Is an expenisve hair dryer/professional dryer worth the money?!

rustyzip

I'm reading lots about professional hair dryers and how important it is to use one but I'm not sure how much of the info is marketing/PR spoofing....

Would like to know people's opinions/recommendations?!

Dial Hard

Yes, absolutely. There's pretty much no comparison. I'd rather just let my hair dry naturally than try and blow-dry it with a crappy retail dryer. Your hair will be dry in a fraction of the time and with far, far better results with a professional one.

I have a Parlux 3200. They are expensive but they last forever.

Guess_Who

I second the Parlux recommendation. Got mine 7 years ago for €95 and it's still going strong.

Dries my thick hair quicker than any other hair dryer too

rustyzip

Saw a few bloggers on about this and it sounds amazing.
http://www.boots.ie/en/Panasonic-Nanoe-Hair-Dryer-EH-NA65_1362787/
And half price today.. argghghghg having no money makes there purchases so hard :rolleyes:

lorrim

Bought a Parlux about 10 years ago - still serving me well. Can't remember the price, but I do remember my mum going a bit nuts at the time over spending so much. Shes had about 5 crappy hairdryers since - so I guess I won that one

Millem

Absolutely. I have a parlux that I bought September 2007 and it is still perfect it dries my very thick in no time. I honestly wouldn't waste my money on anything else!

calfmuscle

I've an ETI Turbostratus 3800 iv had it for 5 years. It's fantastic and has saved me time and money in those five years. love it.

HeidiHeidi

rustyzip wrote: »

Saw a few bloggers on about this and it sounds amazing.
http://www.boots.ie/en/Panasonic-Nanoe-Hair-Dryer-EH-NA65_1362787/
And half price today.. argghghghg having no money makes there purchases so hard :rolleyes:

I took the plunge with this today.

You'd better be right or I'll come lookin for ya!

sassyj

Another Parlux user, think it was about €90. There is nothing like it, hair always looks great when I blow dry it. Hairdresser said to me that there's no point in having a great cut if you're not using the right tools.

heldel00

All you ladies who love your powerful hair dryers take note that the bigwigs in Europe have decided that hair dryers, hovers etc will be limited from now on. The 'power' you get from your current dryer will be reduced in new hair dryers in the future. I'll be buying one at Christmas to have for the future

Lia_lia

I also have a Parlux! I asked my boyfriend to get me one last year for Christmas and he was a bit.."wtf it's a hairdryer for €80"...but he got it for me and I love it

rustyzip

HeidiHeidi wrote: »

I took the plunge with this today.

You'd better be right or I'll come lookin for ya!

I took the plunge too. Can't wait to get it. Got a good wooden boar bristle round brush. Fab hair hear I come

lubie76

Has anyone tried and tested this hairdryer yet... Have a paralux for years but thinking of investing before the new power regulations set in- can't stand the thought of it breaking and have to use a crappy one.
Would appreciate an update from anyone who has bought this model.

Techno_Toaster

Where abouts can you get the Paralux hair dryers? I'm on the search for one

lorrim

I got mine in Salon Services on Drury St in Dublin - no idea if they are still there tho....

stop animal cruelty

never even thought about getting a new hairdryer til coming across this thread......agghhhh want a new one now! very tempeted to get the Panasonic Nanoe one (Boots link above)......all postive reviews...

HeidiHeidi

stop animal cruelty wrote: »

never even thought about getting a new hairdryer til coming across this thread......agghhhh want a new one now! very tempeted to get the Panasonic Nanoe one (Boots link above)......all postive reviews...

Mine is in Boots awaiting collection - I'll be getting it tomorrow hopefully - will report in due course

rustyzip

My delivery is due this afternoon.... can't wait to try it

Dial Hard

rustyzip wrote: »

I took the plunge too. Can't wait to get it. Got a good wooden boar bristle round brush. Fab hair hear I come

Just for future reference (and for any new readers of the thread) a ceramic or metal barrelled round brush is a better option as it retains heat from the dryer.

A wooden boar-bristle paddle brush is the best bet for daily brushing, though, as the bristles distribute oil from your roots along the lengths of your hair

rustyzip

Dial Hard wrote: »

Just for future reference (and for any new readers of the thread) a ceramic or metal barrelled round brush is a better option as it retains heat from the dryer.

A wooden boar-bristle paddle brush is the best bet for daily brushing, though, as the bristles distribute oil from your roots along the lengths of your hair

I meant a cork handle!! I was told it is better for longevity?! The handle and all.... I have major greasy hair with ratty dry ends (best of both worlds!) and I'm going to really try and tame it with boar bristles (distribute scalp oil to ends)

Hurry on boots with my delivery

HeidiHeidi

Got as far as unpacking mine.... first impression is, it's very heavy :eek: Somewhere in the blurbs/reviews it was said how light it was, so I'm disappointed on that front.

