Are the expensive hair irons/blow dryers really THAT much better?

IntlSet

IntlSet

Bonjour!
Jan 29, 2006
12,369
63
#1
Hi ladies,

I'm pretty lucky that I have fairly straight hair, but I do occassionally straighten it anyway. I just have a $20 Conair straightener I bought at Walgreens, which works just fine for me. My $10 hair dryer works fine for me, too (although it is a little annoying to use since it takes about 20 minutes to dry my hair).

In college, all my sorority sisters had $200, $300 hair irons and blow dryers... are these really that much better? And are they really worth the cost?

Thanks! :heart:
 
#2
Haha...well it probably depends on the person. I'm sure you've seen the threads on the 'AMAZING GHD IRON'...but I'm in your boat. I do need to dry my hair and use an iron on some parts of it to get it to look decent but I have cheaper ones and another one my cosmetologist friend got me from the supply store for cheap.

Honestly I think it depends on your hair. If the reasonably priced stuff makes your hair fab, then who cares about the $200 stuff? If taking 20 mins to dry your hair is really annoying to you then you might want to find another brand - I have a drugstore brand and it takes me under 15 minutes to do a blowout with a round brush and my hair in sections. So I think it is all about you. Some people may need the GHD iron but really, it would be a waste for me so I'm not even going to bother.
 
#3
I just posted this in another thread, but I swear by my SuperSolano hair dryer. Usually all the hair salons have them. Mine was at least $!00 when I bought it, but I've had it for at least 8 years and it shows no signs of slowing down. So although the initial price was high, the longevity of the product is worth it to me.
 
#4
i think it really depends on your hair. i have very straight shiny hair to begin with, and i never blow dry but i decided to get myself a straightener awhile back just to make waves with and to make it even straighter, so i bought a few from the drugstore as well as 2 very expensive ones to compare. they pretty much all work the same on me, and my hair looks the same regardless.
 
#5
Yes, check out the GHD thread(s)...worth every penny of the $250 I plunked down on it. We wear our hair every day, you know! But, it does depend on your hair type. The GHD is great b/c if you already have beautiful, straight hair you can use it to make curls and waves! Or, straighten if you have curly hair.
 
#6
i have 'problem hair' (meaning, it wants to do things that are counter to the ideas that i have for it), so something like the GHD is essential for me - i have curly hair, and i want it to be straight. every day. i've had straighteners that have cost everything from $15 to $250, and lo and behold, the $250 is the only one that stands a chance against my hair. however, i have nothing but nice things to say about my $30 hair dryer (except that it crapped out on me today and i had to buy another one). to me, it's the iron that makes the difference.

if all you're trying to do is dry your straight hair or smooth out a wave here and there, a GHD or a T3 dryer probably isn't worth it. I do a complete transformation on my hair every other day, so it's worth it for me.
 
#7
it depends, i straighten my hair almost everyday so i use a more expensive flat iron and a heat serum so my hair doesnt get damaged as much...

as for a hair dryer, a more expensive one just shortens your drying time


i think youre very lucky, i really love straight hair but my hair is just so curly :s

if i were in your position, id stick to the conair since you only use it once in a while
 
#8
I notice a huge difference in the time I save when I use my $250 straightener vs. the Andis one my stylist friend swore by. The $20 Andis is a great cheap option for people that don't mind investing time to do their hair- the result is the same, but it takes about twice as long as Tourmaline one I have.
 
#9
i'm a firm believer of the expensive salon straighteners. my paul brown has been god sent and does WONDERS! i'm asian, and although most asians typically have long sleek hair, mine curls - and not in the good way. its not nice enough to be curly, it just has some odd waves. i've tried the drug store straighteners and i have to say they do nothing compared to my salon one.
my roomate who has the aforementioned asian hair does not really require a straightener because her hair is so straight and sleek, yet she got a drug store one and found it to be useless and continuously borrowed mine until she got her own chi!

i have noticed that the salon ones heat up instantaneously, and since they can go to such a high temperature a few swipes when you are in a rush will already do wonders. i've also had mine for two years and it has shown absolutely NO signs of slowing down (and i bang it around, throw it everywhere - you name it)
 
#11
I have 0 need for a hair iron (straight hair)

But I agree with a previous poster regarding the Supersalano professional salon hairdryer. It's the one I use & my hairdresser uses & recommended to me. Since I value my time as do most ppl & it's limited this hairdryer is FAST & POWERFUL. Takes 1/2 to 1/3 the time to dry my hair as my previous one, seriously. To me personally SO worth it. It was around $80 - a hairdresser friend picked it up for me.
 
#12
I think both the hair irons and blow dryers are worth it. I have the GHD iron, which is a miracle worker! And then I have a CHI blow dryer, which I love. I really noticed the blow dryer cut down on my drying time, so for me it's worth it.
 
#13
Yes, expensive straighteners are worth the money. I had a cheap drug store straightener for years and then I got a CHI. It is so much faster and it doesn't fry my hair. A beauty school student/friend offered to buy me a straightener with her discount. I told her I wanted a CHI. She tried to get me to buy Hot Tools, because it was less money and "just as good". I said no, CHI only. I hadn't seen her in a few years and just ran into her last week. She asked if I still had my CHI. She said they are worth the money. I guess she learned!
 
#14
My sister swears by her expensive hair dryer.... I don't know what she bought but it is supposed to have a ironizer or something. Her hair is very damaged from over coloring it and she is trying to let it grow out long. I really don't see a difference in her hair since she has her new dryer. I think it just has a higher wattage and she can dry her hair faster.

I just bought the conair Infinity hair designer at the drugstore for $49.00. It is like a brush/comb dryer. It dries wet of damp hair and straightens it too. It has a Ion ourput that is supposed to smooth your hair and makes your hair shiny.
I bought it for my daughter who will be 9-she hates me to blow dry her hair and it did take about 29 minutes to dry her hair. I used this new one and I think it took me 10 minutes on damp hair-below her shoulders. It made her hair very straight with no static of flyaway. She loved it and now wants to wear her hair down and I could never get her to do that. I think it is a good appliance for the price.
Now from what I have heard from the forum here it seems the expensive hair straightners like the CHI are worth the money.

Oh-I was on www.drugstore.com and they had the CHI straightners on sale for 40-50% off.
 
#15
I think it depends on the hair. If your hair is already straight and does not have problems like Amanda said, then I don't think you need to invest in expensive irons/hair dryers. And plus, you said it yourself that you're already satisfied with yours, so I see no need.
 
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