Ok, ladies. I have shoulder length hair and I rarely blew it dry. I either took showers at night, wrapped it in a towel and let it dry, or if I did take a shower in the morning, I’d just comb it out and it was fine. I would typically only blow dry if it were really cold out and even then, just for a little bit as I have this (probably irrational) belief that blow drying just isn’t good for it. So, I got along with one of those cheap drugstore brands for the few times a year I used it. However - as I get older, I think it’s going to be more frequent that I won’t want to go out in the cold with wet hair, and my cheap one gave up the ghost. (It was probably close to 30 years old)
So … I see lots of reviews for fancy hair dryers, $200 and above. Are there real differences? Are they worth it? I would invest for real differences, but if not, I’ll stick with some $25 Conair from Walgreens and calm it a day. Suggestions?
I was going to say that we have bought a few hair dryers (for home, for the girls to take to college, etc.) at TJ Maxx that were last year’s model but perfectly fine. For us curly haired people, we need dryers with diffusers which are harder to find and often cost most - I guess just because of the diffuser! But we have gotten very nice ones which have lasted a few years at least for under $50 - and my D’s use them at least a few times a week.
I’d personally be willing to put more money in something like a flat iron or curling iron than a hair dryer.
I think there really are differences, but I don’t think you need to purchase one of the expensive ones unless you were going to dry your hair frequently.
I have thick hair that has to be blown dry and the cheap models would burn out in 6 months. After the last incident seeing sparks fly from the bathroom outlet, I asked my then stylist what she used and ordered a BabyLiss model from the salon. It cost $130, and lasted 13 years so for me it was a bargain.
The Babyliss models are now easily found online. I bought my new one 2 years ago and it’s better than the first one because it is lighter. D has the same model.
Another Babyliss fan, here. I also agree with conmama that there really is a difference , especially for thick and/or coarse hair but it probably wouldn’t be worth it for limited use.
I had exactly the same circumstance and finally got tired of having cold, wet hair on my way out. I broke down and bought this and am loving it so far. I’ve had it about 3 months. Among other things I like that it doesn’t have that horrible, high pitched small hair drier sound. It’s a nice medium size.
About a year ago we purchased a Rusk Super Freak hair dryer. I dread using any other hair dryer now, for example, when I travel. It is SO MUCH BETTER than anything else I’ve used. My hair is fairly short (chin length) but is quite thick.
I have heard my hair dresser mention the $200+ price tag of her hair dryer. I think (and I may be wrong) that the expensive models are meant for those who will be running a hair dryer eight hours/day. Conair has worked for me, and being lazy, I just buy whatever is in Costco.
I’m curious what the differences are to make a blow-dryer better? More heat, more wind speed, less heavy, quieter noise level? I’m genuinely curious, as I have long hair but it’s mostly dry in my 40 minute commute. Somehow I ended up with ex-H’s Conair. It dates to `1979, works fine, and has blown dry far more newborn baby goats than human hair.
Pizzagirl, you have traveled a lot, and I suspect you have tried many different cheapo hotel hair dryers. If they did a good job with your hair, I suspect the $25 Conair will do, too.
What makes a difference for me is a smudge of Orlando Pita Argan Oil on the ends of my hair after washing, then I use the dryer for a minute or two, brush the hair, and go about fixing breakfast, making lunches, etc. I finish the drying with my flat iron (more to straighten out the ends), and out of the door I go!
My hairdryer gets less use every year. I’m at the point where I shower before I go to bed…my hair is dry in the morning, and I flat iron it. I spent well over $100 on my flat iron!
What makes my Rusk better than hotel dryers/old Conair is it has more force/power and dries better. It’s just as heavy or heavier, and the temperature seems the same, and it’s not quiet.
I have a Conair as well, use it everyday, had it for I don’t remember how long and it works fine. Probably spent $20 or $30 bucks on it. (I can’t imagine I would have paid more).
My Conair recently shot out sparks and nearly started a fire. I asked my stylist what to buy and she recommended Babyliss. I spent around $50 on Amazon for it. D16 wants one for Christmas now. My stylist also suggested Solano if I had wanted to spend more.
Costco sells the t3 Featherweight dryer for around $85. It is sold at Nordstrom, Ulta and many other outlets for $200. I bought mine about 6 months ago and have been very happy with it. I do believe it dries my hair faster than any other model I’ve had. I was willing to try it because of Costco’s great return policy.
“Pizzagirl, you have traveled a lot, and I suspect you have tried many different cheapo hotel hair dryers. If they did a good job with your hair, I suspect the $25 Conair will do, too.”
Ha, no I haven’t! Like I said, I rarely use them - and when I do, it’s just to prevent my hair from being sopping wet!
It’s hard to overstate the difference a good dryer can make as compared to the drugstore brands. I have the Sedu and the almost as good for a lot less money BabyLiss. Elchim is another that is a very good value. They really do dry in half the time, with far less effort and salon type results. The texture and shine are noticeably different. I barely need to go over it a second time or with a flat iron as compared to drugstore brands.
Other advantages of the more expensive dryers are they may be more reliable and long lasting, quieter and lighter weight. I never travel without my own dryer any more.
Sounds like the dryer isnt something you you use to style your hair. If so, go with something cheap like Conair. If l let my hair air dry, I would have a huge bunch of thick, frizzy hair. I bought a dryer my hair guy recommended. It is a T3–same brand as my flat iron.