Raise your hand if you’ve ever watched a hair tutorial featuring a thick-haired goddess like Kim Kardashian or Negin Mirsalehi. OK, now raise your hand if you copied that tutorial step by step, yet ended up looking...well, nothing like either one of them. We see you, fine-haired ladies. While it's a sad reality that you can’t magically make your fine hair thicker, there are products out there that can help to make it work more in your favor—starting with the best hair dryers for fine hair.

Stylist and colorist Prisilla Rodriguez of Levato Salon in Hinsdale, Illinois, explains, “People with fine hair should invest in good tools to preserve what [they] have. That ten-year-old Conair dryer might still be getting the job done, but you have to work harder at getting your hair to look good with it because it’s not as strong as a newer or stronger dryer.”

We’ve broken down everything you need to know about the best hair dryers for fine hair below, from the salon-favorite Dyson Supersonic ($429) to the budget-friendly Hot Tools Turbo ($60) and the smoothing Morrocanoil Smart Styling dryer ($190).

The best hair dryer for fine hair is one that makes the drying process quick without using excessive heat. According to UNITE ambassador and celebrity hairstylist, Graham Nation, it's also important to use one that uses consistent heat throughout. He tells PureWow, "When doing a voluminous blow dry, you want equal heat and velocity to make sure you are evenly drying the hair all over."

To achieve this, Rodriguez suggests picking up a dryer with a wattage of 1500 or higher to speed up the process. She also prefers ceramic models, or dryers that put an emphasis on negative ion production (which means they're designed with technology that reportedly breaks up water molecules to make your tresses dry even faster). Lastly, she suggests making sure your hair dryer has multiple heat settings, as those with single settings can often get too hot and singe the hair. And, as always, a good heat protectant is a must, even when using a high-end dryer.

To cull this list of best hair dryers for fine hair, we spoke with several professional stylists about their picks and why they stand by their tools.

What is Hair Density and Why Does It Matter?

According to Chong, those with fine hair are better off using ceramic hair dryers, hands down. “It distributes heat more evenly and uses less heat to dry the hair, thus creating less damage,” she explains. Heat damage can cause hair to lose its elasticity over time, so always use heat protectant.

On the contrary, they can actually be quite beneficial. Chong explains that ionic hair dryers are designed to break up water molecules more quickly, which allows you to dry your hair at a lower temperature. Berkovitz adds that your hair will also be less frizzy. The combo of shorter drying time and less heat is better for fine hair, as over-drying can lead to flat, lifeless locks.

As long as you use a heat protectant, Chong says that you can safely dry your hair up to three times a week. Though, if you want to blow dry your hair more often than that, you should definitely incorporate some hair masks and aftercare products into your routine to avoid causing damage, which will lead to brittle, dull and dry strands.

Berkovitz notes that when it comes to blow drying, how you do it matters more than how often. “The biggest mistake I’ve noticed is that people leave the tool in one place for too long.  Your goal is to polish the cuticle (the hair’s outer most protective layer), so you need to keep the heat moving—if not, you can over dry, fry, burn and split the hair, even if you aren’t blow drying it often,” he says. For best results, he recommends using medium to high heat and rough drying until your hair is about 80 percent dry. Start at the roots and work your way to the ends, then finish with a boar bristle brush, which will help you shape your hair.

“Even with top dryers that have great technology, being gentler on the hair and [using] a thermal protectant is a must,” Chong says. “A barrier between the hair and the heat prevents it from being damaged.” With that, here are some things to consider when shopping for a hair dryer for fine hair.  

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