How Do I Choose the Best Travel Hair Dryer?

The full size hair dryer that you use every day may be heavy and cumbersome and take up a lot of room in a suitcase. Many hotels provide an in-room hair dryer for guests to use. Although this allows you to leave your hair dryer at home, many people don't like to use hotel dryers for sanitary reasons or because they may not be as efficient as one's own hair dryer. For frequent travelers, investing in a travel hair dryer might be a good alternative, as they are relatively inexpensive. In order to choose the best portable hair dryer you will need to find one that provides adequate power for drying your hair, is small enough to save space, has settings you actually use, and can be used anywhere that you travel.

Two of the most important criteria to consider are how compact the hair dryer is and how it obtains power. If a travel hair dryer cannot be plugged into a wall outlet in a foreign country, it will be useless when you travel abroad, and you might was well just leave it at home. Models are available, however, that have dual voltage capacity, ensuring that the dryer can be used in an electrical outlet virtually anywhere in the world. Dual voltage can either be automatic or may require you to use a switch to indicate which voltage you will be using. Battery operated travel hair dryers will eliminate the worry over being unable to plug in your dryer, but you will need to make sure you have the proper size replacement batteries or a battery charger with you when traveling.

Two key features in a travel hair dryer are its size and weight. Some styles of travel dryers fold to save room, while others are simply smaller than a full size hair dryer. Weight is another consideration, as you don't want to add extra weight to your suitcase if you can avoid it.

Just because a travel hair dryer is smaller than an average dryer doesn't mean it has to lack the features you are accustomed to. Many travel dryers are equipped with tourmaline ionic capabilities, retractable cord storage, and multiple heat and power settings, just like their full-size counterparts. The power a travel hair dryer supplies is determined by its wattage which varies from model to model — 1,000 watts to 1,875 watts being the average range. Finding a travel dryer with the same wattage as your home dryer will provide you to with the same power level you are accustomed to at home.

Compact hair dryers come in the same assortment of colors as standard dryers. Color choice is a personal preference whether you want a traditional color such as silver, black, or white or a fun and bold color like purple, red, or cobalt blue. Animal prints, plaids and polka dot designs are other design options for a travel hair dryer.