minutes of drying.

Although this dryer is just as fast as pricier models, it’s the heaviest of our traditional hair dryer picks, and its attachments can be hard to remove. Unless you've got superhuman strength, holding a blow dryer above your head for minutes on end is tiring. No matter how strong your arms are, the Instyler Blu Turbo Ionic Hair Dryer feels lightweight in your hands and makes blow drying the top of your head a painless process. The diffuser seemed to mimic the movement of our hand when blast-drying the hair, which in turn helped to reduce any fatigue from holding the dryer. The ionic tool also boasted another pleasant surprise — we didn't need to use a straightener as usual on our wavy hair to smooth out any remaining baby hairs. With the Nanoe, we were able to create a smooth look with a slight wave at the bottom, without the need for any follow-up tools.

Their designs also made it difficult for us to directly reach hair roots compared with the other paddle-style hair dryer brushes we tested. It’s heavy, but you don’t have to hold it high like a conventional dryer. Rather than raising the dryer to your hair, however, you insert sections of your hair into the wand; the device then quickly and gently sucks the damp hair dry. It offers seven suction power levels and three heat settings (high, low, or the no-heat cool shot).

But because it’s missing markings for the air-temperature settings, it’s impossible to determine at a glance which setting the brush is on. More importantly, it lacks an ALCI (appliance leakage current interrupter) safety plug, so if it shorts or is immersed in water, the device won’t automatically turn off and therefore could cause an electrical shock. The hair dryers on our list range in wattage from 680 to 2000, most dryers fall in the 1600 to 2000 range. Our best overall pick, Gama IQ2 Perfetto, has 2000, Dyson Supersonic taps out at 1600 and SRI DryQ Hair Dryer (great for travel) has 1300. If you have textured or long, thick hair, you may want to opt for a hair dryer with a higher wattage, fine, thinning, or short hair can get away with lower. “A higher wattage hair dryer will typically be more powerful and dry your hair faster,” explains Uehara.