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    7 Best Hair Dryers From Our Tests

    We tried several Dysons, a Shark, and more to find the most powerful, easiest-to-use hair dryers

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    seven hair dryers from brands such as Dyson, Rusk and Shark
    A good hair dryer should be speedy, quiet(ish), and comfortable to hold.
    Photos: Consumer Reports

    Hair dryers have come a long way since I started using them as a teenager. That hair dryer, which I’m 80 percent sure is still in my parents’ bathroom, had two heat settings (tepid and more tepid), two speed settings, and it rattled. 

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    More on Haircare

    You can get a lot more from a hair dryer now. We recently put 16 hair dryers to the test, and many of these products bear little resemblance to the simple, rickety thing I used as a teen. The new models have sensors. They have magnets and RFID chips. They promise to tame flyaways, protect your scalp, and adjust the settings depending on the attachment you use. 

    Although you may or may not need such elaborate features, some of the higher-end hair dryers are better products, in design, overall functionality, and ease of use. Read on to find which ones we liked best. (Hot tip: You can view and compare all the specifications for each hair dryer on our hair dryers ratings page.) 

    Our Top-Rated Hair Dryers

    Become a member to read the full article and get access to digital ratings.

    We investigate, research, and test so you can choose with confidence.


    Angela Lashbrook

    Angela Lashbrook is a senior multimedia content creator at Consumer Reports. She has been with CR since 2021 and covers a wide range of topics, but she is particularly interested in anything health- or parenting-related. She lives with her husband, their son, and her dog, a Libra named Gordo.