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Sure, you could just rough-dry your hair, but mastering the perfect at-home blowout is key to amazing hair days. Park G series Styler Round Brush this is a boar bristle, great for the perfect smooth blowout.” Ahead, James shares his tips for blow-drying at home. A CHI Lava Pro Hair Dryer review wouldn't be complete without declaring my dedication to CHI as a brand. My first foray into hot tools began with a CHI flat iron – it was the first hot tool I ever purchased, and yielded smooth, frizz-free results for the close-to eight years that I used it. For starters, the CHI Lava Pro weighs less than one pound, which is a big deal when you’re constantly lifting it to diffuse coarse hair. Trust me, lifting a heavy hair dryer can quickly turn into an unwanted workout session.
How to Dye Your Hair at Home (Even Though You Probably Shouldn’t)
The entire corded machine weighs about 8 pounds and is the size of a toaster. The hose-attached handheld wand alone weighs more than our heavier dryer picks (around 2 pounds), but we found that this is not terribly problematic because very little motion is required to use it. If you’re willing to splurge on a dryer, you might consider the Dyson Supersonic. It has consistently been our favorite to use since we first tested it in 2016. The motor sits in the handle, making the nozzle shorter and easier to maneuver. The handle doesn’t vibrate at all, which wasn’t true of other “luxury” models we tested.
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No dryer will make your hair exceptionally more voluminous and glossy than another. What your hair looks like comes down to technique, products, and, in large part, its natural characteristics. Among the models we tested, it tied for blowing the hottest and fastest air. Style Editor Emma Childs loves this blow dryer from Ga.Ma Italy Professional because "it's the lightest hairdryer on the market at only 0.65 lbs" and iss designed to dry your hair 30% faster. The unique shape of the CHI LAVA PRO Hair Dryer provides a straight shot of air to help reduce drying time.
Upgrade pick: Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer
13 Best Travel Hair Dryers of 2024, Tested by Experts - Good Housekeeping
13 Best Travel Hair Dryers of 2024, Tested by Experts.
Posted: Fri, 08 Mar 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Prior to joining the Marie Claire team, she contributed similar shopping stories to sites such as Bustle, InStyle, The Zoe Report, Who What Wear, and STYLECASTER. In her spare time, Julia can be found creating shopping guides for all of her friends, spending too much money on yet another pair of black boots, and cooking in her far-too-small kitchen. Venner James is an internationally - acclaimed celebrity and personal stylist the founder of the Venner-James Brand.
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If you don’t care about weight, consider the InfinitiPro by Conair 1875-Watt Salon Performance AC Motor Styling Tool. Commonly found in drugstores, this dryer produces airflow that’s faster (65 mph) than that of our top pick and almost as hot (205 °F). At 1.3 pounds, however, it may feel heavy after you spend a couple of minutes holding it above your head. The 6-foot cord, though shorter than those on our other picks, is longer than those on most other inexpensive hair dryers. The buttons are easy to use, but the cool-shot button is a little small and harder to hold down than the cool-shot button on our top pick.
What about the Revlon One-Step and other hair dryer brushes?
She tested countless health and wellness products from 2016 to 2018. Welcome back to Worth It, our weekly seal of approval on noteworthy launches and bespoke collaborations in the worlds of beauty and fashion.

Shark has released another hair dryer called the SpeedStyle, as well as a new hair tool, the SmoothStyle (which resembles the Revlon One-Step). Although the Dyson dryer’s feel and attachments are improvements over those of our other picks, we also found features we didn’t like and a few that we were neutral on. We took basic stats on our dryers, using a weather meter to test the speed and heat and a postage scale to weigh them. Often our own readings disagreed with the manufacturer-stated specs. From TikTok-famous blow dryers to classics from Dyson and Drybar. The CHI Lava Dryer provides gentle, consistent heat during styling.
The Lightweight Rusk W8less Beats All the Pricey Hair Dryers I’ve Tried. And It’s Under $100.
The combination of volcanic lava and ceramic allows styling at lower temperatures and produces less damage to the hair while offering silky results. The volcanic ceramic minerals conduct negative ions and provide moist heat for healthier hair. Because the body of the CHI Lava Pro is made of a volcanic-lava-and-ceramic heater, it provides, gentle, consistent heat; that means it affords me the ability to dry my curls at lower temperatures. Sure, I have the option to go up to 250 degrees, but I usually hover around 190, which allows me to dry my hair without completely frying it. The motor sits in the handle of the dryer rather than in the head. The handle is straight and a tad thicker than that of the Rusk W8less, too.
