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Best Hair Dryers of 2024
We Tested and Reviewed the Top 3 Hair Dryers for Frizz-Free Styling
As a hairstylist with over 20 years of experience, I know how important it is to find a hair dryer that meets your needs. Having the right hair dryer gives you beautiful, healthy, soft, bouncy hair — and who doesn’t love the confidence boost that comes with that feeling?
Your hair frames your eyes, lips, and smile, so it’s not surprising that healthy-looking locks can shave years off your appearance.
But here’s the big thing most of us forget. You only get one shot at a first impression, so what does your hair say about you when that happens? Will it complement who you really are?
IN THIS ARTICLE
Sometimes, we just don’t have the time to dress to impress. But you don’t have to settle for a bad hair day. Modern hair dryers have come a long way with impressive features that make styling faster and easier.
A good old hair dryer is a common gadget in our bathrooms’ cabinets and drawers. They add volume and shape while drying and styling your hair.
But hair dryers are not without a downside. Too much heat from them can damage your hair and produce frizz. They can also be loud, heavy, and quite uncomfortable, burning your scalp.
Thankfully, technology has given us advanced hair dryers. They reduce frizz, nurture your hair, and save you time, while giving volume, shape, and shine.
That’s why we tested the “most raved about” hair dryers on the market and then compiled a list of those that truly stood out. These are the champions of the bunch, ready to help you achieve that perfect blowout, enhance your natural curls, or simply get you out the door faster on those hectic mornings.
Here is what to look for in a modern, timesaving, frizz-reducing hair dryer:
Infrared Light Therapy – Hair dryers with infrared light can help stimulate follicles for hair growth while drying much faster. It helps improve scalp health for thicker, healthier hair. Infrared light heats strands from the inside out, keeping hair cuticles smooth in the process.
Ionic Technology – Hair dryers with ionic technology provide a blast of negative ions that support a smooth, frizz-free finish. This helps cut down drying time and locks in your hair’s natural moisture.
Ceramic and/or Tourmaline Air Outlet – Many hair dryers use convection heat (the same type of nichrome wire your toaster uses). But the best hair dryers use ceramic and tourmaline barrels to provide gentle heat that’s evenly distributed for a gorgeous, shiny finish.
Intelligent Heat Control – Most of the latest hair dryers on the market have intelligent heat control to help protect your hair from damage.
Our Testing Process
In our pursuit to uncover the best hair tools, we enlist the expertise of professional hairstylists with decades of relative experience. Their insights are instrumental in developing a comprehensive evaluation framework, focusing on what truly matters in a hair dryer.
Our criteria for assessing each hair dryer were both thorough and varied. We looked closely at the features offered, particularly the range of heat and speed settings and the wattage, to determine each tool’s effectiveness and versatility. The integration of these dryers into daily styling routines, their drying performance, and the overall quality of the hairstyles achieved were key factors in our evaluation.
We didn’t overlook the details that enhance user experience, such as the weight and cord length of the dryers, the placement of buttons for ease of use, the noise level for comfort during use, and the variety of attachments provided for styling flexibility.
After testing each hair dryer, we compiled and analyzed the data to identify the standout models. This process helped us not only to discover the best performing hair dryers but also to spotlight the top picks for specific needs, ensuring you find the perfect tool for your styling preferences.
Here Are Our Top Choices for Best Hair Dryers of 2024
Regular Price: $299
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The SRI DryQ achieves the perfect balance of affordability and professional quality. Both expert stylists and amateurs loved how the red light therapy, in combination with the ionic technology, helped dry wet hair quickly and left hair looking frizz-free and shiny.
The advanced infrared heating and ceramic air outlet also kept this blow dryer’s air flow super gentle and more consistent – it helps style your hair while you dry it.
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PROS:
- Wide range of temperature settings helped achieve stunning styles for numerous hair types
- Cool shot setting helped seal the cuticle for a glossy smooth finish
- Ceramic-tourmaline air outlet evenly distributed heat supporting healthier-looking hair
- Foldable design that simplifies travel and storage
- Ultra-quiet; only 79 sound decibels
- Three attachments that make styling for specific textures easier than other products we tried
CONS:
- Only available online
- Sells out fast; frequently on backorder
Regular Price: $429.99
Everyone knows Dyson hair dryers. The Supersonic has a sleek, aerodynamic design, and its brand has created a great name for itself. We had high hopes for the Dyson but were a little disappointed that it doesn’t include red light technology — especially with the steep price tag.
The Dyson effectively protects from heat damage and comes with five magnetic attachments. However, weighing in at 1.8 pounds, it’s a bit heavier than other smart dryers. Unfortunately, it didn’t meet our expectations in terms of frizz control.
PROS:
- Sleek, aerodynamic, modern design
- Protects your hair from heat damage
- Comes with five magnetic styling attachments
CONS:
- Expensive compared to similar hair dryers (with fewer features)
- At 1.8 pounds, it’s still a little heavier than some of the latest smart dryers released
- No hair-strengthening, red light technology
- Not very effective for minimizing frizz
- Extremely high restock price if returned
Regular Price: $299
Our close third was Shark Flexstyle. At first, the tool and the many styling attachments looked overwhelming and complicated to use. But after reading the instructions and watching tutorials online, we figured out how to use each attachment to create different styles.
Customer reviews, however, complained that some of the brushes overheat easily and smell like burning. Temperature and speed settings had to be closely monitored, requiring users to turn off the tool when it got too hot. We also noticed complaints of hair getting caught and tangled in the brush attachments.
PROS:
- Decreases frizzy hair
- Lightweight and powerful
- Works excellent on coarse, thick hair
CONS:
- Hairstyler is loud and hurts ears
- Brush gets tangled in hair
- No hair-strengthening, red light technology
- Curls don’t last a long time
- Sometimes overheats and smells like it’s burning
What Does Shopper Advocate Verified Mean?
Did you catch a glimpse of the Shoppers Advocate verified seal at the top of this article? Well, this lets you know that our dedicated team of evaluators have tested and reviewed every item featured here. Shoppers Advocate selections represent the products we genuinely stand behind, tested to ensure they meet your high standards as much as they do ours.
Final Thoughts on the Best Hair Dryers of 2024
In our quest to uncover the best hair dryers of 2023, the spotlight undoubtedly falls on the SRI DryQ. While reviewing all three hair dryers, the DryQ offered the best features with a better price than the competition.
Not only does the DryQ dry your hair quickly, but it also incorporates advanced technology that’s easy to use. You can precisely control the temperature and airflow, minimizing hair damage while maximizing your styling options. The SRI DryQ also boasts a foldable, user-friendly design that makes it easy to use and travel with.
While the Shark FlexStyle and Dyson Supersonic are also great products, the SRI DryQ’s unbeatable combination of functionality and performance clearly sets it apart. It redefines what we can expect from a hair dryer in 2023. For those in pursuit of hair perfection this year, the SRI DryQ unquestionably takes the crown.
Beau Dieda
Want a closer look at the testing and review process behind this article? Here’s a peek inside the Shoppers Advocate testing lab to show how we ensure the accuracy and reliability of our findings.
