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Wondering where all of the settings are? In addition to the dryer’s single button, you can use a handy app on your phone to switch between them.
About the tester: Jesa has long, medium-coarse, wavy hair.
“I hate blow-drying my hair; with the average blow-dryer, it takes so long and still leaves it poofy. Using the AirLight was an unbelievable experience, and while I still never want to style my hair, it does make the process extremely quick. The AirLight dried my slightly damp hair in four minutes and four seconds (yes, I counted), smoothing my strands and leaving them shiny. I appreciate how powerful and gentle it was at the same time—swiftly zapping moisture but never burning me.” —Jesa Marie Calaor, senior beauty editor
- Heat settings: 3
- Wattage: 1875W
- Included attachments: 2 (a diffuser and a concentrator)
- Weight: 1.7 lbs
- Cord length: 11.5 ft
- Who it’s for: people who don’t have a lot of time to spend on styling
Best for Textured Hair: RevAir Reverse Air Dryer
Why it’s worth it: If you think the RevAir looks kind of like a small vacuum, you’re not that far off. It uses “reverse air” technology to suction moisture out of hair, instead of pushing hot air at your delicate curls. This way, you can stretch and smooth your texture without needing to use any other tools. Three heat and seven tension settings make it easy to find the right combo for coils, braids, locs, twist outs—even extensions and wigs.
During our testing, we found that the wand was a little awkward to hold, and because the machine is bulky, it’s tough to travel with it. However, it’s unmatched in its ability to gently dry and smooth Type 4 curls. There are no shortage of parts, either: It comes with a heat wand, reverse-air base unit, 5.5-foot hose, detachable wand rest, and mesh filter basket. It understandably weighs in at a bit more than other dryers on our list—8 pounds—but we didn’t feel this was a dealbreaker during testing.
About the tester: Jessica has coily, 4B hair that’s fine but dense.
“My hairstylist told me that blowdrying my hair before doing a twist out can be a huge help with maintaining moisture. But even with a comb attachment, I have trouble wielding a hot tool on my 4B coils. Revair is like a vacuum that uses suction to stretch the hair as it dries. I use the lowest setting and I’m all done in little under an hour. It’s huge—not portable by any means—so I sit in front of my TV on the floor and watch K dramas.” —Jessica Cruel, editor in chief
About the tester: Jailynn has loc’d hair and uses minimal heat, but loves the RevAir for setting styles like braid-outs.
“What I love most about the RevAir is how quickly it dries and stretches my hair without relying on extreme heat or adding a lot of tension. With traditional dryers, it used to take me hours to fully dry my locs since they’re dense and hold water deep inside—but the RevAir works from the inside out, pulling out moisture so efficiently. It’s been a great addition in my routine, especially when I use it to set braid-outs or stretch my hair for a sleeker look. I’ve had it for over four years now, and I can honestly say it’s helped minimize breakage—I haven’t lost a single loc. It’s also versatile enough that my best friend, who has a completely different texture than mine, uses it too. My only gripe is that the wand is heavy and can be a bit awkward to hold for long periods, but overall, it absolutely delivers on everything it promises.” —Jailynn Taylor, contributing writer
- Heat settings: 3
- Wattage: 800W
- Included attachments: 1 (heat producing wand)
- Weight: 8 lbs
- Cord length: 5.5 ft.
- Who it’s for: people with textured hair who want a blow dryer that’ll work for any protective style
Best for Thick Hair: GHD Helios Professional Hair-Dryer
GHD
Helios Professional Hair Dryer
Why it’s worth it: Another Best of Beauty Award winner, GHD’s Helios Professional Hair Dryer stands out with its beautiful design. But that’s not all: This 2020 Best of Beauty Award winner is incredibly powerful, reaching airflow speeds of 75 miles per hour, and comes with a slim nozzle that allows precise drying and control. It also has an extra-long 9.5-foot cord and promises to give your hair 30% more shine than if you air-dry it. You only get one styling nozzle included in your purchase, but you can buy additional attachments—like a wide nozzle designed for long, thick hair—from GHD’s website.
Tester feedback from contributing editor Deanna Pai
About the tester: Deanna has dense, fine, curly 2C/3A hair and is mostly a wash-and-go person due to time constraints.
“This tool really surprised me—in the best way. It’s super lightweight, which made it easy to handle, and even though I have short hair, it’s very dense and usually takes forever to air dry. With the Helios and its smoothing attachment, I was able to fully dry my hair in just 10 minutes, and it left my strands noticeably shinier and smoother than other dryers I’ve tried. I didn’t have to use any frizz-control product, and yet I still had zero frizz and no flyaways, which is rare for me. It doesn’t come with a diffuser, which I wish it did since I wear my hair curly most days, but for sleek styles or a quick dry, it absolutely delivered. It’s not flashy or overdesigned—it just does its job really well, and that’s what makes me want to keep using it.” —Deanna Pai, contributing editor
Tester feedback from managing editor Alessandra Foresto
About the tester: Ale has straight-to-wavy, 2A hair that’s prone to frizz when air-dried.
“This hair dryer is powerful. At its highest setting it dried my hair in seconds (I tried it both sectioning my hair and rough drying). It was so powerful actually that it blew off a few things off my vanity by accident.
It was also pretty light even though it’s bigger than my usual hair dryer, but it’s so quick your arms won’t get tired anyway even if you have long and thick hair like me. But because it’s pretty big it doesn’t fit in my usual tool basket under my bathroom sink (NYC apartments, amirite?).
The look of it was also very sleek! My husband said it looked like a tool from a space movie when he saw it with the concentrator nozzle on, which is more contoured than other nozzles I’ve used before and does give you more control. The cooling feature was also more powerful than my usual hair dryer (an old Harry Josh). And the button for it somehow easier to press and access—it’s a pet peeve when the button is an awkward place or so stiff your finger is turning white from pushing it. I guess I was majorly overdue for upgrade!” —Alessandra Foresto, managing editor
- Heat settings: 3
- Wattage: 1875W
- Included attachments: 1 (air concentrator)
- Weight: 1.72 lbs
- Cord length: 9.5 ft
- Who it’s for: anyone who wants a quiet hair dryer that doesn’t sacrifice air power
Best Drugstore: InfinitiPro by Conair SmoothWrap Hair Dryer
InfinitiPro by Conair
SmoothWrap Hair Dryer
Why it’s worth it: Designed with dual ion therapy, the InfinitiPro by Conair SmoothWrap Hair Dryer emits both positive and negative ions. Positive ions help reduce frizz, while negative ions build volume, so you get the best of both worlds. Inside, ceramic coils cut down on heat damage.
