As a barber, I often have men ask me in hushed tones if they should use a hairdryer. Because men feel less than manly for even considering to use a hair dryer, that has led me to write this article on the best men’s hair dryers.
I want to clear the air and say that men should absolutely use a blow dryer. If you have a beard then you should also use that hair dryer on your beard!
We will get into the reasons that men should use a hairdryer as well as a handy guide on how to blow dry your hair yourself in a second.
First, I will point out that the hair dryer I use in the barbershop is the Berta Ionic hair dryer on Amazon.com. I’ll get into all the details in the review further down the page, but for now, I’ll say that it is a good option for guys as it is easy to use and lasts a long time.
If you don’t have time to read the full reviews, here is a table with the Best Hairdryers for Men.
- BERTA 1875W Ceramic Tourmaline Hair Dryer
- Best for:
Guys who like no frills while still expecting quality. - Power Rating
★★★★★ - Ease of Use
★★★★★ - Attachments Included
★★★ - Price: $$
- Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer
- Best for:
Guys who like the finer things in life and don’t mind spending to get them. - Power Rating
★★★★★ - Ease of Use
★★★★★ - Attachments included
★★★★ - Price: $$$$$
- Andis 1875-Watt Ceramic Ionic Styling Hair Dryer
- Best for:
Guys who have beards that love to maintain them. - Power Rating
★★★ - Ease of Use
★★★★★ - Attachments included
★★★★ - Price: $
- Cortex Professional Supro Ionic 5000 Hair Dryer
- Best for:
The guy who wants a hair dryer to look masculine while still doing a great job. - Power Rating
★★★★★ - Ease of Use
★★★★ - Attachments included
★★★ - Price: $$
- Centrix Q-Zone Dryer
- Best for:
Anybody who wants a quiet hair drying session and doesn’t need loads of bells and whistles. - Power Rating
★★★★ - Ease of Use
★★★★ - Attachments included
★★★ - Price: $$$
Does a Hair Dryer Damage the Hair?
Cheap hair dryers damage hair. People who use too high heat on the hair dryer damage hair.
The best hairdryers for men, on the other hand, not only doesn’t damage hair but can actually improve hair health. Especially in the hands of somebody who knows how to use one. (Don’t worry, it is easy and after reading this article you will know how to dry your hair the right way at home)
Cheap hair dryers often use metal coils to heat the air to dry the hair. This is usually way too hot and that causes the hair to get dry and split in the worst cases. Even in the best case scenario, it makes the hair frizzy.
To avoid drying out or damaging your hair read on for a guide on how to pick best hairdryers for men.
How to Pick the Right Hair Dryer for Men
Some of the best hairdryers for men use the latest technology to make sure that your hair is as healthy and good looking after blow drying as it was before.
So what are the things to look for in a good hair dryer?
Power
The more power a hair dryer has, the faster it can dry your hair. The faster your hair gets dried, the less likely it will be to get too dry and split.
Look for a hair dryer in the 1300W to 1850W range for fast drying. Since we’re mostly talking about guys with shorter hair and without complicated styles, then anything within this range will be fine, even if it is on the lower end. Keep in mind, though that the lower the wattage the shorter its lifespan.
Temperature control
Most hair dryers have at least a cool and a hot setting, but it’s best to have a third setting for medium. High heat will dry the hair fast, but depending on the thickness of your hair, it may get dried out. Too cool and it will take longer to dry. Medium heat is going to be best for most men’s hair types.
Cold shot button
This is a relatively new feature to hair dryers. It is a dedicated button that blasts the hair with cold air. Do this when your hair is dried and styled to set the style. This is especially handy if you are using any hair products like pomade or wax when you don’t want it to look shiny.
Ceramic coils
Coils made out of ceramic as opposed to metal will heat evenly and not overheat. This is essential in keeping your hair from getting fried. Any decent hair dryer these days comes with ceramic coils, but keep an eye out for what the coils are made from just to be sure.
Tourmaline or Ionic
Ionic hair dryers will give a blast of negative ions to your hair keeping it protected from the heat of the dryer. In essence, it works like a conditioner, which means fuller, shinier and softer hair. It sounds a little new agey, but I can confirm that there is a big difference in hair that is dried with ionic hair dryers than those without the feature.
How to Blow Dry Your Hair | Tips for Men
Besides the fact that not blow drying your hair correctly can actually do damage, it is also making it more difficult to get your hair looking good.
Do these simple steps to get the most out of your hair dryer.
Towel dry
Your hair should be damp, but not wet. Towel dry it enough so it is not only not dripping, but probably wouldn’t soak your pillow if you were to lie down.
Too wet hair takes too long to dry which could lead to it getting dried out, and can also make it more difficult to style.
Damp hair will dry quickly and retain its moisture.
Manage the heat
Start out with a low power setting and cool air. This will get the excess moisture out of your hair to begin with. Then go up to medium heat and medium power if it has that option. If it doesn’t have a medium power option, then keep the fan on low with the heat on medium. After a minute on low power, you can blast it to high power, but still, keep the heat to medium. If it feels like it is too hot at high power, then lower the heat to cool.
