How do you choose a hair dryer?
Choose hair dryer
Before buying a hair dryer, it's important that you ask yourself the following questions:
- What hair type do you have?
- Do you only want to dry, or style as well?
- Which attachments do you need?
- How heavy can the hair dryer be?
- What accessories do you need?
What hair type do you have?
Dry, damaged, dyed, or frizzy hair
For these hair types, it's important to give your hair extra protection while drying. You can do this with a hair dryer with ceramic technology. This technology evenly distributes the heat so your hair doesn't overheat. Do you also want to prevent frizzy and static hair? Choose a hair dryer with ionic technology. This technology spreads negative ions in your hair, so they're better protected.
Thin or thick hair
The thickness of your hair determines how much power your hair dryer needs. The power is expressed in watts. The higher the power of the hair dryer is, the hotter the air is. In addition, the power combined with the air flow determines how hard the hair dryer blows the air. Do you have a lot of hair or is it thick? We recommend that you choose a hair dryer with a wattage of 1800W or higher and an air flow from 120km/h. If you have thin or little hair, the power won't matter as much to you.
Do you only want to dry or style as well?
For drying your hair, a hair dryer with 1 or 2 temperature and hair dryer settings is enough. As far as the motor is concerned, there's no specific type that's suitable for drying your hair. Do you also want to style your hair? We recommend a hair dryer with additional attachments, which we'll discuss in the next paragraph. In addition, especially hair dryers with a digital or AC motor are suitable for styling your hair. We don't recommend the basic DC motor for styling.
Which attachments do you need?
Some hair dryers include several attachments. Without an attachment, the hair dryer blows a wide airflow. This dries your hair, but makes it difficult to style. You can style your hair with a nozzle. A nozzle concentrates the air, so the hair dryer blows a targeted airflow. Do you have curls or do you want to give your hair more volume? Use a diffuser. The diffuser keeps the curls compact and doesn't blow them apart.
How heavy can the hair dryer be?
The question seems unnecessary, because no one wants a heavy hair dryer right? Still, the weight of the hair dryer is important to think about. You usually hold the hair dryer over your head for a long time and what's heavy for one person isn't for another. Do your arms strain quickly? We recommend a lightweight hair dryer of 500g or less. These devices usually have the motor in the handle, so the center of gravity is well distributed. A small, light hair dryer is great for on your travels. That's because a travel hair dryer easily fits in your bag or suitcase.
