In depth: hair dryers explained
How we ranked the six dryers
We do not test hair dryers ourselves. Each model gets a score from 0 to 100 on six criteria: drying performance, noise, weight and handling, attachments and settings, owner reviews and price. The overall rating is a weighted average calculated automatically, and the ranking follows that rating.
Drying performance counts for 30 per cent and rests on Expert Reviews' measured air speed and drying times. Handling, features, owner reviews and price count for 15 per cent each, and noise for 10 per cent. Noise is weighted lower because the measured differences between most models are small.
The Revlon and the Shark are almost level. The Shark wins on drying, attachments and owner reviews; the Revlon on weight, noise and price. The Revlon comes out just ahead because it costs £140 less, but if fast drying matters most to you, the Shark is an equally good choice.
Further down, the ghd Helios, mdlondon Blow and Remington are separated by a few hundredths. The Helios has the strongest owner record but lacks a diffuser and a noise figure, the Blow is quiet and light but has no UK reviews we could check, and the Remington is cheapest but slowest and loudest. Which suits you depends more on your priorities than on their rating.
The Dyson would top a ranking based on performance alone. Its high price and mixed Argos reviews pull it down to third. Commission from retailers never affects scores or ranking.
What Expert Reviews' measurements show
Expert Reviews has tested more than 30 dryers priced from about £30 to £300. Each is used over several washes, and the team records rough-dry and round-brush times and checks the results two to three days later. It also measures weight, air speed and noise.
Across the six dryers here, air speed and noise do not move together the way you might expect. The Dyson is both the fastest and the quietest, while the Remington is the slowest and the loudest. Better motors and airflow design reduce noise and increase speed at the same time.
Expert Reviews also gives its picks award labels. The Revlon, mdlondon Blow, ghd Helios and Dyson are labelled Best Buy, and the Shark and Remington Recommended. We take those verdicts into account in the drying score alongside the measured figures.
The measurements have limits. Drying times depend on the tester's hair, and Expert Reviews does not publish them for every model. The ghd Helios has two different air speed figures in the same article, and no noise figure. We use the lower air speed to be cautious.
Expert Reviews' best overall pick, the BaByliss 3Q, measured 21.6 m/s and 93 dB at 567 g. We left it out because we could not find it in stock at a UK retailer on the assessment date.
We also compared the retailers' specifications with Expert Reviews' figures. Weights sometimes differ a lot: Argos lists 0.78 kg for the Dyson, against 325 g measured by Expert Reviews, and the Argos figure may include parts other than the dryer itself. Where figures conflict, we use the independent measurement, since we know how it was taken.
Claims about hair health
Many hair dryers are sold with claims about shine, frizz and protecting hair from heat damage, often linked to ionic technology or temperature control. These are the manufacturers' claims, and none of our sources measures them in a way we can compare.
What our sources do show is that faster airflow lets you dry hair in less time, and that most modern dryers let you use lower heat settings. Expert Reviews checks how hair looks a few days later, but its observations are subjective and based on one tester's hair.
We therefore do not score dryers on hair health claims. If you have fragile or chemically treated hair, using a lower heat setting and a heat protection product is a sensible precaution with any dryer.
Owner comments about frizz and shine appear for several models at Argos and Very. We read them as personal experiences rather than evidence.
The same goes for terms such as salon quality or professional. They are marketing labels rather than defined standards, and they say nothing measurable about how a dryer performs. We rely on measured airflow, noise and weight instead.
Hair dryer or air styler?
Air stylers such as the Shark FlexStyle and Dyson Airwrap combine a dryer with brushes and curling barrels. They dry and style in one step, but they dry more slowly than a dedicated dryer and cost more.
The Shark SpeedStyle Pro Flex sits between the two. It is a full hair dryer with a smoothing brush and finishing tool, so it covers some styling tasks without the curling attachments of an air styler.
If you mainly want to dry your hair quickly, a dedicated dryer is the better buy. If you want to create curls or volume without a separate curling tongs or straightener, an air styler may suit you better.
Air stylers also tend to be heavier and bulkier to store, since they come with several large attachments. If storage space is tight, a compact dryer with a diffuser and concentrator covers most needs.
This comparison covers dryers only. We have not scored air stylers here, since Expert Reviews tests them separately and the comparison would not be like for like.
Whichever you choose, the same principles apply: look for measured airflow and noise from an independent source, check the weight, and make sure the attachments suit your hair type.
Buying guide: choosing the right hair dryer
Airflow matters more than wattage
Hair dryers have long been sold on wattage, and the Remington Shine Therapy's 2,300 W is the highest figure here. Yet Expert Reviews measured it at 18.6 m/s, the lowest air speed in this comparison, while the 1,700 W Dyson Supersonic r reached 36.2 m/s. Wattage mostly tells you how much power goes into the heater, not how fast the air moves.
