The best travel hair dryers you can buy right now
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WHETHER you’re staying in a hotel, at the mercy of one of those disappointing one-setting models that will barely dry the hair on your arm, let alone your head, or an Airbnb, you’re better off packing one of the best travel hair dryers.
A bad hair day is a bad hair day, wherever you are in the world. Your hair type will dictate what settings you need, for example, cool settings are better for tropical climates and curly hair types and will help set styles smoothly.
And what about the voltage? A dual-voltage hair dryer can accept both 110-120V and 220-240V, which means you can use it in most countries, including the United States and Europe. Remember, to switch it over, you’ll need to take a coin (like the late Queen, I never travel with cash, and was unable to use a dual voltage hair dryer on a recent trip to the US).
A good travel hair dryer is a great investment to maintain your style when away, so we’ve rounded up the best ones available to buy.
Best travel hair dryers at a glance:
- Most affordable:
- Best premium hair dryer:
- Great carry case:
- Great power-to-size ratio:
Babyliss
- BaByliss Travel Dry 2000, £25 -
Pros: It’s powerful for such a small dryer
Cons: It’s a little noisy on the top speed
The sleek high-gloss black design includes a slender handle that curves ergonomically to make it nice to hold; it also tapers to a point making it even more space-saving once folded.
The wide nozzle helps save time as you dry or style, in under five minutes for me. Top marks for joining the brands that shun plastic packaging in favour of all paper and cardboard internal wrapping.Three-year guarantee.
The Blowdown - Heat settings: 2; Speed settings: 2; Power: 2000W; Dual voltage: Yes; Accessories: Concentrator nozzle; Weight: 427g
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Boots
- Boots Essentials Travel Dryer, £9.99 -
Pros: It’s simple, streamlined and sleek
Cons: It’s quite noisy
Probably best for short to medium-length hair, this small but mighty hair tool dried my fine, straight, shoulder-length hair in a few minutes, although thicker hair may take a lot longer.
It’s a great option for travel as it’s light to pack, with a handy folding handle that tucks snugly in. Plus, with the lowest price of all the hair dryers reviewed, if you did lose it, it wouldn’t break your heart or your bank balance to replace it. All that and it comes with a two-year guarantee.
The Blowdown - Heat settings: 2; Speed settings: 2; Power: 1500W; Dual-voltage: Yes; Accessories: Concentrator nozzle; Weight: 436g
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Revlon
- Revlon Fast and Light, £14.99 -
Pros: It switches off automatically if it overheats; you get a free nail polish when you buy it
Cons: It’s really hard to get the nozzle to clip on or off
Although it’s not the smallest of the travel hair dryers on the market, this dryer lives up to its name and is certainly one of the lightest. The matt black exterior looks professional and low maintenance (and doesn’t show sticky finger marks).
It took about five minutes to dry and style my hair with the three different heat settings. Then a quick press of the cool shot button, which along with the iconic ceramic grille, left my hair shiny. For the price, it’s a great value and powerful travel-sized dryer.
The Blowdown - Heat settings: 3; Speed settings: 2; Power: 2000W; Dual voltage: Yes; Accessories: Concentrator nozzle; Weight: 499g
John Lewis
- John Lewis Travel Hair Dryer, £20 -
Pros: Ionic technology means it gives off a negative ionic charge for a smoother finish and a quicker dry as it repels water
Cons: Only one speed/heat setting
Hat’s off to JL for packing so much power into one of the smallest travel hair dryers available.
This teeny, almost toy-sized hair tool, is also good-looking, in matte black with copper details. I also appreciated the sufficient but minimal instructions which included how to straighten and scrunch dry hair (for me, this process took five minutes). Three-year guarantee.
The Blowdown: Heat settings: 1; Speed settings: 1; Power: 1200W; Dual voltage: Yes; Accessories: Airflow nozzle; storage bag; Weight: 340g
Remington
- Remington On The Go, £17.49 -
Pros: Has more watts than many dryers double this price
Cons: Quite noisy for such a small hair dryer
This isn’t the cutest looking but it has many plus points beyond its compact exterior. It’s really easy to use with one sliding switch you can move up and down with your thumb as you dry your hair to control the heat and speed settings.
Plus it’s powerful, drying my hair in five minutes. It also has a foldable handle that tucks neatly in, a compact diffuser attachment for volume and comes with a handy two-year guarantee.
