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Whether you have long or short hair, a hair dryer is always a good one to have while travelling. Using a hairdryer is less damaging on your hair than air drying as it helps your hair dry faster, preventing damage to your hair cuticles.
You’ll also want to make sure you have a reliable hair dryer that you know works well with you while you travel, rather than having to rely on a subpar one at the hotel. A compact and lightweight one is a great one to have, whether it’s just for your travels or if it also doubles up as your regular day-to-day one.
For a travel hair dryer, one of the main features you’ll want to look out for is its size and weight. Many travel hair dryers come with foldable handles and are generally on the lighter side.
If you’re someone who likes travelling light with only a carryon, then try to go for one that can fold up quite small so that it will take up as little space as possible in your bag.
Another important one to consider is voltage. There are two things to take note of here - voltage as well as dual voltage. With voltage on its own, you’ll want to make sure it's powerful enough for your styling needs. In terms of dual voltage, this one is a great feature to have especially for travelling.
Some hair dryers are able to automatically switch between two voltages (110-120V or 220-240V) and others have a manual switch. This is really handy as different countries have different voltages.
Let’s now jump to our selection and list of hair dryers great for travel catered to various budgets.
Best For Curly And Frizzy Hair
1. Dyson Supersonic
Powerful hair dryer with multiple attachments included
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Our top choice for best travel hair dryer to buy in Australia is the Dyson Supersonic, that needs no introduction and has naturally made it at the top of our list. It’s recommended to people who are travelling often and wanting the very best in the market.
Dyson is known for their innovative technologies that have translated into their hair tools as well. They have designed the Dyson Supersonic hair dryer to cater to various hair types, so it’s no surprise that it also works well for those with curly and frizzy hair which usually tends to require more powerful hair dryers.
One of the main advantages of the Dyson Supersonic is that it’s both sleek and compact as well as powerful. It utilises Dyson’s Air Multiplier™ that allows for quick drying and effective styling due to the hair dryer’s powerful airflow. Its technology also regulates the heat produced by the hair dryer, which helps to protect your hair from damage.
It also comes with various attachments that connect magnetically to the hair dryer head catered to various types of hair. Due to its thin design, it is very easy to store and travel with, taking up little room in your baggage.
The drawback of the Dyson Supersonic is its price point. It’s quite the investment, but if you’re looking for a hair dryer that’s high-quality, travel-friendly and powerful, it may be well worth the splurge.
Best For Fine And Dry Hair
2. Parlux 385 Power Light Ionic and Ceramic Hair Dryer
Lightweight with technology that makes your hair soft and silky
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The Parlux 385 Power Light Ionic and Ceramic Hair Dryer is a great option if you’re looking for a travel hair dryer that is lightweight yet still has a powerful motor with other bells and whistles.
It’s positioned as a professional hairdryer that generates 2150 watts of power, so you know you’ll have a powerful hair dryer that can handle all your hair styling needs while you’re overseas. Despite that, reviewers have also mentioned that the Parlux 385 Power Light Ionic and Ceramic Hair Dryer is lightweight and quieter compared to hair dryers they’ve used previously.
It also features Air Ionizer Tech technology, making your hair silky and smooth by reducing static electricity from your hair. This technology also helps to reduce the time needed to dry your hair - always a nice bonus when you’re getting ready.
One of the downsides of the Parlux 385 Power Light Ionic and Ceramic Hair Dryer is that it doesn’t have a folding handle that will make it more compact. However, if you typically check in your luggage while you travel, this shouldn't be a major issue as it isn’t overly big.
3. ghd Flight Travel Hair Dryer
Lightweight and compact with hair safeguard technology
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The ghd Flight Travel is the best travel hair dryers in Australia for dual voltage. It features a lightweight and compact design and it is based off of the ghd air professional hair dryer but made for travel - it’s comparatively more lightweight yet doesn’t compromise on power.
It also features ghd hair safeguard technology, which helps to prevent overheating. The hair dryer will automatically turn off if it’s being held too close to your hair. This feature is quite handy to have to prevent damage to your hair.
One of the cons mentioned in reviews of the ghd Flight Travel Hair Dryer is that it has a relatively wide nozzle. This makes it a little more challenging to achieve precision with your styling, so if this is something important to you for a travel hair dryer, it might be worth looking at a different one.
4. Babyliss Pro Bambino
Lightweight and compact with a long cord
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The Babyliss Pro Bambino has dual voltage, is lightweight and compact, features that make for a good travel hair dryer. At only 14 cm lengthwise, it will easily be able to fit into your baggage amongst all your other things. Despite its size, it still has a decent powered motor at 1200-watt.
It also has Nano Titanium technology, which helps make your hair shiny due to the ions generated. The Babyliss Pro Bambino has a long 1.8m cord, which will come in handy while you’re travelling as you never know where you’ll be able to plug it in.
