Choosing a Blow Dryer

A blow dryer is judged on three things: how much air it moves, how hot that air is, and what you can attach to the end of it. Everything else on the box is secondary. Getting those three right is the difference between a dryer that stretches and smooths hair and one that roughs it up while taking twice as long.

Wattage and airflow

Wattage is a rough proxy for power, and 1800 watts and up is the range worth buying in for thick or textured hair. A weak dryer does not simply take longer; it takes longer at heat, which is more total heat exposure for the hair, not less. What actually matters is airflow, since moving air removes water, and heat alone just bakes it. A dryer with strong airflow on a medium heat setting is the ideal combination.

Ionic and ceramic

An ionic dryer emits charged particles that help break up water droplets, which shortens drying time and reduces frizz on most hair. It is a genuine benefit on thick and coarse hair. On fine hair it can leave the hair flat, so it is not universally better. Ceramic and tourmaline coatings refer to how evenly the element heats, and even heat is worth having, since hot spots are what cause damage.

Attachments

The concentrator nozzle is the one that matters most and the one most often thrown in a drawer. It focuses the air in a narrow stream so you can direct it down the hair shaft, which smooths the cuticle. Drying without it blows air in all directions and lifts the cuticle, which is frizz. A comb attachment or pik is used for stretching textured hair, and a diffuser is for keeping curl definition, which is a different job altogether.

Technique

Always aim the air down the hair from root to end, never up. Work in sections, and dry the hair to about eighty percent before doing anything precise with it. The tension method, pulling a section taut with a brush or your fingers while directing air down it, is what stretches textured hair smooth without a flat iron. Keep the nozzle a few inches from the hair and keep it moving.