7 of the best hair dryers for Afro hair - designed to style and protect textured strands

On the hunt for a blowdryer that offers effective styling whilst also being gentle on your hair's natural texture? Our team have rounded up the best dryers for Afro hair - touted for their ability to smooth curls and coils...

When considering what might be the best hair dryer for our hair type, we are often told that Afro-textured hair is the weakest. It breaks easily, it can be dry and we have to be careful when it comes to using heat and chemicals. While I’m tired of hearing such negative connotations with my texture, I can’t completely disagree. Although usually thicker, Afro hair textures are more fragile due to the shape each strand takes on at the root. While European and Asian hair textures have a cyclical shape, Afro-Caribbean hair has a more oval shape - and because of the curves in each coil and curl type, even when straightened strands can be more prone to breaking.

If you heat style your hair, strands obviously can become more damaged, so you have to be very careful with the tools you pick. There are so many hair dryer options nowadays, it can be hard to whittle down the best hair dryers for curly hair, and Afro hair specifically. Luckily though, we’ve put many to the test to figure out exactly which ones work the best...

The 6 best hair dryers for Afro hair in 2024

The quick list

Best overall hair dryer for Afro hair

The Dyson Supersonic is the priciest tool we tested but was by far the best experience when drying. The motor is small but mighty, delivering a powerful and fast blow-dry in less than 20 minutes, which, for my thick type 4 hair, is normally unheard of. The tech in the dryer measures the temperature 40 times a second to give an even heat and prevent heat damage. Despite the high tech within the tool, it’s incredibly lightweight compared to other hair dryers we tested. The attachments are what seal the Dyson’s spot at the top of this hair dryer hot list, particularly the flyaway attachment which can make even the biggest frizz halo super smooth.

Best for quick styling

This dryer really bridges the gap between dryer and multi-styler so well. If you’ve been thinking about getting a multi-styler, such as the Shark FlexStyle or Dyson Airwrap but still want a traditional hair dryer, this is the best pick for you. Not only is it extremely high tech the attachments are great for smoothing coily hair. The Quick Smooth brush attachment is particularly good for this thanks to the duo-fibre bristles.

Best for travel

One of the worst things about travel has to be poor amenities, right? I know I’m not the only curly/coily girl who shudders at the thought of using a slow, low-powered tool that leaves your hair a tangly frizzball after a day in the sun. This dryer is super compact but does function almost as well as standard-sized. Even if you are travelling with hand luggage only, this will take up no space in your travel essentials kit and give you the styles that you’re used to at home while away. This mini packs 1100 watts of power and thanks to infrared technology, it’s able to dry hair more quickly than the average tool, working from the inside of the cuticle, out.

Best for healthy hair

The ghd Helios hair dryer is the latest hair dryer launch from ghd and while the Air is lighter, this is the higher tech of the two. Its trademarked Aeroprecis technology makes for a fast blow-dry that leaves hair really smooth. The concentrator nozzle is particularly good on this dryer, teamed with a small paddle brush or round brush you can straighten coily hair flat if that’s the way you like to style it. Equally, the diffuser (bought separately) is sizeable, so will work well for you if you quickly want to dry your wash-and-go style.

Best for frizz control

Price-wise this hair dryer is pretty mid-range. And while the tech doesn’t hit that of the Dyson or Shark, you do get a clever tool that works for bringing out the best in naturally-styled hair but also if you want to straighten too. That’s because frizz can be Afro hair’s biggest nightmare and the tech in this dryer blends positive and negative ions to help keep hair moisture balanced and frizz-free.

See our full BaByliss Hydro Fusion review for more details on this dryer.

Best for a salon finish

Ask most hairdressers what their most reliable hair dryer is and they’ll say a Parlux. And it’s a hairdresser’s favourite for a reason. It’s not light by any means but the horsepower is ferocious and if you are after a real professional feel, the Parlux brand is great. This model is the lightest of the range yet packets a 2200-watt motor. If you’re looking for a sturdy, classic hair dryer to straighten Afro hair, this is a great pick.

Best for an old-school silk press

It’s a little clunky and noisy but this retro dryer still works well for a classic use. A lot of us would have had this dryer used on us at the hairdressers back in the day when we had a traditional silk press - and while it’s been slightly updated it’s still retained the same look and feel. Also, it’s the only readily available hair dryer that was designed for Afro hair, the pik attachment is secured tight for stretching even the thickest, tightest coils with no issue. At under £25, it’s the cheapest on the list but at that price, you know you aren’t going to get a super high-tech tool with multiple attachments.

How we tested the best hair dryers for Afro hair

To ensure that all hair dryers were tested fairly we used the highest speed and heat setting and were as fair as possible when comparing the power and wattage of each hair dryer, considering price versus performance. All of these dryers were tested on damp, freshly washed hair with a heat protector applied.

How to use a hair dryer safely on Afro hair

"Using a hair dryer alongside a good brush is key," says Lorraine Dublin, celebrity hairdresser and co-owner of My Hair Bar. "Make sure you take small sections as you’ll get more of an even blow dry. Plus, it gives you more control."

Depending on the finish you want, you’ll need to adjust your techniques slightly. "For a super straight finish, pre-blow-dry with a comb attachment before going back over with a Denman brush and small sections."

"For a twist out, you have a few options. You can do a light pre-blow-dry to extend the length then re-wet with the product, depending on your texture, before twisting and drying with a diffuser. If you don’t care about length then just go straight in with your twists and then dry gently on a medium heat."