Vogue Online - May 2012

More than Hot Air: The Best Mega Hair Dryers
by Ana Dragovic

Programmable touch screens, ionic generators, sports-car engineering, a quiet motor that cuts drying time in half—and might even help to reduce your carbon footprint. Hair dryers have gone decidedly high-tech.

Environmental awareness and gadget envy aside, though, does any of it really make a difference to your hair? “Absolutely,” says Tim Rogers, a New York stylist and creative director for Living Proof. Rogers blames inadequate dryers—namely those with weak airflow—for causing hair damage: “Heat is one of the biggest causes of breakage, so a dryer that’s just producing a lot of heat without a lot of blast is contributing to that problem,” he says. But that’s not the only feature that counts: The innovative ionic element in many modern dryers, which helps to seal the cuticle for a smoother, frizz-free blowout, has been upgraded in the latest models with the option of turning it on and off. The benefit? “A dryer that can create different looks,” says Tommy Buckett, a stylist at Manhattan’s Marie Robinson Salon... “Sleek and smooth one day, big and textured the other. It’s all about versatility.”

The Smart One. Equipped with the Ionic Intel System, which differentiates between positive and negative ions, this dryer lets you customize your style—from volumizing fine hair to smoothing out thick or coarse hair—with the flip of a switch. A bonus: The cluster of ceramic spheres act as an air purifier, removing carbon dioxide from the outgoing airflow. $240; onestyling.com