These four are full of hot air – in
the best possible way. Their functionality and design will help make every day
a good hair day
Everyday essential | Hair dryers
All blow dryers are not created equal. The
ideal model should be speedy, powerful, and comfy to hold, with a long enough
cord and attachments that work well with your hair’s texture. In the Beauty
Lab, we tested 20 different dryers on dozens of hair swatches to evaluate how
fast they dried and whether they left hair shiny and smooth. Then, with
feedback from our testers (whose tresses ranged from long to short and from
super-curly to pin-straight), we crowned four winners. Here’s the full
blow-by-blow…
Best value – Professional lightweight
hairdryer ($30)
At just over a pound, the compact Pro
Beauty Tools dryer is a featherweight, taming the locks and saving the wrists
of grateful testers: Hair “felt silky” and “dried quickly,” they said. A real
find at this price
the
compact Pro Beauty Tools dryer
Quietest – Hot tools whisper quiet salon
turbo ionic dryer ($80)
A good pick if noisiness is a pet peeve. In
addition to having a hushed motor, Hot Tools smooths hair, though it’s best
suited to finer strands (it’s less powerful than our other picks). “Very quiet
and very hot, making up for the air-flow,” said one tester.
Quietest
– Hot tools whisper quiet salon turbo ionic dryer
Most comfy – Babyliss pro nano titanium
portofino ($140)
Our testers awarded it high marks for
hand-held comfort as well as how sleek and healthy it made hair look.
“Powerful, and nice heat,” said one. Almost nobody seemed to mid that the
dryer, with its six settings, was on the heavier side.
Most
comfy – Babyliss pro nano titanium portofino
Fastest – FHI heat nano weight pro 1900
turbo ($145)
The FHI blew past the competition on drying
time. Though pricey, it bested dryers costing more than twice as much. “Light,
quiet, and fast,” said testers. While the dryer itself stays temperate, the air
it emits on its highest settings can get hot.
Fastest
– FHI heat nano weight pro 1900 turbo
Play it safe
Yes, extreme heat locks in the straight
look, but it can also damage hair. Always hold a dryer six to eight inches from
the scalp during use, and keep the nozzle moving between sections. Unless your
hair is very thick or coarse, you may not need the highest heat to achieve your
signature style.