How to shop for a blow dryer like a professional hairstylist!

Aug 26

You've probably been told that the secret to having hair that doesn't fall down immediately throughout your day is to use a blow dryer.

This is a never-changing fact of life, especially for anyone with straight hair.

No matter what product you decide to use, blow drying is the key to getting your hair to consistently do what you want it to as you can build volume, give direction and, create texture through heat-setting.

Although we've been told about the benefits of blow drying, it can be absolutely intimidating for us to shop for a new hair dryer if we've never given it much thought before. With so many brands at various price points, it's hard to know where to start let alone where to go.

That's why today I wanted to take a deep dive into what I'd look for in a blow dryer as someone who works with hair for a living. It is one of the most essential tools for a hairstylist and there are certain things that I prioritize for my needs and the needs of my clients when it comes to something I use every day.

For a blow-dryer that is going to be used at home, the things that I would look for include performance, versatility, and affordability.

What does it mean for a hair dryer to perform?

The most obvious factor for performance is whether the hair dryer gets hot enough and has enough power to do the job.

If you've ever tried using a hotel hair dryer before, you may have experienced the most pointless piece of equipment in your entire life. They're typically too weak to do anything significant to the hair and are no different than using a fan (which also does nothing for styling).

Needless to say, as long as the hair dryer can produce heat, then you've got something at least half-decent. I'll get into the different heat settings a little later in this post.

I used to think that a blow-dryer just needed to dry the hair and that the important work mostly came from using a brush or fingers to style out the hair. However, recently I have found that there are a few other aspects of a hair dryer to consider depending on your hair type.

To my surprise, Best Buy has a very good list of vocabulary (located at the bottom of their page) to consider when it comes to hair dryer features [1]. Among these that stand out are "ionic", "tourmaline", and "ceramic" all of which relate to HOW the hair dryer dries your hair.

Ionic Technology- helps reduce frizz and static.

Tourmaline- Same as ionic, but even better.

Ceramic Material- dryers that are made of ceramic distribute heat more evenly. A more distributed heat flow tends to be more gentle on the hair.

This article by Glam gets more into the science and mechanics of these terms [2]. But essentially, if you are someone who finds that your hair tends to frizz out or you experience a ton of flyaways then you might want to consider getting a dryer that has these features so that you can get a smoother and healthier-looking result in your hairstyles even at higher heat and power settings.

How can a blow dryer be versatile?

This comes down to two factors. The available settings of the blow-dryer and the interchangeable attachments that come included.

Settings

You want something where you can have more control over the heat and the speed of the blow dryer.

Heat

I find that a high heat helps with removing moisture but I prefer a medium heat for most of my drying as it will be gentle enough on your hair to keep it from frizzing and reduces the chance of accidentally burning your scalp and damaging your hair.

Speed

Having the ability to control the speed of the airflow can also help in achieving different hairstyling results.

A high speed will blast the hair and really force direction making it ideal for achieving a high-volume and sleek finish.

A lower speed setting will dry the hair in a more natural way and is perfect if you want to achieve a low-volume, messy look.

A cool shot button is also a very great addition to have on a blow dryer as a blast of cold air will allow the hair to cool and set faster as well as smooths out the hair strands, which boosts the shine in the end result.

Attachments

Two main attachments that come with hair dryers are a concentrator and a diffuser

Concentrators will focus the airflow and help with giving your hair direction. If you want the hair to do something that it naturally wouldn't do, such as go against gravity or go backward, then you'll want a concentrator.

Diffusers will disperse the airflow over a wider area, and this allows for gentle and natural air drying. I recommend a diffuser for people with wavy to curly hair as you do not want to force direction on the hair. There is a natural curl pattern to the hair, and trying to disturb it too much by blasting it with hot air will result in a lot of frizziness.

Depending on your hair type and what style you're trying to go for, then you may want one over the other. Concentrators are typically great for people with straight hair, while diffusers best serve those with wavy/curly hair.

How much should you spend on a hair dryer?

Let's talk about the difference between a $20 hairdryer vs. a $500 dryer.

For years, I had been using a $20 travel-sized hair dryer for styling at home.