Work methodically
Try to resist just blasting air all over your head with no system. Yes, this will dry it, but it will take longer to dry and longer to style.
Start low on the side, then follow the same path around the bottom of the hairline. Once you have made a complete pass around the head, go up a couple of inches and repeat. When you get to the top of the head, start in the front and work your way towards the back.
Start at the roots
If you’re only working the tips of your hair, it may seem like it is dry when you are ready to style, but it isn’t. If you put product in now, it won’t be able to keep the style as the moisture underneath will work its way to the surface. Give your hair a thorough dry.
Use tools
Many hair dryers come with a diffuser to put over the nozzle to dry more area more gently and tone down the frizziness.. If your hair dryer doesn’t come with a diffuser then look for one that can fit on any hair dryer.
The brush or a wide toothed comb will keep the hair in the right direction while you dry.
Keep your distance
It’s tempting to just put the nozzle right up to the hair to get it dry quickly. This will overheat your hair and make it brittle. Not only that, but you are likely to have a wild head of hair that is difficult to style after.
Keep the hair dryer around six inches away from the head and avoid keeping it in one spot too long.
Products
If you are still nervous about damaging your hair when hair drying, then hedge your bets by using a hair protectant product for blow drying from Amazon.com. A quick spray and comb through while it is still damp will protect your hair from drying out.
That’s all there is to it. It should only take around 10 minutes or so on short hair to dry it using the best hairdryers for men. Maybe add a couple more minutes if you have a complicated style.
If you are usually frustrated that you can’t get your hair to look like it did when you left the barbershop, then the answer is to give yourself a professional looking hair drying at home.
Our List of the Best Kind of Hairdryers for Men
BERTA 1875W Ceramic Tourmaline Hair Dryer
It has all the power needed to quickly dry your hair. It uses ionic technology to protect your hair and leave it soft. And it has three temperature settings. It does exactly what you need it to do and at a fair price.
The 1875W motor supplies more power than most guys need, so elevated airflow means faster drying hair.
It has two power settings, low and high and three heat settings, cool, warm and hot. The lo power setting plus medium heat is probably going to get the job done on most guy’s hair. For those that style, the cool lock button will seal the hair in place while locking in your hair’s moisture.
Ceramic coils and tourmaline ionic infused heat seals the deal here.
The only thing missing is more attachments. It does come with a concentrator nozzle, but if you’re looking for a diffuser or comb attachment then you will need to order separately.
It has everything I look for in a hair dryer for the shop. The price is right and the solid construction means it will last a long time, which is why it makes it to our list of the best hairdryers for men.
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Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer
Is the Dyson hair dryer worth the money?
Yes, the best hairdryers for men are totally worth it. If you have money to burn you could spend it on worse things.
If you have it in your budget, this is easily of the best hairdryers for men around and definitely the best you will have ever owned.
What makes the Dyson hair dryer one of the best hairdryers for men?
For starters, there is an internal temperature gauge that reads the temperature of the air to keep it from getting too hot. Other hair dryers just shut off and you have to wait for them to cool down to turn it back on. Which adds way more time to drying your hair.
It is insanely quiet. You can hardly even tell it is going when you have it near your head. Nevermind that you don’t need to shout to be heard when talking to somebody sitting right next to you.
It has four heat settings, three airflow settings, a cold shot button and alerts you to when the filter needs to be changed.
It dries your hair incredibly fast and supercharges the follicles with negative ions.
The motor of the blow dryer is in the handle, which makes it perfectly balanced and easy to maneuver.
There are three attachments that come included. Two are concentrated airflow nozzles and the other is a diffuser. They attach sturdily with magnets.
If you’re looking for the Ferrari of hair dryers then this is definitely it.
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Andis 1875-Watt Tourmaline Ceramic Ionic Styling Hair Dryer
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Cortex Professional Supro Ionic 5000 Hair Dryer
The Cortex is one of our best hairdryers for men, that has a decidedly masculine aesthetic while also providing excellent results for men’s hair.
It boasts a 40% higher airflow rate than its peers. This makes for a very quick hair drying session for busy guys. It also protects your hair from over-drying.
It has a button to turn on or off the ionic infusion heating, which kind of perplexes me. I don’t see any reason to keep it turned off. Using it every time to dry your hair can only benefit you. Maybe they just think guys like to have buttons to press.
In any case, the ionic infusion keeps the hair hydrated and healthy.
It’s a very light weight dryer considering its power. It also easily screws off for quick cleaning of the filter.
For the price, it really cannot be beaten as one of the best hairdryers for men. It is a salon level hair dryer that any professional would be happy to use while being designed with the average man in mind.
The only thing missing is a diffuser attachment, though it does come with a concentrated airflow attachment.
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Centrix Q-Zone Dryer
It doesn’t trade other features for the quiet, however. It still has ionic infusion heating, ceramic coils, two-speed settings and a cold blast button.