The Blowdown - Heat settings: 2; Speed settings: 2; Power: 2000W; Dual voltage: Yes; Accessories: Concentrator nozzle, diffuser; Weight: 582g
TRESemme
- TRESemmé Travel Dryer 2000, £25 -
Pros: Quiet; includes a travel-sized paddle brush
Cons: No cool shot button
TRESemmé salon haircare brand should know a thing or two about hair dryers as it sells a whopping nine other models. This particular travel-sized dryer offers even heat distribution to dry the hair in good time - for me, six minutes - without leaving some areas wet.
The slick black exterior is complemented by a folding handle that hides underneath. Extra eco points are awarded for wrapping all the extras in paper bags instead of plastic as some other brands do. Three-year guarantee.
The Blowdown - Heat settings: 2; Speed settings: 2; Power: 2000W; Dual voltage: Yes; Accessories: Concentrator nozzle; Weight: 423g
GHD
- GHD Flight+ Travel Hair dryer, £99 -
Pros: Automatically switches off when held too close to hair to prevent overheating
Cons: For the price, you’d expect more accessories
Just launched this summer, fans of the cult brand who love to travel can stash this xs dryer in their hand luggage or slip their purse and passport into the smart camera-style black leather-look carry case.
The foldable handle makes it even smaller. GHD’s aim was a dryer that’s 25 per cent smaller than a regular-sized hair tool and with 78% of the power of their standard size.
My hair dried in around four minutes, which is fast, especially for a diminutive dryer. Two-year warranty.
The Blowdown - Heat settings: 2; Speed settings: 2; Power: 1300W; Dual voltage: Yes; Accessories: Concentrator nozzle; Weight: 453g
Silk'n
- Silk’n SilkyAir Pro, £250 -
Pro: An impressive six heat settings are great for different types of hair; heat resistant mat; gorgeous to look at and quiet
Con: The digital panel stays on even when you’re not using it; high price
This wild card isn’t billed as a travel hair dryer, but it sneaks in due to its compact and lightweight design and will jazz up any UK stay. The glamorous gold or Champagne colourways set it apart from the standard black of most models.
The cool shot function helps smooth hair follicles down once dried or, if it’s hot, you can just leave it on that setting to dry it from start to finish. Leaves a glossy and frizz-free finish due to the Ion technology and protects hair as it dries quickly; around four-to-five minutes. The LED screen displays the heat and airflow settings on the barrel.
The Blowdown - Heat settings: 6; Speed settings: 3; Power:1600W; Dual voltage: Yes; Accessories: Concentrator nozzle, diffuser, storage bag; Weight: 759g
VO5
- VO5 On-the-Go Mini Hair Dryer, £29.99 at Amazon -
Pro: It’s probably the lightest travel hair dryer in the world
Con: It’s hard to remove the nozzle; kids might think it’s a toy
Barbicore eat your heart out; this teeny metallic hot pink hair dryer is probably the cutest hair tool on the market.
It's so light that you could dry your hair for hours and never get an armache, however, it dried my hair in about six minutes. It also comes with a handy three-year guarantee.
The Blowdown - Heat settings: 2; Speed settings: 2; Power: 1200W; Dual voltage: Yes; Accessories: nozzle; Weight: 265g
Can you take a hair dryer in hand luggage?
Yes you can. You're allowed to travel with hair dryers in both cabin luggage and carry-on bags. If your hair dryer is an expensive model or you’re particularly attached to it, we’d recommend you never place it in the hold, in case it goes missing or gets damaged in transit. For up-to-date rules on this check advice.
What is the best travel hair dryer?
The answer to this question depends entirely on your hair type, how much you want to spend and what you want from a travel hair dryer. However, the best travel hair dryers will be lightweight with some, if not all, of the same features you'd find on a standard hair dryer.
This means at least two speeds and heat settings and ideally a cool shot function, leaving more room in your bag for products and that all-important Duty-Free!
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For domestic trips, , is a good-looking, lightweight option with bells and whistles from six heat settings to a digital screen telling you the temperature. packs in ionic tech, three heat settings, a cold shot button and 2000W of power. Pretty impressive.
Where to buy a travel hair dryer
You can buy travel hair dryers at online-only retailers such as Amazon; alternatively look in-store at high street retailers such as Boots, Superdrug, Argos and John Lewis, which also have an online presence if you prefer to get it delivered.
Want to find more savings on your online shopping? Then head to Sun Vouchers where you can get discounts and voucher codes from hundreds of top retailers including B&Q, Boots, Iceland, Lookfantastic, Dunelm, Adidas and more.