Something to take note of is that the hair dryer can get quite hot after using it for some time, so you’ll need to make sure to let it cool down before packing it away in your suitcase.
5. Silver Bullet Baby Travel Hair Dryer
No-frills compact travel hair dryer
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The Silver Bullet Baby Travel Hair Dryer is one of the lightest hair dryers on this list, weighing in at 285g - a great feature to have in a travel hair dryer. It’s also compact, measuring 15cm in height x 13cm in length x 6cm in depth. Overall, it’s got all the basic features you would want for a travel hair dryer.
It comes with a concentrator nozzle and styling diffuser, making it more versatile for varying hair types.
The downside of the Silver Bullet Baby Travel Hair Dryer is that it doesn’t have any additional features like ceramic or ionic features. These features would be good if you have a tendency to spend too long using hair dryers and cause heat damage to your hair. However, these features are good-to-haves and it’s not necessarily a deal breaker if you’re quite on top of how long you use your hair dryer.
6. VS Sassoon Cord Keeper 2000
Handy retractable cord and foldable handle
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It’s all in the name - the star feature of the VS Sassoon Cord Keeper 2000 is its retractable cord. With the press of a button, the cord retracts into the hair dryer so you don’t have to worry about tangled cords. Coupled with the foldable handle, the VS Sassoon Cord Keeper 2000 makes for a good contender for a travel hair dryer.
The VS Sassoon Cord Keeper 2000 comes with two heat settings along with a cool shot button, so it’s relatively versatile. It has a 2000-watt motor, making it quite a powerful hair dryer given its size. It also features ceramic technology, which is a great feature if you’re looking for a hair dryer for fine hair.
One common complaint about the VS Sassoon Cord Keeper 2000 is that it can be quite noisy. However, if that’s not something that bothers you, the handy retractable cord, compact and lightweight features are good ones to have in your travel arsenal.
7. Remington Jet Setter 2000
A great value-for-money travel hair dryer
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If you’re looking for a travel hair dryer without spending too much on it, look no further. The Remington Jet Setter 2000 ticks those boxes. It’s great value-for-money and has all the features you need in a no-frills travel hair dryer.
The Remington Jet Setter 2000 has dual voltage, making it suitable for travelling anywhere in the world. It has a foldable handle, making it more compact for your suitcase. Reviews mention that it’s quite lightweight, making it ideal for travelling with.
It also has a removable filter, making it easy for you to clean whenever you need to. It has a hang loop as well, so it’s easy for you to store in the bathroom or in the cupboard when you’re away from home.
One of the drawbacks some reviews mention is that the heat and speed settings slider can be a bit difficult to manoeuvre. This might be an issue if you need to have controls that are easier to activate, so that’s something to keep in mind.
How to choose a travel hair dryer
When it comes to a travel hair dryer, there are some features that are definitely important such as weight and size so that it’s easy to pack up in your suitcase. However, depending on how serious you are about styling your hair, you might want to look into other additional features that would be useful to have even when you’re overseas.
Weight
We all know how essential it is to pack as light as possible when travelling. Instead of lugging around a big and heavy full-size hair dryer, you’ll want to look for a lightweight hair dryer. Most hair dryers that are targeted for travel tend to be on the lighter side. However, this is still a good one to keep an eye on as, naturally, there are some travel hair dryers that are lighter than others.
Size
Besides weight, size is another important factor when it comes to a travel accessory. Many travel hair dryers have foldable handles, making them even more compact and easy to slot in between your other things in your suitcase. Another thing to think about as well is the size of included accessories if that’s something you want to bring with you as well.
Wattage
When looking for a hair dryer, it’s easy to forget about voltage which affects how powerful your hair dryer is. The last thing you want is to get a compact and light hair dryer, only to discover that it’s weak and takes forever to dry your hair. The hair dryers on our list have wattage ranging from 1200-watt and above. If you have thinner or short hair, a lower wattage such as the 1200-watt hair dryers will probably work well for your purposes. However, if you’re looking for a hair dryer for thick and long hair, or if you need a more powerful one for styling hair, you’ll want to look into getting a hair dryer with a higher wattage for a more effective hair dryer.
Ceramic vs Ionic
A ceramic or ionic hair dryer is an additional feature in some hair dryers that help prevent too much heat damage to your hair and makes your hair shiny and smooth.
With a ceramic hair dryer, the heat is regulated as and distributed more evenly which helps to prevent damage to your hair. Ceramic hair dryers tend to work best for those who have fine or dry hair.
An ionic hair dryer releases negatively charged ions that result in smoother hair as the ions do not open the hair shaft. It’s also more effective when drying hair, drying hair quickly and at lower temperatures. Ionic hair dryers are particularly effective for curly or frizzy hair.
