Ionic hair dryers are some of the best types of hair dryers on the market, especially for people who have thick and/or curly hair. We have created a list of five of the best ionic hair dryers on the market, plus information about each one that you may find interesting. They are:
- CROC Hybrid Ionic
- Dyson Supersonic
- BIO IONIC Goldpro Travel Dryer
- Elchim 3900 Healthy Ionic Hair Dryer
- DevaCurl DevaDryer With DevaFuser
What Are Ionic Hair Dryers?
Ionic hair dryers tend to make a lot of claims from making your hair healthy to reducing frizz. All of this sounds great, but you may be wondering what separates the best ionic hair dryer from other types of hair dryers. What is it that ionic hair dryers do to make all these claims happen. The answer to this question lies in a simple scientific idea–the power of ions.
What is an Ion?
An ion is an electrically charged particle that has a net electric charge. This means that one or more electrons are lost or gained, so it can have a positive net charge or a negative net charge. Water has both positive and negative ions, which is the basis for ionic blow dryer technology. You may be wondering what this has to do with drying your hair. We’ll explain in the next section.
How Does Ionic Hair Dryer Technology Work?
Ionic hair dryers have a special heating coil that produces negatively charged ions. The hair dryer then blasts these ions onto your wet hair. The negative ions blasts away the positive ions from the water, leaving only negative ions from the water. Doing this causes water molecules to break down into smaller parts and this allows them to evaporate much faster. The result is that you dry your hair faster and, since negative ions don’t raise your cuticles, you’ll have less frizz.
One thing to note about ionic hair dryers is that they may not be suitable for fine and/or thin hair. Because they dry so well and so efficiently, ionic dryers have been known to dry fine hair to the point it becomes damaged. If you have fine or thin hair but still want to use an ionic hair dryer, make sure you use heat protection and keep your drying time as short as possible to prevent heat damage.
What to Look for in a Good Ionic Hair Dryer
Every manufacturer is going to tell you that their hair dryer is the best, so it’s up to you to be able to sort through the mass of dryers and choose the best one. Here are a few criteria you can check while comparing ionic hair dryers.
Watts
Many hair dryers talk about how hot they are, but you really want to be more concerned about how powerful they are. The more power a hair dryer has, the faster and more efficiently the hair dryer will be. On average, the best ionic hair dryer will have at least 1600 watts.
Cord Length
While cord length doesn’t directly affect a hair dryer’s performance, you should still consider it because some cords can be a bit on the short side. If your outlet is far away from your mirror, or if you want to have the freedom to move around while using your hair dryer, you’ll want to opt for a dryer with a longer cord.
Accessories
Many ionic hair dryers come with the same couple of accessories, but there are those that will come with none, or that may come with a lot more than two. If having accessories and/or attachments is important to your hair care, you’ll want to pay attention to this. More importantly, you should make sure that you are able to at least purchase separate accessories for the dryer. Some dryers just don’t have any available accessories at all, not even for separate purchase.
What Are The Best Ionic Hair Dryers?
What Makes a Good Curling Iron for Thick Hair?
Curling irons for thick hair must have a high-temperature setting (heat up to at least 400F) to hold thick hair into curls all-day if not for a few days!
The best curling irons for thick hair use an advanced ionic or infrared technology to reduce frizz and keep your hair moisturized.
What size barrel is best for thick hair?
For thick hair, a curling iron with a barrel sized 1.5 inches is the most suitable option for everyday use.
Depending on your desired hairstyle, you can section your hair into smaller or thicker sections to create both tight and loose curls.
How do you make curls last all day with thick hair?
Use a mousse and heat protectant before you blow-dry in order to give the hair more hold. Prepping with a setting spray is also great for locking in your curls. Many of them offer heat protection, too!
CROC Hybrid Ionic Hair Dryer
Best Ionic Dryer for Fine Hair
The CROC Hybrid Blow Dryer is different from their other tools because it combines features from the CROC Premium and the CROC Classic dryers giving it its name.
Ionic hair dryers aren’t really great for fine hair, so having a hybrid hair dryer–one that can switch between ionic and ceramic–is beneficial for people with fine hair. You can also switch between positive ions or negative ions to further customize your drying experience. The CROC Hybrid hair dryer gives you this option. On top of this, the dryer also has three heat settings and two speed settings, so you can customize how much heat and power you need for your fine hair.
Pros:
- The cord is 12 feet long so you aren’t stuck at the outlet.
- It’s a lightweight hair dryer so this will reduce hand fatigue.
- You have a choice between two colors–red and black.
Cons:
- This dryer has 1875 watts. While this is normally a good thing, it’s a bit powerful for fine hair.
- The location of the buttons are directly in the path of the fingers when you grip the dryer, so you run the risk of accidentally pressing them if you have a tight grip.
