Best hair dryers for sleek styles and bouncy blow dries

All the hair dryers that deliver shiny, speedy and smooth results

best hair dryers

by Hannah Mellin |
Updated on

The best hair dryers are the ones that suit your hair type and your lifestyle, and once you find one that fits, you'll be ready to style your hair with ease for years to come. It's one of the best hair tools that you can have in your haircare kit and some would even argue that it is the only tool you need to style your hair. No matter what your length, style, or colour, there’s a hair dryer out there for everyone.

We all know that excessive heat damage from hair dryers, hair straighteners, and hair curlers can lead to damaged hair, but hair dryers have come on in leaps and bounds over the years, with brands improving the power of the tools so it takes less time to style your hair. They have even perfected Cool Shot technology that effectively dries your hair with no heat whatsoever and there are even hair dryers out there that adapt to the condition of your hair whilst styling your hair. So clever, right?

Best hair dryers at a glance:

• Best overall: ghd Helios Hair Dryer - Buy now on Amazon UK
• Best for fine hair: Remington PROluxe You Adaptive Hair Dryer with Diffuser - Buy now on Argos
• Best for curly hair: BaByliss Hydro-Fusion Hair Dryer, Blue - Buy now on John Lewis

Hair dryers also do so much more than just dry your hair in a flash, they help enhance volume, revitalize limp ends, and will hold your hand whilst you try to achieve the perfect salon-quality blow dry in the comfort of your own home.

If you want hair to rival the likes of Kate Middleton but are a little overwhelmed with all the choices out there, we've narrowed down a list of the best hair dryers on the market right now and have answered any hair-related questions you might have.

Best hair dryers

Best overall hair dryer

ghd hair tools remain popular for so many reasons and the ghd Helois hair dryer has been made to deliver a lighter and revolutionary styling experience. With variable power and temperature controls, including cool shot, this hair dryer is light in weight and ionic technology that gives you smooth and shinier results.

Customer review: "The hairdryer dries hair fast and straighter more then ordinary high street hairdryers. Less fly away hairs and waves. You can go without the straighteners and give hair a rest from heat damage. The price is a bit high but worth it, just treat yourself, you won’t regret it. Liked it so much, purchased another for my daughter."

Pros

  • Versatile
  • Salon quality
  • Very powerful

Cons

  • Some found it a little heavy

Best all-rounder hair dryer

This smart, gold-trimmed Italian number looked good, coming with its own bag and accessories, but could it deliver the goods? With four accessories for straight, wavy, smooth and curls, two combinations of speeds and three temperature levels, it was easy to use, so the answer was yes! It gave a good flow of air at high power, speed and
pressure due to its Air Power Technology. It boasts a sensor to measure the temperature of the air emitted 50 times per second, with an electronic chip to ensure it always keeps at an optimal level so as not to stress the hair. Because of this it dried our tester’s hair quickly, leaving it frizz-free and shiny. Despite being advanced in design, it wasn’t too heavy and is suitable however simple or sophisticated your hairdo is.

Customer review: "My hair looks super shiny after drying with no frizz (which was always my biggest issue with other hairdryers). It was quiet and and dried my hair quickly!"

Pros

  • Ergonomic design
  • Intelligent heat control
  • Four attachments included

Cons

  • Found to be quite heavy to use

Best hair dryer for curly hair

Drying naturally curly hair can seem like a tedious task, but the BaByliss Hydro-Fusion Hair Dryer will make it a breeze - no pun intended. The Advanced Plasma Technology uses a moisture-balancing dual ionic system that combines both positive and negative ions to hydrate the hair and control frizz as you dry. Lightweight with a powerful airflow, it comes with a large plasma flow diffuser for enhancing and defining natural curls and texture.

Customer review: "My 6 year old daughter loves this hairdryer- stylish and effective and with a good diffuser for her curly hair. She is delighted with the results!"

