These Hair Dryers for Fine Hair Give Us Body and Bounce, Editor Tested & Approved
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Achieving a salon-quality blowout full of lift and volume has never been easier.
InStyle / Jaclyn Mastropasqua
While they may not be the sexiest tool in one's beauty arsenal, hair dryers are an indispensable piece of equipment to add volume to your hair. But all blow drying tools are not created equal, so it's essential to find the best hair dryer for your particular hair type or concern — especially when it comes to fine hair.
"It is very important for those with fine, thin hair to make sure they find a device that won't leave them with wispy, frazzled-looking strands," says celebrity hairstylist Annagjid Kee Taylor. "It's very common for people with fine hair to really pump up the heat in order to build volume and reduce the time it takes to dry altogether. This encourages further heat damage, which will ultimately make hair frizzier."
With Taylor's advice in mind, we tested dozens of hair dryers in our Manhattan-based Lab and in the real world. During this process, we tried options with customizable heat settings that prevent damage and boost volume. We also made notes on the design, value, and overall drying performance of each product. In the end we discovered the top-performing hair dryers for fine hair.
Best Overall: T3 Featherweight StyleMax Professional Hair Dryer
What We Love: It’s surprisingly lightweight.
What We Don’t Love: There are a lot of buttons — reading the manual is not optional.
While some take pleasure in the simplicity of a single on and off button, we subscribe to a more-is-more maxim. We want five heat settings, three speed settings, a volume boost switch, and four attachments that can whip up a variety of styling looks. Not to mention, for the sake of our arms, we want it to have the weight of about two potatoes. To our surprise, the T3 Featherweight StyleMax hair dryer checks all of our boxes, and even a few more.
Right out of the box, we were wowed by the sleek matte white, compact and travel-friendly design, with a lightweight feel to match. Two InStyle editors, one with very fine, wispy hair, and another with thicker, mostly straight hair with some bend, took this dryer for a test drive, and both raved about the way their hair looked — smooth, shiny, and bouncy, without looking overdone or over-styled.
On our fine hair, we used the highest airflow setting to get maximum volume as we rough dried and touseled, then we snapped on the smoothing comb attachment to bring it all together. Unlike most comb attachments where you sacrifice some body and lift in order to straighten and smooth, this one kept our roots looking thick, while still straightening flyaways into place. Even on our thicker hair, the medium heat setting with a speed level four (out of five), this hair dryer took us from sopping wet to bone dry at supersonic, Olympic-level pace of five minutes and forty-five seconds (and yes, we timed it). For days we wanted to lean into beachy, model-off-duty waves, we popped the diffuser onto the end of the nozzle and got to work. Although the diffuser took an extra minute or two longer than the smoothing comb, we were equally impressed with our hair’s voluminous, textured finish.
Overall, we think this is a prime example of getting what you pay for — more than 15 heat and speed setting configurations, presets so you don’t have to toggle to your desired temperature and speed each time you power on, four attachments with accompanying settings designed specifically for each, a cool shot button, and a fabulous volume boost button to take hair from flat to full-bodied in 15 seconds (we timed that, too). For us, the real kicker is the two-year warranty, so even though it’s a splurge, we feel reassured that they stand behind their product.
Speed Settings: 3 | Heat Settings: 5 | Cord Length: 9 ft | Attachments: Four, including a drying concentrator, styling concentrator, diffuser, smoothing comb
Best Budget: Conair InfinitiPro Hair Dryer
What We Love: The infrared heat quickly dries hair without causing damage.
What We Don't Love: This dryer is clunky and will result in an arm workout.
This inexpensive Conair dryer is one of the more affordable ionic options out there. The ionic technology, paired with the professional-grade AC motor and ceramic nozzle, quickly yet gently dries hair so you don't have to worry about frying your strands.
Beyond the technology, we also appreciate that it includes two attachments — a concentrator and diffuser — that makes styling more efficient. As a bonus, it comes with a round brush, too, so mastering a bouncy blowout is easier than ever. Many low-end hair dryers don't have a removable filter, but this one does. Simply snap it off to remove lint buildup. This keeps it working properly and extends the tool's lifespan.
Although the dryer has comparable features to its high-end counterparts, it's a bit heavier than other tools. Simply put, be prepared for an arm workout.
Speed Settings: 2 | Heat Settings: 3 | Cord Length: 5 ft | Attachments: Concentrator, diffuser, and round brush
Best Splurge: Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer
What We Love: It comes with a gentle air attachment that is specially designed for fine hair.
What We Don't Love: The attachments aren't intuitive — expect some trial and error to perfect the styling process.
