Aleesha Badkar
Forgive us for stating the obvious, but hair dryers can be loud. Really loud. So if that bothers you, you'll seriously benefit from investing in one of the quietest hair dryers, which offer a drying experience that's gentler on the ears. But if you can't try before you buy, how can you know which dryers aren't mega noisy?
Aside from researching which of the best hair dryers are also marketed as being quieter, hairdresser and mdlondon founder Michael Douglas recommends opting for a brushless (direct current, or DC) motor over a traditional alternating current or AC motor. "[This] means there are fewer moving parts in the engine of the hair dryer, so there's less friction and it therefore creates less noise,” he explains. “I think on average it makes it about 12 decibels quieter, which is quite a big deal. A DC motor also consumes less energy, so it's more energy efficient and costs less money to blow dry your hair."
With decades of experience, between us woman&home's beauty team has tried hundreds of hair dryers over the years – including some impressively quiet-yet-powerful models. After putting a select group through their paces to refine a list of the best, here we've shared our findings in detailed reviews of the quietest hair dryers on the market.
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The quietest hair dryers at a glance
We loved this model for its lack of a subtle but frustrating 'whistling' sound, that we've noticed in many hair dryers we've tested over the years. Its LED display shows what temperature the device is set to, as well as its speed setting. If something blocks the rear vent or it gets too hot, the dryer will handily turn itself off.
It's no secret that we love the Dyson Supersonic at woman&home, especially for curly and wavy hair types. But it's also one of the best quiet hair dryers, with a silencer in the handle and a motor that makes barely a hint of a whistling sound. Is there anything it can't do?
Though expensive, we found the Zuvi Halo was extremely quiet, with a gentle air attachment that creates an even softer result for the hair. What we liked the most about this option, though, is how energy efficient it is; using just 680w of electricity.
Created by hairdresser Michael Douglas and available in either a blue or an olive shade, this one takes the spot for the quietest hair dryer we tested. The incredibly light hair dryer emits a sound of just 76 decibels, with a brushless motor and a very useful self-cleaning feature.
Using air pressure instead of lots of heat to dry the hair, the Bio:Ionic Smart-X™ claims to dry hair 75% faster than most other dryers. There's also a lock function for once you've input your desired speed and heat settings, plus you'll see a light indicate when it's time to (self-)clean the device.
When one of London's best-known salons creates a quiet hair dryer, you know it's going to be good. At 300 grams, this is ideal for travelling with, and there's even a small diffuser attachment for curly hair. With three heat and speed settings, plus a cool shot, it's also a really versatile option.
The quietest hair dryers on the market, reviewed by our beauty team
The best quiet hair dryer with no high-pitched sound
The Beauty Works AERIS Hair Dryer
Reviewed by: Lucy Abbersteen
As well as both a lightweight and aesthetically pleasing white and gold design, Beauty Works' AERIS Hair Dryer offers a very quiet user experience. As well as the low noise level, what really stood out for me was the lack an ever so slightly high-pitched "whistling" sound that is somewhat detectable in most quiet hair dryers, such as the Dyson or mdlondon models featured here.
As for the user experience, I loved the circular LED display at the top of the tool; you can clearly and continuously see the dryer’s exact temperature (60°C, 90°C or 120°C) and speed setting while drying, which is a nice touch. Once finished, however, I noticed the dryer continuously displays "OFF" unless unplugged or switched off at the mains (though we'll admit that this serves is a good reminder to do so when you're done using it). Another very useful safety feature is that the dryer automatically shuts off if the rear vent is blocked or if the temperature exceeds 150°C.
The Beauty Works AERIS Hair Dryer
This dryer comes with two nozzles and a handy dust bag for storage, but the compatible diffuser has to be bought separately, which does let it down a little when you consider the significant price tag.
But all in all, this ultra-light, ultra-quiet hair dryer didn’t disappoint when it came to styling, yielding a pretty smooth finish as well as drying my hair quickly. It's no wonder our panel of judges awarded it the 2023 woman&home beauty award for best hair dryer – and in fact, I'd also vote it one of the best hair dryers for fine hair.
