I tested the best travel hairdryers – and the £329 Dyson was outperformed by one that cost just £23.99
HEADING off on your hols and determined to look your best?
Keep your hair appearing salon – or barber – fresh by packing a great travel hairdryer.
To help you, we have tested a range of dryers, from ultimate suitcase space-savers to the Supersonic Dyson – which works at a lower temperature, ideal in the European heatwave.
And the price of our winner locks good too.
Hayley Richardson gives her verdicts, and marks are out of five . . .
Babyliss 5344BU 2000W Travel Hair Dryer – £20
THIS one looks very attractive and feels really nice – not dissimilar to the Dyson.
It has a separate cold-blast button which is powerful and effective.
It is also kind to hair, as it features heat-balancing ceramic technology and a conditioning system designed to smooth and shine.
But the nozzle is quite narrow – good for styling, not so much for rough drying if you’ve got a lot of hair to work through.
Given this is marketed as a travel hairdryer, it’s quite heavy and doesn’t fold. I’d rather pack an extra pair of shoes.
Rating: 2/5
GHD Flight Travel Hair Dryer – £52
UNBELIEVABLY light and folds up, making it very portable.
Looks stylish, too, with gold accents, and comes with a protective bag – though the transparent nozzle maybe cheapens it a bit.
Has the desirable cool setting – great for setting a style in place – and even though it’s only 1400W, it feels very powerful.
A tad pricey, but worth the money.
Rating: 4/5
WAHL Travel Hairdryer – £16.99
SO dinky it’s adorable – and wonderfully light.
If you’ve got short hair and are only taking hand luggage, making you super-tight for space, this design is a winner.
But for longer locks, the nozzle feels too small.
It also seems to get hot very fast and I’d worry it would overheat in the time it would take me to dry all of my hair.
Fine if you’re just in need of a quick fringe touch-up.
Rating: 2/5
Dyson Supersonic Hairdryer – £329.99
MOST awarded dryer on the market is designed for fast drying – perfect if you’re getting ready for a night out and don’t want to spend ages sweating under a hot blast of air.
Its ability to dry quickly on a lower temperature setting is impressive, and my hair felt soft and shiny.
I didn’t find the buttons user-friendly – the heat and speed ones are separate from the power and cool ones – and the highest speed is almost too powerful.
Sleek, and with five attachments, but price tag lets it down.
Rating: 3/5
Remington On The Go Compact Dryer – £15.99
DIFFERENT textures and coloured plastic make this dryer look and feel a bit more upmarket than some of its rivals.
But it’s very basic, with just two heat and speed settings and no cool button.
It has a folding handle, comes with a diffuser and concentrator attachment and is very lightweight, so good for packing in your suitcase.
The higher power setting is pretty good but I wouldn’t bother with the lower one.
Rating: 4/5
Boots Essentials Travel Dryer – £9.99
CHEAP and cheerful, this comes with two heat settings, but at 1500W it lacks power and has much less oomph than the Remington.
It does offer a cool setting at a much lower speed but it’s more lukewarm, so not very effective.
Incredibly light and folds away, not taking up too much space in your suitcase.
While very basic, at this price it’s a bargain.
Rating: 3/5
Travel Hairdryer, Amazon – £23.99
I LOVE the grey colour contrasted with vibrant pink, it looks like a cheeky copycat of a Dyson.
Very light, folds up and packs a real punch powerwise – great for drying your hair quickly and styling.
The cold-blast button is instant and effective, and the settings are simple and straightforward.
If I was being super-picky, the cable feels a tad short compared to the others – but this is the winner in my eyes.
Rating: 5/5
WINNER