It's no secret that the Dyson Supersonic is one of the most popular hair dryers to ever exist, but how does it work on fine hair? The answer is flawlessly. We have struggled with building and retaining volume in the past, but one drying session made a major difference in the bounciness and overall health of our hair. As we became more accustomed to the tool, we even managed to create salon-worthy blowouts with the help of the innovative attachments.
While the flyaway attachment gets the most buzz, the gentle air attachment (which was specially designed for fine hair) was what helped our hair maintain its vitality. The Dyson doesn’t get extremely hot to begin with, but this diffuser created a calmer, cooler airflow and acted as a second layer of protection against heat damage, while leaving us with soft, frizz-free hair in the process. Plus, it sped up our drying time exponentially — what used to take 20 minutes became a quick seven-minute session, something we are grateful for considering we’re always rushing out the door.
Yes, the SuperSonic is an investment, but we consider it a worthwhile one. Along with the low heat factor, the five attachments offered us a range of styling options that standard dryers do not. Despite the slight learning curve that comes with the attachments, we experienced consistent volume and soft strands once we figured out how to use them all.
Speed Settings: 3 | Heat Settings: 4 | Cord Length: 9 ft | Attachments: Concentrator, diffuser, gentle air attachment, wide-tooth comb, and flyaway attachment
Best for Fast Drying: Harry Josh Pro Tools Ultra Light Pro Dryer
What We Love: The AC motor lasts up to 2,000 hours, promising many years of top-notch blowouts.
What We Don't Love: Although we love the bright green color, it chipped when we dropped it.
Powered by a professional-quality AC motor, we were immediately smitten with this Harry Josh Pro Tools Dryer because it didn’t leave our hair crispy or dry, despite the speedy process. We have waist-length hair, and though it’s relatively fine, it can take over 30 minutes to dry. With this tool, we managed to achieve a sleek and silky blowout in 15 minutes flat. Our friends even asked if we came from the salon — that’s when we knew this dryer was really magic.
Beyond how it made our hair look, we appreciated just how light this dryer was. Even though it has a traditional dryer shape, it’s extremely compact and comparable to the Dyson. During our test we held both in our hands, and ultimately found that the Harry Josh weighed less.
This doesn’t have nearly as many attachments as the Dyson, but the long and short concentrator nozzles were enough to help control the airflow and temperature. Plus, with 12 heat, speed, and ion settings to choose from, we could easily customize this dryer to fit our styling needs.
That said, be sure to handle this tool with care — it slipped off our bathroom counter a few times and though it didn’t affect its performance, the green paint sadly chipped.
Speed Settings: 8 | Heat Settings: 8 | Cord Length: 9 ft | Attachments: Two concentrators
Best for Curly Hair: ghd Air 1600W Professional Hair Dryer
What We Love: This professional-grade hair dryer exponentially cuts drying time to protect curls.
What We Don't Love: The diffuser has to be purchased separately.
Curly hair requires extra care compared to other hair types, especially when it comes to drying. Curls need moisture to stay shiny and maintain their pattern, so it’s critical to find a dryer that minimizes heat damage. Using advanced ionic technology, this powerful tool from GHD helped cut our dry time down to under five minutes. The fast styling session prevented excessive heat damage and resulted in visibly shinier, bouncier coils after one use.
Part of the reason this tool was able to dry our hair so quickly was the strong motor. To be honest, the highest airflow setting was a bit overwhelming for our thin strands (and almost gave us whiplash). The lowest setting was still pretty powerful, but gave us enough control to smoothly straighten our hair. When it came to the heat settings, we stuck with the lower of the two — the high heat made the device almost too hot to touch, but we found that the lower setting effectively wicked away water droplets without frying our strands.
The hair concentrator attachment was a bonus detail that helped us create sleek styles and minimized frizz for a softer, shinier finish. Our only gripe was that the diffuser attachment is sold separately, but we didn’t mind too much because when we blow dry our hair we exclusively straighten it.
Speed Settings: 2 | Heat Settings: 3 | Cord Length: 9 ft | Attachments: Concentrator
Related: The 20 Best Hair Dryers of 2024, Tested & Reviewed
Best Blow Dry Brush : Revlon One-Step Volumizer Plus 2.0 Hair Dryer and Hot Air Brush
What We Love: This hair dryer brush kept our style bouncy and frizz-free for up to three days.
What We Don't Love: We wish this came with a carrying case to protect the bristles.
If blow drying your hair has never really been your vibe, this hair dryer brush from Revlon will definitely change the way you look at heat styling. Thanks to its convenient design, which simultaneously dried and brushed out our hair, this pick was a one-and-done step that styled, volumized, and smoothed our strands much more efficiently than any regular hair dryer we had used in the past.
