Amazon Reviewers Claim This $18 Travel Dryer Can Dry Hair in Three Minutes Flat
- Amazon Reviewers Claim This $23 Travel Dryer Can Dry Hair in 3 Minutes Flat
- Our top picks:
- 37) Drybar Baby Buttercup Travel Blow Dryer
- 2) miniPRO Tourmaline Ceramic Hair Dryer
- Nano Titanium Travel Dryer
- 4) Compact Folding Handle Travel Hair Dryer
- 8) PeeWee 1200 Compact Travel Hair Dryer
- Le Styliste Luxe Digital Salon Dryer
- 7) Afar Lightweight Travel Size Hair Dryer
- 7) 1875 Worldwide Travel Dryer
- 9) Mini Healthy Heat Pro-Power Dryer + Bag
- 6) Supersonic Hair Dryer
- 10) Flight Travel Hairdryer
- 11) Ionic Travel Mini Hair Dryer
- How we tested travel hair dryers
- How we tested travel hair dryers
- How we tested travel hair dryers
- How we tested travel hair dryers
Amazon Reviewers Claim This $23 Travel Dryer Can Dry Hair in 3 Minutes Flat
We updated this article in September 2022 to ensure all products vetted and selected by the Good Housekeeping Institute Beauty Lab were in stock, available and correctly priced.
Packing for a trip often means downsizing on your usual beauty staples. Unless you want the extra baggage of your full-sized hair dryer, you’re left with sacrificing your blowout for whatever (usually weak) blow dryer awaits you at the hotel. Enter, the trusty space saver known as a travel hair dryer. Don’t let its miniature packaging deceive you: The best travel hair dryers on the market today are tinier but mightier than ever, with many of the same bells and whistles you’d find on a standard hair dryer.
The Good Housekeeping Institute Beauty Lab regularly tests hair dryers, hair dryer brushes, curling wands and more by measuring everything from the surface temperature to the ease of use, including the comfort of hold, its weight and its cord length. In our most recent travel hair dryer test, our beauty experts evaluated 11 top-rated mini hair dyers and recorded over 2,000 data points to determine which delivered the most gorgeous, salon-like blowouts — our final list includes the winning models, as well as editor favorites and top-reviewed bestsellers from brands our experts know and trust.
Our top picks:
Read on for a full blow-by-blow of the best travel hair dryers worth stowing away in your carry-on, plus more on all things travel hair dryers from celebrity hairstylist Clariss Rubenstein and Matrix Director Nick Stenson.
37) Drybar Baby Buttercup Travel Blow Dryer
$118.15
To all the Drybar lovers out there, the salon’s bestselling hair dryer comes in this travel-sized version, so you don’t have to sacrifice your blowout on the go. It’s dual-voltage, folds at the handle and offers two heat settings plus a cool shot button to lock in looks. The mini Baby Buttercup performed exceptionally in our Lab tests for its power, quick drying time and easy-to-use buttons. Though a bit pricier than other travel hair dryers we tried, Senior Chemist Sabina Wizemann says it’s powerful enough to do double-duty as a home and away option.
2) miniPRO Tourmaline Ceramic Hair Dryer
$17.99
Our Beauty Lab has yet to test this pick, but they’re all fans of the Conair brand for its consistently high-performing products, and online reviewers love this hair dryer for its low price. The miniPRO is the total package for under $30: It’s dual-voltage, claims to have tourmaline ceramic technology to promote smoothness and there are two heat and speed settings. One Amazon reviewer says, “It only takes me about three minutes to dry my shoulder-length hair.”
Nano Titanium Travel Dryer
$34.99
Although this has not yet gone through Lab testing, it’s one of the most sought-after travel hair dryers on Amazon. User reviews promise you’ll be particularly impressed by how powerful this model is, despite its small handheld size — bonus points for its dual voltage and its concentrator nozzle. One Amazon reviewer, who is an avid traveler, enthused about their 15-year relationship with this dryer. “I ALWAYS take this with me period,” they said. “I just got back from a 10-day trip to the northern coast of Spain, and my hotel had a blowdryer that I didn’t even touch.”
4) Compact Folding Handle Travel Hair Dryer
$18.99
This no-frills model offers all of a travel hair dryer’s must-haves: It’s dual-voltage, offers two heat and speed settings, a cool shot button and a folding handle. Though sleek in design, our Lab testers found it a little difficult to switch between attachments. We give it points for being extremely powerful. In fact, it’s the only dryer we tried that earned a perfect airflow score.
8) PeeWee 1200 Compact Travel Hair Dryer
$19.95
This lightweight hair dryer is the quick fix you need for a weekend trip. The Lab found it the most consistent across the board: comfortable hold, quiet airflow and easy-to-use buttons. Its convenient stand allows for hands-free styling. According to our Lab experts, it can get hot, so it’s best for quick dries that don’t require a cool shot button. It also comes with a diffuser, which makes it a great choice for those with curly hair.
Le Styliste Luxe Digital Salon Dryer
$245.00
In our recent hairdryer testing, our Beauty Lab chemists found the Le Styliste Luxe to be a great option for travel. Though it is not technically a travel dryer, its size and weight are on par with others we have tried. For being so slender and petite, this 1875-Watt hairdryer produced a powerful airflow and dried hair quickly. It comes with two attachments and a diffuser and weighs 1.2 lb with a cord. Plus, it was quieter than the other hair dryers we experimented with.
