Remington hydraluxe pro dryer
Rating: 8/10
As far as appearances go, this hair dryer is pretty standard. Its gold and cream casing is sleek and attractive. The barrel is wider than most dryers, but not ridiculously so, and it feels lightweight and nimble in your hands even when you’re trying to complete a lengthy blow-dry through a thick head of hair.
The first thing we noticed when we switched it on was the power of the motor. This wasn’t something we’d expected, which is slightly naive considering Remington claims its 2200W digital motor reaches airflow speeds of up to 80mph. Even when we attempted more complex styles on long, thick hair, it seemed to take us from towel-dried to bone dry in no time at all.
Although it’s definitely a powerful blow-dry, we never found ourselves overwhelmed by the heat. Our tester has a lot of hair to work through and usually ends up a hot, sweaty mess by the time it’s complete. This is where we first felt the benefit of the hydracare sensor. Once it was toggled on, temperatures shifted accordingly whenever things started to get too warm and hair never felt hot to the touch.
Not only did hair feel better while styling, but it also looked healthier once we were done. There was less frizz and improved shine throughout. High temperatures might usually be key to long-lasting styles, but every look survived through the end of the day while looking far more hydrated than you’d expect from heavy heat styling.
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While a lot of this comes down to the hydracare sensor monitoring the temperature, our hair did also spend less time beneath the heat thanks to the power of the motor. It also doesn’t hurt that the device releases micro-conditioners to preserve moisture, and uses ionic technology. This isn’t uncommon in the hair world nowadays, but we still marvel every time at how the use of negative ions can speed up the drying process and smooth out our strands.
We were so content with these technological features that we largely forgot about the regular settings. If you don’t feel like putting this in the hands of the hydracare sensor, you can switch between three temperature options – low, medium, or high – like most dryers. You can also choose between two different speeds, but both feel pretty powerful.
The dryer comes with three different nozzles – a wide drying concentrator, a slim styling concentrator, and a diffuser to enhance your natural curls. All three had their uses. The diffuser was as good as any we’ve tried before, and the wide and slim concentrators were perfect for long and short hair respectively. However, something those in the former category should watch out for is the grill at the back of the dryer – hair has a tendency to get sucked in if it’s left too close.