Hairdryers: How to buy
Choose the right dryer for your hair type
Straight hair
Some stylists say that drying your hair up the shaft towards the root encourages frizz
Look for a hairdryer that is light enough to hold comfortably above your crown for a long time, so you can create the perfect straight style by blowing your hair dry, along its length, from the roots to the end.
An ionic function is good for leaving straight hair soft, shiny and smooth.
Curly hair
Curly hair often looks its most defined if left to dry naturally. To avoid losing vital definition when using a hairdryer, choose one that can dry hair slowly and carefully.
Search our ratings for a dryer that scores highly on the low heat setting and gets a one- or two-star rating for drying speed.
If you prefer to let hair dry naturally then give it a quick blast to add volume, look for a dryer with a good high-speed heat and that dries quickly on high settings.
Using a diffuser is a good - but slow - way of getting defined and voluminous curls.
Frizzy hair
Choose a hairdryer with a very narrow concentrator nozzle, to dry in sections without blowing your hair around too much.
An ionic function is good for leaving straight hair soft, shiny and smooth.
Avoid overdrying your hair, and choose a hairdryer that gives you the option to dry it slowly and carefully.
An ionic function is good for leaving hair shiny and smooth.
Fine hair
Choose a dryer with a narrow concentrator nozzle to add lift at the roots and give hair the appearance of volume.
Where to buy
Bag a bargain
Give your hair a new look with a versatile dryer
You might be able to find our Best Buys a few pounds cheaper by shopping around. We found up to £6 difference by comparing online prices at Argos and Amazon.
Buying online
It's worth doing separate online searches for both the name and the model number of the hairdryer you’re after, because the different searches will uncover different stockists.
If you prefer to buy from Argos, search by the brand name because its listings don't use the manufacturer’s code, or, in some cases, the name that’s printed on the box.