You won’t always have the luxury of being able to style your hair at home. Sometimes, work and family obligations may force you to travel, and so your normal beauty has to be interrupted for a while.
Putting on makeup is still very manageable away from the comforts of home. Things do become difficult though when you’re trying to style your hair in a certain way. This becomes an even bigger hassle if you have temperamental curly hair.
It’s hard enough to style those luscious locks at home, but without all your beauty items present, it can prove impossible to pull off. To give yourself a better chance of getting your hair on point even when you’re styling away from home, you will need a reliable travel hair dryer. Preferably, it should also come with a diffuser if you do have curly hair.
In this article, we will take a closer look at some of the best travel hair dryers with diffusers that are currently available. Hopefully, you’ll be able to find a particular item in this article that will suit your needs perfectly.
Top 5: Travel Hair Dryers with Diffusers Review
Product Image & Rating (Out Of 10) | Product Name | Price |
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9.2 | ||
9.8 | ||
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9.9 |
Versatility is something you want to see in any hair dryer you’re picking up. How you want to style your hair can differ depending on your mood. Your styling tool should be able to keep up with your changing preferences.
The reason why I found myself drawn to the 1800W Professional Hair Dryer with Diffuser from PINYE is precisely because of its versatile quality.
If you just want your hair to be as straight as it can possibly be, you can attach the smoothing nozzle. For hair with some interesting twists and curls, you can make use of the included styling nozzle. Of course, if you want your curls to look bouncy and beautiful, the diffuser is there for you to use.
It’s really difficult to fully appreciate how helpful it is to have those varied nozzles until you need to use them, but I can promise you that you will be thankful to have them on hand.
This product also excels at providing a consistent level of heat. You don’t have to worry about finding a wet spot 30 minutes after you’ve already finished working on your hair.
The manufacturers have also included three different heat settings so that you are more in control of how this item performs.
Compared to some of the other options we’ll feature in this article, this item is a bit heavier, but it’s still fine to take on the road. The bigger issue for me is the high price tag. You’re certainly getting a high quality hair dryer, but whether it’s worth the higher price tag is up for debate.
Pros
Cons
When you’re in a hurry, your hair is often what you end up sacrificing in order to get your foot out the door faster. Is your hair still noticeably wet and even dripping on your shoulders? That doesn’t matter because you can’t be late for the meeting and you can’t wait around for your hair dryer.
The beauty of Ovonni’s 1875W Professional Ceramic Ionic Hair Dryer is that it gets the job done quickly and efficiently. It manages to provide efficient and fast drying due in part to it being equipped with an AC motor. AC hair dryers can boast more power and when you couple with that with 1875-wattage rating, you’re getting something that gets the job done fast.
To mitigate all that power, this item makes use of ceramic ionic technology. That feature is responsible for effectively distributing the heat coming from this dryer. You won’t have to worry about any particular clumps of your hair being dried out too much if you use this Ovonni creation.
In addition to the ceramic ionic tech, this product also has varied heat settings for you to choose from. Once again, that will help you keep its power in check and style your hair more carefully. I love the longer cord attached to this product, but it is heavy. Your arm may get tired from using this item for an extended period of time.
Pros
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#3. Bed Head 1875W Diffuser Hair Dryer
Bed Head’s 1875W Diffuser Hair Dryer is certainly one of the more unique-looking variants of this product that you’ll see. But is that unconventional look just a gimmick or does it have a tangible impact on the performance of this product?
Thanks to the way it is designed, this one is capable of dispersing heat in a different manner. Curls are often difficult to dry because of their uneven distribution. However, because the warm air coming from this dryer is not concentrated on one small area, you’re getting better coverage. That improved coverage translates to better-conditioned curls.
In addition, the “fingers” found on this product work to give more life to the curvature of your hair. You can feature more volume without the annoying frizz that may come with it. Three different heat settings are again provided so that you can tame your hair more effectively. The all-important cold shot feature is also still present.
In many ways, this works much like a conventional hair dryer. There’s no need to be intimidated by the unusual appearance. What may intimidate you though is the noise. This thing can cause quite a ruckus and you may want to avoid using it when someone nearby is still sleeping.
Pros
Cons
The PeeWee 1200 1000W Folding Handle Travel Dryer from Stylecraft is, in a lot of ways, the ideal styling tool to bring with you on the road. Let’s start with the fact that this is a dual-voltage item. Whether you’re traveling within the United States or abroad, you can continue to use this one because it can work with different voltages.
This item is also super lightweight. Weighing in at just a little over one pound, you can easily use this dryer for an extended styling session without your arm feeling fatigued.
If you find yourself in a room where you can’t sit next to an outlet as you’re drying your hair, you will still be able to use this because it has a 7-foot power cord. When you’re done using it, you can clean it easily by removing the filter. The foldable handle will also help you squeeze this item into your bag.
The ceramic and tourmaline present in this hair dryer enable it to distribute heat better, but you should know that its power is lacking compared to some of the other items featured in this article. Power isn’t the be-all end-all consideration for hair dryers, but if you want something that can work fast, this may not necessarily be the ideal purchase for you.
Pros
Cons
If you love the idea of having a very portable hair dryer but would like more power than what the Stylecraft offering above provides, then perhaps you’ll find the 1875W Ceramic Salon Hair Dryer with Diffuser from NITION more to your liking.