Pros

  • Light to hold
  • Stylish
  • Loads of rave reviews about the diffuser

Cons

  • Some reviewers say they would like a longer cable length

Best lightweight hair dryer

Hairdryers can be heavy and hard to constantly hold when you have weak wrists or arthritis. This Beauty Works Aeris Hair Dryer has been hailed as the 'lightest ever' in reviews and is also packed full of features such as adjustable temperature control, Intelligent Memory control and ultra-precision to help minimise drying time without excessive heat.

Customer review: "This is the best hairdryer I have ever used. It does exactly what it says. It dries hair much quicker. It’s very light in weight, which makes it easier to style hair while drying. But also good for traveling. I would honestly recommend it for anyone."

Pros

  • Ultra lightweight
  • Powerful

Cons

  • Magnetic attachments fall off easily if knocked

Best hair dryer for fine hair

Remington's PROluxe Intelligent StyleAdapt Technology learns and adapts the heat it generates to your hair's own styling - so you can get all-day lasting and salon-quality results tailored to your hair type. Amazing for fine hair that tends to struggle with high heat.

Customer review: "Very fast drying adaptive hair dryer really impressed by its performance, easy and comfortable to handle, plenty of lead on the wire to move freely, hot setting doesn’t cook your scalp which is amazing for me as that always annoyed me about hairdryers. My new bestie!"

Pros

  • Adapts to your hair type
  • Cool function at a touch of a button
  • Dries hair quickly

Cons

  • Heavy

Best hair dryer brush

If you're looking for the best hair dryer brush, the popular Revlon One-Step Combo Pack includes a volumiser and paddle dryer that produce amazing results in record time. Currently with £20 off at Boots for the duo, both tools feature Ionic Technology to help condition, smooth and make hair shinier, while reducing frizz and static.

Customer review: "I have thin shoulder-length hair and I’ve been looking for a product to help volumise my hair with minimal effort, no damage (always reaching for the straightener) and I was not disappointed. The Revlon One-Step Dryer allows you to style and dry your hair giving it the salon volume and shine. It’s designed with a “round head” hairbrush which allows the hair to glide off without getting tangled. I prefer to use it on wet/damp hair to get beautiful curls. This product is very user-friendly with 2 speeds. The air (power) is great and I’m done in 5 minutes. However, if you have thick hair and require more heat/air, then this may not work for you as the setting controls are fairly standard."

Pros

  • Great value for what you get
  • Able to achieve the blow dry look at home

Cons

  • Not great for thick hair

Best hair dryer for attachments

If you're willing to splash out a bit more cash to get something that is guaranteed to be life-changing, then buying a Dyson hair tool is a no-brainer. By measuring air temperature readings over 40 times a second and regulating the heat, the Supersonic Hair Dryer ensures there is no extreme heat damage to hair. Three speed settings and four heat settings are brilliant, with ‘fast-drying’ offering some of the quickest results. The dryer comes with attachments including a styling concentrator, wide tooth comb, diffuser and a flyaway attachment, which calmed down our tester’s hair perfectly and she didn’t need to straighten it.

Rated and reviewed by Yours writer Emily Gilbert: "The first thing I noticed when unpacking my Supersonic was how sleek, attractive and how almost futuristic it looks, not something I ever thought I’d say about a hairdryer. It’s also relatively compact and lightweight, weighing just 650g without any attachments added.
When used to dry hair, there’s no denying that even without any attachments, the Dyson Supersonic is brilliant. I tend to stick to the highest temperature and the fastest speed and the result is that my super-thick hair is dried quickly and effectively, at half the time of our standard hair dryer. It’s no doubt an investment but if you’re someone who regularly styles their hair, the cost is absolutely justifiable."

Read Emily Gilbert's full Dyson Supersonic hair dryer review.

Pros

  • Dries hair quicker than standard hair dryers
  • Stylish and lightweight design

Cons

  • You will need to find storage for all the pieces it comes with

Best multi-use hair dryer

Compact, ultra-lightweight, and comfortable to use, the Shark FlexStyle 5-in-1 Air Styler and Hair Dryer is everything you could want from a hair styler, and more. Its size and weight may be small, but its performance certainly isn't! You can enjoy salon results at home without the extreme heat of other hair tools. Whether you want to wear your hair smooth and straight, glam and curly, or naturally wavy, it comes with a total of five tools to help you achieve your hair goals.

