Hair is one interesting and unpleasant. You can cut it, dye it, straighten or curl it, or let it sit for days at a time. When you want a shiny look or just need to dry your hair quickly, you might consider using a blow dryer.
Even if you don’t use it every day, it’s good to have one on hand for certain occasions — like when you’re in a rush to work right after a shower; your big curls need taming; or you crave slick locks. Whatever the reason, there seems to be an endless variety of hair dryers at every price point and from a wide range of brands. If you have hair that’s easy to manage and just needs to dry faster, you can use any inexpensive dryer you find at your local CVS. But some of us have hair that is more temperamental and needs very specific care.
A few of our Gear Team members tried standard blow dryers, drying brushes, and diffusers to find the best options. These are our favorites. If you need hair straightener to combine with hair dryer, we also have a guide for that.
Update December 2021: We’ve added two more hair dryers we like from Kosa and Shark (yes, the vacuum company).
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