The CHI Lava Pro Hair Dryer: Our Review

Table Of Content

• Wavytalk Ionic Hair Dryer
• Best Blow-Dryer Brush: Revlon Salon One-Step Hair Dryer and Volumizer
• Best Hair Dryers in 2024, Reviewed by Allure Editors
• Best Overall: Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer
• Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer
• Our pick: Rusk W8less Professional 2000 Watt Dryer
• Shark HyperAIR Fast-Drying with IQ 2-in-1 Concentrator

The gorgeous GHD Helios 1875W Advanced Professional Hair Dryer is heavier and slower than our pick, the Rusk W8less—and three times the price. However, at over 9.5 feet, its cord ties with that of the Amika Accomplice for the second-longest cord of any hair dryer we’ve tested, and this dryer is especially beautiful. The Rusk W8less Professional 2000 Watt Dryer offers all the features you need in a hair dryer while costing a fraction of the price of a luxury model. The W8less is one of the lightest, fastest, and hottest dryers we’ve tried (1 pound, 55 mph, and over 245 °F, respectively). Those are the only features that matter for drying your hair efficiently. Our editors are constantly trying out new products and speaking to experts to determine the best of all things beauty, and hair dryers are among the most tested.

Wavytalk Ionic Hair Dryer

Most of these “features” are useless at best and pseudoscience at worst. Among the models we tested, it tied for blowing the hottest and fastest air. It's sleek, slim, and the signature black and red is a nice reminder that it's a CHI product. I'm a huge fan of how polished the buttons are – they're not clunky, made of different colors, or ill-placed to where you'd accidentally push them. Rather, they're intentionally discreet and have a bit of a texture, which makes for an easy grip and a seamless push. You might be searching for a face cream to address persistent dryness or a new nail product to add to your Sunday self-care routine; you may simply be browsing around for the latest launches to hit the hair market.

Best Blow-Dryer Brush: Revlon Salon One-Step Hair Dryer and Volumizer

Speed and heat are the only features that matter for drying your hair efficiently, and with a 55 mph airflow that exceeds 245 °F, the Rusk W8less Professional 2000 Watt Dryer is one of the fastest and hottest dryers we tested. It weighs less than a pound, it has an 8-foot cord (one of the longest we found), it’s notably comfortable to hold, and overall it has the best combination of features we deem important. The W8less comes with a concentrator, which is helpful for straightening hair, but it does not come with a diffuser. As someone with long, thick, curly hair, I appreciate how lightweight this hair dryer is. At just over half a pound, it's definitely one of the best travel hair dryers, not to mention, it boasts a round, super slim design that takes up no more space than a bottle of hairspray.

Best Hair Dryers in 2024, Reviewed by Allure Editors

If you’re willing to splurge on a dryer, you might consider the Dyson Supersonic. It has consistently been our favorite to use since we first tested it in 2016. The motor sits in the handle, making the nozzle shorter and easier to maneuver. The handle doesn’t vibrate at all, which wasn’t true of other “luxury” models we tested. It has a long, 9-foot cord, and it’s less grating noise-wise than other dryers. It also comes with five magnetic attachments, including a diffuser, all of which are exceptionally easy to add or remove mid-blowout.

But the buttons are positioned on the side, and they made the dryer hard for us to hold without getting poked in the hand. The Conair InfinitiPro SmoothWrap Hair Dryer is slower and has a shorter cord than all of our picks. However, it is lightweight (a pound), and it reaches temperatures above 245 °F. Shark has released another hair dryer called the SpeedStyle, as well as a new hair tool, the SmoothStyle (which resembles the Revlon One-Step).

Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer

Familiar additives like aloe and argan oil help, too, sealing the hair cuticle for extra defense. Foster says this lightweight professional-grade hair dryer packs a powerful punch. “As soon as you turn it on, [your hair] dries quickly,” says Foster, adding that it also stores very easily. It weighs less than a pound, so it’s lightweight enough to hold when you’re drying your hair at home, says Foster.

As with any dryer, the sound of whooshing air is physically impossible to eliminate. All of the dryers took more or less the same amount of time to dry hair. A CHI Lava Pro Hair Dryer review wouldn't be complete without declaring my dedication to CHI as a brand.

For the initial iteration of this guide, we timed the models drying a swatch of hair from a wig wetted with 5 grams of water, with the dryers on their highest setting. Marabello says a lighter, smaller dryer like this one is best for clients to use on their own because they can more easily maneuver the brush. One caveat, though, is that it comes with only one attachment — a contouring nozzle — but the brand has a compatible diffuser, which is available for purchase separately. “It’s the ease of using it that makes it attractive, and it gives you that salon finish,” says Karla Marabello, owner of K’Bello Organic Hair in New Jersey.

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The Revlon 1875-Watt Infrared Hair Dryer produced a wind speed of 45 mph (measured directly in front of the nozzle), slower than the speed we got from our picks. It weighs just over a pound, has a cord measuring 5.5 feet, and comes with a concentrator and a diffuser. But the mediocre specs, along with the gimmicky red lights that flash while you’re blow-drying, kept this dryer from being a pick, even though it was a particularly inexpensive model at the time of our tests.

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It's well-constructed, gives me incredible results, and I'm hesitant to throw it in my hot tool drawer because of how sleek it is (I actually don't mind leaving it displayed atop my vanity). Wirecutter is the product recommendation service from The New York Times. Our journalists combine independent research with (occasionally) over-the-top testing so you can make quick and confident buying decisions. Whether it’s finding great products or discovering helpful advice, we’ll help you get it right (the first time). The Supersonic has a two-year warranty and comes in five color combinations. Dyson in 2023 introduced a pared-down package, the Supersonic Origin, which includes only the dryer and a concentrator attachment.

This Conair tool is a favorite of Foster’s because of its powerful ion generator that reduces frizz. This model has a 1.5-inch titanium ceramic-coated barrel that distributes heat evenly, and its ionic technology ensures a no-frizz blowout, according to the brand. At an impressive 11 feet long, the currently unavailable CHI Touch 2 Dryer’s cord is the longest of any dryer we’ve tested, but this dryer is more expensive and much slower than the Rusk W8less.