Customer review: "I got this last week and have used it on my hair and my 2 daughters, love the dryer on it doesn't take long to dry hair, used the brush attachments and it does leave hair so soft and smooth, I have curled my daughter's hair and it was lovely with loose curls, I did try my hair and curled some of it but couldn't get it all curled myself but feel I just need to practice more as I am not so good doing my own hair."

Read Rosie Floyd's full Shark FlexStyle review.

Pros

  • Five attachments for different styles
  • Brushes have actual bristles on them
  • Very lightweight

Cons

  • Certain attachments work better on certain hair types and lengths

Best value hair dryer

This model feels, sounds and behaves like a professional salon model, but the price tag is reasonable. It comes
in its very own storage box, so there is somewhere to store it when not in use. While our tester has very fine baby
hair, it dried in a couple of minutes but didn’t make it feel dry, or straw-like. This is down to the customisation for various hair types. It’s lightweight, easy to manoeuvre and the tester loved that her hair wasn’t frizzy when
completely dry – and she didn’t need to use straighteners. It comes with two attachments for more controlled styling. Overall, it offers great results.

Customer review: "I have been enjoying the blow dryer and ease of use. It has 2 different speed settings and 4 temperature settings. I have thick coarse hair and it dried it very fast. I like that it has the different heat settings so you can pick the perfect one. The only thing I wish it has was a comb attachment to help detangle my hair easier."

Pros

  • Lightweight
  • Fast results
  • Custom settings

Cons

  • Some found the button placement a little tricky

Best hair dryer for frizz control

Untamed is the most revolutionary hair dryer on the market - with a diffuser attachment to gently distribute argan oil throughout your hair whilst drying. Listed at an extremely affordable price on Amazon, our writer Michelle Nightingale had no choice but to test it out...

Rated and reviewed by Yours writer Michelle: "I was a little sceptical about this hairdryer, assuming that it might be a bit gimmicky, but I’m pleased to say I was very wrong. Firstly, the hairdryer itself is very good alone (without the argan oil). It feels powerful, has three heat and power settings and comes with the same ionic and ceramic hair-smoothing technology that I’d expect from a quality dryer... My hair is fine and prone to flatness and gets greasy fairly quickly, so I used the argan oil feature sparingly with good results. My hair was left smooth, shiny and not at all greasy..."

Find out more by reading our full Untamed Defrizz Hair Dryer review.

Pros

  • The dryer nozzle diffuser controls the oil flow, allowing it to gently disperses into hair
  • Three heat and power settings

Cons

  • The argan oil bottle runs out quickly (but can be opened and refilled)

Best hair dryer FAQs

Do hair dryers damage your hair?

The short answer is yes, but not as much as they used to and there is so much you can do to prevent severe heat damage. Even the best hair dryers can break the hair and make it weaker. This leads to frizz, which leads to using a flat iron, and that in turn leads to more damage. Unfortunately, this is going to be an ongoing cycle of damage to your hair, especially if you use your hair dryer every single day. The best thing you can do as a frequent hair curler is to use a heat protection spray and/ or to try using methods that don't rely on heat.

What is a diffuser?

A hair dryer diffuser attachment is a large, round, and plastic attachment that you can slide onto the nozzle of your hairdryer. A diffuser works by spreading the airstream over a wider area in a more controlled way.

Diffusers are the perfect hair attachment for those with curly to wavy hair types as they can help to keep the natural curl pattern. However, you can easily blow curls out of shape and into a frizz without a diffuser.

How long will my hair dryer last?

Depending on the brand of hair dryer and how well you look after it, experts say that the best hair dryers should be replaced every two to seven years.

Hannah Mellin has been working in the Journalism industry for over a decade and has written for an array of brands. When she's not writing, perfecting her skincare routine, researching or testing products, she's renovating her Victorian terrace and chilling in the garden with her sausage dog Waffle.

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