"Tourmaline Ionic" Hair Dryer? Safe?

[Kae612]

So now my hair is getting longer it is taking much longer to dry. I have never owned a hair dryer and always air dried my hair. However, it is winter and quite cold, and while I don't mind sitting around the house waiting for my hair to dry, or sleeping on damp hair, the couple times I had to go out with wet hair it was exceedingly uncomfortable. Even without freezing, it felt very gross to have a wet spot at the back of my head, making my skin crawl. So I decided I would get a hair dryer just for emergencies (like the other day when I was expecting to have a day at home so I washed my hair, but a friend invited me out last minute and wet bunning happened).

I read through several threads on here, and articles online. I didn't want a terribly expensive dryer, because I read the main difference was how long they last. I wasn't expecting to use it very often, so I wasn't too concerned with it dying quickly. To summarize what I gleaned from threads on here, it seemed that what to look for was:

Ceramic - heats more evenly, safer for hair than metal dryers that might have hot spots and overheat the hair more than intended
Ionic - possibly works more efficiently, differing opinions, undecided
Heat Settings - more heat settings is best, especially a notch for "cool" (not just a button, holding down a button is hard)


So I had thought I'd found one that was all 3. I had 4 dryers I was looking at, 3 from Revlon and 1 from Conair. There were not very many differences between them, as far as I could tell. All said "ceramic" and "ionic" in the product descriptions. I couldn't find any detailed reviews online. All I could tell was that one had 3 heat settings, with "cool" as a notch option, and the rest had only 2. So that's the one I bought, thinking they were all more or less the same. I saw a lot of complaining in a thread here about how hard it was to hold down a "cool shot" button for longer than a few seconds, so I figured that was worthwhile.

This is what I bought: https://www.amazon.ca/Revlon-Select-Tourmaline-Hair-Dryer/dp/B00IWQP2O8/ref=sr_1_7?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1487041867&sr=1-7&keywords=revlon+ionic+hair+dryer

BUT when the hair dryer I ordered came, the box says only "tourmaline ionic" not "tourmaline ceramic ionic" :shrug: This doesn't match the product description from Amazon. In all other respects the product looks the same, with the exception of "ceramic" not showing up anywhere on the box.

My question is - does this mean this is a very bad tool? I know heat is never ideal, but in terms of the safest dryer, is metal (especially an inexpensive dryer) much more damaging? Should I try to return it and get one with ceramic instead?

[Anje]

I've got a similar model of Revlon blow dryer (http://a.co/2Hz5hg7), and it seems fine (ar least other than the occasional Amazon reviews talking it shooting sparks, which mine hasn't done). Works well, seems pretty fast, no complaints. I think it'll be fine.

[Kae612]

I've got a similar model of Revlon blow dryer (http://a.co/2Hz5hg7), and it seems fine (ar least other than the occasional Amazon reviews talking it shooting sparks, which mine hasn't done). Works well, seems pretty fast, no complaints. I think it'll be fine.

Thanks! That was also one of the models I looked at, I couldn't for the life of me figure out the difference. I guess mine doesn't say 1875W (or any watt specifications for that matter, other than in the product description, which seems to be incorrectly labeled).

Yeah I was at first off put by those reviews, but I poked more into it and a bunch of articles say that happens when a) you use it for way too long at a high heat, too close to your hair and it overheats from the heat feedback, or b) it's too old and you need to let it go because they don't last forever.

[lapushka]

If you've looked around other threads, then you'll know this piece of advice:

- any dryer is a good dryer, as long as you use it on the cool/warm setting. If you can hold your hand in the airstream without it burning, you're fine for your hair as well.

- as long as it has separate speed settings from its heat settings, you're good to go. And a cool shot button. Oh, and let's not forget a diffuser head, as those can come in very handy if you're a tad wavy.

[Nique1202]

As long as you use it on a setting that doesn't hurt your hand in the air stream, the rest really doesn't matter for safety purposes. The heat is the only thing that will damage the hair, and if it won't burn your hand at the same distance you hold it from your hair, then it won't hurt your hair either.

[spidermom]

I have read the skin of your neck is where you should test the heat, not your hand. Hands can often take a lot of heat.

[lapushka]

spidermom, it's the same if my hand is okay, my neck is too; I don't notice a difference in temperature. Maybe that's just me. ;)

[spidermom]

My hands are more used to heat from washing dishes and tougher because of gardening and things like that.

