The 14 Best Hair Dryers for Fine Hair, According to Stylists
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Raise your hand if you’ve ever watched a hair tutorial featuring a thick-haired goddess like Kim Kardashian or Negin Mirsalehi. OK, now raise your hand if you copied that tutorial step by step, yet ended up looking...well, nothing like either one of them. We see you, fine-haired ladies. While it's a sad reality that you can’t magically make your fine hair thicker, there are products out there that can help to make it work more in your favor—starting with the best hair dryers for fine hair.
Stylist and colorist Prisilla Rodriguez of Levato Salon in Hinsdale, Illinois, explains, “People with fine hair should invest in good tools to preserve what [they] have. That ten-year-old Conair dryer might still be getting the job done, but you have to work harder at getting your hair to look good with it because it’s not as strong as a newer or stronger dryer.”
We’ve broken down everything you need to know about the best hair dryers for fine hair below, from the salon-favorite Dyson Supersonic ($429) to the budget-friendly Hot Tools Turbo ($60) and the smoothing Morrocanoil Smart Styling dryer ($190).
The Best Hair Dryers for Fine Hair at a Glance
Meet the Experts
How We Chose the Best Hair Dryers for Fine Hair
The best hair dryer for fine hair is one that makes the drying process quick without using excessive heat. According to UNITE ambassador and celebrity hairstylist, Graham Nation, it's also important to use one that uses consistent heat throughout. He tells PureWow, "When doing a voluminous blow dry, you want equal heat and velocity to make sure you are evenly drying the hair all over."
To achieve this, Rodriguez suggests picking up a dryer with a wattage of 1500 or higher to speed up the process. She also prefers ceramic models, or dryers that put an emphasis on negative ion production (which means they're designed with technology that reportedly breaks up water molecules to make your tresses dry even faster). Lastly, she suggests making sure your hair dryer has multiple heat settings, as those with single settings can often get too hot and singe the hair. And, as always, a good heat protectant is a must, even when using a high-end dryer.
To cull this list of best hair dryers for fine hair, we spoke with several professional stylists about their picks and why they stand by their tools.
What is Hair Density and Why Does It Matter?
1. GHD Air Professional Hair Dryer
“I’ve used many blow dryers throughout my career and this is the one that withstands everything,” Bataille says. “The weight is evenly distributed nicely through the body and the air flow is strong enough for long hair and perfect for even a pixie.” The blow dryer is the recipient of over 400 awards, including Allure’s Best of Beauty. It features fast-drying and ionic technology, a cold shot button and it comes with a concentrator attachment.
2. Hot Tools Professional Turbo Hair Dryer
For those who aren’t looking to spend a small fortune, the Hot Tools Professional Turbo Hair Dryer does the job well. “Hot Tools make relatively budget-friendly products that are good quality,” Chong says. “Temperatures can be adjusted and the ionic/ceramic technology helps to dry hair fast with minimal damage.” This hair dryer has six heat and speed settings, comes with three attachments and has a removeable lint filter. It’s also easy to travel with, weighing in at less than a pound.
3. Dyson Super Sonic Hair Dryer
The Dyson Super Sonic is a top pick for both Chong and Berkovitz for its speed and ability to increase smoothness and shine, while decreasing frizz. Bonus points: it’s incredibly lightweight and quiet.
“The engineers at Dyson seem to best understand the science of hair and address noise, heat delivery and minimizing damage,” Berkovitz notes. “It includes customized temperature settings and highly controlled airflow speeds in addition to the cold shots, all powered through a strong motor that keeps heat flowing.”
4. BaBylissPRO Ceramix Xtreme Hair Dryer
“BaBybliss has good quality products overall,” Chong shares. “Heat setting controls help adjust the temperature to suit finer hair and the ceramic technology allows it to dry gently using less heat.” The BaBylissPRO uses infrared heat, which is gentler on hair, and comes with a concentrator nozzle. Though not extremely weighty, it comes in at 2.2 pounds, which caused some reviewers to remark that it felt heavy. That can be overlooked, though, for the benefits of four heat settings, six speeds and the professional motor.
5. T3 AireLuxe Professional Hair Dryer
If you’ve ever even window shopped for a Dyson hair tool, you know the prices can be eye-popping. Enter: the T3 AireLuxe. “This dryer is fast and gentle since it’s ionic,” Chong says. “It has a sleek design, yet it’s still powerful. And it’s a pretty good alternative to a pricier Dyson.” Indeed, the hair dryer retails for about $200 less than the Dyson Supersonic and $400 less than the Airwrap. The T3 uses ion technology, which helps prevent hair from frizzing, while also boosting shine. Plus, the wider airflow helps reduce drying time. It’s built with a smart microchip that controls the heat and comes with two attachments, plus a paddle and round brush.
6. Paul Mitchell Express Ion Dry+ Hair Dryer
Chong calls the Paul Mitchell Express Ion Dry+ a more budget friendly option that will still do a solid job. The hair dryer uses infrared technology that’s gentle on your hair, and the negative ions seal the hair cuticle, mitigating frizz and increasing shine. The hair dryer’s gentle airflow also promises to reduce flyaways.
