How much should you spend on a hair dryer? With prices from reputable brands starting at just over £20 and going up to £300/ $400 for a Dyson Supersonic, it can be hard to figure out what’s a reasonable sum to spend. But the place you should start looking for an answer isn’t in the tech: it’s on your head.
The condition of your hair (damaged, treated or healthy), your hair type (curly, thin, straight) and how much effort it takes you to go from bedhead to ready to face the world should help you to decide.
If you colour your hair, it’s likely to need a little more TLC. Look for a dryer with at least a low and a high power setting, as well as options for temperature. Use a high power, hotter setting for a quick blast to get most of the water out of your hair and then switch to a lower, cooler setting to protect your locks as you finish off.
A hair dryer with ionic technology will dry hair more quickly, allowing you to use lower heat. It'll help to protect damaged hair and restore a bit of shine. Ionic hairdryers are also good for curly hair, as they’ll protect the curl and cut down on flyaway frizz.
Ceramic hair dryers are another great option for coloured or damaged hair as they dry quickly and require less heat to do so.
If you straighten your hair, you might want to look for a dryer with tourmaline technology. This will help to smooth and de-frizz your hair as it dries.
You’ll also want to check out the wattage of the device you’re looking at. More power means it’ll get the job done more quickly. If you’ve ever spent a frustrating 45 minutes with a dinky hotel hairdryer and still ended up with wet hair, you’ll understand how much difference wattage makes. Your hair dryer should be at least 1,800 watts but professional hair dryers can be twice as powerful.
Also look for a cool button, which will help you set your look at the end.
In terms of attachments, a diffuser will help you maintain your curls and a flat-headed nozzle will help you to smooth.
1. Dyson Supersonic
- $399.99
The Dyson Supersonic is a technological wonder (dare we call it “cutting edge”?), which promises to be kinder to your hair, more comfortable on previously weighed down arms, quieter, and faster at drying and styling.
Our testers were impressed with the Supersonic but initially aghast at the high price tag, although we think it's not that much when compared to the price of a quality haircut.
It’s very fast at drying (some may find it a little too fast when drying at low speed), super quiet, simple and comfortable to use, and with some neat design features such as the magnetic attachments. There are certainly cheaper, quality hair dryers available but we think the hair-friendly Dyson Supersonic is smart enough to justify the comparatively high price tag.
2. Revamp Progloss 4000
- US$0.0
Revamp's Progloss 4000 has three heat settings (plus a cool button), two speed settings and an oscillation function that'll allow you to cover more hair as you use it.
As it's a 2100W appliance, it has the power to get the job done quickly. It also uses ionic technology to speed dry and de-frizz your locks, which means you can use a lower heat.
We were impressed during testing and would recommend it to people who want to invest a bit more in a hair dryer that'll help protect their hair.
Read our full Revamp Progloss 4000 hair dryer review
3. GHD Air
- $199
The GHD Air isn’t a cheap hair dryer by any means (although it is a third of the price of Dyson’s Supersonic). It feels like a luxury and we’ve definitely enjoyed using it. It’s speedy, efficient and overall a joy to use.
We’ll struggle to go back to a less expensive hair dryer now that we’ve had it for a few weeks. But we’ve been perfectly happy with hair dryers in the past that have come in at half the price of this, so it’s not a necessity by any means. Still, it would make the perfect gift for a hair-conscious loved one.
4. Braun Style&Go
- $79.99
Variously called the Braun Style&Go, the Satin Hair 1, or the HD130, this dryer might be a little confusingly named, but it's very simple when it comes to what counts: drying your hair.
There aren't many bells and whistles here, but at this price, you wouldn't expect too many. You get a choice of two heat and power settings, and a removable styling head. Most importantly though, the dryer is small, light and foldable, which makes it even more compact. So, it's the ideal hair dryer to take when you travel.
Braun has planned for that, making sure it's compatible with voltages from 100-240V. As long as you have a travel adapter, you can trust that it will work just about wherever you are, without worrying that the voltage will be too low to power it, or too high and break it.
Despite that portability, it packs a decent punch for its size, so you won't be standing around for hours waiting for your hair to dry. This is unlikely to be your main dryer, but for a budget back-up or a travel-friendly spare, you could do a lot worse.
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