10 Expert-Approved Hair Dryers to Really Style Your Mane

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USING A HAIR dryer is the key to getting a professional-level style at home. Think about it: your barber or hairstylist most likely uses one on you after they finishing cutting to help style your hair. If hair cut days are some of your best hair days overall, a hair dryer is likely part of the equation.

A hair dryer does so much more than just speed up drying time. It allows you to shape and manipulate each strand of hair to help lock in your desired style—and use less product in the process. That’s why if you’re not using a hair dryer, you could be missing out on your best possible hair.

Best Hair Dryers

“It’s important for men to use hair dryers to create a more finished or polished look,” says celebrity groomer Melissa De Zarate. Messy looks are one thing, but if you’re going for a clean sleek style or “curls that hold their shape,” it’s hard to achieve without the use of a dryer.

The secret, according to De Zarate, is in the attachments. The concentrator can help focus the dryer’s warm air to help slick hair back, create volume with the aid of brushes and help de-frizz for a sleek look. And if you have curly hair, you can (and should) still use a dryer with the aid of the diffuser attachment. There’s no better way to get defined curls that keep their shape, she says.

There are so many different hair dryers available at every single price point, which makes it tricky to find the best hair dryer for your hair type and style needs. Luckily, we’ve done the leg work for you. This list of the best hair dryers for men is the perfect place to start your drying and styling journey.

What To Consider

Buying a hair dryer can be a little like buying any other appliance—confusing if you don’t know what you’re looking for. Hair dryers come in a variety of shapes and sizes, each with its unique features and benefits. However, there are a few basic things to consider when shopping for a new tool:

Power

The power of a hair dryer is expressed in watts. Generally, a higher wattage indicates faster drying time, because that means the dryer is circulating more airflow. Those with thick or long hair will want to consider a hair dryer with higher wattage, as these models will dry their hair faster than low wattage dryers.

Weight

Most hair dryers are between 1-2 pounds, which doesn't sound like much, but if you have a lot of hair to dry, holding a blow dryer above your head for an extended period of time can feel like an arm workout. Lighter hair dryers are easier to maneuver, but they also tend to be less powerful, though that's not always the case. If you travel frequently, a lighter model is more convenient to carry in your luggage. Make sure the hair dryer you choose feels comfortable to hold and use for extended periods of time.

Attachments

If you have a complicated style that you’ll use the dryer for every day, consider investing in a model with more attachments and heat settings so you can make sure you get the most out of your dryer. If you have curly hair, make sure to get one with a diffuser attachment and a low-heat setting so you don’t fry your curls. And if you have a short, uncomplicated ‘do and just want to use the dryer to get out of the bathroom quicker, you may just need something simple.

Heat and Speed Settings

The best hair dryers have variable heat and speed settings because different hair types and textures require different settings. High heat can reduce drying time, but a hair dryer that gets too hot can also cause heat damage to those with thin hair, which can lead to issues like hair loss. Those with thicker hair types can benefit from high heat and speed settings to dry and style their hair quickly. Having the option to change heat and speed settings enables you to tailor the drying process to your preferences. You can use lower heat and speed settings for gentle air drying or higher settings for faster styling results when you're in a rush.

How We Selected

For the past three years, we consulted with Men's Health's Grooming editors and writers on the best-performing hair dryers for men. Experts, including our Grooming Editor Garrett Munce, put a number of men's hair dryers to the test and evaluated their effectiveness, durability, price point, and ease of use. We also considered top-reviewed men's hair dryers that had over 100 five-star ratings on e-commerce websites we trust.

Supersonic™ hair dryer

If you’re really going to go for it, this Dyson is the best hair dryer available. Think of it as the Lamborghini of dryers. It’s an investment, for sure, but with the investment comes lightning-fast drying time, a super quiet motor, Intelligent Heat Control that measures air heat and automatically adjusts it, a lightweight that won’t make your arm hurt, and all the attachments you could want (including the best diffuser attachment out there). There’s a reason it’s the favorite of hair pros. “It just outperforms everything else on the market,” says De Zarate.

We've been using this hair dryer for years, and we can confidently say it's more than paid for itself. Its small size and powerful motor make styling your hair easy and fast. If you have thick hair, this dryer will save you a lot of time getting ready in the morning. We've tried tons of other hair dryers on the market, but nothing beats the Dyson.

Read more: Best Hair Products for Men

One-Step Volumizer Enhanced 1.0 Hair Dryer and Hot Air Brush

This 2-in-1 hair brush and dryer makes it incredibly easy to dry and style your hair at the same time. Unlike other hair dryers, this volumizer can be placed closer to the scalp for a lift at the roots and full-bodied volume throughout the ends. We found that this hair dryer gave our hair a serious boost of volume at the root, and we liked that it was much easier to use than trying to maneuver a brush and blow dryer. Even if you've never used a blow dyer before in your life, you can use this tool and get great results. If you have short hair and want to add volume, we highly recommend this one.