7) Afar Lightweight Travel Size Hair Dryer
$179.99
While we haven’t tested this updated compact dryer from T3, their now discontinued Featherweight model was a favorite here at GH which is why we had to include the newest version. Fold the handle and toss it into its travel tote for easy storage. Leave your adaptor at home because this dryer offers dual voltage. Celebrity hairstylist Clariss Rubenstein loves T3 hair dryers for their speedy dry time and frizz-free results. This one’s two speeds, three heat settings and cool shot button ensure you’re locked and loaded.
7) 1875 Worldwide Travel Dryer
$19.99
This foldable travel dryer offered the most heat settings of all the dryers we tested. Alongside its powerful airflow and budget-friendly pricing, it’s a reliable go-to for getting ready in a pinch. What it lacks in a slim design, it makes up for in efficiency with a strong airflow game and a high maximum heat temperature.
9) Mini Healthy Heat Pro-Power Dryer + Bag
$36.99
This pretty-in-pink travel dryer is the whole package, with a diffuser and a concentrator on deck. Its mini sizing makes it easy to stash and go post-workout sesh. Still, no hair tool kit is quite complete without a flat iron and a curling iron, and this brand offers mini versions of both, sold separately. Its airflow isn’t super strong, but Ulta reviewers love it for short- to medium-length hair on the thinner side.
6) Supersonic Hair Dryer
$429.99
While it’s not technically a travel hair dryer, the Dyson Supersonic’s easy-to-pack size and light weight make it a great travel companion. Its one-of-a-kind design dried hair fastest and was the overall standard in our regular blow dryer tests. How? Its motor is lighter, smaller and lives in the handle rather than the end of the typical dryer head. Although it carries a hefty price tag, Deputy Editor Jessica Teich attests that it’s worth adding to your wishlist.
10) Flight Travel Hairdryer
$99.00
This small, but powerful 1200W hair dryer folds at the handle, making it easy to squeeze inside a gym bag or the tiniest corners of your suitcase. Don’t worry about making your suitcase overweight as it weighs in at less than a pound. The dryer offers two temperature settings and a concentrated nozzle for more styled looks, and it’s dual voltage. Although we haven’t tested this in the Lab, many Amazon reviewers praise its high quality and lasting power.
11) Ionic Travel Mini Hair Dryer
$26.88
While we haven’t formally Lab-tested this one, it is a personal favorite of Deputy Editor Jessica Teich. “Weighing in at just eight ounces with an extremely compact design, this pint-sized dryer is probably the most carry-on friendly travel dryer you can find,” she says. “It’s not the most powerful dryer, but the attachable concentrator helps to direct airflow for a more polished blowout.”
How we tested travel hair dryers
Our Good Housekeeping Institute Beauty Lab evaluated 11 top-rated travel hair dryers by measuring drying speed on standardized human hair samples, as well as airflow and the temperature they reach. We also rated noise level and ease of use, including the comfort of hold, ease of putting on and removing attachments and location of controls and buttons. Plus, we measured each dryer’s weight and cord length. Overall, our beauty analysts recorded over 2,000 data points to determine which delivered the most gorgeous, salon-level blowouts — in this list, we included the final seven that outperformed all the others.
If you are traveling internationally, take note that every travel dryer we tested in our Lab features dual voltage, meaning these mini blow dryers can function in the United States and abroad with a compatible travel adapter unless otherwise noted — so no worries about blowing a fuse here.
How we tested travel hair dryers
We called on the hair gods a.k.a. celebrity hairstylist Clariss Rubenstein and Matrix Artistic Director Nick Stenson for their best shopping advice on mini hair dryers:
✔️Speed and efficiency: It’s the top priority for a travel hair dryer, according to Rubenstein. “Look for features such as ceramic that result in frizz-free and shiny hair,” she says. “There is no use in bringing one along if it doesn’t make your hair look great.” The hairstylist recommends the ion-charged T3, which dries hair super fast and leaves hair shiny. “It also cuts major frizz,” she says. “I would use it even when not traveling.”
✔️Size: The lighter the better! “There are so many that come in compact, lightweight sizes that still pack a major punch,” she says.”T3, Harry Josh and GHD make my favorite travel sizes.” You’ll find varied weight and size options with travel dryers, but Stenson suggests keeping it under 1.5 lbs. Another bonus with purchasing a travel dryer is finding one that collapses or folds to allow for easier packing, he adds.
✔️Wattage: Voltage and wattage should be more of a concern if you’re traveling internationally. Stenson recommends 1875 Watts as the “sweet spot” for most hair dryers. For international travel, you’ll want to invest in a travel adapter as well, no matter the wattage.
✔️Attachments: A great travel dryer should also come with a concentrator and diffuser attachments for versatility, says Stenson.
How we tested travel hair dryers
Absolutely! Especially if you use a blowdryer daily. “For the moderate to the avid traveler, travel dryers are a fabulous investment that saves space and unnecessary weight in your luggage and keeps you looking your best on the go,” says Stenson.
“Even though a hotel blowdryer will do its job, it almost never has the same features as higher quality brands,” Rubenstein adds. “You won’t regret it.”
How we tested travel hair dryers
With a background in hair dye research and synthesis, senior chemist Sabina Wizemann loves all things hair-related. Over her many years in the GH Beauty, Health & Sustainability Lab, she has fashioned Lab and consumer studies on at-home hair coloring, shampoos for colored hair, hair serums, dry shampoos and more. She also tests hair styling tools like hair dryers while continuously checking for the latest innovations in hairstyling.
