Have a good hair day, every single day
It’s an at-home device that can make or break a hairstyle, and this year we have had to rely on our hair dryers more than ever. So if yours isn’t cutting it then let us help you find the best hair dryers worth putting your trust in.
Our best hair dryers for 2021 are:
- Best hair dryer for curly hair: Remington Shine Therapy Hair Dryer, £6.99 | Argos
- Best travel hair dryer: BaByliss Travel Pro Dryer | Amazon
- Best hair dryer for frizzy hair: T3 Cura Luxe Dryer, £235 | Current Body
- Best hair dryer for fine hair: ghd Helios Dryer, £159 | ghdhair.com
- Best hair dryer for thick hair: Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer, £299.99 | John Lewis
- Best hair dryer that professionals use: Parlux Advance Light Ceramic Ionic Hair Dryer, £112.93 | Amazon
- Best hair dryer for damaged hair: Cloud Nine the Airshot Hair Dryer, £119 | Very
- Best budget hairdryer: Tresemmé 2000 W Fast Hair Dryer, £12 | Amazon
How do I choose one of the best hair dryers?
The truth is that while most hair dryers look very similar, they weren’t all created equal, and some will be better suited to your hair type and particular needs. What should you look for before buying a new hairdryer? Whether you’re looking for the best ionic hair dryer or you’ve your eye on one of the best T3 hair dryers, here’s what to keep an eye out for:
Power
If you have particularly challenging hair, then you want to know that your dryer is going to be able to deal with it.
Speed
It’s important that your hairdryer can dry hair quickly, with a high-speed setting, but have the ability to slow down for controlled styling.
Ionic technology
The water in your hair, post hair wash, is positively charged, the ionic technology creates negative ions to counteract the moisture. Fancy words for anti-frizz and smoothing science. You find the same technology is some of the best hair straighteners too.
Cool shot
You might have spotted the cool setting on your dryer and never bothered using it, because maybe it didn’t make sense to you. But the cool shot is actually like popping the cherry on top of the cake – it seals the hair cuticle, leaving hair looking shiny.
Cord length
Such an overlooked feature. You might not have a plug by your mirror, you might have to plug it in the hallway but do your hair in the bathroom. It matters.
Best hair dryer for curly hair
Remington’s Shine Therapy Pro Hair Dryer, £39.99 | Argos
The key with curly hair is knowing how to take care of it. It tends to be drier than its wavy counterparts, so direct high temperatures can frazzle. Diffusers (and nourishing styling creams) are curly hair’s best friend.
The way the diffuser works on Remington’s Shine Therapy Pro Hair Dryer – and the reason why we think it’s one of the best – is that rather than blasting heat in one direction it, you guessed it, diffuses. This helps to reduce frizz and keeps the curls natural shape. This is also the best hair dryer for curly hair because of it’s ionic generator that helps to break down water molecules on the hair, leaving curls shiny.
POWER 2300 W
What this means: This is the most powerful hair dryer on the list. So if you have long, thick hair this will be able to handle it.
SPEED SETTINGS 2x
What this means: Most hair dryers on the list have two speed settings, so this is no faster than any of the others.
IONIC TECHNOLOGY No
What this means: Not ideal if you have particularly frizzy or curly hair.
COOL SHOT Yes
What this means: If you regularly style your hair, this is important for sealing the cuticle.
CORD LENGTH 1.8 M
What this means: One of the shortest on the list, so you should think about that if your plug sockets are far away from your mirror.
Best travel hair dryer
BaByliss Travel Pro Hair Dryer, £40 | Amazon
Let’s be honest, when looking for the best travel hair dryer, you don’t want it to take up too much space in your luggage, you don’t want to spend much on it, but you do want it to give you one heck of a blow-dry. You can rely on BaByliss. This travel version is just as good as it’s full-sized dryers, because it doesn’t compromise on it’s power, it folds neatly down and comes in under £50. Perfect.
POWER 1600 W
What this means: It’s not particularly powerful, but you wouldn’t expect more from a travel dryer.
SPEED SETTINGS 2x
What this means:
IONIC TECHNOLOGY Yes
What this means: When travelling, you don’t want to have to panic about the humidity. The ionic charge will help to smooth.
COOL SHOT Yes
What this means: Having a cool shot on a travel hairdryer is impressive. It means a longer-lasting blowdry.
CORD LENGTH 2.5 M
What this means: This is super impressive for a small travel dryer. Especially as you have no idea the layout of the place where you’re staying.
Best hair dryer for frizzy hair
T3 Cura Luxe Professional Ionic Hair Dryer with Auto Pause Sensor, £235 | Currentbody
The innovation in this T3 hairdryer is a bit of a masterpiece, featuring five heat settings, an auto-stop function and the ‘cool shot’ function for locking in your style. It’s quick drying without fluffing and frizzing your hair into oblivion, and surprisingly lightweight for such a technologically advanced tool; the digital IonAir technology helps boost shine and minimise frizz levels for much smoother hair overall. If drying your hair easily results in a frizz-bomb situation, this one is for you.
POWER 1900 W
What this means: Not the most powerful on the list, but it has a lot more going for it.
SPEED SETTINGS 2x
What this means: Most hairdryers on the list have two speed settings.
IONIC TECHNOLOGY Yes
What this means: Perfect for smoothing and adding shine.
COOL SHOT Yes
What this means: Seals the cuticle for a smoother look.
CORD LENGTH 2.7 M
What this means: One of the longest on the list.
