The best hair dryers are fast, not too heavy, and have helpful features like ergonomic design. I tested 10 of them for this guide, but only a few made the cut.Talia Ergas/Business Insider
Updated Jan 14, 2026, 6:34 PM UTC
A good blow-dry doesn't just speed up mornings or make you feel good. "It trains the hair to sit the way you want it to," said Marc Ballance, an NYC-based celebrity hairstylist with IGK. "It adds polish, holds your style longer, and locks in treatments or smoothing products." But a poorly designed blow dryer can actually end up damaging your hair in the long run.
When testing hair dryers for this guide, we focused on three key features: multiple heat settings, variable speed options, and technology designed to reduce damage. We also evaluated weight, noise level, and cord length. To find the best options, we tested 10 top-rated hair dryers. It's worth noting that our main tester for this guide has long, straight-ish hair. If you're looking for the best hair dryers for curly hair, we have a guide for that.
Our favorite hairdryer after testing is the Dyson Supersonic Nural. It's lightweight, thoughtfully designed, and packed with smart features, plus it makes extremely quick work of styling. Still, it's an expensive choice, so we also tested a lot of options at more affordable price points, like our top value pick from Laifen, plus ones that are even more compact for travel, like the Drybar Baby Buttercup. If you want to explore more of our favorite tested hair tools, check out our guides to the best blow dryer brushes, best hair straighteners, and best curling irons.
Dyson Supersonic Nural
The Dyson Supersonic Nural is a feature-packed luxury hairdryer with smart personalization and heat protection that make styling faster and easier. It’s lightweight, ergonomically balanced, and far less tiring to use than traditional dryers. If a high-end hair dryer is within your budget, the Nural’s intelligent design and best-in-class features make it worth the splurge.
The original Dyson Supersonic has been my go-to hairdryer for nearly a decade because it dries quickly and leaves my hair shiny and smooth. But after testing the new Dyson Supersonic Nural, I can confidently say it's worth the upgrade. The new smart features make styling faster, easier, and more personalized — enough to justify the $75-ish premium over the original, if you're already considering the splurge.
These updates are all about customization and protecting your hair from excess heat. Each of the five magnetic attachments now remembers your preferred heat and speed settings, making styling faster and more consistent. The new Scalp Protect mode automatically lowers heat when the dryer gets too close to your head, and the Pause Detection briefly stops airflow when you set the dryer down — a small feature that's surprisingly helpful. Between the carrying case, six color options, and flexible presets, the Nural feels like a smart evolution of the original Supersonic.
The overall design hasn't changed much, but the lightweight, balanced build is still a standout. Weighing 1.9 pounds and designed with the motor in the handle, Dyson dryers are easier to control and less fatiguing than traditional top-heavy models. After years of testing hair dryers at every price level, this thoughtful weight distribution remains one of my favorite features.
For people who are willing to invest in a high-end hair dryer with best-in-class features, the Supersonic Nural is the one I'd confidently recommend.
Laifen Swift Special
An affordable alternative to the Dyson Supersonic, it boasts a similar sleek, bottom-heavy design and fast-drying power that works well for many hair types, including curly hair. However, its limited speed settings and strong airflow made it less ideal for long, fine hair, which tangled easily during use.
The Laifen Swift Special hairdryer is our top pick in our guide for the best hair dryer for curly hair, but it's also our top value/budget pick for most other hair types as well. It has a very similar look and feel to the Dyson Supersonic and Supersonic Nural, but at a much more affordable $160 price point. It shares the same sleek, bottom-heavy design with the motor in the handle, which makes it ergonomic and easy to maneuver. While it doesn't offer the smart features or customization that come with Dyson's high-end models, it's a solid option for someone who wants a similarly effective and fast but simple hair dryer without the steep cost.
While the fact that the Laifen Swift Special comes in five colors is a fun perk, the best features are that it includes two concentrator nozzles and a diffuser for easy styling. The buttons are placed well so that I didn't accidentally push them while drying my hair. That said, the Swift Special wasn't the best match for my hair type. It only has two speed settings, and both felt too powerful for my long, fine hair. Even on the lower setting, the airflow was so strong that my hair kept tangling, which can lead to breakage. However, I think people with thicker or shorter hair might actually appreciate the extra power — it dries hair impressively fast. The heat settings (cold, warm, and hot) are easy to toggle through and even light up blue, orange, or red depending on your selection, which is a nice visual touch, even if it doesn't add much functionality.
For the price, it offers similar handling to luxury models that are four times the price. But if you have long hair that's prone to tangling or prefer more precise airflow control, this may not be the best fit.
Dyson Supersonic r
The lightest hairdryer model we’ve tested packs high power in small stature. It dries hair quickly without incurring damage and includes five attachments for styling versatility.
At just 0.7 pounds, this hairdryer barely feels like anything in my hand. Still, it's Dyson's most powerful and fastest-drying model yet, thanks to a 1700-watt motor spinning at 110,000rpm. My hair dried quickly, felt super soft and shiny, and there was zero arm fatigue after styling. The new curved, lowercase-r shape feels even more balanced and ergonomic than the Dyson's traditional Supersonic shape, which was already close to perfect.
The Supersonic r
