The winds of change on my head

It is so easy to change with the help of premen wind – to create volume, curl curls, stretch the tips, twist bangs. I use a hair dryer-brush all the time: it’s the easiest way to style medium-length, cascaded hair. At different times I had three models, and they all did something wrong! So, I confess, the test is also for personal purposes: I want to find a comfortable, durable, noiseless and safe hair dryer-brush.

What we tested?

Hair dryer-brush Vitek VT-1342

The Maxwell MW-2302 hair dryer-brush

hair dryer Scarlett SC-276

Hairdryer-brush Lasko LS-1604-20 Agnes

Valera 602 hair dryer-brush.01 B

Hairdryer-brush Sinbo SHD 7013

Panasonic EH 8463 hair dryer brush

Personal experience before the test

The hair dryer is inconvenient because it has too little power, is too slow, and even the concentrator does not hold the hair shaft. The result – the hair dryer “lives” in the country house, where I occasionally visit.

The second model was terribly noisy: if I had switched it on in a store I would not have bought it for any of the fancy extensions!

By the way, the “thermal” nozzle caps, designed to protect my fingers from burns, got hot and it was almost impossible to use them! The result – I threw the nozzle-brushes, and hair dryer with a nozzle-concentrator left in the pool, and now I regularly see it in the hands of moms, drying the hair of children, who are trying to plug their ears at the same time.

The third hair dryer ended badly – after a month of use both nozzles simply bald, though I can not boast of megagood hair: all the bristles broke, and the warranty on this ugly mess is not covered.

Nozzles and possibilities

In our test different hair-dryers-brushes took part – from simple, with one or two nozzles, to multistylers, equipped to the maximum. The question of how to choose a hair-brush, many decide only in terms of the availability of certain nozzles:

– Round brush of large diameter for long hair Panasonic, Smile, Scarlett, Vitek, Lasko

– round brush of medium or small diameter – for medium and short hair all models

– flat brush – for pulling strands Panasonic, Smile, Scarlett, Vitek, Lasko

– Curling tongs attachments – to create curls Scarlett, Lasko, Panasonic

– nozzle-concentrator – for ordinary drying and volume at the roots Vitek, Maxwell, Scarlett

– Round brush with retractable teeth combs for curling long hair Scarlett, Valera, Vitek

– the Round transformer attachment that changes diameter and is suitable for different hair lengths and purposes Panasonic only .

In our test there are no such, but on sale you can occasionally find hair dryers with diffuser nozzles with long teeth to give volume, gofra nozzles to create the appropriate effect on the hair, curling nozzles for straightening, etc.

But the heads of different fans can be very different not only functionally, in quality: the role and material and shape of the bristles, and convenience of attachment to the nozzle, and the ability to transform, such as changing the diameter or retract the bristles, and heat safety tip, for which you need to stick a hand free nozzle.

One more thing: the nozzles have to be stored somewhere, but only Valera, Vitek cosmetic bag and Panasonic pouch took care of it.

Modes and their switches

In tested hair-dryers-brushes there are very different combinations of temperature modes and fan speeds, but all models in one way or another provide the possibility of both high-temperature and gentle styling.

For a choice of modes there are no separate buttons: both speeds and temperature are adjusted by one slider switch. In the model from Vitek, a separate fixed no need to hold it button activates the cold air mode.

It is needed to fix the result of styling by a sharp change of temperature: you lift or twist a strand, heat it, then turn on a cold blower and hold the hair dryer in the same position for a short time, as a result the styled hair keeps its shape better.

But, unfortunately, in hair-dryers-brushes really cool air almost never occur not the quality of the motor and heating element , although in most models, this feature is declared.

The consumer overpays for it, buying a hair dryer, sometimes without knowing why it is needed. Our test showed that the announcement of cold blowing in hair dryers-brushes – this is just a marketing move to attract the attention of the buyer.

there are no standards, regulating temperature range of the air blowing cold air: cold or warm, how quickly it cools, how convenient it is to switch on/off the mode – all this is only on the conscience of the manufacturers.