It's also INCREDIBLY quiet. And feels like it's not blowing very much. Hard to believe it's doing anything at all when it's that quiet.

I must admit I'm conflicted. However, I'll give it a go later and hope that I'm fussing about nothing.

Even though it was well discounted, it's still a lot of money for a mistake....... Hope I'm wrong!

HeidiHeidi

OK, well I used it in anger this morning.

It's very very quick. It's hottest setting isn't very hot. It's incredibly quiet. It's very big and very heavy.

All of those are in comparison to my old dryer which was a (relative) cheapie Boots own brand one which is at least 10 and possibly 15 years old though. So maybe not fair to compare!

I'm not mad about it, if only because of the size and weight of it - I kept hopping the nozzle off my head because it's so much longer than my old one with the quick-dry attachment on it - but it dried my very thick hair very quickly and quite smoothly so I suppose I'll just have to get used to it. Having spent nearly 60 quid on it I won't be getting another one!

Maybe I can look at it as an occasional weight-lifting session for my arms.....

Hmmmmmm.

lubie76

Thanks for the update Heidiheidi- it is expensive even at a discount- could you return it if not satisfied and buy another cheaper model or maybe you will get used of it and find it great.

stop animal cruelty

HeidiHeidi wrote: »

OK, well I used it in anger this morning.

It's very very quick. It's hottest setting isn't very hot. It's incredibly quiet. It's very big and very heavy.

All of those are in comparison to my old dryer which was a (relative) cheapie Boots own brand one which is at least 10 and possibly 15 years old though. So maybe not fair to compare!

I'm not mad about it, if only because of the size and weight of it - I kept hopping the nozzle off my head because it's so much longer than my old one with the quick-dry attachment on it - but it dried my very thick hair very quickly and quite smoothly so I suppose I'll just have to get used to it. Having spent nearly 60 quid on it I won't be getting another one!

Maybe I can look at it as an occasional weight-lifting session for my arms.....

Hmmmmmm.

did you find it straightened your hair any bit? Marks out of 10?

HeidiHeidi

lubie76 wrote: »

Thanks for the update Heidiheidi- it is expensive even at a discount- could you return it if not satisfied and buy another cheaper model or maybe you will get used of it and find it great.

I honestly don't know if I could return it - I'm sure I could probably package it up again like it was never used, but the seal on the box has been cut, and would they have to refund me? (although you're meant to have a 7-day cooling off period when buying online???)

Anyway, the only other "good" hairdryer I've used in the recent past was a salon-type-looking one in a gym, which although it was brilliant, also weighed a ton. So maybe I'm just used to my lightweight crap one and need to face up to reality.

stop animal cruelty wrote: »

did you find it straightened your hair any bit? Marks out of 10?

I only gave my hair a quick dry this morning - usually the back and crown are still damp by the time I give up (very easily), but this seemed to have dried my hair completely. It's definitely less frizzy than with my other dryer, and I'm guessing that if I put a bit of effort into it I could get it very straight. Won't mark it out of 10 till I've done a serious job on my hair and see how it comes out.

lubie76

For buying online you actually have a 14 day cooling off period and you don't have to give a reason for returning the product so maybe try it another few times to see can you get to grips with it (literally) but giving yourself enough time to return it if needed. You will have to pay the return postage though unless you can call into a boots store where they might refund you.

HeidiHeidi

lubie76 wrote: »

For buying online you actually have a 14 day cooling off period and you don't have to give a reason for returning the product so maybe try it another few times to see can you get to grips with it (literally) but giving yourself enough time to return it if needed. You will have to pay the return postage though unless you can call into a boots store where they might refund you.

It wasn't sent to me though, I picked it up in-store - dunno if that affects the cooling-off period set-up.

Anyway, if I returned it now I'd only have to start hunting for another one, so I think I'll hang on and see if can get used to it. But I'll keep the packaging, just in case

Deenie123

I have a paralux 3800 - amazing. I find the really important thing in a hairdryer if you want a polished look is the nozzel, it needs to be quite wide across but only a thin slot (height wise).

Bloody eurocrats. A paralux normally lasts a decade plus. Crappy hairdryers with 1000w output (and probably a crappy DC motor in them, too) will last a couple of years with daily blow-drying of long hair and take twice as long to do so. So by "saving the world" by limiting hairdryers, they're just increasing the amount of electronic waste.

ETA: for people finding the weight of hairdryers a bit unwieldy, try holding them with your fingers around the top of it and your thumb around the handle bit, if that makes any sense.

