The 14 Best Hair Dryers for Fine Hair, According to Stylists

• What We Like: evenly distributed weight, accommodates all hair lengths and types, winner of 400+ beauty awards
• What We Don't Like: only comes with a few attachments
• Features: fast-drying, ionic technology, cold shot button
• Heat settings: 3
• Attachments: concentrator

“I’ve used many blow dryers throughout my career and this is the one that withstands everything,” Bataille says. “The weight is evenly distributed nicely through the body and the air flow is strong enough for long hair and perfect for even a pixie.” The blow dryer is the recipient of over 400 awards, including Allure’s Best of Beauty. It features fast-drying and ionic technology, a cold shot button and it comes with a concentrator attachment.

• What We Like: lightweight, cool shot, removable lint filter, includes attachments
• What We Don't Like: some buyers have experienced malfunctions in the first two years
• Features: less than 1 lb, cool shot, quiet
• Heat settings: 6
• Attachments: pick, diffuser, concentrator

For those who aren’t looking to spend a small fortune, the Hot Tools Professional Turbo Hair Dryer does the job well. “Hot Tools make relatively budget-friendly products that are good quality,” Chong says. “Temperatures can be adjusted and the ionic/ceramic technology helps to dry hair fast with minimal damage.” This hair dryer has six heat and speed settings, comes with three attachments and has a removeable lint filter. It’s also easy to travel with, weighing in at less than a pound.

• What We Like: helps increase shine, dries hair quickly, no extreme heat
• What We Don't Like: expensive, best on dry/straight hair
• Features: heat protection, magnetic attachments, quiet operation, Dyson V9 digital motor, intelligent heat control
• Heat settings: 4
• Attachments: concentrator, flyaway, diffuser, wide-tooth comb, gentle air

The Dyson Super Sonic is a top pick for both Chong and Berkovitz for its speed and ability to increase smoothness and shine, while decreasing frizz. Bonus points: it’s incredibly lightweight and quiet.

“The engineers at Dyson seem to best understand the science of hair and address noise, heat delivery and minimizing damage,” Berkovitz notes. “It includes customized temperature settings and highly controlled airflow speeds in addition to the cold shots, all powered through a strong motor that keeps heat flowing.”

• What We Like: infrared heat protects hair, professional motor, cold shot, removable filter, 2-year warranty
• What We Don't Like: only comes with one attachment
• Features: ceramic technology, cold shot, concentrator nozzle, professional motor
• Heat settings: 4
• Attachments: concentrator nozzle

“BaBybliss has good quality products overall,” Chong shares. “Heat setting controls help adjust the temperature to suit finer hair and the ceramic technology allows it to dry gently using less heat.” The BaBylissPRO uses infrared heat, which is gentler on hair, and comes with a concentrator nozzle. Though not extremely weighty, it comes in at 2.2 pounds, which caused some reviewers to remark that it felt heavy. That can be overlooked, though, for the benefits of four heat settings, six speeds and the professional motor.

• What We Like: lots of heat and speed settings, ion technology, smart microchip controls heat
• What We Don’t Like: some say buttons can be hard to manage
• Features: wider airflow cuts down on drying time, helps hair retain moisture, ion generator mitigates frizz and adds shine
• Heat settings: 15
• Attachments: paddle brush, round brush

If you’ve ever even window shopped for a Dyson hair tool, you know the prices can be eye-popping. Enter: the T3 AireLuxe. “This dryer is fast and gentle since it’s ionic,” Chong says. “It has a sleek design, yet it’s still powerful. And it’s a pretty good alternative to a pricier Dyson.” Indeed, the hair dryer retails for about $200 less than the Dyson Supersonic and $400 less than the Airwrap. The T3 uses ion technology, which helps prevent hair from frizzing, while also boosting shine. Plus, the wider airflow helps reduce drying time. It’s built with a smart microchip that controls the heat and comes with two attachments, plus a paddle and round brush.

• What We Like: LCD display, removable filter, cool shot
• What We Don't Like: a little bulky
• Features: far-infrared technology, ions seal hair cuticle, helps manage frizz and increase shine, gentle airflow reduces tangles
• Heat settings: 5
• Attachments: concentrator, diffuser

Chong calls the Paul Mitchell Express Ion Dry+ a more budget friendly option that will still do a solid job. The hair dryer uses infrared technology that’s gentle on your hair, and the negative ions seal the hair cuticle, mitigating frizz and increasing shine. The hair dryer’s gentle airflow also promises to reduce flyaways.