We tested this fresh out of the shower while our hair was still soaked, as well as after we let our hair air dry for 15 minutes. We found that it works best on slightly damp strands to cut down drying time and create the most voluminous blowout.
Normally, it takes us about 25 minutes to completely dry our hair with a traditional dryer, but with this it only took 15 minutes. Along with the drying capabilities, it greatly reduced frizz and shortened our overall styling routine because we didn’t need to touch up with a straightener or curling iron to achieve our desired look.
Our straight, smooth style didn’t just last the entire day either: Every time we used the Revlon One-Step Hair Dryer, our hair maintained bounce for almost three full days — and that was without using finishing spray. As far as performance goes, we have no complaints, but we do wish this tool came with a carrying case to protect it between uses.
Speed Settings: 3 | Heat Settings: 2 | Cord Length: 6 ft | Attachments: None
Best for Travel: BaBylissPRO Nano Titanium Bambino Compact Dryer
What We Love: It's extremely lightweight yet still maintains a powerful airflow.
What We Don't Love: There's no cool shot button.
Thanks to small but mighty dryers like this option from BaBylissPro, there's no need to compromise your tools — or your look — just because you're on the go. This compact dryer weighs less than 10 ounces, but it packs all of the power of a full-size tool, using nano-titanium technology to create smooth, shiny, and healthy strands. It even comes with an easy-to-use concentrator nozzle for more stylized looks.
Compared to other dryers it is very quiet (a must in hotel rooms with thin walls). This often translates into a weaker airflow, but not here: Its air stream is mighty and consistently boosts volume.
While we know we have to sacrifice some features on travel-friendly dryers, we do wish there was a cool shot button to help us set our styles.
Speed Settings: 2 | Heat Settings: 2 | Cord Length: 6 ft | Attachments: Concentrator
Best for Frizzy Hair: MHU Professional Salon Grade Hair Dryer
What We Love: With two attachments to focus airflow and high tech features to smooth flyaways, this hair tackles frizz from start to finish.
What We Don't Love: Despite having an AC motor, the fan is still rather loud.
This pick comes fully equipped to tackle frizz, static, and generally unruly hair with a full suite of attachments — offering a diffuser and concentrator to speed up drying time and minimize flyaways. With two speeds and three heat settings, you can customize your experience and reduce heat damage (another factor that increases frizz).
After applying an anti-frizz product, you can further combat frizz using Taylor's simple technique: "Directing the heat towards your roots can help create nice, strong waves that'll last you all day," she says, adding that you'll get an extra lift, too. She also mentions that the diffuser attachment can help "combat frizz to reveal a smoother finish."
Speed Settings: 2 | Heat Settings: 3 | Cord Length: 6 ft | Attachments: Concentrator and diffuser
Related: The 15 Best Air Dry Hair Products of 2024 for a Shiny, Frizz-Free Finish
Best Diffuser Hair Dryer: Bed Head Curls in Check 1875 Watt Diffuser Hair Dryer
What We Love: The dryer's diffuser-centric design enhances curls and waves with a gentle airstream to protect their natural shape.
What We Don't Love: You have to be cautious throughout the process to ensure hair doesn't get caught in the fan.
This funky dryer from Bed Head was specifically designed to keep curly hair in check and reduce frizz. While it's ideal for anyone with waves, coils, spirals, kinks, or ringlets, it's gentle on all hair textures that need some added definition and volume. If your hair tends to look limp on the regular, this dryer and diffuser attachment will breathe life back into your strands for full, healthy results. Keep the back of the device away from your hair, though, because it has a tendency to suck strands in.
Speed Settings: 2 | Heat Settings: 3 | Cord Length: 6 ft | Attachments: Diffuser
Best for Brittle Hair: Elchim 3900 Healthy Ionic Dryer
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What We Love: By using far infrared technology, the dryer protects the hair follicle from overheating for a healthier blowout.
What We Don't Love: It's not as lightweight as other options.
With 2,000-watt power, this ceramic dryer ensures hair dries quickly and evenly. While it works beautifully on all hair types, its easy-to-use design makes it especially delicate on thin, fine hair. The reason behind this? It taps far infrared technology, which protects tresses from getting too hot, ultimately preventing damage, breakage, and split ends. Instead, you'll be left with shinier, healthier hair, even with regular use. Just be prepared for an arm workout, as this pick is slightly heavier than other options on our list.
Speed Settings: 2 | Heat Settings: 3 | Cord Length: 9 ft | Attachments: Two concentrators
Best for Volume: Paul Mitchell Neuro Halo Touchscreen Hair Dryer
What We Love: The digital touchscreen lights up with the heat, airflow, and ion settings.
