IFA 2024 featured a plethora of devices showcasing how technology in general is becoming more ingenious in terms of form and function, but the beauty sector was in the spotlight as it continues to radically reinvent the look and feel of hairstyling devices.
Gone are the days when traditional hair dryers were the market standard: the once iconic pistol-shaped handheld dryers are giving way to new form factors, and the best hair dryers are making a comeback.
Of course, a lot of this can be credited to Dyson, who have ingeniously reimagined the haircare category with devices like the Dyson Supersonic and Dyson Airwrap that push the boundaries of haircare engineering. But the company’s gadgets are so pricey that it was only a matter of time before brands popped up across the industry to capture beauty lovers on a budget.
Three new dryers in particular demonstrated just how diverse tools have become: Dreame’s new foldable pocket high-speed hair dryer, Shark’s new FlexFusion multi-styler, and the more compact high-speed stick dryer, the Laifen Mini.
A pocket full of sunshine
First up is Dreame’s new hair dryer, the Dreame Pocket, which packs some impressive specs into a foldable frame: it weighs just 10.5 ounces (300 g), but its high-speed 110,000 RPM motor gives it nearly the same performance as a full-sized hair dryer.
Dreame Pocket is small but mighty (Image credit: Future)
The nozzle is hinged, which makes it even more convenient for on-the-go use, but it’s also a versatile form factor that allows for styling at different angles and with different attachments. Admittedly, they’re quite chunky and seem to go against the dryer’s design philosophy, especially considering how tight it gets when you pack it all into the travel bag it comes with. I also didn’t like how heavy it was when I used it with the curl barrel in the wand orientation, but I do appreciate the convenience of having the curl barrel in this lightweight form factor.
It sort of combines the best of the Airwrap with the rotating head of Shark’s Flexstyle, making it a cool, high-performance hair dryer that’s perfect for travelling – although it is quite pricey at $159.99 / €159, and the design might not be for everyone.
Sharks in the Multi-Styler Ocean
Shark’s latest multi-styler/dryer has been a bit of a mixed bag. As our Home Editor highlighted in her first impressions of the new Shark FlexFusion, this nifty multi-styler essentially has all the attachments you’d want in a hair care device, but it does so at the expense of a fair amount of size: it’s a pretty chunky multi-styler.
Still, it does add some innovative new features. Shark addressed the fact that most people don’t wash their hair every day and added settings for both wet and dry hair. We were also intrigued by the curler and new straightener attachments. Using similar air-straightening logic to the Dyson Airstrait, the Shark alternative also uses a hot plate in addition to airflow to straighten your hair. Similarly, the Hot Brush combines bristles with a heated ceramic comb to deliver a beautiful blowout while keeping frizz at bay.
FlexFusion can do just about anything you want (Image courtesy of Future)
The FlexFusion has a list price of £369.99 (about $490 / AU$720), making it more expensive than its simpler sibling, the Shark FlexStyle, which costs $249.99 / £299.99 but doesn’t offer the same range of attachments.
Make it mini
The dark horse for me was the Laifen Mini, a new travel-sized version of the popular Laifen Swift hair dryer. The original device was positioned as a more affordable alternative to the Dyson Supersonic, but the brand has since put its own spin on the form factor and, most importantly, listened to consumer feedback.
Since the original Laifen Swift was launched in 2022, several new versions have been released, each one a little better and adding features like child lock, high to low temperature switching, and a wider range of color options. Alongside the Mini, Laifen has also launched the new Laifen SE 2, a slightly improved version of its mid-range dryer.
(Image courtesy of Future)
Though it’s the simplest of the dryers I saw, the Mini was actually one of my favorites on the show floor, as it felt the most well-rounded. It combines some really useful features with solid specs, all wrapped up in a design that’s affordable (99.99 euros, roughly £80) and very cute and lightweight (299g/10.56oz), but powerful, with a 110,000 RPM motor. At the moment it’s not yet available in the US due to voltage differences, but the team hopes to change that soon.
While there are quite a few borrowed features and similar specs in hair care products, it’s still exciting to see such a wide range of form factors and technologies breathing life into the once stagnant hair care category.
This is a much-needed change that brings the fun back into functionality and I can’t wait to get my hands on some of these amazing hairdryers and multi-stylers.
