In chemistry from Ithaca College and more than 16 years of experience working in the pharmaceutical and personal care industries. Wirecutter is the product recommendation service from The New York Times. Our journalists combine independent research with (occasionally) over-the-top testing so you can make quick and confident buying decisions. Whether it’s finding great products or discovering helpful advice, we’ll help you get it right (the first time).
How We Tested
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. How much you spend on a hair dryer depends on what kind of dryer you want, how much power you need and any other special features important to you. If you have very short hair, you may not need to invest in a dryer as much as someone who has very long hair or a thick hair type that needs a lot more power to dry quickly. Also, if you have very straight hair or thinner hair you won't need the same dryer as someone who has curly hair and wants to get it straight.
Product Reviews
It's effectively a large brush with air vents below the bristles to style your hair as you dry it, and it gave our tester's fine hair a decent shine and kind of volume they'd typically only get from a professional blow-dry. She liked that the Supersonic's control buttons are located on the head of the dryer as opposed to in its handle, and that they light up to show which of the three heat or air settings she's using. Their placement keeps them from accidentally engaging while the hair dryer is in use—an issue that some hair dryers suffer from. The controls consisted of a cool shot button and two switches, each with three settings to toggle between—off, medium, and high for airflow as well as low, medium, and high for heat. Without looking, I could flip between settings while styling but also never accidentally pushed the switches without meaning to. You don't need bulky, cumbersome tools to achieve a quality blow-dry at home.
Drybar Baby Buttercup Blow Dryer
The loudest models I tested—the Kristen Ess and Shark models—topped 80 decibels, which veers into heavy traffic territory. Prolonged exposure to noise levels over 85 decibels can actually damage your hearing, according to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Of course you won’t be using your hair dryer continuously for hours on end—but still, that’s loud.
Best for Frizzy Hair
Plus, the included rack has some special features and I like the A-frame design since it saves space in your home gym. The rubber inserts on the rack itself can help prevent scratches on the dumbbells too. Florence is our Senior Beauty Writer, specialising in expert-tested beauty and grooming reviews — from toothbrushes to the latest skincare launches.
We were also disappointed during testing to find that it lacks a removable filter. You can always add one of the best hair straighteners or best Dyson Airwrap dupes to your styling station. Hailing from the Hudson Valley, after graduating from hair school she quickly found herself in Soho immersed in an intensive apprenticeship at Arrojo. After many years of traveling the country as a sought out haircutting educator, she decided to shift her focus and incorporate hair coloring into her salon repertoire. With over 14 years in the industry, she is known for her dynamic haircutting skills and sun-kissed hair colors. Venner James is an internationally - acclaimed celebrity and personal stylist the founder of the Venner-James Brand.
Best for Fine Hair
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No matter what your hair type, finishing with a cool shot is recommended for setting styles and adding a boost of shine. Created by actress Tracee Ellis Ross, Pattern's entire line is tailored to textured hair. The lightweight yet powerful dryer comes with four attachments to help create a variety of curly styles — plus, its chic terracotta design will look stunning in any bathroom. “The dryer is lightweight, it was comfortable to hold as I rough dried my hair then styled it, which is how the instruction manual recommends you use it. It took me a few tries to perfect my use of the attachments, but I was able to get the finished look I had in mind." The Bio Ionic 10X Ultralight Speed Dryer is a tad lighter (0.92 pounds) than our top pick and has a slightly longer cord.
What kind of wattage do I need?
I even happened upon an online physics forum where scientists were trying to hash it out to no avail. The matte black and chrome or white and rose gold finishes also made it feel like a luxury to use. That’s not necessary, of course, but I do like for my beauty products to look beautiful.
Best Set with Rack
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In our test, the oscillating nozzle did exactly what it claimed to do, dispersing heat evenly across our frizzy, wavy hair so that no single section of hair felt burnt no matter how long the heat was directed its way. Just about on par with models that are double its price, the InfinitiPRO by Conair DigitalAire Dryer gets the frizz out, taming tortured hair smooth with ease. In fact, it blew out our fine, wavy hair within 30 minutes, commanding an airflow so strong that it sent the curtains swaying in our room. (That force is likely due to the fast-moving digital motor, which revs at 90,000 times per minute!). This hair dryer may not have all the bells and whistles of the fancier (and pricier) options on this list, but it gets the job done beautifully.
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.
“Cute and compact, yet powerful and well made, it's also light and nice to hold,” one expert evaluator raved. “I like pretty much everything about it," another said, but it does lack a diffuser. The gorgeous GHD Helios 1875W Advanced Professional Hair Dryer is heavier and slower than our pick, the Rusk W8less—and three times the price. However, at over 9.5 feet, its cord ties with that of the Amika Accomplice for the second-longest cord of any hair dryer we’ve tested, and this dryer is especially beautiful.
"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." "As a pro, it's highly important for my guests to feel able to achieve anything I do in the salon at home," says Brown. "Ergonomics and accessibility play a huge role in that success. A favorite dryer is the T3 Featherweight Hair Dryer, which supports just that. At 16.6 ounces, this dryer is lightweight and ergonomic for all body types." "The Dyson Supersonic is a go-to for fighting frizz," says Nick Stenson, artistic director of haircare company Matrix.
It’s great for thin to medium hair and promises a gentle dry for damaged strands. The CHI Rocket ceramic hair dryer has a touch screen to control heat, temperature, and ionic output, giving you almost unlimited options for customization. It comes with a concentrated nozzle and diffuser with an option for hands-free use; the back of the dryer can be used as a stand on a flat surface.
"The blow dryer did a great job of drying my hair — it took about 7 minutes to style a third of my hair, which is extremely fast considering how thick my hair is," shares Senior Commerce Editor, Shannon Bauer. "The heat settings are great and the hottest option can get really hot. The high was powerful enough for a rough dry and some oomph, while the low setting provided just enough airflow to effectively style my hair." The Supersonic has all the key factors our stylists say are most important, so it’s not surprising Dyson’s unique-looking machine tops our list. It comes with five styling attachments, including a diffuser, styling concentrator, flyaway attachment, gentle air attachment and a wide-tooth comb, which makes it ideal for all hair types, according to the brand. “It prevents heat damage by [self-regulating] direct heat on the hair strands, eliminating frizz and providing high shine, which is crucial when it comes to getting the perfect blowout,” says Foster. In fact, the Supersonic checks the temperature over 40 times a second to prevent damage to your hair, according to the brand.
