This seems to be the week all my appliances go on the fritz. Today I went to use my hairdryer and . . .nothing. It had been giving off a burning smell lately
I usually buy the $20-30 model from Target/Costco. I do have pretty thick hair with a wave to it so it’s important to me to dry hair fast and not be too heavy.
I don’t think I will want to spend $300 on some of the models I read about, unless it’s going to guarantee those tousled waves from my unprofessional and klutzy hands.
Well, in the summer and at the shore I do often just scrunch it a bit. But most of the time, and what I need the dryer for, is to dry it and I use a brush to blow it out or put a wave at the ends. I cannot let my hair dry naturally or it gets a bit frizzy (plus it takes about 3 hours or more!)
I have no brand or particular dryer recommendation, but I like a more substantial dryer (by weight, I guess). I usually wind up spending about $100 if I recall correctly. I think I’ve had the one I use now for 10 years or longer. I probably bought it at Sally beauty supply.
@surfcity I stopped blowing my hair dry about three years ago. I wash it and towel dry before I go to sleep. It’s dry by the morning. I have GREAT straightening brush thing. It’s like a flat iron, but it’s a brush. It takes me less than five minutes to brush out and straighten out my hair with it. It’s NOT the one you see advertised on TV. I got it through my hairdresser.
Before I got the brush thing…I used a flatiron…
My hair is very thick…and the damage from drying it was excessive…and I still needed to flat iron it or something after.
My new regimen is much better for my hair. The straightening brush doesn’t cause the same damage as a flat iron. It’s really a great thing.
I do have a dryer…it’s a Conair…and it’s just fine.
We have a Rusk Super Freak. It’s awesome and works great - it dries your hair quickly. They also have a Speed Freak model I haven’t tried, it’s less expensive but is heavier.
@maya54 Tell me more about the Dyson. I’ve been considering buying one for some time – need to be pushed over the edge since it is so pricey. How much faster? Is it quiet? Does the actual end product blow dry look different with the Dyson versus a traditional dryer?
I also purchased the Dyson less than two weeks ago as a gift to myself from Sephora with a store coupon. Before purchasing, I asked 2 employees if it was returnable if I wasn’t happy and was told that wouldn’t be a problem at all. It is much lighter and easier to hold than my old Sedu dryer and I agree with Maya54 that it is faster, perhaps cutting down the time by a 1/3.
While it isn’t as loud as a typical blow dryer, it still noisy with a higher pitch sound that my dog isn’t crazy about. At first I was concerned because I thought it wasn’t straightening my curls out as well, so I dried one side with the Dyson and the other with my Sedu and compared. My daughter thought the Dyson side was slightly better and I couldn’t tell the difference. End of story… I’m keeping it. Mostly because I feel like it has shortened the time I stand in front of the mirror.
@wheatonmom I just want to shorten the drying time. My hair is straight and medium texture, but I have to wash it daily because it looks limp and oily otherwise. The morning blow dry is such a grind - takes me about 15 minutes, but if I could lop 5 off, it would help. Does your hair get really hot? Does it seem easier on your hair?
In the old thread the brands BaByliss, Sedu and T3 came up a lot.
@thumper1 you have an interesting routine. The few times I have gone to bed with wet hair it was still wet in places in the morning. Plus it looked like I’d been caught in a tornado. Perhaps I will try it again with the idea that I can just smooth it all out in the morning. Anything to reduce the drying time.
Like @Gourmetmom I probably don’t even spend more than 10-15 minutes with the dryer but I hate it and now I have some shoulder problems that make holding the dryer uncomfortable. If I could only get DH to go to beauty school to dry my hair for me . . .
I think @wheatonmom review was pretty accurate. It’s not a huge difference but it’s there. I do think it’s a little cooler/easier on the hair. But I’m not sure it’s worth the price. I’m happy I have it. But glad I didn’t have to pay.
I have had luck going into Bed, Bath and Beyond and using coupons for things that are supposed to be excluded, including a Breville Toaster oven and a cappacino machine. They both had to be ordered/delivered, but the salesperson used the coupon.
@Gourmetmom I do feel my hair gets hot but I’m not worried about damage because I don’t believe that my other dryer was heating my hair less. The Dyson came with 3 attachments, 2 traditional nozzles to funnel the air and one diffuser.
Interestingly, they all attach magnetically which is nice because I sometimes move the nozzle 90 degrees for one side on my head.
The T3 Featherweight 2 is on sale for $70 at Costco for a few more days. I have 2 of them and find them to dry my hair faster than others I’ve tried.
