A couple of years ago, while staying at my friend Helen’s apartment in Brooklyn, I made an upsetting discovery: The stupid-expensive Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer is remarkably good.
My hair, which is long, straight, and relatively thick, doesn’t require specialty products to look okay. So in 2016, when the Supersonic blew onto the scene to breathless reviews of its game-changing status, I didn’t think much of it.
The price tag (currently around $430 with attachments) was almost triple what I’d consider paying for a blow dryer. (And it’s about $350 more than the price of the Rusk W8less, the top pick in our guide to the best hair dryers, which is also a staff favorite.)
After showering on that blustery weekend, I found Helen’s Supersonic stuffed unceremoniously in a bathroom drawer, flipped my head over, and tousled my hair upside down while drying. When I looked in the mirror, my hair seemed preternaturally glossy—confusingly so. I hadn’t even used a round brush.
“Maybe this sounds crazy, but does the dyson make your hair shinier?” I texted Helen, who was out of town with her husband.
“Yes,” she replied. “I am so sorry.”
Upgrade pick
This dryer is expensive, but its unique design makes it extraordinarily nice to use: There’s no vibration whatsoever, and the simple-to-switch magnetic attachments make styling easier.
This variant of the same luxury dryer comes with just one concentrator attachment for precision styling. Additional attachments are sold separately.
