Many hotels offer hair dryers as a standard amenity. Problem is, they rarely stock good ones, with hotel dryers often taking forever to finish the job. That’s why it’s never a bad idea to pack your own travel hair dryer. These beauty essentials are compact and lightweight enough to comfortably carry in your luggage, while packing enough power to help you quickly dry and style your hair.
Why not just pack your regular hair dryer or blow-dryer brush? Simply put, the size and weight. Travel hair dryers are comparatively smaller and lighter than their standard counterparts, making it easier to find room for them in the erstwhile limited space in your hardside luggage. Some travel hair dryers will even have foldable or collapsible designs that allow them to pack even smaller, making them very convenient.
The best travel hair dryers should offer a few basic settings, bare minimum. Many will offer, at least, three heat settings (hot, warm, and cool) and two airflow settings (high and low). Some will offer more. Settings are important, as they let you adjust the dryer’s function to exactly what you need, ensuring you can properly dry your hair while minimizing any damage.
What other things should you look for in the best travel hair dryers? You might want to look for models with, at least, two attachments, namely a concentrator and a diffuser. The more attachments they come with, the greater options you will have for styling. Dual-voltage hair dryers will also be more ideal for travel, as you can use them in more places, which is very important if you do a lot of overseas travel. As for power, we always want hair dryers with, at least, 1800 watts. However, this isn’t always possible, especially if you want more compact and portable sizes.
These are the best travel hair dryers for quick-drying and styling your locks on the go.
Conair Worldwide Travel Hair Dryer
Pros
Effective drying
Automatically detects and switches to correct voltage
Inexpensive
Cons
Shorter cord
Bulkier build
Wattage: 1875
Settings: 3 heat settings, 2 speed settings
Weight: 1.32 pounds
Dual voltage: Yes
Accessories: Concentrator
Despite the inexpensive price, this travel hair dryer brings features that put more expensive models to shame. For one, it dries hair fast, taking care of thinner, shoulder-length hair in around five minutes, which is impressive for a travel model. It has three heat settings and two speed settings, as well, so you can adjust the heat and airflow based on what you need. While it’s bulkier than some other travel dryers we tried, it does have a folding handle that allows it to collapse into a more compact size. We also appreciate the dual-voltage capability that allows it to work with both 110v and 220v systems automatically, with a light on the side letting you know what voltage it’s running at. It runs at full power when plugging into 220v, too, so you don’t get the weaker performance that other cheap travel hair dryers are prone to doing. We also love that it’s not as noisy as other hair dryers, making it a lot more pleasant to use during your trips, although the cord is a lot shorter than we’d like.
BaBylissPRO Nano Titanium Travel Dryer
Pros
- Compact and lightweight
- Produces high heat
- Dual voltage
Cons
- Might get too hot for some people
Wattage: 1000
Settings: 2 heat settings, 2 speed settings
Weight: 0.6 pounds
Dual voltage: Yes
Accessories: Concentrator
It packs so much less power than your typical travel hair dryer, coming with just a 1,000-watt rating. That’s because it’s also one of the smallest hair dryers we’ve ever seen, making it an excellent travel option. Despite the low wattage, it heats up well. In fact, we found it a bit too hot for our liking, which is how it manages to dry hair as quickly as bigger models with higher wattage. The real issue, though, is that there’s no way to turn the heat down (it only has hot and cool), so you’re stuck with that heat. We think it’s fine for thicker hair, but might be too much for those with thinner strands. Other things we like include the folding handle, the concentrator nozzle, and the dual voltage function, although it requires you to manually switch it to the correct voltage before plugging in.
