The Best Hair Dryers for All Hair Types

Even if you don’t usually heat-style your hair, we’d argue that a classic hair dryer is one of the few beauty tools everybody (OK, nearly everybody) should have in their beauty arsenal. The right blow dryer can help you achieve smooth, sleek locks, perfect a bouncy blowout, or ensure your waves and curls look their shiniest, healthiest best. But finding the best blow dryer for your tresses can feel like a challenge — especially given the recent influx of futuristic, high-tech options that look nothing like the bulky dryer you used in high school. Today’s hair dryers are sleek, powerful, and equipped with cutting-edge technology to streamline the styling process — and ensure that scoring a great hair day doesn’t have to mean frying your mane. If you’re in the market for a new blow dryer but aren’t quite sure where to start your search, we’re sharing five editor-approved options worth considering.

Dyson Supersonic Nural Hair Dryer

Dyson’s iconic hair dryer needs no introduction — it’s arguably the most famous one on the market right now. It’s equipped with state-of-the-art sensors that automatically adjust airflow and temperature based on what part of the hair you’re drying and which of the four attachments you’re using. The dryer also features smart technology that remembers your styling preferences, so you don’t have to tinker with the settings each time you want to dry your hair. Though this unconventional heat styler is certainly a splurge, it’s well worth the investment if you style your hair daily. 

Conair InfinitiPRO DigitalAIRE 2.0

This sleek, foldable blow dryer is a prime example of how innovation can propel a long-standing drugstore beauty brand into something that feels like luxury. It’s equipped with a powerful motor that spins up to 90,000 times per minute, drying any hair type quickly without subjecting the strands to excessive heat. (The highest of the four heat settings caps out at a warm-but-not-scorching 224 degrees Fahrenheit.) An LED screen on the barrel provides a clear readout of the settings you’re using at any given moment and provides updates on when the filter needs to be cleaned, allowing you to get the most out of your dryer. And if you’re a frequent flyer, you’ll love that it’s equipped with a smart voltage adaptor that automatically adjusts the voltage to accommodate foreign outlet settings.

Hot Tools Pro Signature Ionic Ceramic Hair Dryer

Next time you hit the salon for a trim, take a peek at what hair dryer your stylist uses to dry your strands — it could be this one. The pro-loved tool weighs in at under a pound (13.8 ounces, to be exact), comes with two attachments (a diffuser and a concentrator nozzle), and boasts six heat and speed settings to accommodate a wide range of hair types and textures. It’s also equipped with frizz-fighting ionic technology and far-infrared heat technology to fight frizz and seal the hair cuticle. In layman's terms: It’ll give you a salon-quality blowout without the hefty price tag or time commitment of a salon visit. 

Shark Beauty SpeedStyle Pro Flex Professional Performance High-Velocity Hair Dryer System

Shark’s foray into beauty may be unexpected, but it’s definitely welcome — and this high-tech blow dryer is one of our favorites in the brand’s (now-extensive) lineup of hairstyling tools. The compact yet powerful styler features four airflow settings and a smart sensor that measures and regulates the air temperature to mitigate heat damage and ensure a fast, damage-free blowout. There’s also a scalp shield mode, which allows you to instantly reduce heat to the optimal level when you’re drying near a sensitive scalp. The attachments are just as high-tech as the dryer itself: The wave diffuser features adjustable prongs to accommodate different hair lengths and textures, while the concentrator boasts a 360-degree nozzle for precision styling on all hair types. And there’s no need to worry about figuring out which heat and speed settings to use with each attachment — the dryer does the legwork for you and changes the temperature.

L’Ange Hair Le Volume 2-in-1 Titanium Blow Dryer Brush

If a bouncy, voluminous blowout is your preferred style, we suggest nabbing this ionic blow dry brush, stat. The oval-shaped barrel allows you to get close to your roots (a must for lifted looks), and the tug-resistant bristles grip hair without subjecting your strands to unnecessary tension. Use the low setting to blow out fine, straight strands, the high setting to dry and shape curls and coils, and the cool setting to boost shine and lock in your style for a sleek, salon-quality blowout. If you’re still not sold, check out the nearly 9,000 five-star reviews on Amazon.