How To Buy A Hair Dryer

The Early Show

Buying The Right Hair Dryer

January 30, 2006 / 12:21 PM / CBS

If you've ever gone to the store in search of the perfect hair dryer, you may have found yourself overwhelmed by all the styles, shapes and sizes that line the shelves.

So The Early on Bear witness 's stylist to the stars, David Evangelista,

with some helpful hints on how to notice the best hair dryer to meet your needs.

Evangelista says the get-go step is to get familiar with the different types of hair dryers and so you can avoid buying something more than elaborate and expensive than you lot need.

A few general footing rules:

Dryers with wattages in a higher place 1800 watts tend to piece of work best (though there are exceptions, equally you'll come across beneath)

Look for a dryer with multiple rut/speed settings (4-half dozen is pretty standard these days), and for a cool shot push to lock hair in place after information technology's been heat styled

Make sure your dryer comes with a nozzle attachment, which will concentrate the air as you blow dry

If you have curly hair, make sure you find a dryer that comes with a diffuser, or make sure that you tin can go a diffuser that fits your dryer.

PRICES

There is a broad range of prices for new pilus dryers and, while choosing a dryer considering information technology is dirt cheap is never a expert option, you lot can cut your costs by choosing i that has only the options that you will really use.

Cheap hair dryers ($5 to $20) tin can be found in nearly whatever shop. But while they may non be inexpensive when you start buy them, they can cost you a great deal when information technology comes to pilus damage.

Since most inexpensive hair dryers only come equipped with i temperature setting, you tin can literally boom your tresses to death with the unchecked heat from 1 of these models. The cheap dryers are best for people who rarely employ them. They're likewise OK if your hair is extremely short or if you only apply a hair dryer briefly to set your gel.

The danger in the cheaper models is that they can scorch your hair or, considering they often don't have fan cages, your pilus tin can become pulled into the fan.

Moderately expensive hair dryers ($20 to $80) come equipped with nearly of the settings that you lot will demand for daily use. Nearly feature multiple temperature settings and a absurd blast button for drying brittle pilus or for setting curl. About people with "normal" hair tin can practise well with these dryers — and the skilful news is that they're becoming more sophisticated and developing some of the features more expensive models, like ionic and ceramic, already offer.

Professional person pilus dryers ($80 to $100-plus) can be purchased at a dazzler supply store, a salon or through a professional catalogue. While these hair dryers are geared toward repeated employ by professionals, they tin can exist beneficial at home if yous are willing to pay the price.

Many of these professional dryers are serenity and feature new drying technologies such as ionic and ceramic free energy to cut your hair drying time in half. They infuse moisture and only cause minimal harm to the pilus cuticle. They'll commonly last you lot a lot longer than the moderately expensive dryer. Their motors are far more powerful and well-built than the moderately expensive dryers, and with the technology they use, there's less chance of blowing out the dryer completely.

The more expensive models are besides better for women who straighten their pilus on a regular footing. They have far more horsepower than their commercial counterparts, and volition withstand prolonged high heat better than the less expensive models.

Once you cull your cost indicate, the next pace is to narrow down the dissimilar models. To practice then, look for some of the bells and whistles that could be highly benign to your type of pilus.

IONIC DRYERS

Ions are hot these days in the world of hair dryers. They are charged particles, each of which contains either a positive or negative charge.

Positive charges, from the common blow dryer, cause the cuticle covering of the hair shaft to open, causing the frizzies and a tiresome appearance.

Ionic hair dryers produce negatively charged ions, ostensibly causing the cuticle to remain flat, "trapping" wet, thus eliminating the frizzies and giving hair more body. Plus, they promise to dry out hair faster than regular dryers and leave it shinier and smoother. Ionic dryers are also supposed to banish the static electricity that results in a flyaway mess of hair.

These are good for everyone, especially if yous have normal pilus that doesn't demand a tremendous corporeality of styling aid.