7. Dyson Airwrap
"This is a great alternative to getting curls or waves without using hot irons,” Chong says of the beloved Dyson Airwrap. “Irons can be too hot for some types of fine hair to handle. The Airwrap is an easy way to create movement/body and smooth the hair without overworking the strands.” The Airwrap comes with five attachments, plus the brand’s signature intelligent heat control and Coanda airflow technology.
8. Revlon Volumizing Turbo Styler
If you’re not ready to fork over $600 for a Dyson, Chong recommends the Revlon Volumizing Turbo Styler as a reputable alternative. “[It’s an] inexpensive option with ceramic and ionic technology. And it’s super easy to use with the brush attachment,” she says. She notes that though the brush has ceramic and ionic technology, you should still use heat protectant.
9. Drybar Buttercup Hair Dryer
“It’s easy to pack and travel with and it can take a good beating,” Bataille says of the Drybar Buttercup. While great for those with short to mid-length hair, he shares that those with longer locks might find themselves spending a little more time on styling. The hairdryer features ionic technology that will seal the hair cuticle and prevent frizz. It comes with two concentrators—wide to speed the drying process and narrow for precision styling.
10. Instyler 7X Smart Hair Dryer
According to Bataille, the design of the Instyler 7X can pack a great punch when it comes to drying your fine strands. When purchasing, he notes that he would make sure the size of the handle and weight of the head provide good grip and balance. The Instyler 7X claims to pack in seven times the ions compared to other hairdryers and has features such as automatic heat adjustment, custom airflow settings and an auto-pause mode.
11. Drybar Reserve Hair Dryer
Fact: It’s always nice to have your own hair dryer instead of betting on the wildcard option at the hotel. Berkovitz says the Drybar Reserve hair dryer is an ideal pick for travel because at just a pound, it still comes with the essential attachments and has good power, plus ionic technology and an ergonomic design.
12. T3 Micro Fit Hair Dryer
The T3 Micro Fit offers a nice balance between size and performance, being 30 percent smaller and 20 percent lighter than a regular hair dryer. Though smaller in stature, it still packs the punch with its full range of features: the T3 IonAir technology, attachments, quiet motor and multiple heat settings. Bataille says this is a good option for those with short-to-medium length hair.
13. Bio Ionic 10X Hair Dryer
The Bio Ionic 10X packages lightweight design and power into a sleek hair dryer that’s able to tackle even thick, coarse hair with speed. “It has a volcanic rock component that helps seal moisture in the cuticle quickly and efficiently for a polished finish,” Berkovitz explains. This dryer is so serious about ions that the word is actually in its name. Its secret lies in its ionic moisturizing heat technology, which aims to fight frizz. On top of that, it has an 1800-watt brushless motor and actually uses what Bio Ionic claims is 75 percent less energy than other dryers on the market.
14. Moroccanoil Smart Styling Hair Dryer
Bataille calls this hair dryer “gentle and effective.” If you’ve used Morrocanoil products before, you know this company is all about hydration. The brand's dryer keeps with that M.O., using infrared light to reduce heat exposure (and therefore suck out less moisture). Plus, it has a ceramic honeycomb heating unit that can cut down your drying time by a reported 50 percent. It features two speeds and three heat settings to customize your blowout, too.
Is a Ceramic or Titanium Hair Dryer Better for Fine Hair?
According to Chong, those with fine hair are better off using ceramic hair dryers, hands down. “It distributes heat more evenly and uses less heat to dry the hair, thus creating less damage,” she explains. Heat damage can cause hair to lose its elasticity over time, so always use heat protectant.
Are Ionic Dryers Bad for Fine Hair?
On the contrary, they can actually be quite beneficial. Chong explains that ionic hair dryers are designed to break up water molecules more quickly, which allows you to dry your hair at a lower temperature. Berkovitz adds that your hair will also be less frizzy. The combo of shorter drying time and less heat is better for fine hair, as over-drying can lead to flat, lifeless locks.
How Often Should You Blow Dry Fine Hair?
As long as you use a heat protectant, Chong says that you can safely dry your hair up to three times a week. Though, if you want to blow dry your hair more often than that, you should definitely incorporate some hair masks and aftercare products into your routine to avoid causing damage, which will lead to brittle, dull and dry strands.
Berkovitz notes that when it comes to blow drying, how you do it matters more than how often. “The biggest mistake I’ve noticed is that people leave the tool in one place for too long. Your goal is to polish the cuticle (the hair’s outer most protective layer), so you need to keep the heat moving—if not, you can over dry, fry, burn and split the hair, even if you aren’t blow drying it often,” he says. For best results, he recommends using medium to high heat and rough drying until your hair is about 80 percent dry. Start at the roots and work your way to the ends, then finish with a boar bristle brush, which will help you shape your hair.
What to Consider in a Hair Dryer for Fine Hair
“Even with top dryers that have great technology, being gentler on the hair and [using] a thermal protectant is a must,” Chong says. “A barrier between the hair and the heat prevents it from being damaged.” With that, here are some things to consider when shopping for a hair dryer for fine hair.
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