Bit like this:

rustyzip

Well I used mine this morning..
It is much bigger than my crappy old dryer and I think it will take a while to get used too.
But I can genuinely see the difference and apparently it's supposed to get better over time.
I'd say there was a 40% decrease in fluffy hair that I usually get when quickly drying.
€60 well spent in my opinion, especially if it helps my scaly greasy scalp in the long run

Dial Hard

HeidiHeidi wrote: »

Anyway, the only other "good" hairdryer I've used in the recent past was a salon-type-looking one in a gym, which although it was brilliant, also weighed a ton. So maybe I'm just used to my lightweight crap one and need to face up to reality.

I think that's exactly what it is, you're just used to the crappy light one. You will get used to it, though.

Also, this might sound obvious, but apparently not everyone does it - change hands when you're drying opposite sides of your hair. As in, hold the hairdryer in your right hand while you're drying the right side of your hair and switch it to the left hand when you're drying the left side. Not only will it stop your arm getting as tired, you'll get a better finish on your hair.

rustyzip

Dial Hard wrote: »

I think that's exactly what it is, you're just used to the crappy light one. You will get used to it, though.

Also, this might sound obvious, but apparently not everyone does it - change hands when you're drying opposite sides of your hair. As in, hold the hairdryer in your right hand while you're drying the right side of your hair and switch it to the left hand when you're drying the left side. Not only will it stop your arm getting as tired, you'll get a better finish on your hair.

I am trying to do that.. think it will take me months to carry it off!

suitcasepink

Is there any way of recognising these stronger hair dryers aside from looking at the price tag? Thinking of having a look around myself, a quicker, quieter hairdryer sounds like a reasonable impulse buy!!
Also call me weird but I like the idea of strengthening my arms up a little by holding up a heavier one :pac:

Deenie123

deise_girl wrote: »

Is there any way of recognising these stronger hair dryers aside from looking at the price tag? Thinking of having a look around myself, a quicker, quieter hairdryer sounds like a reasonable impulse buy!!
Also call me weird but I like the idea of strengthening my arms up a little by holding up a heavier one :pac:

Just get a paralux. Seriously, that's all there is to it


Things to look out for:

• Good nozzel
• AC motor
• High wattage
• Buy from a salon suppliers like Terrisales

Arbiter of Good Taste

I'm also a parlux girl. Have mine about 10 years now. Got it in the hairdresser supplies place on abbey st

Dial Hard

deise_girl wrote: »

Is there any way of recognising these stronger hair dryers aside from looking at the price tag?

Yeah, you can only get the really good ones in a salon supplier.

Or online, obviously.

HeidiHeidi

I've parceled my Panasonic one up again and am going to see if Boots will let me return it.

I'm just not convinced enough by it to have spent €60. Never mind its (alleged) original price tag of about €130 :eek:

Can't put my finger on it - but they should be taken out and shot for the name "Nanoe" alone!

Anyway, it won't be the end of the world if they won't take it back, it's still a country mile better than the one I have. But I think I could do a lot better for the money.

Keep the recommendations coming!

Deenie123

HeidiHeidi wrote: »

I've parceled my Panasonic one up again and am going to see if Boots will let me return it.

I'm just not convinced enough by it to have spent €60. Never mind its (alleged) original price tag of about €130 :eek:

Can't put my finger on it - but they should be taken out and shot for the name "Nanoe" alone!

Anyway, it won't be the end of the world if they won't take it back, it's still a country mile better than the one I have. But I think I could do a lot better for the money.

Keep the recommendations coming!

If you can return it, a paralux. Go into Terrisales (or other salon supplier) though and pick one from there that you like, the assistants are usually helpful.

Also, it's probably worth mentioning that cheap hairdryers run way, way, way too hot so when moving from a cheapie to an expensive hairdryer it can
feel like the new one is too cool. It's not; and it's also not frying your hair

Blingy

Got a prof hairdryer from Peter Mark over 13 yrs ago and it's still going strong. Definitely worth it.

HeidiHeidi

Blingy wrote: »

Got a prof hairdryer from Peter Mark over 13 yrs ago and it's still going strong. Definitely worth it.

Hmm, that was my other option.

I've gone to the same guy for years for a haircut in PM, and I'd like to think he wouldn't sell me tat just for the sake of it. I asked him ages ago about getting a dryer, and I just remember that he was offering me one for 40 quid that he swore was a decent dryer. Can't for the life of me remember what brand it was.

Oh it's all so difficult! (and Boots might still tell me to feck off and keep the one I've just bought )

PinkLemonade

I have the PM one on recommendation from three friends and I really rate it, it's far the best I've used. The parlux might be better, I've not tried it

HeidiHeidi

Well Boots, fair play to 'em, refunded me straight away, no quibbles whatsoever.

