Top 5 compared
The best hair dryers
Faster drying, less frizz and arms that don’t ache halfway through.
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The top 5 at a glance
A hair dryer pushes heated air over wet hair to dry it and, with a brush, to shape it. Most are 1875W models with a few heat and speed settings and ionic, ceramic or tourmaline tech that their makers say tames frizz. High-speed dryers are the other kind: they trade raw heat for a fast digital motor that keeps the temperature down, and Shark’s comes with three snap-on styling tools.
Attachments push onto the nozzle: a diffuser spreads the air gently for curls, and a concentrator narrows it for a smooth blowout with a round brush. Every dryer here except the compact Revlon comes with a concentrator. Most have a filter at the back that comes off, so lint can be brushed out now and then.
What matters
- Weight, which you notice by the end of a long blow-dry.
- Separate heat and speed controls, so fine hair can stay on low.
- A cool shot button, to set the style.
#1Revlon Infrared Ionic Hair Dryer with Diffuser (RVDR5264)
$20–$30
A diffuser, a concentrator and a set of styling clips in the box, three heats, two speeds and a cool shot, and infrared heat that Revlon says dries without stripping the hair’s moisture. Tourmaline ionic tech and a ceramic coating cut frizz, and the 1875W motor gets through thick hair quickly.
What owners say: Drying time cut in half is the phrase that keeps coming up, along with less frizz, one owner calling it especially good on natural curls, and a weight that’s easy on the arm. Whether it gets hot enough and how strong the airflow is are argued over, and several units failed around six months in.
A closer look: Fit the diffuser, set the heat to medium and the speed to low, and cup the curls up toward the scalp rather than pulling the dryer through them; a blast of the cool shot at the end sets them. Swap to the concentrator and a round brush for a smooth blowout.
- Ceramic coating cuts frizz
- Dries thick hair quickly
Best for: Curls and wavy hair
- Power
- 1875W, infrared
- Weight (listing)
- 2.1 lb
- Settings
- 3 heat, 2 speed, cool shot
- Attachments
- Diffuser, concentrator, clips
- Frizz control
- Tourmaline ionic
#2Revlon Compact Hair Dryer (1875W, RVDR5034)
$10–$20
Full 1875W power in a dryer small and light enough to live in a gym bag or carry-on, with two heat and speed settings, a cool shot to set a style, and an end cap that comes off so the filter can be cleaned. It has a hanging ring and rubber bumpers that keep it from sliding off a counter.
What owners say: Small but powerful is the verdict: owners say it dries quickly for its size, packs easily for trips and weighs next to nothing. Some find it runs hot, and a few report theirs giving up inside a month.
Heads up: No diffuser or concentrator is listed for it; the Revlon Infrared Ionic is the one for curls.
A closer look: Keep it for everyday drying and travel: it’s happiest on medium heat with the hair sectioned, and the cool shot at the end helps a style hold. Pop the end cap off every few weeks and brush the lint out, which keeps any dryer running cooler. It’s for 120V outlets, so it’s not one for a trip abroad.
- Fits in a gym bag
- Rubber bumpers stop sliding
- Removable end cap for cleaning
- Hanging ring
- 120V only, not for abroad
Best for: Gym bags and carry-ons
- Power
- 1875W
- Weight (listing)
- 1.18 lb
- Settings
- 2 heat/speed, cool shot
- Attachments
- None listed
- Frizz control
- No
#3Conair InfinitiPRO Hair Dryer with Diffuser (1875W AC)
$30–$50
An AC motor, the kind salon dryers use, which Conair says dries up to 50% faster and lasts three times longer than its DC motors, with titanium ceramic infrared heat and ionic tech to keep hair smooth. Three heats, two speeds, a true cold shot, a diffuser, a concentrator and a 6-foot cord, in a velvet-touch finish.
What owners say: The power is what owners notice, with one cutting drying time by half, and they like its look and feel. Heat and noise divide them, from quick to warm up to not hot enough, and from fairly quiet to a jet engine, and a few still get some frizz.
A closer look: The AC motor makes it a touch heavier than a compact dryer, so it suits a quick blowout at the mirror more than a long session with the arm raised. The lint filter at the back pulls off for cleaning, which Conair says extends the motor’s life. Use the cold shot to set waves after the round brush.
