If you’re like me and have a husband and kids in the house, you can’t risk your blow dryer waking up the whole house. On the hunt for an effective yet quiet hair dryer? I’m your girl!
I’ve rounded up the top 5 quietest hair dryers on the market to give you 5 great options for great hair dryers that’ll keep the peace, whether with kids, spouses or roommates!
There’s tons of reviews out there but this is the only review where you will actually see the decibel level of the lowest setting and the highest setting of 5 different hair dryers. I hope this extra step helps you find the right quiet hair dryer for you (and your housemates!).
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Short on time? Here’s our hair dryers listed out quietest to loudest (yes, that is the Dyson at the bottom of this list!):
- Quietest – T3 AireLuxe Luxe
- SIYOO Hair Dryer
- Nume
- MHU Professional Salon Grade Hair Dryer
- Loudest – Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer
How We Tested The Hair Dryers
To get accurate results, this is what we did to measure the decibel levels of each hair dryer.
- The hair dryer was held approximately 8″ away from the decibel reader. We did our very best to have this as close as possible and to have the photo taken at the correct angle.
- No attachments were used, to keep it equal.
- The heat setting for each hair dryer was on the hottest setting.
- To get each reading, we let the hair dryer run for a while on the lowest setting before finding both the lowest reading and the highest reading.
- We then did the same thing on the highest setting before finding the lowest and highest readings.
Understanding the Noise Level of Hair Dryers (Decibels)
Before jumping into your hairdryer research and the review below, it’s essential to understand the differences between the different sound levels, called decibels, so that you can make the best sound efficient choice for your hair.
Generally, there are five noise levels to compare when you’re looking for hair dryers. The different levels include:
- Faint – From 0 to 30 decibels. This sound range is typical of the sound you might hear in a testing room, quiet library, or art museum.
- Moderate – From 31 decibels to 60 decibels. The sound between these two ranges can vary. Many appliances fall in this range, including laundry machines and dishwashers.
- Loud – From 61 decibels to 90 decibels. The level of sounds you might hear with this level could include things like food processors, vacuum cleaners, blenders, and outside sounds like heavy traffic. Hairdryers typically fall in this decibel range.
- Very Loud – 91 decibels to 110 decibels. Power tools, lawnmowers, and chainsaws produce sounds at these levels.
- Extremely Loud – Any sound over 110 decibels. A siren, fireworks, or an airplane engine can make this level of sound.
Relative to Power
I do feel the need to point out that considering how powerful your hair dryer is, along with noise level, is the best approach to take. No wants a wimpy hair dryer that take forever to dry your hair, even if it is quiet. We’ve provided wattage in addition to decibel levels for this reason.
Top 5 Quiet Hair Dryers
1. Quietest: T3 AireLuxe Luxe
- T3 RapidAire IQ Technology
- 5 Heat Settings / 3 Speed Settings
- Volume Boost Switch
- Ion Generator
- Lock-in Cool Shot
- Decibel Reading On High Heat, Low Setting: 76.6 – 77.9
- Decibel Reading on High Heat, High Setting: 86.2 – 87.5
- Watts: 1875W
I’m claiming that the T3 AireLuxe is the quietest hair dryer! You’ll notice that the SIYOO is slightly quieter on the higher setting but the T3 is meaningfully more powerful, making it the superior option.
This beautiful award-winning quiet dryer is a well-made, powerful hairdryer and one that I’ve personally used for over 5 year! There are multiple control options, including two-speed adjustments, five heat settings, and a cool shot button.
The T3 AireLuxe has multiple safety features, including an automatic turn off if it detects your hand has been removed from the handle. The T3 AireLuxe is pricy, which is it’s primary drawback.
I bought this hair dryer to prevent further hair damage on my fine hair. It’s kept my hair healthy!
*If you love T3, check out my T3 curling iron review!
2. Tied for Quietest Hair Dryer: SIYOO Hair Dryer
- Magnetic accessories
- Removable air filter
- 1600 Watts
- Negative ions protection
- Cool shot
- Decibel Reading On High Heat, Low Setting: 82.0 – 82.8
- Decibel Reading on High Heat, High Setting: 83.7 – 84.5
- Watts: 1600W
The SIYOO Hair Dryer is often times labeled as a great dupe for the Dyson. And while yes, it is a similar shape and the same watts, this one has far less intense airflow than the Dyson.
That relative weakness does make it significantly quieter than the Dyson. If you are looking for a similar type of hair dryer to the Dyson without that hefty price tag, this is actually a really great option.
One thing I love is that the attachments are magnetic! I had never seen that before in a hair dryer and it was a unique and very appreciated feature.
It’s a small size just like the Dyson making it a great travel option. This hair dryer has 3 settings – cool, warm and hot. It’s great for curly hair, straight hair, thin or thick hair styles!
Check out other travel hair dryers here.
3. The Surprise Inclusion: Nume
- Negative ion conditioning technology
- AC Motor, 1800Watts
- Long 8.5 foot cord
- Under 2lbs
- Decibel Reading On High Heat, Low Setting: 81.1 – 83.1
- Decibel Reading on High Heat, High Setting: 88.4 – 90.7
- Watts: 1800 Watts
To be frank, I tested the Nume simply because I’ve owned it for a while now and wanted to test out how quiet it was. I was so surprised that it came in quieter than both the MHU and the Dyson! Many reviews have the MHU and Dyson as their top picks but in reality, they were louder.