The hair dryer is not so easy to hold, especially if it says Soft-Touch on the side. During the test it was discovered that the so-called cold air blowing is mostly a fictitious function, and the air in this mode is rather warm, sometimes even moderately hot, and it is suitable not for fixing the hair, but for gentle drying. It is more honest when the manufacturer does not declare its presence at all Panasonic, Smile .

Ionization

As with conventional hair dryers, there are two options:

1. The ion generator produces negatively charged particles which, when deposited on the hair, should retain moisture in the hair, preventing the hair from drying out and removing static electricity.

When the generator produces ions, you should be able to smell ozone, like after a thunderstorm. Hair should feel a little less electric, shiny, and manageable after blow drying.

In some models, the generator is claimed Vitek , but neither the smell of ozone, nor the stunning effect of grooming could not be felt, although the mode is equipped with a light indicator, which is lit and indicates that the process is.

2. Ionization by the action of the tourmaline coating of the inner parts of the hair dryer device from Valera . Tourmaline is a mineral naturally endowed with the ability to produce negative ions when heated.

The test showed no major differences between hair styled with or without a tourmaline ionization hair dryer.

Thermal safety

We tested the hair dryers from the point of view of scalp burns, and the fingers that hold the nozzle. It is advisable to hold a normal hair dryer at least 20 cm away from your hair and head, but if you use hair heads, closer contact is unavoidable.

Consequently, if the air coming out of the hair dryer is too hot, then use it at least uncomfortable, and at most – dangerous.

During styling, it is often necessary to hold the nozzle round brushes and curling heads with your free hand. You have to hold them by the tips, which are not supposed to get hot, but not all hair dryers are like that in reality.

Thirdly, it is sometimes necessary to change the nozzle, but some models have such a hot nozzle that it can be done only with a tack.

Fourth, the test showed that the hot air can burn your hand a little through the gap in the handle of the hair dryer. When buying pay attention to how tightly the halves of the housing are docked to each other.

It is an individual case, not the entire line of defects, in which we were convinced when the manufacturer of the hair dryer with such a defect provided for retesting control copies, but we recommend to pay attention to this when buying.

Just drying

Not every hair dryer is fast and efficient enough to dry your hair quickly and efficiently: 400-1000 watts of power is not enough to dry your hair quickly and efficiently. For comparison: the power semi-professional and professional hair dryers – from 2000 watts, and most conventional models even travel have a capacity of 1400 to 1600 watts.

It is therefore convenient to use the hair dryer for styling, not for drying. It is a good idea to dry your hair at least a little beforehand with a regular hair dryer, putting your head down and directing the airflow toward the roots to give your hair some volume.

It is almost unrealistic and sometimes even forbidden by the manual to dry hair with a hair dryer-brush if the kit does not include a nozzle-concentrator. Rastrubami these nozzles are too wide the exception – the model from Scarlett, which has a good enough narrow concentrator , so wait for them to effectively style individual strands is not worth it, but they can help dry the hair.

The design

There are a few parameters to pay attention to.

First, the compactness or bulkiness of the body. The best thing about compactness is that it’s easier to take with you, and your hand tires less when styling your hair. But there is a minus: the smaller models have less power – 300 to 600 watts while the bigger models have 750 to 1000 watts and they blow harder.

Secondly, the swivel cord, so it rotates and does not twist. All models of the test have it, even the most inexpensive Sinbo, Smile, Maxwell, Lasko .

Almost all models have a loop to hang it from the cord base, except for Vitek, and Panasonic model has a very small and inconvenient loop. But this hair dryer has a removable air intake grille that can be cleaned to prevent dust and hair from getting into the motor. This is also a feature of the Smile hair dryer.

Some models manufacturers announce a ceramic coating nozzles Vitek and internal parts dryers Valera . It is believed that the ceramic distributes the heat more evenly and prevents the emergence of “overheating points” on the hair.

It is impossible to check this in the course of the non-laboratory test, but fans of all kinds of useful technologies for health should pay attention to this.

Keep it quiet

No hair dryer is completely silent, but a device that howls near your ear is not only stressful, but it can make you want to turn it off as soon as possible. The Panasonic and Lasko models are a bit louder than I wanted.