A hair dryer is the one tool we all need in our styling kit - no matter what your hair colour, texture or style. After all, After all, a great blow dry can transform your entire look.
As Dyson announces the arrival of the new Supersonic Nural™ hair dryer (yes, there's a new one coming - and it's been described as an 'intelligent hair dryer'), choosing a hair dryer is trickier than ever before.
Which hair dryer is best? There are now so many on the market that choosing one has become a bit of a minefield!
© DysonSo, with that in mind we've found the best hair dryers available for your healthiest, quickest and bounciest blow-dry yet - from salon professional favourites to affordable options.
What to look for when choosing a hair dryer?
We spoke to Award-winning hairdresser and founder of Perfect Silhouette Hairdressing, Robyn Wood, to find out the important factors to consider. "When looking for a hairdryer, there are a few main features you should be looking for, " she told us. They are as follows:
- The power. "Look at the wattage of the dryer. The higher the wattage, the more powerful it will be to dry your hair faster. The minimum wattage you want to be looking for is 1800-2000w."
- Heat and speed settings. "Make sure the dryer has a few different settings to be able to customise it to your hair. You may need a higher speed to dry your hair initially, then a higher heat to finish the style and get a good finish. If you are diffuse drying curly hair. you may need a lower speed and heat setting."
- A cool shot button. "Following on from the previous point, a cool shot button is essential to ‘set’ the style when you finish drying each section."
- Attachments. "As a minimum, a dryer should come with a nozzle. This will concentrate the airflow and help get that smooth finish. If you have curly hair, make sure it also comes with a diffuser."
Which hair dryers do professionals use?
It's true that brands like Dyson, ghd and Shark are popular with professionals and are frequently spotted in salons, but the choice ultimately rests with the individual stylist and everyone has their own favourites. What's Robyn's go-to?
"My top two recommendations for dryers and ones I use myself every day, are the:
- "Parlux Hair Dryers (I have had one of these for 10+ years and it’s still going strong!) It’s super powerful and great for drying quickly.
- "In my kit for weddings, I use the ghd Helios Hair Dryer as it still has good power but is also lightweight so great for travelling around with."
How we chose the best hair dryers
- Price: We wanted to cater to all budgets, from those looking for a budget buy to haircare fans wanting an investment piece hairdryer to add to their styling kit - so you'll find models from the cheaper range to the more expensive.
- Expert opinion: We spoke to award-winning hair stylist Robyn Woods (Scroll down for more on Robyn and why you should trust her) to learn the important factors to consider and what to look for when choosing a hair dryer. We followed her reccomendations when making our selection.
- Trusted brands: We only included the hair dryer brands that the HELLO! expert shopping team know and love.
- Best sellers: All of the hair dryers on our list topped the best-sellers lists of our trusted retailers.
1/8
Dyson Limited Edition Supersonic Hair Dryer, Pink/Rose Gold
Dyson Limited Edition Supersonic Hair Dryer, Pink/Rose Gold
- Power: 1600W
- Speed settings: 3
- Heat settings: 4 - plus heat control
- Cool shot? Yes
- Weight: 980g
- Dimensions: 28.8 x 7.7 x 9.9cm
- Cord size: 2.7m
- Guarantee: 2 years
- Included extras: Styling concentrator, diffuser, gentle air attachment, wide tooth comb attachment, fly away attachment, presentation case
Editor's Note: Pricey but powerful, the Dyson Supersonic is loved by professional stylists. It works six times faster than other hair dryers and has a built-in thermometer which records the temperature 40 times per second, regulating the heat and preventing any damage to your hair. It has multiple attachments and works well on every hair type. I've personally tried this hairdryer and I can say it really does deliver - it dries my hair incredibly fast and leaves it super soft and shiny. An investment piece you won't regret purchasing.
The brand will be launching the Supersonic Nural™ hair dryer very soon and it'll be priced at £399 - sign up to the waitlist.
2/8
Amazon Jooayou Professional Ionic Hair Dryer
Amazon Jooayou Professional Ionic Hair Dryer
- Power: 2000W
- Speed settings: Adjustable via knob
- Heat settings: 3 - plus heat control
- Cool shot? Yes
- Weight: 1kg
- Dimensions: 29 x 12 x 8 cm
- Cord size: Not specified
- Guarantee: Not specified
- Included extras: Diffuser
Editor’s note: This ionic hairdryer is a trending Amazon buy - it caught my eye when I was researching the Dyson Supersonic after trialling it and weighing up whether there was a cheaper model that could deliver similar results. It’s less than ten times the price of the Dyson and actually has a higher wattage, meaning it has the potential to dry your hair faster. It’s a great option as a travel hairdryer due to it’s size and price - if something happens to it in transit, it’ll be much easier to replace than a pricer model.
Read the full review of Amazon's alternative to the Dyson Supersonic hairdryer here.