Air speed is what pushes water off the hair, and it is the main reason modern dryers dry faster at lower temperatures. Expert Reviews measures it with an anemometer at the nozzle, which gives a fair comparison between models. The fastest dryers here, the Dyson and the Shark, also had the shortest drying times in Expert Reviews' use.
Drying time depends on your hair as much as the dryer. Expert Reviews rough dried thick hair in four minutes with the Dyson and seven with the Revlon. If your hair is short or fine, the difference shrinks to a minute or two, and a cheaper dryer may be all you need.
For long or thick hair that you dry every day, the time saved adds up. Saving three minutes a day is well over an hour a month, which is where the premium dryers earn part of their price.
Air speed figures from manufacturers are not always comparable, since they are measured in different ways and sometimes quoted in km/h or litres per second. Expert Reviews' own anemometer readings are the fairest comparison we have, which is why we use them rather than the figures on the box.
Heat also plays a part, but more heat is not the answer. A hotter dryer evaporates water faster, but drying with high heat for long periods is what most hair care advice warns against. The modern approach is strong airflow at moderate heat, and that is what the faster dryers here offer.
Brushless motors: why new dryers are lighter
Most of the dryers here use small, fast brushless digital motors. These spin far faster than the traditional AC motors in budget dryers, so they can move a lot of air from a small, light body. That is why the Revlon PowerMove weighs 294 g and the Dyson 325 g in Expert Reviews' measurements.
The Remington Shine Therapy uses a traditional design. It is still reasonably light at 449 g, but produces less airflow and more noise. The Shark is the exception among the modern dryers: at 680 g it is the heaviest here, partly because of its folding design.
Weight matters most if you style with a round brush, dry long hair or have trouble lifting your arms for long. A dryer that is 300 g lighter makes a noticeable difference over ten minutes.
Brushless motors used to be found only in dryers costing £300 or more. The Revlon shows that the technology has reached the £60 price level, which is a big part of why it is our top pick.
None of our sources has measured lifespan for either motor type, so we do not score dryers on durability.
The lighter weight also changes how the dryer feels in use. With the motor in the handle, as on the Dyson, the weight sits close to your wrist, which makes the dryer feel lighter still. Traditional dryers carry the motor in the head, which tips forward when you hold it.
Noise: measured figures and what they mean
Expert Reviews measures noise with a decibel meter 15 cm from the dryer, roughly where your ear is when drying. The results range from 82.9 dB for the Dyson to 94 dB for the Remington. Because the decibel scale is logarithmic, a difference of ten decibels is perceived as roughly twice as loud.
The quietest dryers here are the Dyson, the mdlondon Blow at 88 dB and the Revlon at 89 dB. The Shark measured 90 dB, and Expert Reviews still lists loudness as a con, because the pitch matters as well as the level. Expert Reviews gives no figure for the ghd Helios.
If you dry your hair early in the morning or while others are asleep, a quieter dryer is worth considering. Noise also matters for children and pets who dislike loud appliances.
Owner noise ratings at Argos add some context. The Shark scores 2.6 out of 5 for noise there, and the ghd Helios bundle three out of five from two reviewers, so take these as rough guides rather than measurements.
Noise also changes with the speed setting, and lower speeds are quieter on any dryer. If quiet use matters, look for a dryer that still dries well on its middle setting.
Remember that the figures are measured close to the dryer. In the next room, with a door closed, the differences between models shrink considerably, so noise mainly matters for the person using the dryer and anyone in the same room.
Attachments for your hair type
A concentrator nozzle narrows the airflow for smoothing and styling with a brush, and every dryer here has one. A diffuser spreads the air gently over curls so they dry without frizz, and is the most important attachment if you have curly or coily hair.
The ghd Helios is the only dryer here without a diffuser, which Expert Reviews lists as a con. The Revlon, Shark, Dyson, mdlondon Blow and Remington all include one.
The Shark and Revlon add smoothing tools: the Shark has a smoothing brush and finishing tool, and the Revlon a smoothing finisher and root lift comb. The Dyson bundle at Argos includes a flyaway attachment for smoothing the top layer of hair.
More attachments are useful only if you use them. If you mainly rough dry and then straighten, a dryer with a concentrator and good airflow is enough. If you style with a brush or diffuse curls, the right attachment makes more difference than a few extra metres per second of airflow.
Check how the attachments fit. Magnetic attachments, as on the mdlondon Blow, are quick to swap; push-on attachments can be stiff, as one Argos reviewer of the Revlon found.