This hair dryer has 2 speed settings and 3 heat settings including a cool shot button. I did find that holding it was a little bit awkward and took some getting used to. The placement of the buttons were right next to where I held the hair dryer, so I kept hitting switches b accident at the beginning. Now that I’ve had it for a while, I don’t do that, but it definitely took some getting used to.
Overall, this is a powerful hair dryer that is a really great option for not only keeping your hair healthy, but also not waking up your house.
*Use the code Paisley for 10% off!
4. 2nd Loudest: MHU Professional Salon Grade Hair Dryer
- 1875-watt AC Motor
- 2 Speeds, 3 Heat Settings
- Far-Infrared Heat and Negative Ion Technology
- Airflow Concentrator and Diffuser
- 6 foot cord made of heat-proof, and a professional hook makes use and storage simple.
- Decibel Reading On High Heat, Low Setting: 85.3 – 89.5
- Decibel Reading on High Heat, High Setting: 90.6 – 93.9
- Watts: 1875W
The MHU is runner up for the loudest hair dryer on this list, which actually came as a surprise to me. If you’re comparing price, this one is a bit more than the SIYOO depending on the current deal that Amazon is likely running.
However, this one has more watts making it more powerful. Keeping power vs cost in mind, if you want something less expensive, go with the SIYOO but if you want something more powerful than that one this one is a good option.
This lightweight design combines infrared heat with negative ion technology. This means that it releases negative ions which helps speed up the drying time by breaking down the water molecules without damaging your hair.
The MHU Professional Salon Grade Ionic Dryer includes two different attachments, an airflow concentrator and a diffuser to offer multiple options of styling your hair. This hair dryer is right under $60, providing high quality on a budget.
5. Loudest: Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer
- Made in USA
- Helps prevent extreme heat damage to protect natural shine; Air temperature is measured 20 times every second, keeping the temperature under control
- Ultra fast drying; 1600watts
- Includes: Magnetic attachments Dyson smoothing noozle, styling concentrator, and diffuser
- Lightweight and balanced
- Acoustically tuned; The powerful motor is tuned to produce one inaudible frequency
- Cool to touch
- 4 precise heat settings fast drying & styling, regular drying, gentle drying, and constant cold
- 3 precise speed settings fast drying, regular drying and gentle drying
- Decibel Reading On High Heat, Low Setting: 89.9 – 96.0
- Decibel Reading on High Heat, High Setting: 104.6 – 107.2
- Watts: 1600W
They Dyson came in as the loudest hair dryer by far. While yes, the motor of this hair dryer is a brushless motor, the airflow (which in turn creates the sound) of this one is intense. Very intense. So intense, in fact that it is the only hair dryer on this list that will make my noise alert on my Apple Watch to go off!
So while it’s not necessarily the motor of this one on that is loud like all the others, it’s the intensity of the airflow that is loud. Loud is loud when it comes to your ears no matter what is causing the sound!
I had switched to this one after using my T3 for years and now continue to rotate in the T3 and Nume. It also has hefty price-tag and will cost around $400.
However, if you want healthy hair, this is fantastic option. The Dyson is well known for keeping your hair free of heat damage!
There are four different temperature settings and speed options to choose from. I do really love this hair dryer! It dries my hair so fast which means less damage (and less time it’s running to wake everyone up!).
So there you have it! A deep dive into 5 quiet hair dryers on the market. If you’re looking for the absolute quietest hair dryer, I have to go with the T3. It’s quiet and will keep your hair looking beautiful!
I hope this review helps you in picking out the perfect quiet hair dryer.
FAQs
The T3 AireLuxe is the quietest hair dryer that we have tested.
No, the Dyson is not a quiet hair dryer! It has a more subtle motor but our test showed it to be at an extremely high level.
To extend your blown out hair, master the art of dry shampoo! Or check out these tips for beautiful air dried hair! And if you’re looking to make the switch to non-toxic shampoos, here are 15 natural organic brands to check out.
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Based in the photos you seem yo have measure the noise if the aircurrent instead of the noise of the hair dryers. That is because you put the decibel meter in the airstream, instead of next to the dryer. I suspect all the measurements are therefore flawed.
Hi Max! You’re right, we did. We did that because if you’re worried about sound for yourself, which many people are, you want to accurately know how loud it will be while you’re actually drying your hair. Regardless, we found that the sound of the airstream is actually quite loud which affects not only you but people in the room. While the Dyson machine itself is quiet, the force of the air is very loud and we wanted to accurately portray that.
If it helps we could always test just the machines from behind the airstream if that helps!
There was no decibel level listed for the Siyoo travel blow dryer. I was wondering if the ion technology is worth it? Some of these dryers, even the most expensive one, does not use ion technology. Thank you for your reviews!
I updated it all with my testing! The Siyoo and the T3 actually are very similar sound levels. I think ion technology is more personal preference. I have some with it and some without. Something I look for is how quickly it dries my hair without using extremely high heat. That’s why I prefer the Dyson because it’s fast!
Wife was asking about quiet hair dryers just the other day. Mother’s day is coming up soon, so maybe it’s time to pull the trigger on one of these!