Where To Buy: Amazon
Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer
Best Ionic Dryer for Frizzy Hair
Fast Drying. No extreme heat. Engineered for different hair types.
As one of the most technologically advanced hair dryers on the market, the Supersonic is one of the best dryers for frizzy hair (in fact, it’s one of the best dryers for any type of hair). The reason that Dyson is great for frizzy hair is the fact that it’s computerized and measures heat output 20 times per second! This means that you can be sure that you aren’t frying your hair which reduces the chance of raised cuticles and frizz.
Pros:
- This dryer has easy handling since the motor is in the handle rather than the head of the dryer.
- Dyson is a company known for it’s quality products so you can rest assured that you are getting a good piece of equipment.
- This is one of the quickest dryers on the market, leaving your hair with less frizz and more shine.
Cons:
- It’s available in many colors and even comes with a version that is plated with 24kt gold.
- This is one of the most expensive hair dryers on the market.
- It’s computerized so it’s sensitive and could get damaged easily.
Where To Buy: Amazon
BIO IONIC Goldpro Travel Dryer
Best Ionic Dryer for Damaged Hair
This lightweight professional dryer harnesses the power of Bio Ionic Moisturizing Heat to create beautiful, frizz-free styles while protecting the health of your hair.
One of the best things you can do for damaged hair is to avoid heat exposure as much as possible. You’ll probably want to opt for a dryer with a lower wattage rating. The BIO IONIC travel dryer has 1200 watts but can still give you good, salon-quality results. The 24K gold barrel helps to distribute heat evenly allowing the ions to penetrate the hair and infuse it with moisture without drying the hair out too much.
Pros:
- Having a low wattage rating is great for dry, damaged hair.
- Since it’s a travel dryer, it can be folded up and tucked away easily.
- It’s incredibly lightweight coming in at only 13.6 oz.
- The dryer has worldwide voltage so it can be used internationally.
Cons:
- It’s a large hair dryer and even though it’s lightweight, the size may make it awkward to handle.
- It has an extremely short cord–only six feet long.
Where To Buy: Amazon
Elchim 3900 Healthy Ionic Hair Dryer
Best Ionic Dryer for Natural Hair
Thanks to the right combination of air flow, heat and power (2400 W at 240 V) this professional ionic ceramic hair dryer reduces drying time by more than 30%.
Natural hair can be thick and notoriously difficult to work with, so you need a powerful hair dryer that can smooth, dry, and shine your hair without damaging it. The Elchim 3900 packs a whopping 2400 watts at 240 volts. This is enough power to plow through even the toughest hair. All this power can be damaging sometimes, but the Elchim 3900 takes care of this by combining ionic technology with ceramic technology to help infuse the hair with moisture and give it a healthy shine.
Pros:
- It comes in a number of chic colors such as light blue, light pink, daisy yellow, and more.
- It’s a very quiet hair dryer compared to others on the list.
- The ergonomically-shaped handle makes it easier to handle than other dryers with a straight handle.
- The blow dryer has a limited lifetime warranty, something that no other blow dryer on the market has.
Cons:
- This dryer is pretty heavy compared to other dryers on the list.
- The buttons stick out on the side a lot so it’s easy to accidentally trip them while drying your hair.
Where To Buy: Amazon
DevaCurl Ionic Hair Dryer
Best Ionic Dryer for Curly Hair
Created specifically for curls, this duo is a game-changer. The DevaDryer’s ionic technology helps create softer, shinier, frizz-controlled curls.
Curly hair needs more moisture than straight hair because of its texture. The DevaCurl DevaDryer was created specifically to address this situation. The patented DevaFuser (infuser) in the shape of a hand provides 360 degree drying action while keeping curls intact, frizz-free, moisturized, and shiny. It looks a little strange but it’s great for maintaining those natural curls.
Pros:
- This product was specifically designed for curly hair.
- It is just as great for thin curly hair as it is for thick curly hair.
- It’s award-winning, having won the 2016 Naturally Curly Editors Choice Best Styling Tool or Necessity and the 2016 Editor’s Pick for the Total Beauty Awards.
Cons:
- The manufacturer doesn’t specify a warranty for this product.
- There are only two heat settings–warm and hot–whereas most ionic dryers tend to have three heat settings.
Where To Buy: Amazon
Final Thoughts
Picking the best hair dryer can mean the difference between a sharp, chic hairstyle and a frizzy mess of a hair style. Out of the five that we reviewed, we feel that the Elchim 3900 Healthy Ionic Hair Dryer is the best one. Not only do you get sheer power with this hair dryer, but you get to control that power with the many setting options. This means it can be used on any hair. On top of this, it has a limited lifetime warranty which means your investment is covered forever.
Maybe you’ll agree with our favorite pick for the best ionic hair dryer. Perhaps you like the other options better. Whichever you decide is your favorite, you’ll be getting a great product with amazing ionic benefits.