What to know about T3's new compact hair dryer
The brand’s latest offering utilizes negative ions to smooth and tame frizzy hair for starters. Here's what to know if you're considering an upgrade.
According to the pros, lower wattage hair dryers (around 1,600 watts) are best suited for those with medium-to-fine hair like the T3 Fit and Dyson Supersonic. In contrast, those with thick or coarse hair should look for blow dryers equipped with 2,000 watts or more. Murphy previously noted that if you need to pass through your hair multiple times, it can cause unwanted heat damage to your strands. Overall, your safest bet when shopping for a new hot tool is to consider both your natural hair texture and the device’s wattage and temperature.
Although T3’s entire line of hot tools — curling irons, flat irons, hair dryers and various accessories — are readily available on Amazon, Sephora, Nordstrom, Macy’s and DermStore, the brand new Fit is only available directly through T3, at least for the time being.
While the T3 is popular among beauty experts and Shopping readers, it’s not your only option on the market for a travel-friendly and high quality hair dryer. Here are four other options, starting at $15, worth considering as you shop for a hair dryer in 2021.
This ergonomically-designed hair dryer from Conair weighs one pound and sports a folding handle for easy storage when traveling. Vagabond is the most affordable hot tool on our list, and it’ll have your basics covered, like two heat speeds — low and high — along with a cool shot that helps extend your hairstyle. However, it doesn’t boast extras like ionic technology and nozzle attachments to customize your hair styling.
Another affordable and lightweight option worth considering is this Dyson Supersonic-inspired hair dryer that weighs 1.4 pounds and comes with two nozzles, including a diffuser for curly hair and a concentrator for when you want to blow out your strands. The foldable hair dryer features ionic technology so, like the T3 Fit, it will play nicely with frizzy hair. It also boasts two heat settings — hot and warm — along with two speed settings: high and low, plus a cool shot.
If you’re comfortable investing over $130 in a top-rated hair dryer, you might want to consider the Baby Buttercup from Drybar, a national chain of hair salons that specializes in blowouts. The powerful ionic hair dryer is the lightest option on our list of T3 alternatives — it weighs 13 ounces, or .81 pounds. This foldable blow dryer is also equipped with a seven-foot extension cord and concentrator to help straighten your hair quicker. As a bonus, it comes with a travel pouch for added convenience once you safely resume traveling again.
Naturalistas should consider investing in a more robust blow dryer like the InStyler Turbo Ionic Blow Dryer, a travel-friendly option previously recommended by celebrity hair stylist Kristen Shaw. This powerful blow dryer is equipped with 2,000 watts for faster drying. It also weighs just over .84 pounds, making it InStyler’s lightest model available right now. The Turbo boasts tourmaline ceramic technology, which helps prevent pesky frizz and flyaways, to boot.
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