Best hair dryers for fine hair
ghd Helios Professional Hair Dryer in Ink Blue, £159 | ghdhair.com
Fine hair doesn’t require as much time to dry as other hair types, but if you’ve got a lot of it it can still be a bit of a task. You need a dryer that doesn’t turn your locks into a flat, unimpressive haystack, but that dries ’em quick. When it comes to the best hair dryers, we can’t not mention ghd; they’re probably the first name that springs to mind in the world of heat tools. This is the newest hair dryer from ghd – it’s an amalgamation of their much-loved Air and their most recently discontinued Aura. Most hairdryers use carbon brushes that wear out over time, causing the motor to stop working. But brushless motors like the ghd Helios dryer use magnets and electronics to drive the motor, which in turn extends the life of your dryer. This motor type is also lightweight, super quiet and delivers a strong airflow for fast, frizz-free results. Helios also features the brand’s ‘Aeroprecis Technology’ – an aerodynamic design with a special contoured nozzle that guarantees even airflow and concentrated temperature. Fine hair, be styled!
POWER 2200 W
What this means: This is one of the most powerful hairdryers on the list, so you won’t be disappointed.
SPEED SETTINGS 2X
What this means:
IONIC TECHNOLOGY Yes
What this means: This speeds up dry time and stops frizz in its tracks.
COOL SHOT Yes
What this means: Sets the hair for long-lasting hold and adds shine.
CORD LENGTH 3 M
What this means: This is the longest on the list.
Best hair dryer for thick hair
Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer, £299.99 | John Lewis
Thick hair takes longer to dry, which is a pain (and not just for your arm), What you need is a smart hair dryer that speeds the process up, whilst still being kind to you strands and your biceps. Enter the Dyson Supersonic. No doubt you’ve heard of the Supersonic – arguably the most famous hair dryer in the world. Yes, it’s expensive, but it is beyond clever. Not only has it been designed so that the motor sits in the handle, rather than the head (thus redistributing the weight), but it’s also a super speedy motor, which speeds up your blow-dry time. If you are prepared to part with the money it really is worth it. Professionals, experts and beauty editors are obsessed with it. Oh and did you know there’s also a curler, the Dyson Airwrap, too? We’ve rated it one of the best curling wands on the market.
POWER 1600 W
What this means: Whilst this doesn’t look like the most powerful, the special digital motor inside means it works differently so it won’t feel less powerful.
SPEED SETTINGS 3X
What this means: With three speed settings you have more control over your styling. The higher speed is best for drying, whilst the lower speeds help with styling and limit tangling.
IONIC TECHNOLOGY Yes
What this means: It’s no surprise that the Dyson has an in-built ionizer, this hair dryer is all about hair tech.
COOL SHOT Yes
What this means: Always finish with a shot of cool air to finish off the styling.
CORD LENGTH 2.8 M
What this means: Super long cord for super styling.
The hair dryer the professionals use
Parlux Advanced Light Ionic and Ceramic Hair Dryer, £112.23| Amazon
Parlux was always the professional stylist’s first choice of hair dryer brand, because the professional grade dryers are considerably less weighty than others. Soon, brands like Dyson made their way into salons, but you can still find Parlux in many a stylist’s hand because they’re that good. You can even buy a ‘Melody Silencer’ add-on to keep the noise of your dryer to a minimum.
POWER 2200 W
What this means: This is what the professionals use, so it’s no surprise that it’s one of the most powerful on the list.
SPEED SETTINGS 2X
What this means: Great for speed and styling.
IONIC TECHNOLOGY Yes
What this means: Smooth locks ahead.
COOL SHOT Yes
What this means: Part of the reason why the professionals love it so much. So that they can lock in their styles.
CORD LENGTH 3 M
What this means: The longest on the list.
Best hair dryers for damaged hair
Cloud Nine the Airshot Hair Dryer, £119 | Very
There are so many things that can damage your hair – heat, colour, sun and, of course, heat styling. Cloud Nine’s Airshot however, takes away some of that risk. With tourmaline and vitamin-infused heating elements, the Airshot literally takes care of your hair while you blow dry. It’s also got anti-static technology to keep flyaways to a minimum and leave your hair smooth and shiny. How clever.
POWER 2000 W
What this means: This will give you a pretty speedy blowdry.
SPEED SETTINGS 3 X
What this means: The more speed settings, the better control you have.
IONIC TECHNOLOGY No
What this means: It doesn’t have ionic technology, but it does have anti-static technology, which will help with frizz too.
COOL SHOT Yes
What this means: Seal the hair’s cuticle for super smooth lengths.
CORD LENGTH 2.7 M
What this means: No matter where your power socket is, you’ll be able to reach it.
Best budget hair dryer
Tresemmé 2000 W Fast Hair Dryer, £12 | Amazon
On the other end of the spectrum, you might like leaving your hair to dry naturally and really only need one for that odd occasion when you decide to style your hair. You don’t want a dryer that costs the earth, but you do want one that you trust. This is that hair dryer. Coming in at well under £20 (you are very welcome), this Tresemmé wonder is powerful, quick and has that brilliant cold shot that will set your style.
POWER 2000 W
What this means: Anything over 1800W makes for a decent hair dyer that will dry hair quickly.
SPEED SETTINGS 3X
What this means: This suits if you have a lot of long hair, not so important for curlier types that need less drying.
IONIC TECHNOLOGY Yes
What this means: If you’re worried about frizz, you want ionic technology.
COOL SHOT Yes
What this means: Locks in styles.
CORD LENGTH 1.8 M
What this means: This is one of the shortest on the list, so think about where your mirror is in relation to your plug.
How did we do? Did you find the best hair dryer for your hair type of hair needs?
Happy shopping…
