Ceramic hair dryers protect hair by distributing even, less intense heat than your standard drugstore dryer. What that means is that, whether your hair is thick, thin, or somewhere in between, the best ceramic hair dryers can dry without damaging your strands. The key, however, is knowing what to look for in a ceramic dryer since options abound.
Breaking Down The Buzzwords
There's a lot of high-tech jargon surrounding ceramic hair dryers, so it's helpful to understand the key terms.
Ionic: Many ceramic dryers also use negative ions to help hair dry more quickly, since the negative ions react with water’s positive ions to prevent droplets from soaking into the hair strands. This technology also helps prevent frizz.
Tourmaline: Ceramic hair dryers with tourmaline offer even more ionic power, since tourmaline, a mineral compound, emits negative ions, as well infrared.
Far-Infrared: Dryers using far-infrared heat also are extra gentle. They work to dry the hair with longer energy wavelengths that feel cooler since they're working from the inside of the shaft out.
Nano Technology: You might see picks advertising nano silver or nano titanium dioxide, with the promised benefit of being antibacterial. However, according to Everyday Health, that's largely a marketing gimmick.
A Note On Wattage
Most high-tech ceramic dryers are designed to be powerful yet gentle. But, a general rule of thumb is that higher wattage options are more powerful and can dry hair faster. Most hair types should look for dryers with at least 1800 to 1850 watts, although if you have particularly fine hair, a lower wattage should suffice.
Other Considerations
Styling attachments can be helpful depending on your hair type or the look you’re going for. Consider ones with diffusers for drying curly hair with minimal frizz or concentrators for drying hair smooth and straight. Lightweight dryers are ideal if you don't want to get an arm workout simply trying to dry your locks.
Take a look at the best ceramic hair dryers below; there’s a pick for every budget and they’re all highly rated.
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