[Anje]

One thing I read when I was looking at all this, trying to pick a dryer since all this ionic and tourmaline stuff got popular: Ionic dryers supposedly dry your hair faster than conventional blow dryers, but it's not always immediately obvious because your hair isn't as "fluffy" from it. The take-away was that you do want to be a bit cautious about over-drying the hair.

[lapushka]

One thing I read when I was looking at all this, trying to pick a dryer since all this ionic and tourmaline stuff got popular: Ionic dryers supposedly dry your hair faster than conventional blow dryers, but it's not always immediately obvious because your hair isn't as "fluffy" from it. The take-away was that you do want to be a bit cautious about over-drying the hair.

Mine is ionic too, it has an on/off button to switch it on/off. I always leave it on. I can't actually tell it does anything. :shrug: But I leave it on, because... well, why, in fact, I have no idea. :lol:

[antler_tines]

I thought the ionic bit was supposed to create negative ions, making the hair more smooth and shiny? I guess also less fluffy. I thought I could tell the difference with one I had a while back. But now come to think of it, it may have just been because I used it on the cool setting and the old one I used didn't have a cool setting! Ha shoot I thought the ions were making a difference, but looking back maybe not!

[Kae612]

If you've looked around other threads, then you'll know this piece of advice:

- any dryer is a good dryer, as long as you use it on the cool/warm setting. If you can hold your hand in the airstream without it burning, you're fine for your hair as well.

- as long as it has separate speed settings from its heat settings, you're good to go. And a cool shot button. Oh, and let's not forget a diffuser head, as those can come in very handy if you're a tad wavy.

Yes, I think I may have even seen it from you! :)

That was a main reason why I picked this one, it supposedly had 3 heat notches for "cool, warm, hot" (although when it showed up it just has dashes, like I II III, so that's less encouraging) in addition to the 2 speed settings, which are indeed on a separate notch. Then, it has a "cool shot" button, a "turbo blast" button (no clue what that's for, I'm guessing like an even higher speed setting but a button?). Also a dial with 3 different levels of ions, supposedly designated by hair type (fine - low, normal - medium, thick and coarse - high).

Thank you :o Things are sounding optimistic. It's frustrating to order something and have it show up different from the product description, but it sounds like it's not the end of the world. :D

[Kae612]

I have read the skin of your neck is where you should test the heat, not your hand. Hands can often take a lot of heat.

Thanks I'll keep that in mind! I've definitely noticed my hands take more heat than for instance my feet if I'm filling up a bathtub, so my neck might be similar. Maybe I'll do a heat test now before I actually need to use the dryer so I'm not in a rush trying to figure out new things. :)

[Kae612]

I tried using it for the first time on Sunday, because I dyed my hair and stupidly didn't leave enough time for it to dry after rinsing out the dye before needing to go to sleep (and while I don't usually mind sleeping on wet hair, you aren't supposed to do that after dyeing with semi permanent colour or supposedly it'll go everywhere). My hair was quite poofy for about a day (I'm not sure I'm doing it right) but the "warm" setting is find on my face/neck/hand so that seems to be safe enough. My hair was mostly dry in like 20min! So quick! It seems fine, although oddly my scalp is producing a lot more oil much faster than usual - it's only Wednesday and my hair looks like it's Saturday already. Definitely won't use this super often, but I'm glad it's an okay drier and thanks for all the help! :)

[lapushka]

You're welcome. Normally a dryer doesn't make a difference in the oiliness of your scalp, well, it doesn't on mine. Maybe the manipulation? I just diffuse-dry so my hair doesn't get manipulated a lot, and I also airdry for a few hours, then just diffuse for 5 min.

Maybe next time try airdrying for longer, then drying for shorter - if you have the time! :)

[Kae612]

You're welcome. Normally a dryer doesn't make a difference in the oiliness of your scalp, well, it doesn't on mine. Maybe the manipulation? I just diffuse-dry so my hair doesn't get manipulated a lot, and I also airdry for a few hours, then just diffuse for 5 min.

Maybe next time try airdrying for longer, then drying for shorter - if you have the time! :)

Yes, I definitely want to air dry most often and as much as possible. :) I'm not sure why it's oily, maybe too much air on my scalp dried it out so it produced more? I also brushed out my hair so I could dry it in sections, and I don't usually do that to wet hair. I also used clarifying shampoo repeatedly before dyeing so that also could be the culprit. Oh well, it's not a big deal.