The downside is that it does not have temperature settings. If your hair is short, it should not be an issue as it does not run super hot.
It has a 1875W motor so it has the power to quickly dry your hair.
If you are a barber or stylist looking for the best hairdryers for men that are also quiet for your shop then this is a great idea. It may not have as many settings as you like, but the sound of hair dryers in a salon or barbershop is pretty annoying so this fits the bill even with those shortcomings.
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How to use a hairdryer
This may seem like the most obvious thing in the world that needs no instructions, but there is a right way to dry your hair that you may not know about. What happens if you don’t dry your hair the right way?
Using a hair dryer can be quite damaging to your hair even on a good day. If you aren’t using it properly it can really do a number on your hair.
For starters, it will dry out your hair. If you spend any time taking care of your hair you can undo all that hard work by not drying your hair properly.
When it is overdried, it becomes brittle. This brittleness will eventually lead to split ends which are pretty embarrassing. Your hair will always look fuzzy and strange and aside from getting a haircut, there isn’t anything you can do to make it look better.
Your hair will feel really rough as a result as well. When you feel your hair and it feels like rubbing shark skin then you know you overdid it.
And the shine of your hair will also be dulled if not totally gone. Your hair won’t look healthy, because frankly, it won’t be.
Still think you don’t need to dry your hair properly?
Start with a towel dry
You want to get your hair as dry as possible before you take the blow dryer to it. If your hair is too wet when you get started then this is a sure fire way to dry out your hair completely. You wan the process to go as quickly as possible.
Make sure that it is not only not dripping, but that it only feels slightly damp to the touch.
Make sure you use a microfiber or cotton towel that is not only very soft but very absorbent.
You want to be gentle on your hair, especially if it is longer than shoulder length to avoid doing any damage to the follicle. A fast absorbing towel is the best way to dry it well while still being gentle.
Apply protectant
This step doesn’t apply to everybody, so take it with a grain of salt. You may not need to do this.
There are some conditioners that you can put in just before you start drying your hair to protect it from the heat. If you have long, fine hair or have any kind of treatment like dye, then this is a good insurance protection plan.
While your hair is still damp, apply the lotion starting from your skin and work your way out towards the tips of your hair.
Set the heat
If your hair dryer has 3 settings or more, then start out with it on the low setting. If you have a lot of hair then you can start on medium, but for most guys with short hair the best way to avoid drying out your hair is to use the lowest setting to start.
Start drying
Position the hair dryer about 6 to 8 inches from your head and start moving it from one point to another. Try to work methodically here and start on one side and finish on the opposite. Then start at the front of the top of your head and work your way to the back.
You don’t need to always be rocking the dryer back and forth, but you also can’t linger in one spot for too long.
To get best results start from the roots and work your way up.
Start thinking about how your going to wear it as this is the point when you can use the air to get your hair going in a certain direction.
To get volume and lift in your hair angle the dryer up and run your fingers through your hair in the direction you want the hair to be while the air blows through. At this point you should be on a medium heat.
If your hair is long, then you can flip your hair over your face and use the nozzle from behind to blow the air towards the front to get it totally dry.
When you think your hair is just about dry then that is when you want to blast it with some hot air for a few seconds.
Apply styling product
If you have a style that isn’t just a comb over or slicked back or any other simple cut then you may want to add your styling product at this point.
Putting pomade or wax in your hair before you dry it is a great way to add volume to your hair and make sure that your style gets set exactly the way you are looking to wear it.
Most pomades can weigh your hair down quite a bit so I highly recommend using it with a hair dryer. Waxes can go on light, but you can lock in that style with the help of a blow dryer.
Apply the product starting from the roots and work your way out to the ends.
Then with the dryer set on the coolest setting, use it to dry the product in the style you want to set it.
Keep in mind that you will end up with a matte finish and not a shiny one if you use your hair dryer to style.
Final Thoughts
Ok, using a hair dryer is not rocket science, but as you can see it can make or break your hair style.
The same goes for using a cheapo hair dryer for men. Use the best one you can afford with all the bells and whistles and you will definitely get your money’s worth.
Any of the hair dryers on this list will definitey do you well.
If you have any questions, though, let me know by adding a comment to the box below. As a barber I feel like I can guide you to the right one if you’re unsure still.
I’m an outdoor enthusiast and have sported a full beard since I was in my early 20’s. Originally, growing a beard was a way to save time when getting ready each day, but I quickly realized that keeping a neatly trimmed beard takes work and some forethought. That’s where this site comes in.
You get to benefit from my years of experience. I’ve reviewed many of the top hair clippers on the market today and also included some information on what works best for me. A great beard will turn lots of heads in your direction.
Since I never know when I’m going to find myself being photographed, whether it’s climbing in Yosemite, or playing volleyball on the beach, it’s important to me to always look my very best. Maintaining my beard is part of my daily routine and I hope you’ll find some useful tips and information on this site to help you on your journey.
Best I have ever used is the Karmin.
Interesting. I have never tried that one and am curious now. What did you like about it?