Vidal Sassoon Ionic Sensor Bear upon 1875w ($30): Turns on when picked up, turns off when put down, and provides 8 heat/speed combinations plus a cool touch push

Solano Top Ability Ion 1875w ($149): Has two speeds, five temperature settings, emits more than than 2,100,000 ions per cubed centimeter each minute.

CERAMIC DRYERS

Stylists accept become fans of ceramic brushes during the past several years because they style hair speedily without damaging the outer layer of the hair cuticle. Dryer manufacturers are now incorporating ceramic into their dryers, which yields many positive results.

Conventional dryers accept a standard rope heater that heats the perimeter of the airflow. The addition of a ceramic heater provides even estrus distribution to help prevent hot spots and hair damage when styling.

The ceramic heater is self-regulating and turns itself downward as it senses the surrounding temperature. Considering ceramic dryers are self-regulating, many don't come with multiple temperature controls, usually just low and high. Ceramic dryers are also said to reduce bacteria formation, resulting in a healthier scalp. They also prepare pilus to resist the effects of conditions conditions, help create lustrous hair that feels freshly conditioned and produce a high-rut drying effect at a lower temperature than your conventional dryer.

Pure ceramic dryers are great for women who need a little more than power from their dryer than those with "normal" hair.

Chi Turbo Commuter ($200): Evangelista says this one can't be beat for people who straighten their wavy hair. It uses the highest course of ceramic coils, is the only dryer on the market with a low electromagnetic field — something to consider about an object that you're pointing at your head every day — and runs on only 1500 watts of power with all the drying benefits of a college-speed, college-powered dryer

Twinturbo Ceramic Ionic 3200 ($199): The combined result of ceramics and negative ions radiates heat inside the hair shaft without drying it out. This dryer has 4 temperature settings plus instant common cold air, two speed settings and an anti-overheating device.

Conair Ceramic Smooth ($thirty): Has a conventional heater and an boosted ceramic heater and, despite its small size, runs at 1875 watts. It's great for travel because information technology folds upwards and runs on dual voltage.

TOURMALINE DRYERS

Several dryers are using ground tourmaline in their heating mechanisms, which boosts the ionic power of the dryer and slashes drying time and static. Some companies, such equally T3, merits drying time is seventy percent faster with the tourmaline dryers.

Tourmaline-infused dryers, similar those from BaByliss and T-iii Tourmaline, will toll you a scrap more money than their plain-ionic counterparts, simply there are bargains to be found. Conair'due south Infiniti Tourmaline Ionic Styler is among the less expensive models and very accessible. And some really combine ceramic and tourmaline technologies for even faster drying time.

These are wonderful for women who put their dryers through the ringer. Steady, heavy-duty usage for straightening or bravado out hair is what these dryers were designed for.

T3 Tourmaline Hairdryer — 1800 watts ($200): Combines ionic super powers of Tourmaline, plus it uses infrared rut, which is said to help dry hair from the inside of the cuticle out, thus not frying the outer layer of the cuticle

BaByliss Pro 5000 — 1900 watts ($150): Has half-dozen speed/heat settings, plus a finishing cool-shot push button

Infiniti by Conair Tourmaline Ionic Styler — 1875 watts ($40): Too uses full-spectrum infrared heat, and combines tourmaline and ceramic technologies for speedier drying

As with all thermal styling tools, hair dryers cause harm to the hair shaft. Incorrect or repeated, high-temperature utilize of a hair dryer can leave your hair looking dull and frizzy.

Evangelista recommends using a medium-sized barrel brush and pulling the pilus taut from roots to ends. As you lot move the brush downward the pilus cuticle, follow it with the nozzle of the dryer with the nozzle pointing downwards. Pointing the nozzle up the cuticle will disrupt it and get in look frizzy.

For extra lift, with pilus wrapped around the castor, nail the underside of the roots before blowing out each section. Continue to dry all the way effectually your head in the same manner and merely be a little patient.