There’s no better time than the new year to update your outdated beauty tools. And despite what you may think, there’s no need to spend a fortune while doing so. There are plenty of cheap and affordable hair dryers that can give you the look you crave without breaking the bank.
If you’re in the market for a new hair dryer, but you’re not looking to spend too much, you might think your options are limited or that you have to sacrifice. In truth, there are some cheap hair dryers that are comparable to expensive high-end brands.
We handpicked 10 best-value cheap hair dryers that are just as good as their pricey cousins so you can update your beauty tools when on a budget. If you have a budget below Check out our preview list below.
| Image | Title | Editor's Rank | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
 Top | INFINITIPRO BY CONAIR Pro Hair Dryer | Best for Curly Hair | See Price |
 Top | Remington Impact Resistant Hair Dryer | Most Durable Model | See Price |
 Top | REVLON Infrared Heat Hair Dryer for Fast Drying | Best Frizz Reducer | See Price |
 Top | JINRI 1875w Ionic Blow Hair Dryer with Diffuser | Quietest Design | See Price |
 Top | Joyyum Professional Hair Dryer | Best for Fine Hair | See Price |
 Top | Asani Professional Heat Blow Dryer | Best for Controlling Flyaways | See Price |
 Top | Confu Professional Hair Dryer | Best for Thick Hair | See Price |
 Top | John Freida Hair Dryer | Best for Creating Volume | See Price |
 Top | Prizm Tourmaline Hair Dryer | Best for Travel | See Price |
What to Look For in a Hair Dryer
When buying any hair or beauty tool, it helps to understand what you should be looking for. A few things make hair dryers stand out.
You’ll always want to look at the hair dryer’s heat settings and review what attachments they offer. It’s also important to pay attention to other features that affect everyday use, like how heavy it is or whether it makes too much noise.
Heat Settings
Ideally, a hair dryer, even a cheap one, will have adjustable heat settings. If you have thick, healthy hair, high heat might be necessary, unless you want the process to take forever. If you have thin or curly hair, using a lower heat setting helps retain moisture.
The best hair dryers have a cool shot button, which will help you lock in your style by sealing off the cuticle. Using the cool shot will also prevent frizz, which is always ideal.
Attachments
You may think a cheap hair dryer means you’ll miss out on attachments, but that’s not the case. Even budget-friendly hair dryers come with attachments like diffusers and concentrators.
If you have curly or even wavy hair, a diffuser is your best friend. Diffusers help circulate air down to the ends of your hair, creating definition and volume. When used correctly, you’ll end up with frizz-free curls or waves.
Concentrators are fantastic for sleek, straight, but voluminous looks because they focus the dryer’s airflow. Smaller concentrators allow you to create smooth blowouts, even in curly hair. Larger ones reduce drying time, especially if your hair is longer or thicker.
Other Things To Consider
Beyond the attachments and heat settings, you want a dryer that has multiple speeds for styling versatility. High speed can make it difficult to style, and low speeds mean longer drying times.
Lightweight models are great, too, especially if you have long hair. Arm fatigue can be a real problem!
Hair dryers aren’t known for being quiet, but more and more models have reduced their sound volume. Finding a quieter model might be necessary if you’re drying your hair before others are awake or if you’re sensitive to loud noises.
The Best Budget Hair Dryers
Now that you know what to look for let’s jump into the review. We chose All of the hair dryers on this list with your budget in mind. Some are cheaper than others, but none of them will break the bank. Best of all, none of them require you to sacrifice quality for the price.
1. Best For Curly Hair: Infiniti Pro by Conair with Ceramic Technology
This hair dryer from Conair uses infrared heat to ensure it doesn’t damage your hair. It has three heat settings and two-speed settings, so you can style your look exactly how you want. And it comes with both a diffuser and a concentrator.
Unlike some hair dryers whose attachments tend to have a loose fit, we love that the diffuser and concentrator lock-in, so they won’t pop off as you move the dryer around. We’re also impressed by how lightweight this one is, making it easy to style your perfect ‘do without arm fatigue.
2. Most Durable Model: Remington Impact Resistant Hair Dryer
We can’t tell you how common it is to have a hair dryer hit the bathroom floor! And every time it happens, we cringe, thinking the dryer broke for sure. Remington has put an end to all that with this impact-resistant hair dryer.
It has a rubber guard around the nozzle and a five-year warranty, so you don’t have to worry if it drops. This might be an extra great feature if you have younger children who want to style their own hair or if you have a small-sized bathroom counter.
