Table Of Content
- Pattern by Tracee Ellis Ross The Blow Dryer
- Lily England Deluxe Hair Dryer with Diffuser
- Hot Tools Professional 1875W Ionic Lightweight Turbo Dryer
- Best With Extra-Large Diffuser
- Chi Lava Ceramic Curling Iron
- Best Diffuser-Only Hair Dryer for Curly Hair
- Best Budget: InfinitiPro by Conair SmoothWrap Hair Dryer

It also has a mere one year of warranty coverage, and its nonintuitive touchscreen felt gimmicky. Although the Dyson dryer’s feel and attachments are improvements over those of our other picks, we also found features we didn’t like and a few that we were neutral on. At 1.3 pounds, it’s noticeably heavier to hold than the W8less, especially after several minutes of drying.
Pattern by Tracee Ellis Ross The Blow Dryer
Aeroprecis technology sets this dryer apart, gives it a longer-life, brushless motor, and uses advanced internal aerodynamics. However, the powerful airflow travels at 120 kmph and it feels a tad noisier compared to the other hair dryers I tried, but it did feel like I had a lot of control over the settings. Tracee Ellis Ross recently launched this award-winning blow dryer, equipped with four separate styling attachments. "A nozzle helps concentrate airflow for precise styling, while a diffuser helps enhance natural curls or add volume to the hair," says Heemskerk.
Lily England Deluxe Hair Dryer with Diffuser
Although there are only three heat settings — low, medium, and high — it really felt like there was a difference between each level, while still putting out a consistent stream of air. We mostly stayed with the medium setting because the highest option was so hot that it was uncomfortable at times. We dry our hair once or twice a week, and our favorite style to create is a traditional full-bodied, bouncy blowout, which was easy to accomplish with this dryer — and fast. Another key feature we're keen on is the dryer's high speed brushless motor, which produces a strong air flow and dries hair in little to no time.

Hot Tools Professional 1875W Ionic Lightweight Turbo Dryer
At the time of publishing, we were not able to find any hair dryers for curly hair from a Black-owned and/or Black-founded business. If you know of one we should consider, please email us at and we will evaluate the product ASAP. The Hot Tools Professional Black Gold Turbo Ionic Salon Dryer (DC Motor) is extremely light at only 14 ounces. But it also has the most buttons and slides and switches of any hair dryer we’ve ever tested, including a cool-shot button, a power-boost slide, an ion select wheel, and switches for speed and temp—whew! The EZ Dryer Ion is the most effective and efficient paddle-style hair dryer brush we tested.
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Hair diffusers are pronged attachments that snap onto the end of the hair dryer’s nozzle and are a secret weapon for all curl patterns. The best hair diffusers are designed to dry the hair in its natural state, according to Nai’Vasha. They distribute the dryer’s airflow over a larger surface area, so you get less direct heat, which tends to flatten out curls. They’re also an efficient way to dry even short, curly hairstyles, just be sure to use low heat to softly coax your hair into shape without creating excess frizz or flyaways, says Yepez.
Bed Head Curls-in-Check 1875W Hair Diffuser Dryer
We were also surprised by how powerful the motor was, despite its small size. Under 12 ounces and with a decibel level of just 79 (compared to traditional dryers that clock in around 90 or higher), our favorite travel pick is one of the quietest dryers we've encountered. While this hair dryer works with all hair types, those with thick hair will especially love the blend of power and performance that this option provides.
Chi Lava Ceramic Curling Iron
When you've got curly hair, finding a great hair dryer that won't encourage frizz can be particularly hairy. Do you follow the Curly Girl Method and want to limit hot tools (FYI, the occasional diffuser on low-heat is okay), or just use a blow dryer strictly to diffuse your hair? Get yourself the Bed Head Diffuser Dryer that combines a dryer and diffuser so it's (a) less bulky, (b) has a head big enough to dry larger sections of curly hair quicker, and (c) features tourmaline ceramic material for smoother, less frizzy hair.

The dryer also has auto-dual voltage, meaning it can be used anywhere in the world — so no matter where your travels take you, a sleek blowout will always be available. It's worth noting that the highest heat setting isn't super hot, but it didn't bother us, as it kept us from burning our hair. In addition to being incredibly lightweight, the blow dryer has some pretty unique settings. Despite having two settings (hot and cool), we wanted more heat settings, especially a medium option, for a more customizable drying experience. With a strong, even airflow, it took about 20 minutes to thoroughly dry our hair, resulting in a flippy, bouncy look.
But because it’s missing markings for the air-temperature settings, it’s impossible to determine at a glance which setting the brush is on. More importantly, it lacks an ALCI (appliance leakage current interrupter) safety plug, so if it shorts or is immersed in water, the device won’t automatically turn off and therefore could cause an electrical shock. The hair dryers on our list range in wattage from 680 to 2000, most dryers fall in the 1600 to 2000 range. Our best overall pick, Gama IQ2 Perfetto, has 2000, Dyson Supersonic taps out at 1600 and SRI DryQ Hair Dryer (great for travel) has 1300. If you have textured or long, thick hair, you may want to opt for a hair dryer with a higher wattage, fine, thinning, or short hair can get away with lower. “A higher wattage hair dryer will typically be more powerful and dry your hair faster,” explains Uehara.
If you want a diffuser or smoothing comb, you’ll need to purchase it separately. If you're a novice when it comes to blowouts, the Pro Artist Black Gold 2000 Watt Ionic Hair Dryer might sound intimidating, but it's actually as user-friendly as it gets. Balancing a hair dryer in one hand — while using your fingers to maneuver the different modes — and using a styling brush in another is no easy feat, but with this Hot Tools dryer, the whole process is simple.
Most hair dryers are effective at blowing hot air toward your head—sometimes quite fast—in order to speed along your hairstyling. It’s the small differences between models that can make a big difference overall, particularly with daily use. During their evaluations, our Beauty Lab pros assess features like preheat time, temperature range, overall settings and ease of use. We also had a panel of at-home testers try the irons at home and report back on factors such as the lasting power of the resulting curls and ease of use.