This one weighs about the same as the Stylecraft creation, but it offers significantly more power. With 1875 watts at your disposal, you can rely on this item to get your hair to where it needs to be in just a few minutes.
When trying to get that power from the dryer to your hair, you have the option of using one of three nozzles. The concentrator works well for achieving that wavy look while the comb attachment expertly stretches out and straightens your hair.
The diffuser is obviously what you’ll be using the most if you have curly hair and unfortunately, there’s a slight issue with it. The diffuser nozzle does not fit perfectly over it, which causes it to fall off more often than what you would like. It becomes annoying after a while and it can slow you down.
Beyond that though, I have no other complaints about this one. It has all the modern features you want to see from this kind of item, and it even comes equipped with an AC motor. As long as you can be patient with the diffuser, you should be pleased with this purchase.
Pros
Cons
best travel hair diffuser
I would honestly be happy with any of the options listed above, but if pressed to pick out my favorites, I will go with the Ovonni 1875W Professional Ceramic Ionic Hair Dryer and the NITION 1875W Ceramic Salon Hair Dryer with Diffuser.
The NITION hair dryer stands out for me because it’s such a portable powerhouse and that’s very important if you’re going to be on the road for a while and you can’t fit too many extra items in your luggage. As for Ovonni’s creation, I adore that hair dryer because of its exceptional performance.
Commonly Asked Questions
Let’s now take some time to answer some important questions regarding these items. The answers to these questions may even help you find your ideal travel hair dryer.
Which Item Is the Lightest Travel Hair Dryer?
The product from Stylecraft manages to just edge out NITION’s creation in this department. They’re close enough in weight that the difference may not matter that much, but Stylecraft’s offering is still the lightest one of the choices we presented.
Which Item Is the Best Dual-Voltage Hair Dryer?
I don’t travel outside of the country often, so the dual-voltage feature is not something I seek out. However, if you do have to go outside of the country frequently, you’ll be best served to get the hair dryer from Stylecraft.
The dual-voltage feature means you don’t have to stress out looking for the right outlet. On top of that, this one is on the smaller side. You should have no trouble finding room for it.
Which Item Is the Most Powerful Hair Dryer?
Of the options that were featured in this article, the one from Ovonni is what I observed to be the most powerful. It’s not an exaggeration to say that you can dry your long hair in about 10 to 15 minutes if you’re using it.
Does the Hair Dryer Damage Your Hair?
When discussing hair dryers, one question will inevitably come up. That question: Will it damage the hair?
The truth is that yes, the hair dryer will indeed do damage to your crowning glory. Speaking to Bustle, Dr. Michael Roizen notes that the culprit is the “extreme” heat produced by this particular styling tool.
According to Dr. Roizen, the heat produced can lead to the water lying underneath the outermost layer of a hair follicle to suddenly bubble up. When that water bubbles up, it creates pressure within that layer and it inevitably leads to the hair breaking.
Even if you’re only using the lower settings, the heat will still damage your hair. The key here is for you to manage how much you heat up your hair to effectively minimize the damage.
Ionic hair dryers are better to use because they work faster. They are also great for distributing the heat evenly. Make it a point to look for that ionic feature on any hair dryer you’re getting.
You can also try to minimize the effect of the heat on your hair by working quicker and not sticking the nozzle right next to your head.
What Are the Features That Matter in Hair Dryers?
There are certain features that you need to keep an eye out for whenever you’re looking for a new hair dryer.
Wattage
Wattage is arguably the most important consideration. To put it simply, the higher wattage rating an item has, the more powerful it will be.
Variants of this styling tool that have higher wattage ratings are also less susceptible to burning out and malfunctioning. If you want something that can last for a long time as your styling companion, get one with a high wattage rating.
Weight
We’re talking about travel hair dryers, which is why weight matters more than usual. I definitely don’t want to strain myself while traveling just because I have to carry a heavy one around.
Thankfully, you can find a lot of them that weigh less than three pounds. You can just keep those in your bag all the time and pull them out whenever you need a quick touch up.
Heat Distribution
As we’ve already discussed, they are not exactly kind to hair. You need to find ones that don’t do as much damage.
Look for options that are labeled as ionic, or ones that are made using ceramic, porcelain, and tourmaline. Those are the items that excel at heat distribution. If you have sensitive hair, seeking out those features on a hair dryer is practically a must.
Heat Settings
How much heat you need to style your hair properly can change on a daily basis. It would be great if your hair dryer could adjust accordingly.
Heat settings will enable you to get the temperature just right and prevent any unnecessary damage from being dealt to your hair.
Cold Shot
Once you’ve achieved the style you want for your hair, you don’t want to risk having it fall out of form. To prevent that from happening, you can press the cold shot button and set your hair.
This is another feature that will help if you don’t have a lot of time to spend on styling.
Accessories
Accessories make it easier for you to recreate different styles. Diffusers are great for creating and maintaining curls while some attachments can straighten your hair in a hurry.
Hair dryers that are not bundled with a good amount of accessories will not be as helpful on those days when you want to try out a new hairstyle.
Final Verdict
You may be looking for different features from a travel dryer, but it will still be worth your time to check out those aforementioned items. Make it a point to look at them closer before you make a final decision.