Plus, it has all the features we want: three heat settings, two-speed settings, a concentrator, and a diffuser. And its tourmaline and titanium technology means less damage to your hair.
3. Best Frizz Reducer: Revlon Infrared Heat Hair Dryer
This hair dryer might be the prettiest one on the list. Its pearl white finish is gorgeous, but that’s not the only reason we love it.
Its tourmaline technology creates more shine and less frizz by increasing negative ions. This also protects hair from damage.
Though it only has two heat settings, it comes with a diffuser, concentrator, and a bonus: sectioning clips!
Plus, despite its lightweight feel, it gets the job done fast. Even the lower, warm setting gets most hair dry in a matter of minutes!
4. Quietest Design: Jinri Hair Dryer
Jinri is a lesser-known brand in the United States, but don’t let that stop you from purchasing their hair dryer. The super lightweight and quiet design makes this one of our favorites.
Imagine having a conversation with someone while you blow-dry your hair. With this dryer, that’s actually possible! And it does it without sacrificing power or performance.
The Jinri dryer uses tourmaline technology to create sleek, frizz-free looks and comes with both a concentrator and a diffuser.
5. Best For Fine Hair: Joyyum Professional Hair Dryer
For a professional level hair dryer, it doesn’t get much more inexpensive than Joyyum’s model. We love the look of this dryer as well as its lightweight structure.
Some of the other hair dryers on this list reach higher temperatures, but if your hair is thin or fine, Joyyum might be the perfect answer.
It uses negative ions to give you a smooth, frizz-free style. And, it comes with multiple speed and heat settings, a diffuser, and a concentrator.
6. Best for Controlling Flyaways: Asani Hair Dryer
The Asani Hair Dryer is incredibly powerful and will get your hair dry fast. Like the other models on this list, it comes with multiple speeds, heat settings, and attachments. But that’s not the only reason we love it.
The Asani stands out by having an 8-foot power cord. That means it’s super easy to maneuver and works even if your outlet isn’t all that close to your mirror!
Plus, most dryers that get this hot fail to have an effective cool shot button. We’re not sure how Asani did it, but their cool shot button is powerful.
Even if you’re using the dryer on high heat, press the cool button, and you’ll get cold air which reduces flyaways and locks in your style!
7. Best For Thick Hair: Confu Professional Hair Dryer
Though it’s one of the pricier models on our list, we love the Confu dryer for several reasons. And don’t worry, when we say pricier, it’s still on the cheap hair dryer side of things!
Besides having multiple heat settings and a particularly nice set of attachments, this hair dryer also features a cool setting rather than a trigger button. That can be exceptionally nice when trying to style hair since sometimes holding a trigger down makes things that much harder!
On top of that, Confu prides itself on low noise technology. It’s not only quieter than other hair dryers, but it’s also lower-pitched. So the sound it does make is far less grating on your ears!
8. Best for Creating Volume: John Freida Hair Dryer
The John Freida brand is all about sleekness and shine. Their hair dryer is no exception. This lightweight, high-performance dryer has multiple heat settings and a cool shot button.
What we really love, though, is that it comes with two concentrators, instead of just one! Having the second concentrator size helps you build a fuller look. We say, if you need extra volume, this hair dryer should do it!
9. Fastest Drying: Brigenius Professional Salon Dryer
This dryer isn’t as lightweight as some of our other picks, but it has a lot of power and a few exceptional features. Besides providing ionic technology for frizz-free shine, this dryer comes with two concentrator sizes as well as a diffuser.
It also has a no-heat toggle switch. That helps you seal your cuticles at the end of styling and lock in your look. Most dryers use a cool-shot trigger for this, but the switch is easier to use.
Out of all the dryers on this list, the Brigenius model feels the most like a salon product. It’s smooth, black surface and powerful motor will absolutely get the job done.
10. Best For Travel: Prizm Tourmaline Hair Dryer
Prizm isn’t a well-known brand but their hair dryer rocks. Sure, the hot pink color is fun, but that’s not the only part we love.
This model is very compact, so it’s great when you’re on the go, but it still packs a powerful punch. It dries hair quickly, and the tourmaline technology makes sure frizz is kept to a minimum.
We love that it’s exceptionally quiet and that it has an infrared light inside. The light turns on when you’re using hot air, which is a great visual indicator.
Conclusion
Just because you’re on a budget doesn’t mean you need to sacrifice quality or power. Lots of cheap hair dryers still work great. We think the ones on this list are especially fantastic!
If it’s time to get rid of your old hair power tools, but you don’t want to waste your whole paycheck, check out one of the hair dryers above. We doubt you’ll be disappointed!