• What We Like: no extreme heat, suitable for multiple hair types and lengths,
• What We Don't Like: expensive
• Features: Coanda airflow, intelligent heat control, cold shot, negative ions
• Heat settings: 3
• Attachments: barrels, round brush, smoothing brushes

"This is a great alternative to getting curls or waves without using hot irons,” Chong says of the beloved Dyson Airwrap. “Irons can be too hot for some types of fine hair to handle. The Airwrap is an easy way to create movement/body and smooth the hair without overworking the strands.” The Airwrap comes with five attachments, plus the brand’s signature intelligent heat control and Coanda airflow technology.

• What We Like: distributes air evenly and quickly, lightweight, swivel cord, 4-year warranty
• What We Don't Like: no attachments
• Features: oval brush, ionic technology, nylon pin and boar bristles, ceramic coating,
• Heat settings: 2
• Attachments: 0

If you’re not ready to fork over $600 for a Dyson, Chong recommends the Revlon Volumizing Turbo Styler as a reputable alternative. “[It’s an] inexpensive option with ceramic and ionic technology. And it’s super easy to use with the brush attachment,” she says. She notes that though the brush has ceramic and ionic technology, you should still use heat protectant. 

• What We Like: travels well, durable, helps mitigate frizz, works on all hair types
• What We Don't Like: not as efficient on long hair
• Features: iconic technology
• Heat settings: 3
• Attachments: wide and narrow concentrators

“It’s easy to pack and travel with and it can take a good beating,” Bataille says of the Drybar Buttercup. While great for those with short to mid-length hair, he shares that those with longer locks might find themselves spending a little more time on styling. The hairdryer features ionic technology that will seal the hair cuticle and prevent frizz. It comes with two concentrators—wide to speed the drying process and narrow for precision styling.

• What We Like: custom airflow options, auto-pause mode
• What We Don't Like: only comes with a few attachments
• Features: cool shot, magnetic concentrator, automatic heat adjustment
• Heat settings: 4
• Attachments: concentrator

According to Bataille, the design of the Instyler 7X can pack a great punch when it comes to drying your fine strands. When purchasing, he notes that he would make sure the size of the handle and weight of the head provide good grip and balance. The Instyler 7X claims to pack in seven times the ions compared to other hairdryers and has features such as automatic heat adjustment, custom airflow settings and an auto-pause mode.

• What We Like: lightweight, ergonomic design, faster drying, frizz reduction, 2-year warranty, good for all hair types
• What We Don't Like: only 1 attachment
• Features: ionic technology, digital controls,
• Heat settings: 3
• Attachments: 1

Fact: It’s always nice to have your own hair dryer instead of betting on the wildcard option at the hotel. Berkovitz says the Drybar Reserve hair dryer is an ideal pick for travel because at just a pound, it still comes with the essential attachments and has good power, plus ionic technology and an ergonomic design.

• What We Like: 30 percent smaller, 20 percent lighter than most hair dryers
• What We Don't Like: doesn’t collapse
• Features: T3 IonAir technology, cool shot, lightweight, quiet
• Heat settings: 3
• Attachments: concentrator, diffuser

The T3 Micro Fit offers a nice balance between size and performance, being 30 percent smaller and 20 percent lighter than a regular hair dryer. Though smaller in stature, it still packs the punch with its full range of features: the T3 IonAir technology, attachments, quiet motor and multiple heat settings. Bataille says this is a good option for those with short-to-medium length hair.

• What We Like: 10-year warranty, lightweight
• What We Don't Like: only comes with one attachment
• Features: can dry hair in 10 minutes, Moisturizing Heat Technology, cold shot, infrared heat
• Heat settings: 3
• Attachments: 1

The Bio Ionic 10X packages lightweight design and power into a sleek hair dryer that’s able to tackle even thick, coarse hair with speed. “It has a volcanic rock component that helps seal moisture in the cuticle quickly and efficiently for a polished finish,” Berkovitz explains. This dryer is so serious about ions that the word is actually in its name. Its secret lies in its ionic moisturizing heat technology, which aims to fight frizz. On top of that, it has an 1800-watt brushless motor and actually uses what Bio Ionic claims is 75 percent less energy than other dryers on the market.

• What We Like: uses infrared heat to reduce thermal damage, can reduce drying time by 50 percent
• What We Don't Like: cold shot button can be hard to reach
• Features: energy efficient design, lightweight, ceramic honeycomb technology for faster drying, cool shot
• Heat settings: 3
• Attachments: speed dry nozzle, diffuser

Bataille calls this hair dryer “gentle and effective.” If you’ve used Morrocanoil products before, you know this company is all about hydration. The brand's dryer keeps with that M.O., using infrared light to reduce heat exposure (and therefore suck out less moisture). Plus, it has a ceramic honeycomb heating unit that can cut down your drying time by a reported 50 percent. It features two speeds and three heat settings to customize your blowout, too.