The beauty of ionic hair dryers is that they use negatively charged ions to cut drying time, reduce frizz, and seal the hair cuticle to lock in moisture for a shinier head of hair that's less prone to breakage. The best ionic hair dryers will be designed with ceramic or tourmaline coating, and they'll be outfitted with speed and heat settings that bring out the best in your locks, at a price that's within your budget. Here are some things to look for:
- Ceramic and tourmaline: Ionic hair dryers feature heating elements that are coated in either ceramic or tourmaline (a crushed up gem powder) — and sometimes both. This coating, along with the heat, helps to generate negative ions, which makes for a gentler, faster blowout, while adding shine.
- Settings: Adjustable speed settings allow you to tweak your blowout so you can go slow while you dry your bangs and more quickly for the rest of your hair. Likewise, temperature options let you dry as quickly as possible at the safest heat level for your hair type. (Pro tip: Lower temperatures are often safer for fine hair, while thicker hair can usually handle higher levels of heat.) And you'll want to hit that cool shot button at the end of your blowout to set your style and seal the cuticle.
- Attachments: For more styling options, a concentrator attachment can help straighten and smooth, while a diffuser will evenly distribute heat to help maintain natural curl formation.
- Wattage: Higher wattage offers more airflow, so you can dry your hair with less heat in the same amount of time. You'll typically want to look for a hair dryer with 1300 to 1875 watts.
With a good ionic hair dryer, it's totally possible to achieve a salon-level blowout at home while minimizing any potential damage. Scroll on for the best ionic hair dryers on Amazon.
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Utilizing 1875 watts of airflow, this highly rated ionic hair dryer works quickly, reduces frizz, and boosts shine. Plus, it gets an extra hand from the ceramic coated grill that's infused with tourmaline to lock in moisture. The dryer features two heat settings and three speed options for styling versatility on a wide range of hair types, and the cool shot button sets your style. It comes with four attachments (the most on this list): a diffuser to define curls, a wide concentrator to smooth thick hair, a narrow concentrator for sleek styles, and a concentrator-comb combo so you can gently detangle while you dry.
Rave review: “I really loved this hair dryer. I purchased it primarily for the diffuser, because I have wavy hair. But I also have bangs which I like to smooth out, so being able to switch out attachments easily is a big plus. I also like having 3 different speeds and 3 different heat levels, which allows for a lot of control. I feel like my hair dries very quickly even without a lot of heat."
Next up is this affordable 1875-watt Remington ionic hair dryer. Boasting thousands of five-star reviews, it uses a ceramic and tourmaline ion generator to dry hair quickly and safely while keeping frizz to a minimum. It has three heat and two speed settings, as well as a cool shot to finish off your blowout. You can use the concentrator to target strands and the diffuser for curly hair.
Rave review: “Wow. Genuinely surprised at how well this blow dryer works. [..] But after using it a few times on my thick, coarse, wavy/curly hair I am very pleased with this purchase."
The Sam Villa professional hair dryer is a bit of a splurge, but it's exceptionally compact, lightweight, and, in the words of one reviewer, "extremely quiet." The 1750-watt dryer uses ceramic and tourmaline technology to generate ions and features two heat and speed settings, as well as a cool shot button to leave hair soft and shiny. It comes with two concentrators: a wide concentrator for long, thick hair and a narrow concentrator for intricate styles. You'll have to purchase the wide bowl diffuser separately, but it's surprisingly affordable.
Rave review: “This blower is amazing! I use the diffuser attachment on the medium speed, and I have to say it makes me like my hair again! Another reviewer described the airflow as "soft" and I now understand what they meant. The air doesn't push out, yet it dries very effectively. My curls are not blasted, they hold together nicely and the results from this blow dryer are really amazing."
Boasting more than 35,000 glowing reviews, the Revlon One-Step hair dryer gets consistently high ratings, and it's pretty easy to see why. It's designed with an oval brush that smooths hair and rounds out edges to create shape and volume, and unlike a traditional hair dryer, it's safe to place it close to the scalp to give your roots a lift. The ceramic ionic dryer has two speed settings, and a cool mode, and while it only provides 1100 watts of power, users say it still cuts down on styling time, since you don't have to fuss with a straightener or curling iron. Choose from three colors: pink, mint, and turquoise.
Rave review: “I am by no means a hair professional, but I have a fairly wide range of high end styling tools at home. This is by far my new favorite. It is much easier to handle/manage than styling with a round brush and dryer.”
Looking for compact ionic hair dryer you can take on the road? This Conair travel hair dryer will do the trick. Offering 1875 watts of power, the dual wattage dryer folds down and features a retractable cord for compact packing. The tourmaline ceramic dryer operates on two combination heat and speed settings, and the cool shot button will add a boost of shine.
Rave review: “This turned out to be a great buy for me. I wanted a replacement for my old hair dryer that I have had forever and this has been such an improvement! It is very lightweight and dries using ‘ions’ so my hair looks more ‘calm’ and not overheated.”
