Dear Italiahaircolor:

[VRBeauty]

Dear Italiahaircolor:

Well, it finally happened. My beautiful, translucent, cobalt blue hair dryer ended our partership of over ten years. Heartbroken but not desperate yet, I bought and returned two drug store hair dryers before finally turning to the beauty supply store. My wants were simple -- quiet operation, easy-to-use toggle switches, a grip that fit my hand well -- and I thought I should be able to find what I needed for $40 or less. But that was before I asked one of the salesgirls for help. By the time she got through with me, I was sold on the *benefits* of tourmaline ionic hair dryer (I mean, why not? I am a PSer, after all) and had shelled out twice what I expected to for a dryer that wasn''t even transluscent, let alone cobalt.

The funny thing is, it seems that the salesgirl might not just have been giving me some song and dance. My hair, which is pretty straight to begin with, seems to have far fewer fly-aways than it used to, and it seems to have regained some of the shine that I thought was gone for good. But I''m not sure whether what I''m seeing is real, or if it''s just my imagination and a persuasive sales pitch playing tricks on me!

So Dear Italiahaircolor, my question is, does this tourmaline ceramic ion etc. hair care stuff really work, or should I have spent the extra money on a real tourmaline that I can see, feel, and brag about on PS?

Please sign me,

 

[lliang_chi]

VR,

I''m no professional like ItalianHair is, but my sister has one of those super fancy blow driers and I have one of those cheapo Target purchases. And OMG there''s a difference between hers and mine. 1) mine sounds like a RACKET when I use it. I have to blow dry my hair in the guest bath so I don''t bug FI if he''s sleeping. 2) my sister''s (I think it''s an ion Tourmaline too) dries our very thick hair much faster and with much less frizzies & fly-aways. I LOVE using her hair dryer.

 

[Italiahaircolor]

Hi VR....to answer your question, about 6 years ago I bought a Chi blowdryer for my salon kit (when I worked in a salon). My requirements were that it had to be super quiet, lightweight, and simple when it came to operating, oh--and easy to clean. I got everything I wanted in that blowdryer. And, 6 years later it is still going strong.

New fads or technology is always coming out...try this, buy that...when the truth is, if you''re taking care of your hair properly, you can use anything and get a great result. For me, I don''t care much for the "ion" technology. In theory I understand it...but when I try to see physically see the results, for me there is nothing that "sells" me.

My recommendation is, by far, a CHI blowdryer...it will absolutely meet your needs (minus the blue/translucent thing). It''s simple to use (high/low/off--large cool blast button)...it''s lightweight...very quiet...easy to clean the vent (two twists and you''re done). It has a great warranty and comes from a well respected line.

Here is a link to a bunch forsale on Overstock.com:

http://www.overstock.com/search?keywords=HAIR+DRYERS&taxonomy=&searchtype=k&cid=128610&kid=45465422&fp=f

And don''t feel the need to get the fancy Nano one...the basic dryer is what I have and I

it.

 

[Lauren8211]

VR, Thanks for asking this question, and Italia, thanks for answering.

I am in the market for a new blowdryer and this has intrigued me!

 

[misskitty]

I am also happy to see this! I borrowed a friend''s Chi flat iron once, and it was marvelous...I didn''t know they made hairdryers, too!

 

[Italiahaircolor]

I''m happy it was helpful. CHI is a fantastic line of products, and I cannot say enough good things about them.

The Nano line is antibacterial which is really, really great for busy stylists who have a revolving door of clients all day and need their products to self-clean. The basic CHI is still all ceramic, dependable, and works amazingly well. A lot of "ceramic" lines are coated steel...but CHI is 100% down to the core ceramic and that is the difference between a long lasting product and an inexpensive one that will need to be replaced often.

I would encourage you to spend an additional $20 or $30 bucks to get the real deal...in the end, just because it will last so much longer, you''ll find that it was a genuine steal for the price.

 

[VRBeauty]

Hi Italiahaircolor:

Thank you for the response. Next time I''ll check in with you before I buy!

 

[elle_chris]

A friend of mine is a stylist and about 6, maybe 7 years ago she got me an Elchim professional blowdryer. No problems and it looks like it''s going to last forever. Only downside is I wish there was something that could dry my hair faster (very, very thick wavy hair.)

