Do you have curly hair and love to travel? Feeling the anxiety determining how to pack your hair products and tools? I get it.
I have several trips every year. Each one is an extended stay and requires a wash day. That means a travel hair dryer and diffuser MUST be packed.
In the past I’ve traded in space and weight to bring my trusted BaBylissPRO Nano Titanium Portofino full size dryer. However, it weighs almost 2 pounds and makes packing awkward. I also worry about it breaking during transportation. With a $100+ price tag, I’m done with taking that risk!
We like to travel. Whether it’s a road trip around the states or internationally. My goal was to find a mini hair dryer and diffuser that would give me close to perfect curls without sacrificing weight, space, efficiency and price. I think I found a winner!
Update: If you scroll to the bottom of this post, I’ve included multiple wash day results using this compact travel hair dryer over the course of several months.
Not traveling but interested in diffusers? Check out my Black Orchid Diffuser Review!
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Drum roll, please….
I purchased the BaBylissPRO Nano Titanium Travel Dryer! Not only is it a baby version of my well-loved BaByliss hair dryer, it performs just as well. Check out my short pros and cons list of this portable hair dryer.
PROS
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- Dual voltage ideal for travel. 110-125V and 220-250 volts. Just make sure to bring a travel adapter. (I forgot to change the volts while in Sandals Grenada and my dryer broke. :()
- Weight. Only 9 ounces!
- Foldable for easy packing.
- Size. This mini hair dryer looks like a toy. My husband laughed when he opened the Amazon box. He couldn’t believe it would dry my hair.
- Long cord perfect for hotel rooms with oddly placed outlets. It’s 6 feet long!
- 2 heat settings. Low heat/low speed. High heat/high speed.
CONS
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- Noise. It makes sense that a travel hair dryer this small would make a good bit of sound. I can deal with it the few times a year I’ll be using it.
- Hard to find a diffuser to fit due to its small size. However, I have the solution for you below.
- If your curls are heat sensitive, this hair dryer does not have a cool setting and the low heat/low speed would increase your drying time.
Hair Dryer Diffuser to Fit BaByliss Pro Travel Hair Dryer
I searched high and low to find a travel diffuser for my long curly hair. With the 1.5” diameter barrel, the options were limited. However, I found a collapsible hair dryer diffuser that works fabulously!
The Segbeauty universal diffuser is made from silicon and fits most hair dryers. This means, if you love it, you can use it for more than travel!
Now that you’ve read the pros and cons of this travel hair dryer and diffuser, here’s how it worked in real life…
Travel Hair Dryer and Diffuser Test Run
I began my test of this product by performing my normal wash day routine. (You can find the curly girl products on my deep conditioning treatment post.) I attached the hair dryer diffuser to my mini dryer. *Tip: After fitting the diffuser over the dryer nozzle, turn the diffuser clockwise to tighten. This way, it won’t fall off during use. This was a comical moment as the diffuser seemed quite large comparatively.
With my head upside down, I diffused on low speed/low heat for 10 minutes. The hair dryer did not smell, nor did it overheat. My hair was about 50% dry, so I added a little gel (Smasters method). I followed this with 10 minutes of diffusing on high speed/high heat. The travel hair dryer put out a ton of heat. I expected it to overheat and dry out my hair. However, it had quite the opposite effect. The engine area of the dryer was cool to the touch, the diffuser kept its shape and my hair finished drying without frizz! At a total of 20 minutes, my curls were about 90% dry, so I stopped there. See my beautiful 2c/3a curls below.
Tip: I would suggest giving the travel hair dryer and universal curl diffuser a few minutes to cool before separating them. The silicon collapsible diffuser does get a bit hot to the touch.
Conclusion
I’m so excited to take this curly hair travel duo on the road. Now I can pack extra clothes in my suitcase. Not to mention, my curls are still going to look amazing every where I travel.
update
02/26/2019 – As with most product reviews, it’s best to measure the results multiple times. For my wash day today, I used my travel hair dryer so you could see how my curls turned out!
Curly Hair Products Included:
- Washed with As I AM Coconut Cowash. Rinsed completely.
- Scrunched in Kinky-Curly Knot Today Leave-In Conditioner/Detangler.
- Plopped for an hour.
- Scrunched in Curls Creme Brule Whipped Curl Cream and Kinky Curly Curling Custard.
- Diffused with travel hair dryer on low for 10 minutes.
- Scrunched in a little Kinky Curly Curling Custard.
- Finish diffusing on high setting until 100% dry. SOTC with Righteous Roots RX Oil.
06/12/2019 – I’ll be traveling to New England this August. I wanted to get some practice in with my travel hair dryer. The extra small dryer doesn’t have a cool setting like my full size one. This means, my combination of styling products changes a bit. I’m working on making the best summer curly hair styling mix before I travel. Here are my most recent results.
Curly Hair Products Included:
- Washed twice with Ouidad Advanced Climate Control Defrizzing Shampoo. Rinsed completely.
- Raked and scrunched in SheaMoisture Low Porosity Protein-Free Conditioner w/Baobab & Tea Tree Oils. Left in for 5 minutes.
- Scrunched in Kinky-Curly Knot Today Leave-In Conditioner/Detangler.
- Plopped for an hour.
- Finger combed in Davines This is a Curl Building Serum.
- Scrunched in Eco Chic L.A. Natural Styling Gel.
- Diffused with travel hair dryer on low for 10 minutes.
- Scrunched in Eco Chic L.A. Natural Styling Gel.
- Finish diffusing on high setting until 100% dry (about 10 minutes). Scrunch and fluff curls with organic grapeseed oil.
12/15/2019 – I traveled to Pink Gin Beach, Grenada this month and took my universal diffuser and mini travel hair dryer with me. Check out Curly Hair Travel: Humid Caribbean Weather to read all about it.