- 6-foot cord
- Removable lint filter
- 4-year limited warranty
- Velvet-touch finish
Best for: Fast drying with a longer-lived motor
- Power
- 1875W, AC motor
- Weight (listing)
- 1.5 lb
- Settings
- 3 heat, 2 speed, cold shot
- Attachments
- Diffuser, concentrator
- Frizz control
- Ionic, ceramic
#4Remington Damage Protection Hair Dryer (RMGT9)
$20–$30
Remington’s everyday dryer with its Damage Protection coating, which it says gives three times the protection of its standard dryer, plus ceramic, ionic and tourmaline tech for a frizz-free finish. A diffuser and a concentrator come with it, and the rear filter pulls off to clean.
What owners say: Light yet powerful, with hair dry in a fraction of the usual time, is the main report. Heat lets some down, as it doesn’t get as hot as they’d like, and while many have run theirs for years, others say it gave out early.
A closer look: At 16 oz it’s light enough for a long session, and with three heats and two speeds, fine or color-treated hair can stay on low heat with the airflow turned up. Push the diffuser and concentrator on firmly so they don’t work loose mid-blowout, and give the rear filter a brush now and then.
- Removable rear filter
Best for: Low-fuss daily use
- Power
- 1875W
- Weight (listing)
- 1 lb
- Settings
- 3 heat, 2 speed, cool shot
- Attachments
- Diffuser, concentrator
- Frizz control
- Ionic, tourmaline
#5Shark SpeedStyle Hair Dryer (HD331, 3 styling tools)
$100–$150
A high-speed digital dryer that weighs 1.69 lb and checks its heat 1,000 times a second to stay below 230°F, with three snap-on tools: a turbo concentrator, a QuickSmooth brush for drying and smoothing in one pass, and a RapidGloss finisher that uses two streams of air to flatten flyaways. It recognizes each tool and sets the heat and airflow to suit.
What owners say: From wet to styled in seven minutes, says one owner, and the rest back up the speed, the frizz control and the attachments that lock on firmly. It’s lighter and quieter than expected. Price is the only real split.
Heads up: Shark makes this HD331 for fine to medium hair; the SpeedStyle for thick and curly hair is a separate model.
A closer look: Start with the QuickSmooth brush on damp hair, then finish the top layer with the RapidGloss tool for shine, and use the cool shot to set the ends. It comes with a two-year warranty.
- Checks heat 1,000x a second
- Stays below 230°F
- Adjusts to each tool
- Brush dries and smooths together
- 2-year warranty
Best for: Glossy styling with less heat
- Power
- 1700W, high-speed digital
- Weight (listing)
- 1.69 lb
- Settings
- 4 heat, 3 speed, cool shot
- Attachments
- Concentrator, smoothing brush, gloss finisher
- Frizz control
- RapidGloss finisher
How they compare
Swipe sideways or rotate device to see all 5.
| Feature | #1Revlon Infrared Ionic | #2Revlon Compact 1875W | #3Conair InfinitiPRO | #4Remington Damage Protection | #5Shark SpeedStyle HD331 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Best compact | Best premium | |||
| Picked Rating | 9.1 | 9.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 | 8.7 |
| Price | $20–$30 | $10–$20 | $30–$50 | $20–$30 | $100–$150 |
| Power | 1875W, infrared | 1875W | 1875W, AC motor | 1875W | 1700W, high-speed digital |
| Weight (listing) | 2.1 lb | 1.18 lb | 1.5 lb | 1 lb | 1.69 lb |
| Settings | 3 heat, 2 speed, cool shot | 2 heat/speed, cool shot | 3 heat, 2 speed, cold shot | 3 heat, 2 speed, cool shot | 4 heat, 3 speed, cool shot |
| Attachments | Diffuser, concentrator, clips | None listed | Diffuser, concentrator | Diffuser, concentrator | Concentrator, smoothing brush, gloss finisher |
| Frizz control | Tourmaline ionic | No | Ionic, ceramic | Ionic, tourmaline | RapidGloss finisher |
| Best for | Curls and wavy hair | Gym bags and carry-ons | Fast drying with a longer-lived motor | Low-fuss daily use | Glossy styling with less heat |
| Buy now | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon |
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