3/8
Shark FlexStyle 5-in-1 Air Styler & Hair Dryer
Shark FlexStyle 5-in-1 Air Styler & Hair Dryer
- Power: 1400W
- Speed settings: 3
- Heat settings: 3
- Cool shot? No
- Weight: Not specified
- Dimensions: 34.3 x 4.6 x 4.6 cm
- Cord size: 2.44m
- Guarantee: 2 years
- Included extras: Auto-Wrap Curlers, Paddle Brush, Oval Brush, Concentrator, Diffuser & Storage Case
Editor's note: Although it's primarily a styling tool, Shark's FlexStyle 5-in-1 Air Styler & Hair Dryer twists to become an extremely lightweight, powerful hairdryer. HELLO! Commerce Writer Sophie Bates is impressed with it. She says: "Not only is the wand so satisfying to rotate (think the hair styler version of a flip phone), but I love the idea of having all of my hair tools in one place for travelling. Because if I'm going on a week-long holiday, you can bet that I'll be packing my hair dryer, hair straighteners and curling wand."
Read the full review of the Shark FlexStyle 5-in-1 Air Styler & Hair Dryer here.
4/8
ghd Air Hair Dryer
ghd Air Hair Dryer
- Power: 2100W
- Speed settings: 2
- Heat settings: 3
- Cool shot? Yes
- Weight: 1.54kg
- Dimensions: 32 x 22 x 25 cm
- Cord size: 3m
- Guarantee: 2 years
- Included extras: Precision nozzle
Editor's note: When you think of hair tools used by salon professionals, ghd is likely the first brand that comes to mind. They also kit out pretty much every fancy gym in London - for good reason. This ionic, salon-quality dryer is super fast working and leaves your hair looking smooth and shiny.
5/8
Cloud 9 The Air Shot Hair Dryer
Cloud 9 The Air Shot Hair Dryer
- Power: 2000W
- Speed settings: 2
- Heat settings: 3
- Cool shot? Yes
- Weight: 997.9g
- Dimensions: 33.3 x 25.1 x 11.8 cm
- Cord size: Not specified
- Guarantee: 1 year
- Included extras: 66mm Precision nozzle, 75mm Precision nozzle
Editor's note: Created by the founder of ghd, Cloud 9 hair tools also offer a salon-worthy finish. Concerned about damaging your hair through heat styling? The anti-static Air Shot hair dryer features tourmaline and vitamin-infused ceramic heating elements that nourish and protect whilst drying.
6/8
BaByliss Salon Pro 2200 Hair Dryer
BaByliss Salon Pro 2200 Hair Dryer
- Power: 2200W
- Speed settings: 2
- Heat settings: 3
- Cool shot? Yes
- Weight: 993g
- Dimensions: 30.23 x 24.38 x 10.92 cm
- Cord size: Not specified
- Guarantee: 1 year
- Included extras: Precision nozzle, Diffuser (when purchased directly from Babyliss)
Editor's note: If you're looking for a budget option, the BaByliss Salon Pro 2200 Hair Dryer delivers. For the price, it's a powerful hair dryer with salon-quality performance - and it features tourmaline-ceramic technology and ionic frizz-control for a smooth finish. Smoothing ionic conditioners are released in to the hair as you dry to tame frizz and static.
7/8
Bellissima Ceramic Hair Dryer
Bellissima Ceramic Hair Dryer
- Power: 2300W
- Speed settings: 2
- Heat settings: 3
- Cool shot? Yes
- Weight: 1.3kg
- Dimensions: 22 x 21.5 x 9.5cm
- Cord size: 3m
- Guarantee: 1 year
- Included extras: Precision nozzle, Diffuser
Editor's Note: Bellissima's mid-range hairdryer frequently wins awards for it's ability to delivery a salon-worthy blowdry at home. It features ionic technology, which hydrates and reduces the electrostatic effect on hair, and ceramic elements which naturally emit infrared heat. Both produce an anti-frizz and anti-dry effect, for beautiful, smooth, and silky hair.
8/8
Panasonic EH-NA9J Advanced Folding Hair Dryer
Panasonic EH-NA9J Advanced Folding Hair Dryer
- Power: 2000W
- Speed settings: 3
- Heat settings: 4
- Cool shot? Yes
- Weight: 1.56kg
- Dimensions: 9 x 4 x 25 cm
- Cord size: 2.7m
- Guarantee: 1 year
- Included extras: Precision nozzle, Diffuser
Editor's note: Made with curly and afro hair in mind, the Nanoe system in this foldable Panasonic hair dryer infuses your hair and scalp with moisture to leave it shiny and smooth. As well as automatic temperature control, it jets nano-sized water particles directly into your hair as you dry, reducing static, frizz and split ends.
Meet the expert
Robyn Wood is an award-winning hairdresser and founder of Perfect Silhouette Hairdressing. With over 17 years of experience, she has a passion for styling hair and all things weddings. Robyn has specialised in wedding and event hair for over six years, she is passionate about creating an inclusive industry alongside helping brides, grooms and newlyweds look and feel like their best on the biggest day of their lives.
