The best quiet hair dryer

Unless you live like a hermit by yourself, you and whoever is living in your home would probably appreciate a quiet hair dryer. Not only will you provide yourself with a peaceful blow drying session, you will also prevent annoying your spouses, siblings, or speaking children. We will help you find the best quiet hair dryer that will reduce the volume of your blow drying.

1. Conair 1875 Watt Ionic Conditioning Hair Dryer (Link)

This hair dryer is an affordable solid performer for daily use. The ionic technology is quieter than some of the other technologies used in other dryers. Static and frizee are also reduced greatly by this technology. The Conair dryer is compact, light, and ergonomic for long drying sessions.

Several attachments are included to give you better control and styling. These include a diffuser and a concentrator. There are two speed and heat settings for regulating the temperature, and a cool shot button will help lock in your hair’s style and luster.

There are many convenient features such as a hanging ring for storing the dryer, an extra long cord, and a safety shutdown if the dryer falls or gets wet.

2. Revlon Quiet Pro Ionic Hair Dryer (Link)

Revlon’s hair dryer gives you one of the quietest drying actions available without sacrificing your budget. At 1600 watts, this dryer is particularly energy efficient, but has 30% more ions for frizz fighting ability.

You get one concentrator attachment for focusing on different sections of hair at a time, as well as a standard cool shot feature. The handle is very ergonomic, and Revlon has thoughtfully put the temperature settings towards the bottom of the handle where you won’t hit them by accident. The comfortable grip and porability make this dryer easy to use for longer drying sessions.

3. Centrix Q-Zone Dryer (Link)

This dryer from Centrix is a professional model with a high end, dual-speed motor capable of a double cool shot feature. It’s ceramic tourmaline heating technology combines with its ionic technology to give you healthier hair while simultaneously cutting the drying time. What’s missing is the annoying high-pitched tone common to most other hairdryers.

Included is a concentrator accessory for focused drying. This hairdryer is fairly light and easy to handle. On the lowest setting, the sound is low pitch and extremely quiet. We find that the button positions are a bit scattered making this dryer more difficult to use with just one hand.

4. MHD Professional Salon Blow Dryer (Link)

This hairdryer is easy to use and has a few features to customize your hair drying. The motor is quite powerful at 1875 Watt and will dry your hair more quickly than some of its competitors. The negative ion technology will reduce excess static, while a far-infrared heat technology will help your hair dry more efficiently.

There are several heat and speed settings on this powerful motor. You also get two different attachments for diffusing or concentrating the airflow. This hairdryer is a little bit heavier than some of the other models but it is still sleek and easy to handle. The on-off switch has a slightly awkward placement.

5. Elchim 3900 Healthy Ionic Ceramic Hair Dryer (Link)

The Elchim dryer has a few technologies that are unique to it. The 2000 motor is the most powerful one we reviewed. There are several settings to customize the speed and heat to your needs. This dryer also has a cool shot feature, like most of the other similar dryers.

Like most other professional quality hairdryers, this one includes far-infrared technology for efficient drying. Negative ion technology reduces static. The motor is quite powerful and some people might find that the highest settings is a little bit too strong. Also, the power cord might bea tad bit short for some situations. On the plus side, this dryer comes with a lifetime warranty.

Quiet hairdryers buying guide

If you want to avoid the squeal of a loud hairdryer in the morning, here’s how to pick the best quiet hairdryer.

Quiet hair dryer features

1. Heat technologies

There are several different drying technology, such as ceramic, tourmaline, and ionic technologies. Thesse boost shine or volume while minimizing drying times. Ionic technologies are the most popular among quiet hair dryers because they produce the least amount of noise. Ionic technology cuts static, reduces noise, and gives a more active and bouncy hairstyle. Ionic technology also reduces the amount of time it takes to dryer here. Infrared technology is also important, as it helps dry more efficiently, similar to ceramic technology.

2. Loudness or decibel level

Normal hair dryers run above 85 dB which is not healthy for your ears, in addition to being annoying. Quiet hair dryers can run 50 to 60 dB, while some very high-end models can run as low as 10 or 20 dB. In terms of hearing safety, anything below 40 dB would be sufficient. However most manufacturers do not publish the actual decibel levels the hair dryer.

3. Power or wattage

Although some quiet models will go up to 1800 or 2000 W, most quiet hairdryers are within the range of 1400 to 1600 W. This is usually enough to efficiently dry hair while avoiding excess noise.

4. AC motor design

AC motors are generally heavier than DC ones. However AC motors are also quieter and eliminate extra noise. That’s why most quiet hair dryers will use AC motors.

5. Heat and speed options

Most modern hairdryers will have several settings for the airflow speed as well as the temperature of the air. You want to make sure you have full control of the temperature, as well as settings button placement at convenient locations. The cool shot feature, which will allow you to switch to cool air at the touch of a button, is also fairly common.

6. Weight

Holding a  heavy hair dryer for a long time can lead to aching wrists or arms. Lightweight designs are now common among the better models.

7. Warranty

Some models come with a lifetime warranty while other model we have a 1-2 year warranty. Of course, iit s better to choose a model with a longer warranty time when possible, especially if you are purchasing a more expensive model.

Summary

If you’re looking for the quiet hair dryer, obviously, the most important is for the decibel level. Ideally, you would purchase a model that is less than 60 dB or so, but anything below 85 dB is safe for your ears.

Benefits of a quiet hair dryer

1. Reduce ear damage risks

It is well-established that sounds that are louder than 80 dB are harmful to your ears. If you blow dry hair every day, that is half an hour of ear damage each morning. Avoid that by buying a quiet hair dryer.

2. Avoid disturbances

If you have someone else living at home, they probably do not appreciate being woken up in the early morning by your blow drying. If you need to wake up extra early to style your hair, they will be even more annoyed. A quiet hair dryer will let you style your hair freely while avoiding waking up others too early.

3. Have conversations while you blow dry

You know that is impossible to have a conversation with someone while blow drying hair. It can be frustrating if someone asks your question over the buzz of your hairdryer. Instead, use a quiet hair dryer so that you can talk to your child or spouse will dry your hair.

4. Quiet environment

The harsh sound of the hair dryer is not good for your mental health, either. You don’t want to hear the annoying buzz all the time. Instead, enjoy the natural sounds of nature, such as morning birds singing, or just the stillness of a beautiful sunrise.

Conclusion

While many manufacturers claim to sell a quite hairdryer, not all of them are actually quiet in reality. There are a lot of advantages, though, to using a quiet hair dryer, so consider one of the models that we suggest.

Further reading

There are many different kinds of hair dryers for every occasion. For serious hair styling, a hair bonnet or hood is the only way to go. If you are traveling and don’t have much room in your bag, a compact traveler’s model is what you need. For styling your hair, a crimping iron also doesn’t make any noise!