Parlux Alyon hair dryer review: we test the powerful tool loved by the pros

If you’ve stumbled upon this Parlux Alyon hair dryer review, you won’t be alone. The Alyon Air Ionizer Tech could be the most well-known hair dryer you’ve never heard of. 

A professional brand with more than 40 years in the hair dryer industry, Parlux is revered by hairdressers, session stylists, and beauty editors as an exceptionally light yet powerful tool. Style, performance, and ease of use take top billing on Alyon’s CV, but the real reason it makes almost every list of the best hair dryers is its burly 2250W motor, built to withstand continuous use in professional salons. 

If you're in the market for a new hair dryer, let us explain why this salon favorite makes a solid contender. This Parlux Alyon hair dryer review will touch on everything from the frivolous but fun shade selection, the balanced and lightweight feel of the dryer in hand, and of course how well it dries the hair. 

Our Beauty Editor’s Parlux Alyon hair dryer review

Parlux Alyon hair dryer design

Slick, understated and Italian, the Parlux Alyon is the Gucci loafer of the hair dryer world. It has a curvy head, nippy little handle, and glistening front and back vents. The ribbed effect is a lovely touch. It somehow feels both on-trend and timeless. Even the matte black styling attachments are chic, which is a stark contrast to just about every other hair dryer’s flimsy add-ons. They carry the signature rippled effect of the dryer, which shows how much attention to detail you’re getting here. 

Color choice is where Alyon slays its rivals. You’re usually lucky if you get a choice of anything other than play-it-safe black. The Dyson Supersonic comes in five colorways, while the GHD Helios has an impressive selection of seven. But both must bow down to the Parlux Alyon, which comes in 10 fabulous hues, from pink and jade through to metallics like bronze, gold, or this attractive night blue. The idea that you can match your hair dryer to your decor is a thrilling prospect. 

The controls

Having been designed for professional use, it’s no surprise that the Parlux Alyon is light. In fact, it’s only a shade heavier than the best travel hair dryers. At 1lb (490g) it weighs significantly less than the GHD Helios, which clocks in at 2lbs (780g) and the Shark Hair Dryer, which weighs 1.6lbs (730g). Size-wise, it’s a dainty little thing, too, around 18cm across and barely over 20cm down to the base of the cord. 

The controls are refreshingly easy to use because the Parlux Alyon is proudly analog. The heat and speed switches are ergonomically designed and located at the side of the handle, right where your thumb wants to sit naturally, so there’s no pausing mid-blow-dry to see where you need to flick. These ‘soft’ switches have been designed with comfort in mind. They feel sturdy and are made of a tactile grippy material that flicks back and forth with a very pleasing click.

There are two speed and three heat settings, plus a cool shot button, which is fewer than snazzy models like the Panasonic Nanoe & Double Mineral, offering six-plus. But each combo has enough of a point of difference to hold its own, so the medium heat is significantly cooler than the max, and once you add in the cool-shot button you shouldn’t miss those extra options too much. 

What attachments come with the Parlux Alyon?

In the box, there are two concentrator styling nozzles - one narrow with a 6cm opening and a wider option, with a 7.5cm opening. The nozzles’ contoured design delivers a concentrated blade of air for a smoother, sleeker finish. These styling attachments definitely gave me superior control. My hair doesn’t always play nicely with a dryer - it can end up frizzier than if I had gone to bed with damp hair. But the slim nozzles gave me extra precision, especially when navigating a newly-snipped fringe.  

The draw of the particular model I tested was the patent-pending Magic Sense Special Diffuser, said to “revolutionize how you dry curls and style hair, for a breath-taking finish.” Apparently, it’s all down to the size and spacing of openings, which deliver the perfect balance of temperature and airflow. The diffuser is a generous size with 15 massaging prongs that lift and separate the hair, meaning I could work through my wet mop in larger sections and cut my drying time. 

My hair is wavy, not curly, but the Magic Sense Special Diffuser definitely helped to define my waves - albeit with some frizz at the roots, which I had to smooth with straightening irons. No biggie, but something to consider if your hair tends to fluff up. Not every Parlux Alyon comes with the Magic Sense Special Diffuser (it is available to purchase separately), so check the kit before you buy if that's a deal-breaker. All of the attachments included in the box clip on and pull off like a dream and feel very secure during use. There’s no worrying about knocking them off mid-styling.

How well does the Parlux Alyon hair dryer perform?

This is a dryer that doesn’t mess around. It certainly feels powerful when you are using it, particularly with one of the two smoothing nozzles included. It emits a fast and concentrated flow that my hair had no choice but to follow into smoothed-out sheets. It took about 10 minutes for the Alyon to take my hair from just-out-of-the-shower sopping to dry-and-ready-to-go. For this reason alone, I can understand why it’s the weapon of choice for hairdressers and session stylists. 

This is also an ionic dryer, meaning it emits a flow of negative ions to eliminate static and prevent frizz, speed up drying time and make hair softer. I would definitely agree that this left my hair slightly less frizzy than other hair dryers I’ve used in the past. 

A friend recently admitted to me that she used to get through one hair dryer a year. That’s a big outlay. The Alyon’s K-Advance Plus motor promises a healthy lifespan of at least 3,000 hours, a signature of the Parlux brand and another reason they are so popular with pros and consumers alike.

The dryer also features a patent-pending HFS “Hair Free System" within the back vent that catches and prevents hair from getting trapped in the motor. No more eau de singed hair. Just twist off the back vent, pull out the teeny tiny corkscrew, and unwind any trapped hair. It’s a clever feature that again, is going to help preserve the life of the dryer.  

What’s not good about it?

For some, the Parlux Alyon’s straightforwardness is its biggest selling point. But it’s hard not to pit it against newer, snazzier models like the Dyson Supersonic and Shark Style IQ Ionic Hair Dryer & Styler with their kinder-to-hair airflow technology. I have to flag for the sake of fairness that there is a noise factor. It isn’t especially loud, but if you’re used to Dyson’s almost disconcertingly quiet motor it may appear noisy.

Also, I found the highest setting to be very hot. Fine if you’re darting the hair dryer around the head to blast dry, but not suitable for concentrated blow-drying on a single section of the hair or scalp. I wouldn’t have used it on my daughter. But the medium setting is a great temperature to blast hair dry.

Parlux Alyon hair dryer review: The Woman&Home Verdict

I'm wrapping up this Parlux Alyon hair dryer review feeling quietly impressed. If you’re looking for a hair dryer with power and durability, the Parlux Alyon is hard to beat. It may lack the bells and whistles of newer models that come with a plethora of fancy attachments, but if your goal is to dry your hair at home quickly, efficiently, and smoothly, then this is a best-in-class option. 

It’s one of the lightest and most compact hair dryers I’ve ever used, which made the whole drying experience a lot more comfortable, and less of a chore. It’s so nice to use a hair dryer where the controls are placed exactly where you want them so you can easily switch between heat and speed settings mid-blow-dry - quite a rarity on newer models.

The ionic technology and ceramic-coated grills make this especially good for frizz-prone hair in need of a little extra conditioning care. It knocked out a lot of the frizz in my own hair, which tends to fluff up with most hair dryers. I’d definitely recommend it for those with long, thick hair. Anyone who usually suffers from arm aches and general blow-dry fatigue will appreciate the warp-drying speed of the Parlux Alyon. And it looks fabulous, too.