Table Of Content
- How we chose the best hair dryers for curly hair
- Best lightweight hair dryers
- The Tress Press Straightening Iron
- How to find the right curling iron for your hair
- More hair dryers we love:
- Budget pick: InfinitiPro by Conair 1875-Watt Salon Performance AC Motor Styling Tool
- Bed Head Curls-in-Check 1875W Hair Diffuser Dryer

Although the dryer is equipped with three heat settings and two speed settings, toggling back and forth between the different modes is straightforward, thanks to the grooves in the center of each switch. I'd consider myself a blow dryer beginner (I'm partial to blow dry brushes), but I was able to navigate my way between the heat and power settings without having to pause the drying session or accidentally pressing the wrong button. A brush, wide tooth comb, concentrator nozzle, and diffuser that'll smooth, stretch, shape, define, and emphasize your gorgeous natural curl pattern.
How we chose the best hair dryers for curly hair
Read up on more Dyson hair styling tools in our full Dyson Airwrap review. Specially designed for those with curly, coily or tight-textured hair, the ultra-chic Pattern blow dryer is intended to deliver powerful airflow and less drying time. Its ceramic coating grill aims to deliver heat evenly and thus minimize damage and the Ion switch is said to smooth the cuticle to reduce frizz and enhance shine, as needed. An online reviewer reported back no tangles, with barely any shedding and heat damage. Thanks to our Beauty Lab experts, who test everything from hair dryer brushes to travel hair dryers, we put together a list of the top hair dryers for curly hair. Our dedicated team extensively tests hair dryers on human hair samples and with consumer testers to measure performance and potential hair damage.
Best lightweight hair dryers
No single hair dryer for curly hair earned best overall on our list due to the variation in the category and independent styling needs for different hair lengths, thicknesses, and curl patterns. Our testers found the top choices below best for a range of hair types, textures, and results. We experienced pretty standard yet satisfying results with this compact hair dryer. The dual-position concentrator directs airflow to targeted sections, making hair smooth and shiny.
The Tress Press Straightening Iron
This model has a 1.5-inch titanium ceramic-coated barrel that distributes heat evenly, and its ionic technology ensures a no-frizz blowout, according to the brand. The retro-looking Conair Pro Yellow Bird Hair Dryer is one of the hottest dryers we’ve tested (reaching over 245 °F). But at a pound and a half, it also ties for the heaviest dryer we’ve looked at.
There are several factors that differentiate a blow-dryer for curly hair from one that's better for textures without a bit of bend. "A blow-dryer is the most invaluable asset in your beauty tool arsenal and is worth spending a little extra (research and) money on," explains New York City-based hairstylist Devin Toth of Salon SCK. If you're searching for the best hair dryer for curly hair that will provide the quickest dry, Kasper Heemskerk suggests opting for a dryer that will offer high air flow that distributes heat evenly and adjustable heat settings. This T3 AirLuxe comes recommended by Foster because it’s great for all hair types and has a compact, sleek design. There’s a Volume Boost button that adds volume and texture, and inside the T3 is a smart microchip that digitally controls 15 heat and speed combinations. It comes with a paddle brush, a round brush, a drying concentrator that provides a wide airflow to help your hair dry faster, and a styling concentrator to focus air on one section at a time.
“It’s the ease of using it that makes it attractive, and it gives you that salon finish,” says Karla Marabello, owner of K’Bello Organic Hair in New Jersey. The Revlon One-Step is also great even for those with thick and curly hair, she says. At 0.6 pounds, the Gold ’N Hot Ultra-Lightweight Dryer with Tourmaline is the lightest dryer we’ve tested. However, the measured air speed was only 45 mph, and we found the handle thick and awkward to hold. Despite the Supersonic’s flaws, compared with other dryers we’ve tested, this one truly feels like a luxury to use every day.

It weighs in at just over 6 ounces, which makes it perfectly portable too. Keep in mind the shorter barrel is best-suited for short hair, though it'll work on any length with a bit more effort. According to the Transportation Security Administration, you can pack a hair dryer in both carry-on luggage and checked bags. Scope out our travel-sized hair dryer recommendation, the SRI Dry Q, to learn more about our pick for the perfect journey-ready dryer. The Hyper Air comes with two attachments, the IQ 2-in-1 Concentrator and the IQ Styling Brush. The concentrator includes a dial to toggle between wide and narrow airflow, and users can rotate the attachment itself to ensure that the airflow is always in line with a brush while blowing out hair.