The best quiet hair dryer for curly hair
The Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer with its diffuser
Reviewed by: Lucy Abbersteen, Fiona McKim
By far one of the most famous hair dryers on the market, which woman&home's Beauty Channel Editor Fiona McKim labelled "a game changer" in her review, the Dyson Supersonic and its expert engineering were truly revolutionary when the tool first launched in 2016. Alongside its smart airflow system that dry hair quickly and efficiently, it's also famously quieter than your standard hair dryer – even on its highest speed setting. A Dyson engineer explained that the motor, which sits at the base of the handle, is made quieter thanks to the inclusion of a silencer. The V9 Digital Motor's fan was also tweaked slightly to avoid any high-pitched whistling.
While the Supersonic is great for all hair types, I wanted to give it a particular shout-out for styling curly hair types because the expertly engineered airflow is so gentle on curls through the accompanying diffuser – just one of a whopping five attachments that come with this dryer as standard. Admittedly, this attachment could be slightly larger, but it has lots of tiny holes to evenly disperse the air, which can add volume (for those who feel they need it) and definition. In other words, it's easily one of the best diffusers for curly hair.
The Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer
I can speak from firsthand experience that it’s the best pairing for styling all types of curly hair – think defined and frizz-free. And on another note, I've really never seen flyaways flattened as well as the unique flyaway attachment can. It's a brilliant tool.
Read Fiona's full Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer review
The best quiet hair dryer for energy efficiency
The Zuvi Halo Hair Dryer
Reviewed by: Lucy Abbersteen, Fiona McKim
I would describe the Zuvi Halo drying experience as eerily quiet (in a good way), which is largely down to the fact that it uses clever infra red light technology as well as gentle air to dry hair. Whether I was opting for a sleek style or using the accompanying diffuser (though do note this bundle costs more at £369) to achieve a curly blow dry, this combination left my strands feeling seriously soft. What’s more, it also comes with a gentle air attachment for an even softer drying experience.
A must-mention that really sets it apart from competition is this dryer’s energy efficiency. While most models’ rating exceeds 1,000w – sometimes even 2,000w – the Halo’s is remarkably low at just 680w, so it will have far less of an impact on your electricity bill while still performing to a high standard. Its ability to save you money in the long run slightly softens the blow of its hefty price tag which, much like the Dyson Supersonic's, isn’t feasible for many people.
The Zuvi Halo Hair Dryer
As for the actual user experience, there was no denying that it left my hair soft, probably because, for the most part, it dries at one note – you physically cannot crank things up to much hotter or faster. This is a phenomena that beauty editor Fiona McKim commented on in her review, saying, "Its unique infrared light is designed to mimic air drying your hair in the sun, albeit speedier. Said light is doing a good chunk of the heavy lifting, so you won't experience a tangible whoosh of heat and air, which makes this one of the quietest hair dryers I've tried."
Overall, I’d say this is proof that you can put a price on healthy hair.
Read Fiona's full Zuvi Halo Hair Dryer review
The best quiet hair dryer overall
The mdlondon BLOW Hair Dryer
Reviewed by: Lucy Abbersteen, Jess Beech
The competition for the top spot in this edit of the quietest hair dryers by ear was a very, very close call, but if we’re talking specific volume ratings, this tool topped the rest coming in at just 76 decibels. Created by celebrity hairdresser Michael Douglas, this dryer looks and feels incredibly premium. Even the colour options are trendy, with dark teal, olive green and blush pink on offer. I tested the former for this piece, as did my colleague Jess Beech for her review, where she stated "I've tried dozens of hair dryers, but the mdlondon BLOW Hair Dryer is the one I use most", praising it for its compact size, impressive results on her hard to style hair, and quietness.
But, most importantly, let’s get into the details of how well (and how quietly!) it performs. First of all, when used on the lowest speed setting it is impressively hushed, which is thanks to that aforementioned brushless motor. As well as being compact and very light, another feature that sold it to me is how quickly it switches between the hottest and coldest heat settings – there's no waiting around for the dryer to cool down, so if you’re styling in a hurry, you can set your style quickly with peace of mind that it will be cool in no time.
The mdlondon BLOW Hair Dryer in casal blue
A couple of minor quibbles: firstly, you have to hold the button for a little while to turn it on and off – and, though a diffuser is available to buy separately, I always like when this is included as standard. (That way, some hair types don't have to spend more than others to get a tool that does what they need it to.) But, really, neither of these things makes a dent in my overall opinion of it. It left my hair feeling great and ticked all of my boxes, as you'd expect from a tool made by a top hairdresser.
