Gone are the days of the $10 curling iron and the cheapy flat iron that may or may not work. In order to see results, you’re better off investing in one of the luxury hair tools on the market—or are you? I put several to the test to see if they’re really worth the money : see how they fared versus their less expensive counterparts:
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6 Luxury Hair Tools That Are Totally Worth the Splurge
Splurge: Hair Dryer
Infiniti Pro by Conair 3Q Brushless Motor Dryer , $119.99
This sleek dryer worked its magic like, well…a pro on my thick hair. My normal twelve-minute drying time was reduced to roughly seven minutes with this brilliant tool. And since I normally deal with frizz, I was delighted to find that my hair felt much smoother than usual. It’s designed to be quick, quiet, and quality (“3Q”), and I’ll agree it’s certainly speedy and delivers salon-style results while offering slightly less blaring noise than the standard dryer.
Splurge: Flat Iron
ghd eclipse Flat Iron , $245
GHD has long been my flat-iron brand of choice: it makes quick work of my wildly wavy hair, and it’s probably the beauty tool I’d award “most life changing” if given the opportunity. The eclipse is a game-changer in that it delivers silky, shiny, smooth locks with less heat. And because it acts fast, that means less damage for your hair even with religious use.
Splurge: Curling Iron
Drybar The 3-Day Bender Curling Iron , $125
Quick, easy curls have eluded me for as long as I can remember. My hair has some natural curl to it, but it’s of the I’ll-do-what-I-want-and-you-can’t-stop-me variety. So when I want to control my curls, it’s usually with a healthy serving of frustration on the side. Enter this curling iron, which is as easy as clamping hair and rotating the barrel. It’s a fast-acting tool, but its real advantage is the curls’ staying power. It makes my curls smoother and leaves behind healthy, bouncy hair. What more could you want?
Splurge: Round Brush
Philip B Stroke of Genius Round Brush , $75
I have nothing but praise for a round hairbrush that won’t leave my hair a tangled mess. This innovative brush is gentle on my hair and doesn’t cause breakage. It’s the ultimate tool for holding hair taut while blowdrying, and also helps smooth out areas that are in dire need of a little TLC. My hair felt smoother and looked shinier when I used this in conjunction with a dryer. The results were nearly salon perfect.
Splurge: Hair Rollers
Babyliss Pro Nano Titanium 30 Roller Hairsetter , $99.99
Color me obsessed with absolutely everything about this hair setter. The display is incredibly attractive, showing off 30 color-coded rollers of varying sizes. It’s fast heating and just as fast to deliver healthy looking curls that last. I simply roll them on before putting on my makeup; when I’m all done, I unroll the curlers and voila---commercial-quality hair!
Splurge: Travel Flat Iron
TIGI PRO Mini Flat Iron , $100
I travel frequently, and I’m loathe to carry bulky hair tools with me. That said, I usually end up doing so because I haven’t found travel-sized tools that compare---until now. This mini flat iron is not only perfectly portable (and includes a convenient pouch), but it also straightens my hair just as well as my full-sized iron. With a little extra time, I can even curl my hair and give it some extra body.