How we picked and tested
The RevAir is unlike any other hair-drying, heat-styling tool we’ve tested. For people with Type 3 or 4 curl patterns especially, this vacuum-like device is gentle on fragile strands and can cut down total drying time significantly. One tester, who usually requires two back-to-back appointments with a professional stylist at Drybar, now achieves similar drying and smoothing results with the RevAir in as little as 20 minutes. The RevAir has an exceptionally large footprint compared with most dryers.
After many years in the industry starting off and better known to be a Loctician, Venner-James developed a interest in hair loss and in October 2018 became a certified hair loss practitioner. Venner-James has worked with a number of celebrities including- Precious Mustapha, Priscilla Anyabu, Emma Katherine McDonald, Solea, Kenya Moore, and Kelvin Harrison Jr, to name a few. Venner-James has an extensive portfolio which includes, short cuts, relaxers, Locs, custom wigs, barbering, braiding and much more. Sullivan Beauty is a family owned wholesale distributor, providing professional beauty products, business consultation, and education to Beauty and Barber Professionals of New England. Why you can trust Woman & Home Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. The CHI Lava Pro is an advanced dryer that offers the latest in technology and design.
It offers seven suction power levels and three heat settings (high, low, or the no-heat cool shot). The Hot Tools Professional Black Gold Turbo Ionic Salon Dryer (DC Motor) is extremely light at only 14 ounces. But it also has the most buttons and slides and switches of any hair dryer we’ve ever tested, including a cool-shot button, a power-boost slide, an ion select wheel, and switches for speed and temp—whew! BaBylissPRO is known for its high-performing straightening tools, and their blow dryer is no different.
The CHI Lava Pro Hair Dryer, while pricey, is a high-quality, powerful hair dryer that dries hair quickly and smooths out frizz. It's also uniquely lightweight and feels comfortable to hold, making it a great option for those with long, thick hair. One thing to note is that it requires 1200 watts of power, which means the tip of the dryer can get extremely hot. I suggest letting it cool before removing the magnetic attachments (which include a diffuser, precision concentrator, and smoothing nozzle) and storing it. If you have curly hair and prefer using a diffuser to dry it, you have to buy one separately (though it’s best to buy a hair dryer that comes with one). In a perfect world, we'd all indulge in a blowout from a pro on a daily basis.
Deena joined Marie Claire after a decade-long career as an editor in print and digital media. Before joining the brand, she managed editorial content for L’Oréal owned Makeup.com and Skincare.com. In 2015, she launched Essence.com’s hair channel where she received Time Inc.'s Henry R. Luce Award, shortly before joining Allure.com’s staff as Senior Beauty Editor. Along with her editorial positions, she also consulted on content and marketing strategies for beauty companies including DevaCurl and Dove, and has appeared at various speaking events and live television segments. Wirecutter is the product recommendation service from The New York Times. Our journalists combine independent research with (occasionally) over-the-top testing so you can make quick and confident buying decisions.

If you're wondering whether or not the CHI Lava Pro Hair Dryer is worth the price, I'm here to tell you that as long as you can afford it, it definitely is. Despite a few mishaps that are more inconvenient than they are cons, I'm a huge fan of this hot tool and wouldn't expect anything less from CHI. It's well-constructed, gives me incredible results, and I'm hesitant to throw it in my hot tool drawer because of how sleek it is (I actually don't mind leaving it displayed atop my vanity). The tip of this dryer gets really hot after using, so be careful placing it around small children or pets. And though the dryer itself isn't loud, I did hear a slight piercing sound in the background – almost like a television or radio that's lost reception. Deena Campbell is the Beauty Director of Marie Claire where she oversees beauty and health content on all platforms.
All of the dryers took more or less the same amount of time to dry hair. If you can’t or don’t want to leave the house with wet hair, you need a hair dryer. Originally from Southern California, hair stylist Glenn Ellis is praised for his ability to adapt to different hair types and textures. Glenn is just as skilled at taming the most rebellious curls as he is at creating voluminous manes out of lifeless hair. Glenn’s talent and versatility has garnered the attention of the film, fashion, television, and music industries.