Replacement or extra attachments are sold for some models, but availability and prices vary. If you lose or break an attachment, the brand's own shop is usually the most reliable place to find a spare that fits.
Heat settings and cool shot
Every dryer here has several heat settings and a cool shot button that blows unheated air to set a style. Expert Reviews notes that the Revlon's highest setting is very hot, so start low, especially on fine or coloured hair.
The Shark limits its air to a maximum of 110°C, according to Argos, and has a scalp protection mode. Most manufacturers do not state temperatures for their dryers, and Expert Reviews does not measure air temperature for these models.
Lower heat with higher airflow is the main principle behind the modern dryers: they dry with speed rather than heat. Using a heat protection spray, as Expert Reviews does in its testing, is sensible with any dryer.
The number of settings matters less than having a sensible range. The ghd Helios has just two, according to Expert Reviews, which some users will find limiting.
A dryer that remembers your last setting saves time. One Argos reviewer notes that the Revlon resets its heat setting each time, which is a small but daily annoyance.
The cool shot deserves more use than most people give it. A few seconds of cool air at the end helps set a blow dry, and on most dryers here it is a single button you hold or press.
Cable length, plug and practical details
Cable length varies from 1.8 metres for the Remington to 3 metres for the ghd Helios. In a bedroom with the socket far from a mirror, the extra length is useful; in a bathroom with a shaver socket, it does not matter because hair dryers need a standard plug socket.
The Dyson's large plug is mentioned by both Expert Reviews and Argos reviewers. Check that it fits your socket, particularly behind furniture or in a multi-socket extension.
For travel, weight and size matter most. The Shark folds in half, and the Revlon and mdlondon Blow are small and light. None of our sources lists dual voltage for these models, so check the manufacturer's details before taking one abroad.
Look at how the controls are placed. Expert Reviews found the Shark's controls awkward, and some Argos owners find the Remington's buttons fiddly. If possible, try holding the dryer in a shop before buying.
Storage is worth considering too. The Revlon comes with a storage bag, and the Shark's folding design makes it easier to fit in a drawer.
A hanging loop is handy if you store the dryer on a hook, and a swivel cable, as on the Dyson according to Argos, reduces tangling. These details matter little in the shop but make daily use easier.
Price, guarantee and where to buy
The dryers here range from £37.99 to £349.99. Prices for premium dryers move often: the Dyson was reduced from £399.99 at Argos, and Expert Reviews lists the mdlondon Blow at £199 while mdlondon sold it for £132 on the assessment date.
Guarantees differ more than you might expect. Argos lists four years for the Revlon and for the Remington when registered within 28 days, and two years for the Shark and Dyson. Very lists two years for the ghd Helios.
Buying from a UK retailer gives you UK consumer rights. Beware of very cheap listings for premium dryers on marketplaces, as copies of popular models are common. Buy from the brand or a well-known retailer.
In our ranking, price counts for 15 per cent. The Revlon wins because it gives most of the benefits of a modern dryer, light weight, good airflow and moderate noise, at a fraction of the premium price.
If two dryers suit you equally, consider the guarantee length and the retailer's returns policy as tie-breakers, since a dryer is used almost daily and faults tend to appear after the first year.
Register your dryer with the manufacturer if that extends the guarantee. Argos says the Remington's four-year guarantee requires registration within 28 days, and it is easy to forget once the dryer is in use.
Match the dryer to your hair and routine
Short or fine hair dries quickly with almost any dryer. Here, low weight, low noise and a good concentrator matter more than top speed, and the Revlon or Remington give good value.
Long or thick hair is where airflow pays off. Expert Reviews' drying times show the gap: four minutes for the Dyson against seven for the Revlon on thick hair. If you dry long hair every day, the Shark or Dyson can save real time.
Curly and coily hair needs a good diffuser and gentle airflow. The Shark's diffuser is well liked by Argos owners, and an Argos reviewer praises the Dyson's results on 4c hair. Avoid the ghd Helios if you diffuse.
If you style with a round brush, weight is the key factor because you hold the dryer up for longer. The Revlon, Dyson and mdlondon Blow are all under 400 g in Expert Reviews' measurements.
Coloured or chemically treated hair benefits from lower heat. A dryer with strong airflow lets you use a cooler setting without drying taking much longer, which is one practical argument for the faster models.
If several people share one dryer, choose one with a range of attachments and settings. The Shark covers the widest range of hair types in one box, at the cost of weight and noise.
Finally, think about how often you dry your hair. A dryer used once a week does not need to be fast or light; one used every morning for ten minutes earns its price back in comfort and time.