StyleCraft Peewee 1200
Pros
- Extremely lightweight
- Produces high heat
- Comes with diffuser
Cons
- Might get too hot for some people
- No heat settings
Wattage: 1000 watts
Settings: 2 speed settings
Weight: 0.5 pounds
Dual voltage: Yes
Accessories: Concentrator, diffuser
The most lightweight option in the list, this travel hair dryer weighs just half a pound, so it barely adds any heft to you luggage. It’s comfortable to hold, runs relatively quiet, and very easy to use, too. There’s literally no heat setting, so it only runs at one temperature, without even a cool air option. It gets hot, by the way, almost as hot as the similarly compact BaBylissPRO model above, so this thing can get a bit uncomfortable when held in the same area for a bit of time. With that said, it does dry hair effectively, although you do want to move it around because it feels like it can fry your hair if it stays in the same place for too long. It also comes with a concentrator and a diffuser, which makes it a bit more versatile than the other inexpensive models in the list, while supporting dual voltage, although you have to manually set it.
Panasonic Nanoe Salon Hair Dryer
Pros
- Unique oscillating nozzle
- Gentle drying action
- Pleasant to use
Cons
- Single voltage only
Wattage: 1400 watts
Settings: 2 heat settings, 3 speed settings
Weight: 1.17 pounds
Dual voltage: No
Accessories: Oscillating
Panasonic’s travel hair dryer claims to take moisture from the air to penetrate your hair shaft while it dries. While we can’t verify how the tech works, it definitely makes for a gentler drying experience that’s so much more pleasant than simply blowing hot air straight to your scalp. It comes with a unique oscillating nozzle that automatically moves left and right to send air in different directions, making it easier to spread air around. Do note, using that specific nozzle can make it feel like a large fan is blowing on your ear, which can be a bit unsettling. The gentle drying action takes it a bit slower to dry hair compared to traditional designs, but it still gets the job done at a pretty good pace, all without risk of doing any damage to your hair. It is a little bigger than some of our more compact travel options, but it does have a folding handle that shrinks it down a bit for packing.
Drybar Baby Buttercup Travel Blow-Dryer
Pros
- Dries effectively
- Easy-to-use controls
- Very strong airflow
Cons
- Might not get hot enough for some
Wattage: 1200 watts
Settings: 2 heat settings, 2 speed settings
Weight: 1.3 pounds
Dual voltage: Yes
Accessories: 2 concentrators
The travel version of Drybar’s hair dryer has a long nozzle and long handle, making it feel like a regular hair dryer. Of course, that handle folds to give you a more compact traveling size, which is what makes it suitable for packing during your trips. We love the easy-to-use controls, the strong airflow, and the quick-drying time, while distributing heat uniformly to dry your hair without making things uncomfortable at any point. Hair feels particularly soft after drying, too, which is always much appreciated. It doesn’t get as some other dryers in the list, which some people will like and some won’t. Basically, if you like your hair dryer with really high heat levels, this might not be the way to go, but if you prefer a more gentle but effective drying, this makes for one of the most solid options out there. It’s dual voltage, by the way, with a slider on the side letting you set it manually.
T3 Afar
Pros
- Automatic voltage switching
- Three heat settings
- Comfortable to use
Cons
- Expensive
Wattage: 1500 watts
Settings: 3 heat settings plus cool shot button, 2 speed settings
Weight: 0.75 pounds
Dual voltage: Yes
Accessories: Concentrator
T3 makes some of the best hair tools around. As such, it’s no surprise that their travel hair dryer ended up as one of the best on our roundup. Like other options in the list, this one folds to enable a really compact size when packing, while the very light weight ensures it doesn’t add much heft to your luggage. It produces a pleasant amount of heat that’s never uncomfortable even at the highest setting, while drying hair at a pretty fast pace, removing frizz, and even leaving hair shiny. Suffice to say, the safe and effective drying makes it well worth the premium price, so much so that we know a few people who use it as their main hair dryer at home. It has automatic dual-voltage switching, too, so you can use it overseas with no problems.
Marcus Sterling
Looking past the surface to find the real, useful story is where I do my best work. I dedicate my days to vetting facts and clearing up confusion, making sure every piece leaves you with a clear idea and a bit of inspiration.