Over the last 14 years, I have had my hands on many different hair dryers, and I can tell you that they’re definitely not made equal. The lists you see online and in magazines for “best hair dryer” can seem overwhelming at times because every list you read has different hair dryers, so how do you really know? I’m here to help. I own a blowout bar, and in 1 day I can do up to 10 blowouts. That’s a lot of time to have a hair dryer running, allowing not only me but the other stylists at the salon to put hair dryers to the test. I, and my staff, have all had experiences with supposed professional hair dryers just not lasting. We’ve seen everything from having them just shut off mid-blowout, to sparks coming out the back, weird loud squealing noises, and wisps of smoke. So if anyone knows what hair dryers are the best, that actually last and give beautiful results, it’s the stylists at Blowout Studio.
What To Look For In A Professional Hair Dryer
If you want your blow dryer to last you for years, you definitely want to spend a little money on it. You’ll have to pay a bit to get the quality a professional needs, like performance and longevity. Also, you’re a professional, and this is a tool you use to give your clients beautiful blowouts that they can’t give themselves at home. You want to be working with the best tools to get the best results. What you want to look for in a great professional hair dryer is:
- 1800 Watts or higher
- Ceramic
- Has multiple heat and speed settings
- Can’t buy it at your local drug store
Parlux 385 Power Light
This little guy is #1 The Best Hair dryer hands down I’ve used in 14 years, and it’s the one we use at Blowout Studio. It’s lightweight, fast, and has outlasted every other hair dryer I’ve used. The Parlux is ionic and ceramic, and it’s very well balanced which makes it comfortable to use. And, it comes in fun colors like gold, pink, teal, orange, and a few more.
Twin Turbo 3800
Before I found the Parlux, this was my go-to brand of hair dryers to use. I used this hair dryer for over 7 years in the salon and at home. 2100 watts, 4 temperature settings, and 2 speeds give you room to adjust and control the hair dryer for your needs.
Also made with ceramic and ionic technology to speed up drying time and is gentle on hair.
The Dyson Supersonic
This is a hair dryer you see on every best hair dryer list. What I like about this hair dryer is that it brings a fun technological edge to the hair dryer game. It definitely dries hair in record time. It’s super quiet, lightweight and offers different heat and speed settings which is what you want in a professional hair dryer.
The reason why it’s not my #1 is that I feel that it left the hair feeling a little over-dry, and I couldn’t even make it a day in the salon without it shutting itself off and needing 15 minutes to cool down. I even swapped out the first one I bought, thinking it was just a defective one, but the one I swapped it out for did the same thing. Now I know hairstylists that use this hair dryer in their salons and love it, but they also aren’t doing blowouts back to back. So to use on a few clients with haircuts or colors in-between clients, great. To use doing back to back blowouts, not so great.
Amika’s “The Accomplice”
This is a great compact, lightweight hair dryer offering 2-speed settings 3 heat settings. Made with ceramic, and tourmaline-infused it helps keep hair from becoming over-dried. Definitely a great accomplice to use in the salon. I do have one complaint about this hair dryer, and it’s that pretty loud especially in salon with 5 or more hair dryers going at once, but that just me and my preferences. If that’s not a problem for you, this may be the best professional hair dryer for you.
Whether you’re a pro or are just looking for professional results, we hope this guide has helped in choosing the best professional hair dryer.