Read Jess's full mdlondon BLOW Hair Dryer review
The best quiet hair dryer loved by hairdressers
Reviewed by: Jess Beech, Lucy Abbersteen
Encased in stylish electric blue, the launch of The Great Hair Dryer marked Hershesons' – one of London's most luxurious salon destinations – entry into the hot tool arena. It arrives in a handy metal case, complete with a leather-look handle, while the dryer itself comes with three accompanying attachments, namely two concentrated nozzles and a small diffuser.
This is a small but incredibly mighty dryer; its quiet nature and less than 300 gram weight makes it ideal for travel, whilst promising impressive blow-dry power and results. With three speed and heat settings, including a cool shot, oxy active technology also works to boost shine and preserve colour.
The Hershesons The Great Hair Dryer
We know from experience that, too often, it's easy to accidentally knock buttons and change setting, particularly on smaller and compact dryers. However, The Great Hair Dryer's smart lock function helps avoid this, as you can input your desired settings and forget all about them until you’re done.
As you’d expect from a brainchild of hairdressers, it performs brilliantly, and hairstylists and beauty editors alike have been raving about it; senior beauty editor Rhiannon Derbyshire deems it one of the best hair dryers for curly hair, and freelance fashion & beauty editor Jess Beech called it "the Usain Bolt of hair dryers", noting that it dried her hair twice as quickly as her Dyson Supersonic does.
Read Jess's full Hershesons The Great Hair Dryer review
The best quiet hair dryer with a long warranty
The BioIonic Smart-X High Efficiency Dryer
Reviewed by: Lucy Abbersteen
Thanks to its impressive credentials, Bio:Ionic’s Smart-X immediately piqued my interest when researching super quiet hair dryers. Utilising enhanced air pressure, as opposed to excessive heat, this tool claims to dry hair 75% faster than its competitors. Whilst the highest heat setting is still pretty hot in my book, it also ensures consistent drying by balancing the air and temperature 100 times per second.
When it comes to actually using the dryer, I thought it was particularly powerful which left my hair feeling soft, however, I didn’t notice a dramatic difference with the drying time compared to other top-tier tools from the likes of Dyson, mdlondon and Beauty Works. Regardless, this dryer did give the feel of a premium gadget, which I enjoyed using at that.
The BioIonic Smart-X High Efficiency Dryer
Other notable tech specs that ticked my boxes include a switch that locks in your programmed desired settings – it even remembers them next time you fire it up – and a light indicating its self-cleaning feature. All set with a huge 10 year guarantee, if you’re looking for an investment hair dryer, this is one that will go the distance.
The best quiet hair dryer with a stylish design
The Bondi Boost Sonic Dryer
Reviewed by: Lucy Abbersteen
This BondiBoost tool also makes the edit of the quietest hair dryers. We did notice that it’s ever so slightly noisier when starting it up than other dryers in this roundup, however, it is still noticeably quieter than traditional hair dryer motors.
Aside from its equally cool black and white colourway, it also comes with two useful attachments – a narrow nozzle and a decent-sized diffuser. The overall drying experience was nice, leaving my hair soft and frizz-free – two things that scored it points in the review process.
Our only real quibble for me was that it was difficult to know what setting you’re on simply by looking at the dryer. Instead, you have to go through each setting to work out where you’re at while changing. It could also benefit from a lower speed setting than the current lowest offering, but it’s still a lightweight and undeniably quiet tool.
The best quiet hair dryer for storage
The Diva Pro Atmos Atom Hair Dryer
Reviewed by: Lucy Abbersteen
Another super compact dryer, Diva Pro's Atmos Atom Hair Dryer is very small and therefore, it's no surprise that it made it into this roundup of the quietest hair dryers – and it also lends itself well to travel. Both the dryer and attachments are set out in a stylish metal tin, which is great for both general storage and keeping these parts together when on the go.
Each magnetic attachment attaches securely and satisfyingly, with two different lengths of narrow nozzle and a diffuser. Its cable length is also very generous, measuring at 3m. The results leave you with a nice drying job without an excessive amount of unwanted frizz after. The downsides are that the plug, although adaptable for EU use, is quite chunky and it's not the most premium-feeling hair styling tool I've ever picked up. But there's no denying this is a quiet device that provides a pleasant drying experience.
