Our Favorite Hair Dryers and Diffusers
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Hair is a fun and annoying thing. You can cut it, dye it, straighten it, curl it, or let it sit in a knot for days on end. When you want to get a polished look or just need to dry your hair quickly, you may consider a blow-dryer.
Even if you don't use it every day, it's good to have one on hand for certain situations—like when you're rushing to work straight out of the shower, your finicky curls need to be tamed, or you crave smooth, glossy locks. Whatever the reason, there's an infinite number of hair dryers out there in every price range, and from a dizzying array of brands. If you have easy-to-manage hair that just needs to dry faster, you can probably go with any cheap dryer you find at your local CVS. But some of us have more temperamental hair that needs specific care. We've tried standard blow-dryers, blow-dry brushes, diffusers, and multi-use tools to find the best. These are our favorites.
Be sure to read our other hair and beauty guides, including the Best Hair Straighteners and Best Curling Irons.
Updated January 2024: We've added the Bellissima Italia Diffon Supreme Ionic XL dryer for curly hair. We've also reorganized some of our picks and updated prices and links throughout.
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