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You're getting ready for work in the morning and you're already late. Is it really going to matter if you spent $200 on your hair dryer? Or could you have gotten the same results with at $20 model? That just may depend on how you style your hair and what you expect a hair dryer to do. In the end you may find that paying a little more for a quality appliance is a better investment. Things you need to consider when purchasing your next hair dryer. Sure you can run down to the local 24-hour drugstore and buy the $20 model. But remember, sometimes your hair is the first thing people notice. Do you really want to go the cheap route. Pay attention to the heating element. Less expensive models will be metal or plastic with heating elements that get very hot and often put off uneven heat. What you're doing is evaporating, actually even boiling, water out of your hair. Hair grows back. But you don't want to abuse it while you have it. Too much stress and abuse from hair drying can make your hair brittle. Better dryers on the market are ceramic. Ceramic does well with heat conduction, much like you'd see in a space heater. Ceramic dryers also produce radiant heat that penetrates the hair rather than blasting it from the outside. Consider as well tourmaline technology. Tourmalines are a natural source of negative ions. They are the only mineral on earth to show permanent electricity. The cosmetic industry is using tourmaline ionic technology in styling irons and dryers. When pressure is applied to the tourmaline energy is emitted in the form of negative ions, which produces heat. Less expensive, okay let's say sometimes they're cheap, hair dryers diffuse positive ions that cause your hair to friz. On the other hand ionic hair dryers eliminate frizz and give your hair more body and they dry your hair faster than other dryers. When looking at wattage for your hair dryer, look for something 1300 watts or above. But keep in mind you won't find that in a travel hair dryer. Wattage affects how your hair dries. And remember in the morning, the wattage will determine how quickly your hair dries. If you use a dryer on a regular basis, you probably want one with at least 1750 watts. If you have thick hair, maybe even higher. Look for a dryer with multiple settings. When you're almost done and your hair is just slightly damp you don't want to be blasting your hair on the highest setting. So look for variable speeds and heat controls. Go with the higher head and air settings to remove the excess moisture from your hair as you're styling. A professional hair dryer like you'd see used by your salon stylist is going to be lighter in weight. They're designed for your stylist to hold all day while styling hair. You'll find it more comfortable to use and maneuver. You'll find this important as well, especially if you have long hair and anticipate that it will take a long time to dry. Don't waste your money on a dryer that won't meet your needs. Finally price is always going to be a concern. You can spend anywhere from $20 up to $200. Sure the pricier models are going to have lots of bells and whistles. Do you really need that? Or will a more basic model at a more reasonable cost meet your needs just as well. If you do some comparison shopping you should have no trouble finding a model with the features you need for under $100. Written by Lawrence Reaves for HamiltonBeach.com. Visit the leader in kitchen appliances site to learn more about purchasing appliances for your kitchen such as coffee makers and slow cookers.
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