I'm a Beauty Editor with Fine Hair, These Hair Dryers Gave Lift and Minimized Heat Damage (2024)

TL;DR

Your best bet for drying fine hair is the Shark SpeedStyle, a tool with five unique attachments that shape, smooth, and style hair without heat damage. If you’re looking for something less expensive, we recommend the Revlon One-Step Volumizer, a hot air brush that dries hair quickly and voluminously.

Why does fine hair need a special hair dryer?

Fine hair tends to be more fragile and susceptible to breakage. To eliminate some of the tension, you'll want to reach for a blow-dryer equipped with technology or features that gently dry and style fine hair. Tip: Look for a tool with low and/or medium heat options to lessen the potential damage.

Our Top Picks

Max Temp: 230°F | Features: 6 innovative attachments, 6 heat and speed settings | Type of Technology: Ionic

Of all the hair tools money can buy, this is the only one you need. I know that’s a pretty crazy statement to make, but let me explain. This hair tool, developed by household products giant Shark, is as innovative as it gets. While ionic technology isn’t anything new, the temperature-regulating capabilities and one-of-a-kind attachments put this dryer in a tough contention with the famed Dyson.

Prior to testing, I’d never used this tool before, but I found it incredibly easy to use. All you have to do is pop on an attachment, turn it on, and pick between six heat and speed settings. Picking the attachment is honestly the hardest part, since there are six to choose from: the Lift & Stretch Wide-Tooth Comb, the Turbo Concentrator, the Express Touchup Brush, the RapidGloss Finisher, the QuickSmooth Brush, and the DefrizzFast Diffuser. I opted for the QuickSmooth Brush—a hybrid between a round brush and a comb—and the RapidGloss Finisher. I found the QuickSmooth brush easy to run through my hair and noticed very little fallout on the brush. In minutes, it smoothed my wet waves into a sleek, soft blowout. Then, to finish things off, I took the RapidGloss Finisher to tamp down any remaining frizz and flyaways. If I could use this every day, I would.

Max Temp: 175°F | Features: Cool tip, bristle brush, 3 heat and speed settings | Type of Technology: Non-ionic

When it comes to styling, fine hair can be finicky. I personally struggle with achieving a smooth finish that isn’t totally limp. Thankfully, this tool exists and it’s great for getting a slight bounce on the ends and a bit of a lift for those front pieces. The hot brush is exactly what it sounds like: A blow-dryer that has a built-in brush that builds volume with each pass. The expertly designed nylon and boar-bristle brush detangles hair while warm air dries it and locks it in place. In my experience, it does a great job of creating the subtly curled, flippy ends that I love (and otherwise struggle to achieve with a classic dryer) and smooths any rogue hairs. Just keep in mind that you should use the low setting to dry your hair, or else you run the risk of burning your hair.

Max Temp: 212°F | Features: 3 speed and 4 heat settings | Type of Technology: Ionic

In the world of hair dryers, Dyson is in a class of its own. The brand, which is known for its bougie vacuums, has revolutionized the hair tool game and has dominated the scene ever since. This high-ticket blow-dryer boasts all kinds of tech features: A sensor that measures the temperature to prevent heat damage, a high-velocity jet for fast drying, and, best of all, five magnetic styling attachments (a flyaway attachment, a styling concentrator, a diffuser, a wide-tooth comb, and a gentle air attachment). Yes, it’s expensive, but because of the attachments, you’re getting multiple tools in one. My personal favorites are the wide-tooth comb (which works the same as a hot brush, in my opinion) and the flyaway attachment, which helps smooth out those pesky pieces that stand up on the top of my head. The result: A silky, frizz-free blowout in minutes.

Max Temp: 101°F | Features: 8 speed and heat settings, cool shot, 9-foot cord | Type of Technology: Ionic and non-ionic capabilities

Equipped with eight speed and heat settings and a compact, ergonomic design, this blow-dryer is small but mighty. It’s a favorite of Kim’s for this reason and the fact that it can toggle between ionic and non-ionic technology. “With this dryer, you get 1875 watts and 125 volts that will blow hair 80+ mph to cut drying time in half,” she explains. “Plus the ion functionality allows for a customized sleek or voluminous style with maximum shine.” Just keep in mind that the highest speed setting may be too much for fine hair, so you (like me) may find that your sweet spot is in one of the slower options.

Max Temp: N/A | Features: 3 heat and speed settings, boar tech and charcoal bristles, 8-foot cord, detachable design | Type of Technology: Ionic

Similar to the Revlon, this isn’t a hair dryer per se—it’s technically classified as a hot brush—but it’s key for achieving a voluminous, salon-level blowout at home. Your hair should be 90% dry before using it to avoid too much damage, but once you let your hair air dry and whir it into action, I promise it’ll be worth the wait. I tried it on almost-dry hair and after one or two passes, my wavy hair looked smooth and sleek with a slight flip at the end, thanks to the rounded shape of the brush. I especially loved how seamless and gentle the process felt, and it’s all due to the charcoal and boar bristles that refresh and detangle the hair with ease. I love that the top can be detached from the base, which makes it great for travel, too.

Max Temp: 150°F | Features: 3 heat settings, diffuser, concentrator, gentle air attachment | Type of Technology: Light

Traditional dryers use high heat to dry hair, basically overdrying your hair and scalp, leaving it dry and damaged. Zuvi’s hair dryer uses light to dry only the water droplets on the surface of the hair, preventing it from being stripped of its internal moisture (aka the key to healthy hair). That said, there is a learning curve. I was struggling to dry my hair at first and thought it was the dryer’s fault. In reality, it was my fault for not giving the tool the time it needed to work its magic. Don’t expect this one to work quickly, but, as they say, good things take time. Once you get comfortable with the tool, it’s easy to use and, above all else, is very comfortable. I never felt my scalp or hair become hot (something that undoubtedly happens with traditional dryers) and it sits nicely in the palm of my hand.

Max Temp: N/A | Features: 5 heat settings, 3 speed settings, volume boost switch, ionic switch | Type of Technology: Ionic

Dryers with ionic technology blast out negative ions to counteract positive ions found in wet hair, drying it without as much damage as coil-heated dryers. The T3 AireLuxe takes ionic technology one step further with a unique generator that infuses the air with 10 million negative ions per second, helping to blow out hair and leaving it soft and glossy. I loved the settings on this one—there are 15 different heat/speed combinations you can use for a customized hair-drying experience—and liked how easy it was to switch between each one. The drying time was quick (it took me a few minutes) and my hair felt silky and straight after. The only con to this hair dryer is that the two concentrator nozzles are all you get; you have to buy additional attachments, like a diffuser and a smoothing comb, separately.

FAQ

• How do you style fine hair with a blow-dryer?

  To achieve the most volume, Kim recommends rough-drying your hair before styling it. “Direct the airflow upwards to achieve the most lift,” she adds.

• How often should you blow-dry fine hair?

  Kim recommends blow-drying fine hair as infrequently as possible to minimize damage. “The upside to having fine hair is that it dries faster out of the shower, so you won’t have to spend much time with heat on your hair,” she explains. When you do want to style it with a blow-dryer, Kim suggests letting your hair air-dry a bit first before roughing the roots upward for volume and then smoothing everything out on a low heat setting.
  

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