As we transition into the chillier months ahead, many of us will be looking to embrace blowouts, making the search to find the best hair dryer all the more relevant. Perhaps your old one isn’t doing it for you anymore, or you’re simply trying to avoid the salon in the age of the coronavirus. Maybe you’re planning to do your own braids and you want to stretch out your hair beforehand, or you just want something to speed up your drying time in general.
Not only will high-quality hair dryers give you your desired look faster, but they will also create less damage for you in the long term. Brooklyn-based hairstylist, trichologist, and founder of hair-care platform Mmsmith.co, Mickiela Smith notes,
“Quality hair dryer tools can lessen styling time, relieve us from physical stress, and can make it simple in achieving our desired styles with less to no breakage.”
No matter what your goal might be, three celebrity hairstylists have weighed in on the best hair dryer picks to help you figure out which one might be best for you to this fall and beyond.
According to celebrity hairstylist Larry Sims, “A good dryer is one with strength without excessive heat that can damage the hair. A dryer with ion technology is good because it helps the hair dry faster and absorb moisture without drying the hair out.” Beyond the strength and technologies, you should consider the speed and heat settings available, the wattage and weight, and if it offers a cool-shot button to seal the look—especially if you’re looking to follow with a hair straightener or curling iron.
“A good dryer is one with strength without excessive heat that can damage the hair." - celebrity hairstylist Larry Sims
Celebrity hairstylist David Lopez recommends getting really clear about what you’re using the dryer for. Are you using it to just take your hair from wet to dry? Are you someone who blows out your hair at home? Are you expecting a lot of power from it? Do you have very thick, curly hair? All these questions really dictate the dryer you end up using. “For example, if you’re someone that blows out your hair and you like to style your hair with the blow-dryer, you want to make sure that there are concentrators that come with the dryer or are available to purchase separately,” says Lopez.
Another thing to consider is having multiple heat settings, which are really important if you’re thinking about the health of your hair. “You want to have as many heat settings as possible (most dryers have two to three heat settings) to dial into a temperature that’s right for your hair,” says Lopez. He explains that hair is very delicate when it's wet, and what you do with it from wet to dry is crucial in maintaining the health of your hair and avoiding breakage, dryness, and color fading. Having a cool shot button helps set the style in place and minimize frizz.
Finally, weight is also something to keep in mind. Doing your hair can turn into a workout after 10 minutes of blow-drying if your dryer is too heavy.
RevAir Reverse-Air Dryer
Why We Love It: This device is both a dryer and a straightener, which, Diah notes, “makes the job easier and healthier—not applying heat to the very scalp of clients [makes] for a healthy, painless dry!”
Browse Vogue's entire list of recommendations at Vogue.com (updated)
by Kiana Murden and Akili King
