Since the first hair dryer was born introduced for home use in the 1920s, all looked almost identical until Dyson launched the Supersonic dryer in 2016, matching the design of the bladeless fans. Now, some companies are adapting their drying technology to the lightest, thinnest package possible, which looks more like a heat gun than a hair dryer (technically, I guess this is a heat gun) .
I used three. They weigh less than a pound, are relatively quiet, and self-clean—you remove the filter cap from the back and activate the cleaning mode; The dryer shoots air in reverse to push dust and debris out. While each stands out on its own, I wish I could combine all three into one perfect dryer.
Chi Lava Pro for $337: This one is a bit lighter than the other two. It has an LED display that indicates the exact temperature, which is a nice but rare feature, and has four heat settings from cool to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. The big flaw, however, is that too much air is passing through the amplifier. scatter, blowing hair around more than should happen with that attachment.
Gama IQ2 Perfetto for $430: The Gama dryer is sleek and includes a safety feature that automatically shuts off if it overheats (which thankfully didn’t during our testing). There’s a setting lock so you can blow-dry your hair without accidentally changing the speed or temperature. In addition, it comes with a silicone mat that automatically puts the dryer on standby when you put it down and turns it back on when you pick it up. This is really helpful if you are cutting your hair to blow dry and often have to put down the blow dryer. But it’s expensive and the magnetic filter cap keeps falling off.
Bio Ionic Smart-X High Efficiency Dryer for $329: This Bio Ionic also has a setting key which I believe should now be on every styling tool. I like the look of this one best, however, it doesn’t come with a diffuser, which I think should be standard at this price point.
