If you like keeping your hair in the best of shapes, you’ll always end up relying on a hair dryer. As useful as a hair dryer, one should note that using it badly will result in damaging your hair. Since hair dryers utilize a heating mechanism, you might wonder how hot does a hair dryer get or what heat is a blow drier?
The heat generated by a hair dryer can vary depending on many factors. We’ll also look at some other things to note about the heating mechanism of a hair dryer.
Average Temperature of a Hair Dryers
Hair dryers need to be able to operate within a large temperature range since people’s hairs have different needs. The amount of heat that thin hair needs is not the same as what thick and fine hair needs. So, the average temperature range of an electric hair dryer is around 100 degrees to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Moreover, different people have different purposes to use a hair dryer.
Maximum Temperature of a Hair Dryer
So how hot can a hair dryer get? The highest temperature of a hair dryer being recorded was around 205 degrees Fahrenheit. While some recent hair dryers can exceed that temperature, it is not recommended as you don’t need such high heat to dry your hair.
Usually, there is no need to use a hair dryer at maximum heat. Moreover using such a high temperature regularly, you may end up causing hair damage.
Using your equipment at maximum temperature also puts a lot of strain on it; this can drastically decrease the life span of your hair dryer. You might end up going through several hair dryers if you keep operating it like that.
Often you would only need the medium and low setting to hair dry. You might need to apply heat at maximum to straighten your hair or do heat styling.
Factors Affecting Your Hair Dryer Temperature
The hair dryer temperature can change due to numerous factors. Let’s take a look at some of them:
1. Brand & Model
Not all hair dryers are made equally. So, the blow dry temperature will vary depending on which model you use and the brand of your machine. Some hair dryer models are specifically made for high heat and certain hair type. Other models have low temperatures or different heat settings. Like the ceramic dryers are famous for stabilized heat that disperse heat evenly too. On the other hand the ionic hair dryers are facilitated doing quick-drying instead of focusing on maximum temperature.
Also, the brand is another important thing to note. Products can vary between brands, and some brands might have a hair dryer that can reach higher temperatures.
While being more expensive, professional brands often promise higher quality than supermarket brands; this is why it’s often important to go through reviews or recommendations or try out the product if possible.
2. Power Rating
All hair dryers have a power rating; this is usually denoted in wattage. So a hair dryer with a higher wattage rating will be hotter.
Most hair dryers have a heating element (usually a nichrome wire). Power is supplied to the heating element, which causes heat to be generated. So, more power supplied will result in greater heat.
A commonly seen wattage rating on a hairdryer is usually 1875; this is generally great for home use and a common wattage rating for a styling hairdryer.
So, how hot does an 1875 watt hairdryer get? They can output temperatures around 150 to 170 degrees Fahrenheit. The temperature can vary due to the other factors on this list.
3. Age & Frequency of Use: Blow Dryer
The age of your blow dryer and how frequently you use it will also affect how hot your hair dryer gets. Hair dryers are electrical machines, and using them will cause their internals to heat up even a bit. So, using it over a long period will inevitably cause its effectiveness to go down.
Using it at high temperatures frequently will often cause the hairdryer to get less hot and not reach its max temperature.
Age is another factor. An older blow drier won’t perform as great as when you recently bought it. You won’t have it reach the same max temperature after a year or two. Although how long the hairdryer works at its max temperature varies depending on the model, age will inevitably catch up to it.
4. Room Temperature
The temperature of your surroundings also affects how hot your hairdryer gets. A dryer works by heating the surroundings, which accelerates the rate of evaporation.
In a cooler room, the evaporation rate is lower, so your hairdryer won’t get as hot as it should. In a room with greater ambient temperature, your hairdryer will get hotter. It will also get hotter more quickly.
5. Distance from Your Hair
Usually, the temperature listed on the hairdryer is not the same temperature you’ll feel on your hair while hair dry.
One of the main reasons for this is the distance you hold the hairdryer away from your hair. If the distance from your hair is greater, there is usually more heat dissipated into the surroundings and less heat reaching your hair.
Holding your hairdryer closer to your head will result in you feeling more heat. So, if you want to see how hot your hair dryer feels, you can hold it at a certain distance from your palm to test it.
6. Use of a Diffuser
Some hairdryers make use of a diffuser. The purpose of a diffuser is that it spreads out the heat. So the heat emitted by a hairdryer is no longer concentrated in a single area. It is instead evenly spread out.
The diffuser ensures that only one area of your head doesn’t receive the full brunt of the hairdryer. So with a diffuser in use, the heat is spread evenly, and the max temperature is usually not reached.