Fit Hair Dryer

If space is an issue, this tiny dryer might be 30% smaller than your traditional dryer, but that small package doesn’t sacrifice power. Infused with IonAir technology to keep your hair smooth and shiny even at high temperatures, this dryer can do everything versions twice its size can do. It’s suitable for all hair textures, though if you have curly hair, be warned it doesn’t come with a diffuser attachment. While it's not the most powerful blow dryer we've tried, we found that it still dries your hair quickly. We liked this hair dryer because the cold shot is a button, so you don’t have to hold it down for cold air. Just push the button to turn it on and push it again to go back to regular heat.

Read more: Best Tech Gadgets for Men

Pro Signature Ionic 2200 Turbo Ceramic Hair Dryer

As far as budget dryers go, this one is at the top of the heap. Ionic technology helps keep your hair smooth and the six heat and temperature combinations assure you’ll be able to customize the settings to exactly what your hair needs. And as far as other comparable dryers go, this one delivers faster drying speeds. We especially like the long prongs on the diffuser attachments, which help add volume and lift to our curly hair as we dry it. It sounds a little bit like a jet taking off when it's operating at full power, which we didn't mind because that just means it's working.

Pro Dryer 2000

Unless you’re already invested in the hair styling world, you may not have heard of the Harry Josh dryer. But if you are, then you know it’s basically an icon and the go-to for many professionals and hardcore home dryers. It’s popular because it’s incredibly lightweight yet still powerful, with twelve possible heat, temperature and ion settings for a lightning-fast dry no matter what hair type you have. We didn't believe that this little blow dryer could compete with the Dysons and Hot Tools of the world, but it blew us away in terms of power and drying speed. It worked even on our long, thick hair, cutting down our standard drying time and making styling a breeze.

Compact Travel Dryer

Good things come in small packages, and this compact travel-sized dryer is no exception. It has all the features we could want in a dryer, like multiple heat and speed settings, a cold shot button to lock in your style, and ionic technology to help reduce frizz. We love that the wattage is high, which means it’s powerful for such a small dryer, and you can’t beat the low price given all the features and attachments (including a diffuser). It can be hard to find a good travel blow dryer with a diffuser, and this was perfect! We took this on a recent trip when we didn't want to pack our bulky Dyson and were impressed by how quickly it dried and styled our hair.

Helios Performance Hair Dryer

The last thing you want when you’re drying your hair is to be stuck in the bathroom for hours trying to power through. This compact yet powerful dryer blows air at 75mph for an ultra-fast dry with ionic technology to cut down on frizz and increase shine. It also has all the features you’d expect from a professional-level hair dryer at this price point, like multiple speed and temperature settings and a cold shot feature, plus a concentrator attachment. We loved using this dryer on our coarse, thick hair, which smoothed out quickly. Unlike other high-powered dryers that can dry out our curls, this one struck the perfect balance, delivering just the right amount of heat and airflow to dry our hair while keeping it hydrated and frizz-free.

Goldpro Dryer

The best thing about this small dryer is that it’s so tiny and lightweight you can take it anywhere—it even folds up and fits into a tiny bag. Use it at home to dry your hair quickly with the aid of two speed settings, but keep it in your suitcase or even your gym bag for when you need a quick style on the go. This hair dryer has earned a permanent spot in our carry-on suitcase, thanks to its compact size and powerful performance. It fits snugly into even the smallest corners of our luggage, and despite its miniature size, it always get the job done in record time.

Ceramix Xtreme Hair Dryer

You’ll find plenty of features wrapped up in the well-priced hair dryer—things like ceramic technology to keep your hair from frying, multiple speed and heat settings, and an elongated nozzle for added air pressure. The best feature, though, is that it is fast—as fast as models twice the cost or more. We loved that we were able to dry and style our hair in less than five minutes without absolutely frying our strands. We also felt a noticeable difference in the look and feel of our hair, which has to be from the ceramic technology in this tool. It left our hair shiny and smooth with reduced static and frizz. It’s not the fanciest dryer out there, but it’s a solid option no matter how often you dry your hair.

Turbo Hair Dryer

This dryer is a go-to for home dryers for one simple reason: you can’t beat the price. For such a low price, you’d expect minimal features, but this dryer has the multiple heat and speed settings, ceramic coating, ionic technology, and diffuser attachment of luxury models ten times the price. We were pleasantly surprised by how powerful this dryer was, and even more surprised the quiet motor, which made it more enjoyable to use. We liked the rubberized handle, which provided a comfortable non-slip grip throughout the entire styling process. If you’re a beginner or just don’t want to shell out a higher price, this is your best bet.

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