What We Don't Love: We wish it was more compact and lightweight.
Paul Mitchell products are known for their professional-grade quality, and this dryer is one of our favorites from the line. Using a powerful 1,875-watt DC motor that emits tourmaline ions, it yields voluminous results. What's more, it gives you full control of your blowout with its customizable ion feature, which can be turned on to tame frizz and add shine, or turned off to boost volume and thickness in fine hair.
Speed Settings: 3 | Heat Settings: 3 | Cord Length: 9 ft | Attachments: Concentrator and diffuser
Our Testing Process
After researching the top-rated hair dryers for fine hair, we put the most popular options to the test in our Manhattan-based Lab and the real world. InStyle editors with fine hair took home each hair dryer to incorporate it into their routine for four weeks. During both the Lab and real world test, we analyzed the tools’ features, design, and drying performance on fine hair, while also evaluating its overall value. We even paid attention to nitty gritty details, including each dryer’s weight, cord length, button placement, noise level, and included attachments, and scrutinized how they impacted the overall drying experience.
Once we reviewed the feedback from our testers, we selected four products that beautifully boosted volume and protected fine hair from excessive heat damage. To round out our list, we consulted with hairstylists and editors for their recommendations and conducted extended market research to bring you the best hair dryers for fine hair.
What to Keep in Mind
Features
Considering that fine hair is vulnerable to breakage and frizz, you'll want a dryer with multiple heat and speed settings, as well as other features that will prevent excessive damage. At the end of the day, hair dryers will always incur some risk of heat damage, but the right tool can minimize the exposure. When shopping, consider the number of heat settings as well as the wattage on the dryer. The more powerful wattage, the more control you have over just how long it takes to dry the hair.
"Multiple options for heat functions can be critical in making sure you're using just the right amount of heat on your strands in order to reduce heat damage altogether," says Taylor. "Having different dryer speeds can give you more style flexibility, too."
It’s also helpful to purchase a dryer that comes with attachments, like diffusers and concentrators, so you can style your hair in a variety of ways. And if you travel often, a smaller or portable hair dryer, like the BaBylissPRO Nano Titanium Bambino Compact Dryer, will save significant space in a carry-on.
Materials
"One thing that a lot of people don't realize is that the materials your dryer is made from can have a big impact on your style, so you want to pay careful attention here," says celebrity hairstylist Andrew Fitzsimons. "Ionic dryers give off negative ions that help break up the water droplets on your hair for faster drying. This is especially great if you have naturally frizzy hair."
However, if you have very fine hair, Fitzsimons recommends non-ionic dryers, which are usually ceramic or porcelain, because they distribute heat in a gentler way. If you’re considering an ionic hair dryer, opt for one where you can turn the settings off and on, like you can with the Paul Mitchell Neuro Halo Touchscreen Hair Dryer, or stick to a standard ceramic option.
Attachments
Look for a dryer that comes with various attachments, including a round-brush to assist in creating an at-home blowout, and a diffuser to create bouncy curls. Concentrators also help produce sleek styles because it directs the air stream. Focusing on your roots when using this attachment will provide extra lift.
Your Questions, Answered
Is an ionic or ceramic hair dryer better for fine hair?
There’s a solid benefit to using ionic dryers because they’re meant to leave hair sleek, smooth, and frizz-free. While they’re not overly harmful for fine hair (too much heat, in general, is damaging), ceramic dryers tend to use less heat, making them better for styling and preventing damage. Both Fitzsimons and Taylor recommend ceramic dryers over ionic.
How do I blow dry fine hair gently?
Just as you prep your makeup with skincare, you should prep hair styling with haircare. Using a heat protectant in the form of an oil, spray, or cream, for instance, on towel dried hair is an ideal place to start.
When you’re using a dryer, it is best to opt for a tool with various heat settings and adjust according to your hair type and needs. For fine hair, a medium heat setting will effectively tame strands with little to no damage. Dry without attachments first, then go in with a concentrator, diffuser, or another styling tool to tame frizz and smooth your strands.
Why Shop With Us
Tanisha Pina is a writer and editor based in New York City, who has covered fashion, beauty, and lifestyle content for over 15 years. Emily Belfiore is a Buying Guides writer for InStyle. She covers a variety of topics within the beauty and wellness world in pursuit of discovering the latest and greatest products for each category. For this story, they interviewed hairstylists Annagjid Kee Taylor and Andrew Fitzsimons and combed through InStyle testing Lab results to find the best blow dryers for fine hair.
Related: The 7 Best Hot Air Brushes For Every Hair Type, Tested & Reviewed
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