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Abergel noted that, for example, using a concentrator nozzle that precisely hits hard-to-reach areas is key to achieving salon-level results. "It concentrates the air and aids in directing the airflow exactly where you want it to go," Abergel previously explained. This concentrated airflow also helps the cuticle of the hair lay flat so that it will be shinier and less frizzy, according to Los Angeles-based hairstylist Kiki Heitkotter.
How we picked and tested
Take advantage of the cool shot feature of your hair dryer by separating your tresses into chunks and giving each a shot from top to bottom while you style. If you've already completely dried and styled your hair, you can still get that top layer looking smooth by giving it a cooling once-over before you run out the door. The Bio Ionic 10X Ultralight Speed Dryer is a tad lighter (0.92 pounds) than our top pick and has a slightly longer cord. However, the dryer doesn’t have separate wind-speed and temperature-control settings (if you want hot air, it must also be fast). We found the position of the speed and heat buttons on the back of the dryer’s head less than ideal, and the cool-shot button is in an awkward spot at the very top of the handle.
Best Blow-Dryer for Thick Hair – Features to Look For
Unlike on other dryers, the cool-shot button is wide, so holding it down for several seconds isn’t uncomfortable. Shannon Palus reviewed hair dryers for Wirecutter from 2015 to 2017. Sarah Han after using the Dyson hair dryer with smooth, frizz-free hair. Aim the concentrator nozzle at the roots while lifting the hair and you'll see the boost. Found a damp spot but don't want to blow out the surrounding area? Use the concentrator nozzle to focus your drying to that one area.
Upgrade pick: Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer
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Compared with the Rusk W8less, the Amika Accomplice Compact Dryer (currently unavailable) is heavier, limited to a lower max temperature (215 °F), and double the price. However, its 9.5-foot cord ties with that of the GHD Helios for the second-longest cord among the dryers we’ve tried. If you have curly hair and prefer using a diffuser to dry it, you have to buy one separately (though it’s best to buy a hair dryer that comes with one). Customize the Settings6 total heat and speed combinations give you more freedom to create different styles for every hair type. Angela Trakoshis after using the Shark hair dryer and attachments with smooth, blown-out hair.
Protect
Although this dryer is just as fast as pricier models, it’s the heaviest of our traditional hair dryer picks, and its attachments can be hard to remove. 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. We always enlist a range of testers for any review, but hair-care products and tools are another story.
If you can’t or don’t want to leave the house with wet hair, you need a hair dryer. 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). Conair covers the InfinitiPro with an impressive four-year warranty (PDF). Look for a DC motor dryer with a Cool Shot button, or an AC motor dryer with a Cold Shot button.
Coarse and thick hair looks great when cooled at the final stage of drying. The best time to cool it down is when the hair is 75% to 85% dry. This is the point where most of the styling gets done and you run the greatest risk of overdrying your hair. To move things along, try a higher speed at the beginning of the blow-dry to get the air flowing along your wet locks. You need heat and plenty of airflow to dry your abundant mane in time for…well, in time for life to proceed beyond the mirror.
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One tester, who usually requires two back-to-back appointments with a professional stylist at Drybar, now achieves similar drying and smoothing results with the RevAir in as little as 20 minutes. The RevAir has an exceptionally large footprint compared with most dryers. The entire corded machine weighs about 8 pounds and is the size of a toaster. The hose-attached handheld wand alone weighs more than our heavier dryer picks (around 2 pounds), but we found that this is not terribly problematic because very little motion is required to use it. If you don’t care about weight, consider the InfinitiPro by Conair 1875-Watt Salon Performance AC Motor Styling Tool. Commonly found in drugstores, this dryer produces airflow that’s faster (65 mph) than that of our top pick and almost as hot (205 °F).
Thermal styling and hair products can also affect the condition and look of your hair. Customer reviews of the 1,900-watt Parlux 3200 Hair Dryer were pretty good at the time of our research, and the compact design of this model is nice. But the buttons are positioned on the side, and they made the dryer hard for us to hold without getting poked in the hand. The Supersonic has a two-year warranty and comes in five color combinations. Dyson in 2023 introduced a pared-down package, the Supersonic Origin, which includes only the dryer and a concentrator attachment. At 1.3 pounds, it’s noticeably heavier to hold than the W8less, especially after several minutes of drying.
Thick, normal and thin hair include a mid-layer called the cortex. All hair types have an outer layer – the cuticle – which gets the most attention from styling products. At an impressive 11 feet long, the currently unavailable CHI Touch 2 Dryer’s cord is the longest of any dryer we’ve tested, but this dryer is more expensive and much slower than the Rusk W8less. It also has a mere one year of warranty coverage, and its nonintuitive touchscreen felt gimmicky.
Despite what magazine lists and advertisements would have you believe, most hair dryers are one-size-fits-all. No dryer will make your hair exceptionally more voluminous and glossy than another. What your hair looks like comes down to technique, products, and, in large part, its natural characteristics. After putting in over 20 hours of research and spending over 70 hours testing 42 hair dryers, we’ve found that some are far more pleasant to hold and use than others. Because it provides an excellent experience for the price, we think the Rusk W8less Professional 2000 Watt Dryer is the best choice. Unless you have all day, a head of thick hair needs a medium heat setting with an occasional short blast of high heat.
It’s heavy, but you don’t have to hold it high like a conventional dryer. It has a 5.5-foot hose that attaches to a 9-inch heat-producing wand. At 2 pounds, the wand alone is heavier than any of our dryer picks.
One tester found that the heavier cord tired out her arms when she was drying the top of her head, though resting the power bar (which most dryers do not have) on the counter helped. The sound the Supersonic emits is a high-pitched whine, with none of the low rattle that other dryers put out. Whether this sound is more pleasant, as the company claims, is a matter of personal opinion, though. As with any dryer, the sound of whooshing air is physically impossible to eliminate.
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At 1.3 pounds, however, it may feel heavy after you spend a couple of minutes holding it above your head. The 6-foot cord, though shorter than those on our other picks, is longer than those on most other inexpensive hair dryers. The buttons are easy to use, but the cool-shot button is a little small and harder to hold down than the cool-shot button on our top pick. The InfinitiPro comes with both a diffuser and a concentrator.
It’s no more effective than our other picks, but if you want the most pleasant hair-drying experience possible, the Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer provides that. This dryer has an unusual design that makes it extraordinarily nice to use. 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?