My hair is mostly straight at about 1c so I think diffusers are just for curly/very wavy hair?

[lapushka]

Yes, I definitely want to air dry most often and as much as possible. :) I'm not sure why it's oily, maybe too much air on my scalp dried it out so it produced more? I also brushed out my hair so I could dry it in sections, and I don't usually do that to wet hair. I also used clarifying shampoo repeatedly before dyeing so that also could be the culprit. Oh well, it's not a big deal.

My hair is mostly straight at about 1c so I think diffusers are just for curly/very wavy hair?

Air doesn't make hair oilier. ;) It is more likely the manipulation, from the brush.

I'm 2b/c and a diffuser is nice for me. If you're 1c you can try!

[meteor]

One thing that I don't see mentioned about selecting a well-designed dryer is to look for a dryer that doesn't overheat easily. Many hairdryers don't keep stable temperature the whole time they are on and can overheat really quickly when they are on for a while. (Apparently, designing a tool that would keep the temperature stable was one of the biggest challenges while designing Dyson hairdryer (https://www.wired.com/2016/04/dyson-continues-take-home-making-hair-dryer/), for example, they had to add thermal sensors to fix that issue.)
You can probably identify the specific tools that are known for overheating easily by reading user reviews.
Other than that, I'd just focus on finding a tool that has a "cool" setting (not just "cool shot" button), as was mentioned previously, and decent speed settings and a diffuser (if you want to keep natural texture while drying). Good luck! :)

[lapushka]

One thing that I don't see mentioned about selecting a well-designed dryer is to look for a dryer that doesn't overheat easily. Many hairdryers don't keep stable temperature the whole time they are on and can overheat really quickly when they are on for a while. (Apparently, designing a tool that would keep the temperature stable was one of the biggest challenges while designing Dyson hairdryer (https://www.wired.com/2016/04/dyson-continues-take-home-making-hair-dryer/), for example, they had to add thermal sensors to fix that issue.)
You can probably identify the specific tools that are known for overheating easily by reading user reviews.
Other than that, I'd just focus on finding a tool that has a "cool" setting (not just "cool shot" button), as was mentioned previously, and decent speed settings and a diffuser (if you want to keep natural texture while drying). Good luck! :)

Yes, I've found my Babyliss dryer heats up far easier than my Braun one (is quite stable). It does depend on the dryer, which is why I've started recommending people hold their hand in the airstream for longer. ;)

[Kae612]

One thing that I don't see mentioned about selecting a well-designed dryer is to look for a dryer that doesn't overheat easily. Many hairdryers don't keep stable temperature the whole time they are on and can overheat really quickly when they are on for a while. (Apparently, designing a tool that would keep the temperature stable was one of the biggest challenges while designing Dyson hairdryer (https://www.wired.com/2016/04/dyson-continues-take-home-making-hair-dryer/), for example, they had to add thermal sensors to fix that issue.)
You can probably identify the specific tools that are known for overheating easily by reading user reviews.
Other than that, I'd just focus on finding a tool that has a "cool" setting (not just "cool shot" button), as was mentioned previously, and decent speed settings and a diffuser (if you want to keep natural texture while drying). Good luck! :)

Yes, I think consistent/stable heat was part of the push for a ceramic dryer, if I'm not mistaken? That was my worry about it still being safe to use. This one does in fact have 3 temp settings, I thought the lowest one was a "cool" setting, but it just seems to be warm, warmer, hot with only the cool shot button being truly cool air. Thanks!

[Anje]

FWIW, I never use the hot setting on mine. Normally it's just the warm and I'll dry it to about 90% dry. But my hair dried rapidly when it was long (maybe 1-2 hours to mostly dry if it was loose, assuming I fluffed it regularly at the scalp where it's slowest to dry). Right now, it's not even worth mentioning dry time.

[lapushka]

FWIW, I never use the hot setting on mine. Normally it's just the warm and I'll dry it to about 90% dry. But my hair dried rapidly when it was long (maybe 1-2 hours to mostly dry if it was loose, assuming I fluffed it regularly at the scalp where it's slowest to dry). Right now, it's not even worth mentioning dry time.

I don't either. I have 3 settings, cool, warm, hot. The hot setting is way too hot! The cool is way too flimsy for actual drying, and the middle setting is just warm enough that it doesn't burn; I'll take that! It dries my hair nicely in 5 min. (well not to totally dry, but at least my scalp is as good as dry (95%)).