The 20 Best Hair Dryers of 2024, Tested and Reviewed

Table Of Content

• Most Affordable for Curls: Kiss Tourmaline Ceramic 1875 Pro
• Best professional: Turbo Power Twin Turbo 3500 Ceramic And Ionic Hair Dryer
• Paul Mitchell Neuro Light Tourmaline Hair Dryer
• Best hair dryer for curly hair
• The best styling hair dryer
• Best Bonnet Dryer: Gold 'n Hot Professional Ionic Soft Bonnet
• Best Blow-Dryer Brush: Revlon Salon One-Step Hair Dryer and Volumizer

We know it doesn't look like a hair dryer, but the Dyson Airstrait is one of a new wave of innovative wet-to-dry stylers, (alongside the ghd Duet below), meaning it's essentially a hair dryer and straightener in one. It does it with the help of a high-pressure and precise airflow rather than traditional heated plates. Its smart heat control technology also regulates the airflow temperature every 30 seconds to ensure there’s no excessive heat damage and leave your locks looking healthy and shiny instead.

Most Affordable for Curls: Kiss Tourmaline Ceramic 1875 Pro

However, we often blocked the filter with our hand and the buttons are a little fiddly to access mid-dry. 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. When we used it with the accompanying concentrator on coarse, kinky hair, the dryer cut drying time down to under 20 minutes, which was a pleasant surprise for us, given that our hair would normally require a full 12 hours to air-dry.

Best professional: Turbo Power Twin Turbo 3500 Ceramic And Ionic Hair Dryer

If you want to mimic a salon-like blowout at home, it helps to know what type of hair dryer professional hairstylists use and what they look for when shopping for one. If you don’t care about weight, consider the InfinitiPro by Conair 1875-Watt Salon Performance AC Motor Styling Tool. Commonly found in drugstores, this dryer produces airflow that’s faster (65 mph) than that of our top pick and almost as hot (205 °F). At 1.3 pounds, however, it may feel heavy after you spend a couple of minutes holding it above your head. The 6-foot cord, though shorter than those on our other picks, is longer than those on most other inexpensive hair dryers. The buttons are easy to use, but the cool-shot button is a little small and harder to hold down than the cool-shot button on our top pick.

Paul Mitchell Neuro Light Tourmaline Hair Dryer

"If the hair is fine, or more susceptible to damage, start with a medium heat setting and see how it goes," says Kutcher. "If you can get your achieved style using medium heat, keep it on that. The higher the heat, the more likely your hair is to be compromised." We consulted with six hairstylists to learn more about what to know when shopping for a hair dryer and evaluate the dryers we tested. According to the Transportation Security Administration, you can pack a hair dryer in both carry-on luggage and checked bags.

It was easy to switch between heat and speed settings and many said the cool shot mode kept styles in place for longer. Ceramic hair dryers, on the other hand, focus on providing an even airflow to regulate heat and adjust temperatures automatically. This will not only speed up your drying time, but also help avoid damage while doing so. To report this story, I interviewed beauty pros who pay serious attention to hair tools and the technology that goes into them. I also consulted my family’s expert hairstylist, Lola Doward of The Lola Look, who regularly works for TV and film actors including Kristen Wiig and Kristin Chenoweth. Doward tested out my favorites in her salon on real clients (more on that below) and provided feedback on the winners.

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The good news is that it typically dries faster than thicker hair, but some blow dryers can make thin hair look matted-down and flat. This hair dryer from ghd is not one of those — in fact, it dries thin hair and gives it one heck of a boost thanks to its 1600-watt power and easy-to-use concentrator attachment. Put to use on our very thick, long, wavy hair (which historically takes forever to dry), the Harry Josh Ultra Light Pro Dryer proved its prowess as the best professional-grade tool in its class.

“Open the bathroom door, a window, or style in your bedroom for the best airflow,” she suggests. If you have thick hair, you’ll love the price and power of this durable, long-lasting hair dryer. A two-year warranty seems to be pretty standard among the dryers I tested.

Best Blow-Dryer Brush: Revlon Salon One-Step Hair Dryer and Volumizer

And the magnetic attachments mean it’s super easy to switch between heads. Despite its speedy drying capabilities, it didn't leave anyone's strands feeling dehydrated, and all our panellists were happy with their desired styles. The diffuser attachment stood out for those with curly or wavy hair too. However, thanks to modern tech (and a good heat protectant spray) there are hair dryers that can help keep breakage to a minimum. During testing, it was extremely quick to use and provided enough shine to negate the need to run the straighteners over it afterward.

Best Budget: Hot Tools Signature Series Turbo Ceramic

They gave it top marks for its easy-to-reach controls and comfortable shape, and both Lab assessments and consumers found it to be quiet. With six accurate temperature settings to choose from, all hair types should be happy with this tool. Frizz was eradicated across the board, and most agreed their hair felt more robust and healthier.

She's reviewed the GHD Helios, Shark FlexStyle and Revlon Pro Collection One Step Dryer and Volumiser in this guide. We feel that it is a good option for holiday go-ers or business travellers because the UK version comes with a dual plug. It's also not the bulkiest or heaviest hair dryer we've seen so it'll help when you're trying to pack light. Great for when you don't have the time or skill to fully blow-dry your hair with barrel brushes, it will give your hair lots of volume you expect from a professional blow-dry.

The Bio Ionic 10X Ultralight Speed Dryer is a tad lighter (0.92 pounds) than our top pick and has a slightly longer cord. However, the dryer doesn’t have separate wind-speed and temperature-control settings (if you want hot air, it must also be fast). We also tried the Hot Tools One-Step Detachable Straight Dry Paddle Dryer and the Revlon One-Step Hair Dryer and Styler, both of which were clunkier, heavier, and slower to dry hair than the Conair. Their designs also made it difficult for us to directly reach hair roots compared with the other paddle-style hair dryer brushes we tested.

While there is general research on these technologies, little data is available on their benefits in the context of hair dryer design. Finally, each hair dryer's noise emission level may also be determined via the third-party certifier Quiet Mark, which issues a star rating (1 star, Poor/Loud; 2 stars, Average; 3 stars, Good/Quiet) based on recorded sound level tests. Note, though, that the cord doesn't come with a tie and the buttons can be difficult to reach. A game-changer on the market, this one-of-a-kind Dyson design (the motor is in the handle!) dried hair faster than any model in the history of GH Beauty Lab hair dryer testing. In Lab evaluations, it dried an eight-inch hair sample in only 54 seconds and had strong airflow.

It can easily fit in a carry-on bag without taking up precious space thanks to an ultra-compact design and ingenious foldable handle. There were a few brands that I considered testing, but ultimately they weren’t a good fit. The Harry Josh Pro Dryer 2000 didn’t have enough distinguishing factors, aside from its gorgeous color, to recommend it. We decided that the Parlux Alyon, while recommended by all of our experts, is better suited to salon use rather than at home.

Raziuddin says, “Expect to spend $150 to $180 on a decent blow dryer that’s user-friendly, with good quality materials and high wattage. Anything much less than that might not be great for your hair–and could do more damage than dry it.” They are more likely to have higher, less modulated heat. I tested 10 best-selling models and interviewed professional stylists to find the best hair dryers ... A good quality hair dryer will have the heat control and power to dry hair quickly. This is because the hair will be less exposed to the direct source of heat. Once you've bought you're new hair dryer, it may be helpful to check out our guides on how to blow dry your hair the right way and which hair dryer settings you should use to get the results you want without doing any damage.