How we tested the quietest hair dryers
A selection of the quietest hair dryers we tested for this feature from (L-R) Bio:Ionic, Dyson, mdlondon, Zuvi and Beauty Works
Throughout this review process, I tried and tested a variety of hair dryers that were promoted as being particularly quiet by their manufacturers, also comparing them against one another to find the overall quietest tool. The noise levels emitted from each dryer were assessed by ear and compared with each other. Each tool was also used at least once to fully dry my hair and assess its capabilities.
While noise emittance is the most important factor here, it wasn’t the only category that team woman&home required these dryers to score well in. Tools featured also had to be all-around excellent dryers, so we assessed all of the following factors while testing.
- Volume (by ear and decibel rating, if provided)
- How loud it sounded on each speed setting
- Price
- Design, weight and feel
- No. of heat settings
- No. of speed settings
- Attachments – both in the box and extra purchases
- Any outstanding advanced technology or features
- Extras, e.g. a travel case
It’s also worth noting that some of the quietest hair dryers can be a little on the pricier side, due to their advanced technology in making them less noisy. However, more positively, this means they are often lighter and more compact, which ups their value for money as they can often double up as one of the best travel hair dryers.
How to choose the quietest hair dryer for your hair
First and foremost, it’s crucial to look at the decibel rating to decide whether a hair dryer is less noisy than average. That said, you'll still want to ensure it ticks all of your boxes to suit your hair type and styling needs. As such, the following are all important features to take into account before finalising your purchase.
- Attachments: Ideally, these will come included with your dryer rather than having to be purchased separately. Concentrator nozzles are beneficial for precise styling, while a diffuser is extremely useful for drying curly hair types.
- Speed and heat settings: Having multiple speed and temperature options means you can adjust your dryer depending on your hair's needs and/or desired finish.
- Size and weight: Both are crucial in terms of day-to-day use, especially if you're hoping to avoid the dreaded arm ache. But they're also important if you travel frequently and need a tool that won't take up too much space – or weigh a tonne – in your bag.
- Technology: Keep an eye out for any special features that are incorporated into a dryer – ionic technology, for a smoother finish, or ceramic, for more even heat distribution, are two key examples.
What is the average decibel level of a hair dryer?
As Hairdressers Journal reports, the average decibel level for a hair dryer usually falls somewhere between 80 and 90 dB. Dryers that are 80 dB or lower would be considered quieter than standard and should, therefore, make for a less noisy blow dry. To that end, the quietest dryer in this guide is the mdlondon BLOW Dryer with a rating of 76 dB.
Are quiet hair dryers suitable for thick and frizzy hair?
While most people with thick and/or frizz-prone hair will probably instinctively gravitate towards the more powerful hair dryer options on the market, a quieter tool doesn't necessarily mean a less powerful one.
The Dyson Supersonic is a great example of this, coming in as one of our top quiet hair dryer options, it still boasts an impressive 1600w wattage, which is plenty of power for anyone who prefers or who needs a strong shot of air.
Our expert panel
Lucy Abbersteen is a freelance beauty editor who has written for titles including Marie Claire, Glamour, Cosmopolitan and OK!, as well as regularly contributing to woman&home. She has many years of experience in rigorously testing and reviewing hairstyling tools, including hair dryers. As well as testing a host of dryers marketed as quiet, she pulled together feedback from her colleagues to create this thorough guide to the best quiet hair dryers. (Her partner is also particularly sensitive to a hair dryer whistle tone, which proved useful during this particular testing period.)
As woman&home's Beauty Channel Editor, Fiona has tried more products than she’s had hot dinners and nothing makes her happier than raving about brilliant finds on womanandhome.com or her Instagram grid. Fiona joined woman&home as Assistant Beauty Editor in 2013 and has since covered every corner of the industry; she reviewed several of the quietest hair dryers featured in this guide (and plenty that didn't make the cut).
Jess is an experienced fashion & beauty editor, with more than 10 years experience in the publishing industry. She has written for woman&home, GoodtoKnow, Now, Woman, Woman’s Weekly, Woman’s Own and Chat, and former Deputy Fashion & Beauty Editor of Future plc. A beauty obsessive and extremely experienced journalist, Jess rigorously tested and reviewed some of the hair dryers in this guide (and plenty more besides), sharing her experiences and results.
Michael Douglas is a hairdresser with a career spanning over three decades, and is the founder of both the mdlondon hair salon and hair tool brand of the same name. In this guide, he's shared his insights into what makes quiet hair dryers exactly that – and just so happens to make one of the dryers we deemed quietest after the thorough testing period.