Budget pick: InfinitiPro by Conair 1875-Watt Salon Performance AC Motor Styling Tool
If you’re willing to splurge on a dryer, you might consider the Dyson Supersonic. It has consistently been our favorite to use since we first tested it in 2016. The motor sits in the handle, making the nozzle shorter and easier to maneuver. The handle doesn’t vibrate at all, which wasn’t true of other “luxury” models we tested.
We also appreciated the four attachments that came along with the dryer — a diffuser, two concentrator nozzles, and a star-shaped nozzle specifically for those with fine hair and sensitive scalps. Taking home top honors, the GAMA IQ2 Perfetto hair dryer is just about, well, perfetto. With a promise to dry hair 30 percent faster, the IQ2 is designed intelligently, automatically going on standby when placed on its smart pad, outfitted with a micro-perforated filter and temperature sensor, and accompanied by magnetic nozzles.
It's a multifunction styler, but the Airwrap really shines as a curling iron. Using its internal motor (remember, Dyson is famous for its powerful vacuums), it creates a vortex of air inside the hollow barrel powerful enough to draw your hair to it. All you have to do is place the end of your hair near the barrel, and the machine does the gripping and wrapping for you, so you don't have to worry about touching a hot curling barrel. I mean, it uses air to suck strands of your hair around the curling barrels and somehow produces a lasting result without subjecting your hair to too much damaging heat?
13 Best Dyson Airwrap Dupes of 2024 - Cosmopolitan
13 Best Dyson Airwrap Dupes of 2024.
Posted: Thu, 21 Mar 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]
"It's great for my curly hair since I have tons of layers and some need shorter more precise diffusing, others just need longer ones to get to the root," a curly-haired shopper wrote. Wirecutter is the product recommendation service from The New York Times. Our journalists combine independent research with (occasionally) over-the-top testing so you can make quick and confident buying decisions. Whether it’s finding great products or discovering helpful advice, we’ll help you get it right (the first time). The Conair InfinitiPro SmoothWrap Hair Dryer is slower and has a shorter cord than all of our picks.
This innovative beauty tool generates negative ions which work to break up water molecules and seal the hair's cuticle in order to provide a smooth finish. "Even on the lowest heat and airflow setting, the hair dries quickly and for curls to dry frizz-free truly is a testament to the Dyson brand," Brown adds. These features are precisely why we consider the Supersonic the best hair dryer for the full scope of hair textures. This tool from Amika is essentially a dryer-brush hybrid, allowing you to achieve salon-level blowouts at home without juggling two tools at once—it's a whole lot easier than trying to maneuver a hair dryer and a round brush at the same time. Just a heads up, this blow dryer isn't the most durable and might need replacing every year or two.
The handle is straight and a tad thicker than that of the Rusk W8less, too. Dyson says the motor placement makes the weight of the dryer more balanced, since it’s not top-heavy. The difference isn’t huge, but over weeks of using the Supersonic, we found ourselves appreciating the configuration. If you have trouble holding a typical dryer overhead, the weight distribution of this one might make gripping easier, a reader told us.
This helps prevent hotspots and reduces the risk of heat damage to delicate curls. “While infrared hair dryers use longer wavelengths of energy to dry the hair from the inside out, which can be less damaging to curls.” says Ovensehi. As a curly girl myself, I've experimented with ways to use heat while still preserving healthy curls. I've learned that it's all about practicing moderation and finding the best hair dryer that does the job without causing further damage. My favorite is, hands down, the Laifen Swift High Speed Hair Dryer, which offers super fast dry time and the most sleek-looking blowout when I want one. A GH staffer who has thick 2C curls swears by the Bio Ionic dryer and its universal diffuser attachment (though sold separately).
“As soon as you turn it on, [your hair] dries quickly,” says Foster, adding that it also stores very easily. It weighs less than a pound, so it’s lightweight enough to hold when you’re drying your hair at home, says Foster. If you want a slightly more affordable option, opt for the Pro Dryer 2000 from the brand. After all, can we really say a skin-care product is the "best" for people over 50 if the only testers we’ve solicited opinions from folks who have yet to hit 30? Can we honestly deem a high-end diffuser hair dryer worthy of your hard-earned cash if it’s never been tested on curls? We’re proud that our staff spans a wide range of ages, skin tones, hair textures, genders, and backgrounds, which means that we are able to fairly assess any beauty product that comes into the beauty closet.
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