Other than heating element (ceramic), ionic, power (watts), airflow (m3/hour), and weight, you may choose your first hairdryer for its calmness. Here are the quietest hair dryers according to their noise level.
- Most one-step hair dryers and volumizers produce a noise level less than 85dB.
- It’s noisy while blow-drying—why not wear earplugs?
- Lower noise level, less powerful?
Ion Whisper Quiet Lite Ionic – Ceramic Hair Dryer
Ion Whisper Quiet, as its name indicates, is for those who are quite sensitive to hearing.
Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer
Using a noise level app on a phone or a sound meter, we measured 79 decibels at a distance of 15 cm.
MHU Professional Salon Grade
Most professional hair dryers are quieter than average dryers available on the market, but this MHU hair dryer’s loudness level is somewhat comparable to professional tools.
What is a decibel (“dB”)?
A decibel (dB) is a unit of measurement of sound intensity. The higher the dB, the noisier it feels.
The dB is zero when the sound level equals the reference level, since dB calculated = log(sound level/reference level) = log(1) = 0.
The dB can have negative values, for example -2, when the sound level is lower than the reference level by 100 times (dB = log(1/100) = -2).
If you are exposed to noise levels over 85dB for a long period of time, you may experience hearing impairment.
How to measure the noise level of a hairdryer?
Most commercial digital sound level meters (range 30–130dB) can measure the noise from a hairdryer.
The meter should be placed at the same distance (e.g., 6 inches) from the hairdryer as it is close to your ears during blow-drying. The noise level depends on the distance between the sound meter and the source of the sound.
You can also measure the noise level using an app (iOS, Android), but this is less accurate than using a noise level meter.
For some people who are sensitive to sound, the noise level matters
Some hair dryers’ noise levels when operated can exceed 90 dB, typically ranging from 85dB to 95 dB. Human ears are in a comfort zone with sound levels less than 85dB.
If you are in a closed room and use a hair dryer quite often, hearing those noises may be stressful, so it’s better to pick quieter products.
The noise level peaks when the hairdryer is set to its highest setting.
For your reference, here are other models and their noise levels
| Model | Noise Level |
| GHD Air Dryer | 103dB |
| Ion Whisper Quiet Lite Ionic | 80dB |
| Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer | 79dB |
| MHU Professional Salon Grade | 85dB |
| Dyson AirWrap | 82dB |
Sure, here’s a comparison of the noise levels and decibel ratings of the three hair dryers in a tabular form:
|
Hair Dryer |
Decibel Level |
|
Ion Whisper Quiet Lite Ionic – Ceramic |
60 dB |
|
Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer |
68 dB |
|
MHU Professional Salon Grade |
80 dB |
As you can see, the Ion Whisper Quiet Lite Ionic – Ceramic Hair Dryer is the quietest of the three, operating at a low decibel level of 60 dB.
The Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer is also relatively quiet, operating at 68 dB.
The MHU Professional Salon Grade, on the other hand, is louder.
Its no good giving noise levels like you have at 15 cm from the meter to simulate drying hair.
Industry standards for noise level measuring for ANYTHING are always at a distance of 100 cm or 1 metre. This is used worldwide!