The best hair dryers work quickly without damaging hair, and leave it smoother, shinier and more voluminous than air drying ever could. They’re so quiet you can switch them on and still hear your favorite podcast, and they’re light enough that they don’t tire out your arm during use. After testing for these factors as well as temperature, speed settings and ease of use, I found the T3 AireLuxe to be the best overall for its higher-than-average number of settings and its simple but effective design. The BaBylissPro Nano Titanium Hair Dryer is my top value pick because of its excellent performance and quality at a solid price point.

To find the winners, I tried 10 best-selling models and interviewed professional stylists. All of these picks are built to stand up to everyday wear and tear—like getting tossed in the bathroom cabinet, packed in a suitcase or accidentally dropped. The best blow dryer is worth the investment to avoid damaging your hair (especially when paired with a heat protectant), while a poorly designed one blasts hot, dry air.

Think back to the last hotel hair dryer you used; you wouldn’t want to rely on it for everyday. By comparison, a high-quality model has at least three heat settings so that you can opt for the coolest effective one, plus technology that helps lock in moisture. Thankfully, you don’t have to buy one of the most expensive blow dryers to get great results—not by a long (cold) shot. The best value option is budget-friendly, yet has all the essential features to deliver smooth, shiny, healthy hair.

These are the top hair dryers according to my testing:

My Expertise

I’m a veteran lifestyle journalist who’s been covering hair tools, among other topics, for over a decade for outlets like Elle, O, The Oprah Magazine and Martha Stewart Living. I’ve had my hair every color and length, and I’ve gotten spiral perms twice (including once when I had baby bangs).

To report this story, I interviewed beauty pros who pay serious attention to hair tools and the technology that goes into them. I spoke to self-professed “gear head” Tatum Neill, creative director of Aveda Arts & Sciences Institutes, where many of the nation’s top hairstylists train; Becca Raziuddin, director of artist education for Blo Blow Dry Bar (aka the person in…