Took myself off to Terrisales where they laid out the entire range of Parlux driers, and really there was no comparison. Came away eventually with one half the size and about a quarter the weight of the Panasonic one which feels mighty powerful.

For a HORRIFIC price, mind you. If I don't get a lifetime (if not more) of drying from this beauty, I'll be very disappointed

I use this one from Peter Marks. I wouldn't buy any other hairdryer tbh.

http://www.petermark.ie/shop/products.php?88&cPath=2_51&sid=ccb6u9iv15kl7at3s6ps37s051

rustyzip

HeidiHeidi wrote: »

Well Boots, fair play to 'em, refunded me straight away, no quibbles whatsoever.

Took myself off to Terrisales where they laid out the entire range of Parlux driers, and really there was no comparison. Came away eventually with one half the size and about a quarter the weight of the Panasonic one which feels mighty powerful.

For a HORRIFIC price, mind you. If I don't get a lifetime (if not more) of drying from this beauty, I'll be very disappointed

How much was it?!
I must say, I've used the panasonic one three times now and I'm loving it!

HeidiHeidi

rustyzip wrote: »

How much was it?!
I must say, I've used the panasonic one three times now and I'm loving it!

Well I used to be indecisive, but now I'm not sure........ :eek:

Having got home with the Parlux, I'm now having cold sweats about the sheer price of it (3 figures).

The Peter Mark one was a tiny bit bigger, possibly an ounce or two heavier, not quite so snazzy looking, and exactly half the price.

The Parlux one is nicer, no doubt about it - but twice-the-price-nicer?

The PM one is also a bigger wattage, according to the blurbs (2100 vs 2200).

Think I might be hitting town again tomorrow to return hairdryer no. 2 and go for the Peter Mark one - which is what I should have done in the first place!

(No regrets whatsoever about giving back the Panasonic one, it just doesn't compare IMO)

verywell

I had a Parlux and returned it. It was no match for the ETI one that I had previously. So I got another ETI in Peter Marks. The Parlux cost me the bones of €100 where I am nearly sure the ETI was between 50-60 and still going strong.

I have thick hair so need all the help I could get.

HTH

Edit: Exact same one as whoopsadaisydoodles. Well worth it.

HeidiHeidi

On my way back into town to swap to that very one.

Final answer, Chris!

verywell wrote: »

I had a Parlux and returned it. It was no match for the ETI one that I had previously. So I got another ETI in Peter Marks. The Parlux cost me the bones of €100 where I am nearly sure the ETI was between 50-60 and still going strong.

I have thick hair so need all the help I could get.

HTH

Edit: Exact same one as whoopsadaisydoodles. Well worth it.

flynnser19

my ex boyfriend got me a parlux one about 8 years ago and its still going strong and i think at the time they were pretty pricey!! So i would never buy a cheaper one again!!

dia squish

Can anyone recommend one for approx €50-60?

If I'm looking in Argos or somewhere similar, should I be focusing on as high a wattage as possible? Anything else to look for?

Thanks

HeidiHeidi

I'm delighted with my Eti one from Peter Mark. It'd be much of a muchness IMO with the Parlux one (the latest model, all eco-friendly and 2100W, but €120) but exactly half the price (€59.90, and 2200W).

I had used the Panasonic one twice, and really couldn't get on with it at all.

I used the Parlux one once, but not for real (just blew it into my already dry hair) and it felt great.

Cannot tell the difference between it and the Eti one, which I have used on wet hair - and it did a fantastic job.

Took me a while, but I got what I wanted (and could actually afford) in the end

dia squish

HeidiHeidi wrote: »

I'm delighted with my Eti one from Peter Mark. It'd be much of a muchness IMO with the Parlux one (the latest model, all eco-friendly and 2100W, but €120) but exactly half the price (€59.90, and 2200W).

I had used the Panasonic one twice, and really couldn't get on with it at all.

I used the Parlux one once, but not for real (just blew it into my already dry hair) and it felt great.

Cannot tell the difference between it and the Eti one, which I have used on wet hair - and it did a fantastic job.

Took me a while, but I got what I wanted (and could actually afford) in the end

Thanks, had a look online there and I think the €60 one is out of stock, might try pop into a Peter Mark tomorrow and have a look.

Not too heavy is it?

HeidiHeidi

dia squish wrote: »

Thanks, had a look online there and I think the €60 one is out of stock, might try pop into a Peter Mark tomorrow and have a look.

Not too heavy is it?

Nope, a teeny bit heavier (at a guess) than the Parlux one, and about half the weight (I might be exaggerating a little bit) of the Panasonic one.

They had loads in the Jervis Centre PM's when I was there.... don't think you'll struggle to find one in a branch tbh.

They're the ones they use in the salons, the girl in Jervis gave me a go of one that was plugged into a workstation so I could get an idea of weight/size.