You can go years of your life with a subpar blow-dryer and be just fine, but why settle for anything less than the best hair dryers on the market? You deserve a blowout without frizz, flyaways, excessive heat damage, and long drying times — and you deserve to get that flawless look in the comfort of your own home.
It starts with having the right tools to execute it. But whether you blow-dry daily or blow-dry once a week, or are looking for something to dry your curly hair quickly, don’t get too stressed out. Hairstylist (and Virtue’s creative director) Adir Abergel has one simple tip for the type of dryer your hair needs. “When blow-drying curly hair, use an ionic dryer,” he previously told Allure. “If you have finer hair that needs more volume, use a traditional blow dryer, not ionic.” A few of our all-time favorites, like the famed Harry Josh Pro Tools Pro Dryer 2000, offer both ionic and nonionic heat that you can swiftly toggle between.
Nikki Ferrara, colorist and owner of Nikki Ferrara Hair Color in New York City, puts more emphasis on the products (e.g. a blowout cream or spray) you use in conjunction with your blow-dryer. She recommends a lightweight option like R + Co’s Grid Structural Hold Setting Spray for fine hair or a richer product like Fatboy’s Hair Tacky Oil for normal-to-thicker-textured hair. “Direct heat to hair with no heat protectants will cause the color to fade and turn brassy,” says Madison Rae Garrett, a master colorist at Spoke & Weal salon in New York City, previously told Allure.
Besides acting as a protective barrier and safeguarding the integrity of your hair, the concentrator nozzle is the real key to achieving salon-level results. “It concentrates the air and aids in directing the airflow exactly where you want it to go,” Abergel previously explained. “It’s one of the most important accessories when blow-drying your own hair, especially when you’re trying to get into those hard to reach areas.” This concentrated airflow also helps make “the cuticle of the hair lay flat so that it will be shinier and less frizzy,” hairstylist Kiki Heitkotter also added.
Another frizz-preventing tip: Don’t start styling hair while it’s still soaking wet. “I typically rough-dry the hair with my hands first before I start blow-drying with a round brush — when the hair is at least 80 percent dry,” she tells Allure. Hairstylists typically recommend using a boar bristle brush for the smoothest results.
To get you started, we’ve rounded up the best blow-dryers for all hair types — as recommended by professional hairstylists and Allure editors — that’ll help you achieve your hair goals. Trust us: Quality makes all the difference when it comes to speed, durability, and a bomb-ass blowout.
All products featured on Allure are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.