I recently had to retire my old blow dryer. It’s hard to get something new when everything changes so fast in the hair industry. I went to the store to check out the blow dryers. I walked up and down the aisle trying to decide. They all say something exciting to get you to buy it. They are all different prices, brands, wattage. But what does that all mean to you and me. So let’s talk about what everything means so if you are thinking about a new blow dryer you will know which one to get. They are not all the same and you can end up wasting your money or something that isn’t right for you.
When do you know it’s time to get a new blow dryer? Well the main things would be that it smells like it’s burning, makes noises, broken pieces, your hair looks frizzy afterwards, it takes to long to blow dry your hair or a button is missing. Just to name a few.
Wattage; the higher wattage will cut down your blow dry time without drying out/burning your hair. The best wattage to get whether for home or at a salon is 1875 or more watts.(wattage is talking about how strong of a motor is in the blow dryer)
Ionic (aka Tourmaline); this means that the dryer is blowing negative ions onto your hair. Water on your hair are positive ions so this will repel out the ions of your hair to dry faster and cut down on frizz, add shine and close the cuticle. (This is not recommended if you have fine hair, oily or flat hair) I love the Dyson Supersonic Dryer
Ceramic, Porcelain, or Infrared; are dryers that are coated this the material. These materials help distribute the heat so it doesn’t get hot in one place only. A great one to get is BaByliss Ceramix Dryer. Infrared are using waves to dry the hair. These waves are entering the hair shaft and drying the hair from the inside out. (Ideal for fine or dry hair)
Titanium; is like the ceramic where is distributes the heat evenly but this kind is on steroids (meaning it gets very hot verses hot). This is not recommended for damage prone hair. It is perfect if you have thick hair because it will dry your hair fast. One of my favorites is BaByliss Pro Nano Dryer
Weight; This is pretty obvious. But what you probably didn’t think about is “How heavy is to heavy for me?” This answer is; if you spend more then 20 minutes blow drying your hair then look for a light weight dryer (around 1 lb) which would be Bio Ionic 10x Ultralight. I fractured my arm years ago and I bought the lightest weight blow dry possible called Bio Ionic Whisper Light. It was prefect at 2.1 lbs. I was able to blow dry hair all day long. My new one is heavier and after the first time I blow dried someones hair my arm was shaking because of the added weight I wasn’t used too.
Cost; I say if you are a once a week blow dryer or less then you can get away with an inexpensive blow dry (under $50, it will burn out average of 2 years) but since you are not blow drying your hair frequently it will last longer for you. I like BaBylissPro Ceramix Xtreme Dryer. But getting an more expensive dryer with keep your hair healthier by not drying it out, it will help with frizz and will last you 5 to 10 years if you are a frequent user.
We can’t forget about the extras that blow dryers have.
Cool Shot; is a button you hold down to blow cool air onto your hair once you are finished. This helps close the cuticle and locks the style in better. Because it closes the cuticle it isn’t great for fine, oily and flat hair.
Nozzle; is an attachment that goes on the end of the dryer to force the air into one area verses all over. Which is nice when you are round brushing your hair but styling hair at home is already a challenge adding nozzles don’t really help. Because when you style your hair yourself there are many difference angles that are used. If you have a nozzle on it then you are constantly having to move the nozzle to accommodate the angle.
Comb Nozzle; is an attachment that goes on the end of the dryer to force the air into one area plus it also combs through the hair. It’s like a comb and nozzle together. This is great if you have long hair because it helps to distribute the air in one area as you comb through your hair verses the air going all over the place. This is mainly for drying the hair. It helps dry the hair faster. It does not do a polished look so this would be something you do before flat ironing or curling your hair.
Diffuser: is an attachment that goes on the end of a blow dry when you have curly hair. They help combat frizz and gives lift. They come in a plastic round with stems or a mesh style. You don’t want to touch the hair when you are using this or else you will create frizzy hair. Bio Ionic Universal Diffuser
A little side note, one of my favorite blow dryers for home use was my travel size. I also blow dried my hair once every 2 weeks back then. BaByliss Tourmaline Travel Dryer