Is the Chi any better? I need something that can dry my hair as fast as possible.

 

[emeraldlover1]

Date: 4/10/2009 11:00:31 AM
Author: elle_chris
A friend of mine is a stylist and about 6, maybe 7 years ago she got me an Elchim professional blowdryer. No problems and it looks like it''s going to last forever. Only downside is I wish there was something that could dry my hair faster (very, very thick wavy hair.)

Is the Chi any better? I need something that can dry my hair as fast as possible.

I have a Elchim too however I''ve only had mine for about 3 years. Mine dries my hair extreamly fast and I have super long straight thick hair which takes forever on old driers. Maybe you just need a newer model? I''m not a professional so I don''t know anything but I do know that the Elchim dryer changed my life.

 

[AmberGretchen]

Date: 4/10/2009 11:00:31 AM
Author: elle_chris
A friend of mine is a stylist and about 6, maybe 7 years ago she got me an Elchim professional blowdryer. No problems and it looks like it''s going to last forever. Only downside is I wish there was something that could dry my hair faster (very, very thick wavy hair.)


Is the Chi any better? I need something that can dry my hair as fast as possible.

Maybe Italia can chime in as she''s more of an expert (obviously) than I am, but my DH got me a T3 Bespoke Tourmaline dryer for X-Mas, and that thing cut my drying time by like 50%, and I have quite thick hair as well. Its pricey, but it really does seem to work better than any other one I''ve tried.

 

[Italiahaircolor]

Date: 4/10/2009 11:00:31 AM
Author: elle_chris
A friend of mine is a stylist and about 6, maybe 7 years ago she got me an Elchim professional blowdryer. No problems and it looks like it''s going to last forever. Only downside is I wish there was something that could dry my hair faster (very, very thick wavy hair.)

Is the Chi any better? I need something that can dry my hair as fast as possible.

One of the reasons I loved my CHI so much, was that when I was working in the salon, time was of the upmost importance. I didn''t want to, nor did I have the time to, blow someone out for 30 minutes...even long, thick, and corse hair had to be done in a reasonable amount of time, like 15 minutes or less. CHI blow dryers are extremely powerful...you wouldn''t expect that when you hear how quietly they operate...but it''s true. My hair (which is about shoulder length -- I am growing out my hair) dries in about 7 minutes.

 

[elle_chris]

EM1- Which model do you have? Mine is the Elchim 2001 Professional .

Italia- Thanks. Maybe I'll give it a try.

eta: Amber, I've never heard of that brand. Will look into it as well. thanks.

 

[curlygirl]

Date: 4/10/2009 11:10:02 AM
Author: emeraldlover1

Date: 4/10/2009 11:00:31 AM
Author: elle_chris
A friend of mine is a stylist and about 6, maybe 7 years ago she got me an Elchim professional blowdryer. No problems and it looks like it's going to last forever. Only downside is I wish there was something that could dry my hair faster (very, very thick wavy hair.)

Is the Chi any better? I need something that can dry my hair as fast as possible.

I have a Elchim too however I've only had mine for about 3 years. Mine dries my hair extreamly fast and I have super long straight thick hair which takes forever on old driers. Maybe you just need a newer model? I'm not a professional so I don't know anything but I do know that the Elchim dryer changed my life.

I have an Elchim also and absolutely LOVE it. My hair is thick and curly and it does a great job--so quiet and fast. But mine is only about 2 years old so maybe emerald is right that you need a newer version. I'm at work so I don't know the model number but just wanted to put my 2 cents in. Although maybe I'll try CHI when my Elchim dies!

 

[April20]

You''ve totally made me want a new hair dryer with this thread. I looked at the link to Overstock..... I am now trying to decide if a) my husband will notice if a new one shows up and b) if he notices it and asks me how much it costs, will he flip out? I really do need a new one. I have all those fly aways and the one I have now is really loud.

 

[MishB]

Can you buy Parlux dryers in the US? It''s an Italian professional brand. I have one and it is amazing, super light, quiet and dries my long thick hair in no time at all.