That's right, even though I'm a professional I still cheaped out and bought the most minimal piece of equipment I could find because I couldn't see the hype of getting anything more when all I had was short hair. And in those years, I'm proud to say that it did the job with no issues. I never even thought of needing a more expensive blow dryer! That is until I ended up trying one.

But not just any expensive dryer...

Recently, I got a chance to try out the Dyson Supersonic Dryer which usually retails for $550+ (probably one of the most expensive hair dryers on the market!) I was able to experience all the hype that I had been missing out on and I have to say that I could definitely feel a world of difference.

The most noticeable difference is the speed of drying. Although it only takes me about 5 minutes every morning to style my hair, I found the Dyson did it in less than half the time.

Anyone who has super straight hair will understand that if the hair isn't fully dry, then the style isn't completely set and may get undone later in the day. There have definitely been moments where I had to spend extra time making sure certain areas of the hair were properly dried and set in place which just felt like such a hassle!

Even though I love doing it, I don't want to spend too much time styling my own hair. With the Dyson, that hassle was gone. I had fully dry and perfectly styled hair in no time at all, which meant I could get on with the rest of my day even sooner.

For anyone who wants to spend as little time as possible getting ready, this can be a game-changing factor all on its own. But do you necessarily have to pay $500 to get that kind of speed and power?

Although the Dyson is definitely a top-performing piece of equipment, I think you can get away with using something much more affordable as a daily hairdryer and still get close to professional results at home.

What can you get at ~$20?

You can get a travel-sized one like I did, which will produce heat but will lack power and versatility. Usually, these dryers will not come with different attachments and limited settings (basically an on/off switch instead of a heat and speed control). It can do the job if you just need something simple!

What can you get at ~$40?

For anyone that has longer hair, like a medium-length haircut or something closer to shoulder-length, you'll want more power.

You'll want something that allows you higher heat and higher speed so you can blast away a lot of the excess moisture but have the option to use lower settings so that you don't fry your hair as you're styling it.

Depending on the model, hair dryers at this price point may even come with a concentrator and diffuser as well!

What can you get at ~$80?

As we go higher in price, we start seeing dryers that include tourmaline/ionic technology and are made of ceramic. They will include concentrators and diffusers and will be close to what salon professionals use!

At this stage, you're getting pretty much everything you need from an at-home dryer as it will have multiple settings and attachments as well as anti-frizz technology that will counteract the damage of the high heat (to an extent) and is perfect for wavy/curly hair.

What can you get at ~$100?

Now you're entering into the fully professional arsenal of hair dryers. These should include all the previously mentioned features and more!

At this point, there isn't much added on that makes a significant difference to the average consumer but there will be different factors that professionals will be more interested in knowing. These things include weight/balance, ergonomics, cord length, and ease of use (where the buttons are located).

These factors matter a lot more for someone using the same tool multiple times a day.

What are you getting at $500+?

For a blow dryer like the Dyson Supersonic, you are paying for a more advanced version of a professional stylist's hair dryer.

Many professionals that I work with specifically use it as their main hair dryer at the barbershop and for good reason. It has a superior drying power which can dry the hair efficiently without using excessively high heat. The faster your hair dries, the less exposed to heat it is and hence the less damage it experiences.

You're also paying for the sleek design that makes it easier to maneuver around your head and the magnetic attachments that stay securely on throughout the whole styling process.

For a blow dryer at this price point, you are paying for a luxury experience. It is the difference between needing a Honda Civic just for getting around town and owning a Mercedes-Benz because you love the driving experience.

So what do I recommend?

I think for most people, you can get a solid, well-rounded hair dryer at around the $80 price point.

For daily use, it will provide more than enough heat and power for whatever your go-to hairstyle is without causing too much damage and frizz. With a wide range of versatility, you'll be able to change up your style as well, and be confident that your hair dryer can still give you the results you are looking for!

Anything over $100 may offer a specific benefit that you just can’t get for $80 and will be determined more so by personal preference. You’ll want to do your own research to find out what options there are that will suit your individual needs. For example, this hair dryer by Pattern is specifically designed for curly/coiled hair types [3]!

And that's all you need to know!

Now you just have to go out and find the one that is best for you! However, stay tuned for part 2 of this post where I will go over a blow dryer that I have recently purchased and why I specifically chose it. That way you’ll have a bit more of a concrete starting point on if you’re also looking for a new hair dryer yourself!