Most professionals recommend that you get a hair dryer for home use that has a rating of at least 1750 watts. This is good for most hair types, and will keep you from wasting all
your preparation time in the morning trying (unsuccessfully) to dry your hair. If you have particularly thick hair (meaning that you have a lot of hairs per square inch of scalp) look for a hair dryer in the 1900 to
2000 watt range so that you can have the fastest possible drying time.
Conversely, those who have very fine hair, or very sparse hair, might want to stick with a lower wattage hair dryer that will do the job they need without overpowering their more
fragile locks. In these cases, a 1250 to 1500 watt dryer may be all you need.
Feature: Ionic Function
Ionic hair dryers help to reduce the occurrence of static electricity by generating negative ions as part of its function. This helps the hair dryer faster with less heat, and gives
a smoother finish with less frizz and volume. An ionic dryer is great for thick hair, curly hair and in any situation where you want to create smooth-looking finishes in the hair.
Ionic dryers can also be great for those who have very fine hair that is easily damaged by heat styling. Since the ionic dryers require less heat, and dry more quickly, they are
perfect for the delicate fine hair types.
Feature: Ceramics and Composites
One problem with traditional hair dryer’s heating elements is that the level of heat generated could increase when the hair was exposed to a steady stream of airflow for an extended
period of time. This means that you could actually damage the hair by trying to create bends and shape the hair as part of the drying process, since the heating elements generated heat unevenly.
With the ceramic and composite heating elements, the heat generated is more diffuse and evenly distributed. The heat is gentle, but still sufficient to style the hair as desired,
and do it safely. These features are great for everyone, and are especially beneficial for those with fine hair and chemically damaged hair, since these individuals must be extra careful of potential damage.
Feature: Cool Shot
As we discussed above a “cool shot” button on a hairdryer is a wonderful thing. By allowing the user to interrupt the heat and cool a segment of hair, you can impart shine and set a
bend or shape in the hair as you desire. This can allow you to create areas of lift at the scalp or hair line, as well as turn under the ends of the hair for a neatly finished bob. You can also turn out the ends of a
layered style for the feathery, textured look popular in many cuts.
Feature: Adjustable Controls
It may seem to be common sense, but there are a surprising number of hair dryer models that don’t really offer much in the way of adjustable settings on their controls. They may have
a hi-lo switch for airflow and temperature, but that may simply be it for variable settings.
Whenever possible, look for a model that offers you as many variations in control settings as possible. A hair dryer that lets you adjust the heat and airflow settings beyond a basic
dual-stage configuration will offer you better control over the results you get. You can reduce the heat as your hair gets drier, or drop to minimal airflow and higher heat in order to set wave and shape to the hair and
create the style you want.