Overheating
Hair dryers can overheat, and this can cause them to exceed their normal temperatures. The hair dryer gets really hot to touch; this can be dangerous due to the excessive heat. Many people often consider their hairdryer broken and get it replaced for the overheating problem they face.
Overheating occurs due to the vents or grates being clogged with dust, hair, or lint. With the vents being clogged, the heat doesn’t dissipate, which causes the hairdryer to quickly overheat. Using an overheated hairdryer can not only hurt your hands but damage your hair too.
To avoid having your hairdryer overheat, it’s important to do some regular maintenance on it. Remember to clean out the vents after hair dry to prevent a build-up of dust and lint. If the dust or lint is stuck, you can use a toothpick to get it out.
Also, clean out the grate from time to time as that’s where most of the hair or dust gets stuck on. Make use of a clean sponge to have the easiest time cleaning out the grate.
Damage Due to High Heat
It’s been said that high heat isn’t always great for your hair. A very hot hair dryer can indeed damage your hair. Having frizzy hair is not the only thing you need to worry about when badly using a hairdryer. Temperatures higher than 140 or 150 degrees Celsius can burn your scalp and hair strands, so be careful.
One question that sometimes gets asked is what temperature does hair melt in? Hair or keratin melts around 450 to 460 degrees Fahrenheit. Prolong use of a hairdryer can end up damaging your hair, so you mustn’t hold your hairdryer over the same place for long unless you’re using a diffuser.
While using a hairdryer is a relaxing feeling, many people tend to over-dry their hair. This results in a greater loss of moisture and can end up causing your hair to become dry and brittle. Split ends often become more evident in over dried hair.
That is why it’s not recommended to use a hairdryer at high heat settings for a long time on your hair as it can badly damage it. Hairdryer burn is a common occurrence, especially for first-time users.
Aside from carefully drying hair, you can apply some heat protectant lotion or heat protectant spray on your hair to reduce the damage from using high heat. So there are some safety precautions you can take.
What is a tourmaline hair dryer?: Dry hair
Tourmaline hair dryer dry hair with a non damaging infrared heat with a reduced drying time. Infrared heat dry hair from inside to ensure less chance of hair damage. Tourmaline hair dryers with other technologies like ionic features break the water molecules in your hair with a negative ion claims to save drying time. Tourmaline hair dryers are now hugely popular in spite of being expensive than the regular ones. These hair dryers featured with concentrated airflow helps faster drying and styling.
What Heat Settings Should I Use for My Hair Dryer?
A common question arises with all these points mentioned above: What heat setting is good for my hair? There are some general guidelines you should follow:
- For hair styling, you’ll want to use cooler settings on your hairdryer. Lower heat makes it easier to style the hair. High temperatures often dry your wet hair too quickly, which can make it difficult to work with. Brittle hair is also not good for heat styling.
- If you have a hairdryer with an adjustable heat settings, there is a general rule you should follow. Thinner hair will require lower temperatures, while thicker hair can withstand higher temperature. Having said that, it is always good for your hair to operate a hair dryer in the low setting of heat. The low temperature has a minimum chance to cause any damage to your hair.
- If you have a thin or fragile hair, you need to focus on air dry more than 50%. Then use a hair dryer with medium heat to completely dry.
1200W to 1300W power is good for thin hair. 1900W or more is used for thick hair.
- For curly hair, a blow dryer with a diffuser is recommended. It allows for a more even concentration of heat, which is what you want for curly hair.
Diffuser ensures that your curls don’t get messed up after drying and helps give a better finish.
When using a diffuser, use lower temperature settings.
- For towel-dried hair, remember to untangle the hair before attempting to dry it; this will make the drying process smoother. Damp hair has more tendency to tangle and break as the hair shaft and scalp contain more moisture than usual. Use a higher heat setting and high speed for the first few minutes, and then slowly switch to a lower heat setting. Better not to dry hair with the highest setting of heat as more heat will always cause damage to your hair and scalp.
When drying, keep the blow drier away from your scalp to prevent damaging it.
Is a Hair Dryer with High Heat Settings Good?
If you want the best out of your hairdryer, it is recommended to go for one that has an adjustable heat setting. You might need to operate a blow dryer at different temperatures. Although you only need medium heat to blow dry your wet hair most of the time.
You won’t always need high heat for your hair, but sometimes it’s fine to use a 170 degree Fahrenheit hairdryer to speed up drying if you’re in a hurry. Being able to adjust the heat is great; however, you should try not to over-dry your hair.
Conclusion
Hopefully, you found the answer to how hot does a hairdryer get. While with recent technology, some blow dryers can reach high temperatures, you won’t always need it. Knowing the right temperature for your hair will improve your styling experience.
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