How To Choose The Right Hair Dryer

Hairdressers have many tools of the trade. One that is a must have is a hair dryer. Hair dryers come in so many different shapes and sizes it can be a real struggle to choose which one is best for you. We are here to help you decide on the best hair dryer for you !

Size and strength

If you find yourself styling a lot of hair throughout your day a good hair dryer is important. Even barbers need to consider which hair dryer will work best for them, after all a haircut looks best when you properly style it after.

It is important to find a hair dryer that is comfortable and light in your hand. Heavy hair dryers can contribute to all sorts of hand, wrist and shoulder problems. If your day consists largely of blow drying and styling hair, a lightweight but powerful hair dryer is a must.

As a busy stylist you also do not have the time to spend an hour on each blow dry. Which is where the wattage, or strength comes into play. Professional hair dryers are high wattage dryers that can be as high as 3600 watts. This means your blow drys are faster and more efficient.

Heat Settings

Finding a hair dryer with different heat settings is a must. You most likely have clients with a variety of different hair types, which means you can't use the same heat setting on everyone. Thick hair requires a high heat setting while fine hair that is easily damaged may need a lower heat setting to prevent damage. The right blow dryer with multiple heat settings can help you achieve the best results while protecting your clients hair.

It is also important to look out for a blow dryer with a cool shot button. This button changes the heat to a cool air shot. This is the best for locking in any hair style. The quick cool air shot will help hold that beautiful bouncy blow dry you spent so much time on!

The Difference Between Ionic, Tourmaline and Ceramic

These three words are very popular in the world of hair dryers. However it can be a bit confusing when trying to choose the best hair dryers for you.

• The Ionic Hair Dryer- Wet hair is full of positive charged water molecules. To get rid of the positive charged molecules we need to use negative ions. Ionic dryers create hundreds of negatively charged ions to help us out. Negative ions do not affect the hair cuticle so it keeps the hair sleek and smooth. Ionic hair dryers help to reduce frizzy hair and speed up the hair drying process. The drawbacks to ionic hair dryers is that they can cause fine hair or thin hair to become limp. So if you have a lot of curly or wavy hair clients an Ionic hair dryer is great.
• Tourmaline Hair Dryers- Tourmaline hair dryers are made from... you guessed it .. tourmaline! Tourmaline is a semi precious mineral that emits negative ions. Tourmaline dryers are similar to ionic dryers and can often be found working together in the perfect hair dryer. Tourmaline dryers are known to dry hair 40% faster then regular hair dryers. Because tourmaline dryers rely less on heat to dry the hair and more on the tourmaline it is a great option for damage prone hair. Using a tourmaline dryer will leave here smooth and silky.
• Ceramic Hair Dryers- The parts inside a ceramic hair dryer are made from ceramic or porcelain. Ceramic or porcelain dryers mean that the dryer's heating components get hot evenly. They heat up quickly and evenly without causing too much damage to hair. Ceramic dryers are great for busy hair stylists as the heat helps to speed up the drying process and keep hair feeling its best. Frizz prone hair will be tamed nicely when using ceramic hair dryers.

Accessories!

Accessories are a must! A good hair dryer will come with a diffuser attachment and a concentrator nozzle. Hairdressers need these! A diffuser attachment is needed for drying curly or wavy hair and wanting to keep the natural curls and texture. A diffuser works by dispersing the air flow helping to keep the curl pattern intact.

A concentrator nozzle is a must! This part helps to direct the air flow to one spot. It is imperative to use one when smoothing out hair. By angling the hair dryer down the hair shaft the concentrator nozzle pushes the hot air along all the flyways, creating a smooth and sleek style. It is also great for directing that cool air shot we spoke of to help lock in a style.

Which hair dryer works best for you?

There are so many options to choose from! We recommend testing out as many as you can to see which is most comfortable and best suited to your clientele. The most popular hair dryer on the market right now is theDyson. This super lightweight, high powered hair dryer works quickly and efficiently for some of the best blow outs! However, it also comes with a big price tag!

Of course we believe in doing your research! There are a ton of great options available on the market today! And now that you know all the details we are sure you will make the best decision!