Buy This: Harry Josh Pro Tools Dryer 2000

A blow dryer is a desert island item for me (I'm assuming all desert islands have plentiful electrical outlets). I don't have wash-and-go hair. I can't air dry. Without heat, and a whole lot of it, the situation on top of my head is fairly tragic.

My hair is thick, super thick, and I have a ton of it. It's also super wavy and prone to serious frizz. And that's before you factor in any weather conditions. Now that I live in one of the most humid regions in the county, saying that my hair is unmanageable is an understatement.

I've used a lot of blow dryers over the years. I went through many terrible drugstore models before I discovered the magic of a professional dryer. For a decade I was loyal to Babyliss (particularly this model, which is still a great dryer at a good price), but I was itching to try something new.

After reading all of the rave reviews for the Harry Josh dryer on blogs and in magazine beauty columns, I was definitely curious. Thanks to last year's killer Cyber Monday promotion (DermStore offered all Harry Josh products at 50% off), I pulled the trigger. Without a doubt, this is the best blow dryer I've ever owned.

I'm hoping DermStore offers the same Cyber Monday deal again this year (I actually may pick up a spare), so I thought I'd share a quick review in case for anyone is thinking about a splurge.

Model: Harry Josh Pro Tools Pro Dryer 2000

PROS

Power -- this 1875 watt dryer has an incredibly powerful motor that blows hot, hot air at a ridiculous speed. This is perfect for anyone who spends a lot of time blow drying -- if you have thick hair, long hair, or if you just want hair that is drastically different than what naturally grows out of your head (straighter, more voluminous, curlier, etc). My hair really holds onto moisture, and this dryer really gets every last bit out, and does it quite a bit faster than any other model I've tried. I've cut my blow dry time down from about 30 minutes to 20 minutes.

Size -- I really love how tiny this little guy is (it's about 10" high and 7" long). It's perfect for travel and fits in the smallest carryon, which means you don't have to wear the same outfit every day of your vacation for the sake of having good hair.

Durability -- I've treated this dryer like I've treated every new iPhone I've ever had: so careful at first, afraid to damage a pricey toy, and then after a few weeks, I was dropping it, banging it, leaving it in puddles of water. All good! It's a tough little beast, which is a great feature in an expensive tool.

Accessories -- this dryer comes with 2 different concentrator nozzles (so important for a blowout), and they snap into the dryer super securely. I've had nozzles on other dryers get forcibly ejected (into my head) during a blow dry, and that's exactly as much fun as it sounds. Also included are a couple of duck clips to help section your hair (I always laugh when magazines say "divide your hair into 4-6 sections" -- I need 4 to 6 sections for just the bottom third of my head; I usually end up with 12-14 sections, and I'm sweating and angry at the end).

Cool Shot Button -- this is pretty important to a good blow out. Once you're just about done with your sections, you want to blast your hair with the cool air to really lock your style in place. And this button really makes the air cold (rather than just not warm, like a lot of dryers). I use the cool setting to blow through my whole head to really set everything, and also make sure that I haven't missed a section (you'll feel the moisture as soon as that cool air hits you).

CONS

Button Placement -- this is my biggest pet peeve. The design of the button panel seems meant for someone who is using the dryer on someone else, not the at-home DIY-er. The buttons that control the power, the fan speed, and the ion functionality are tiny, they're all the same same size, and they're all crunched into a small space. For the first few weeks I was really fumbling through every blow out. I've gotten the hang of it, but this is not great design.

Heat -- while this is really an advantage of the dryer, be careful. This dryer can get incredibly hot, and make your hair incredibly hot. Keep the dryer moving at all times or you risk burning and singeing your hair (a lesson I learned, several times, the hard way).


VERDICT

This is a great blow dryer; expensive, but absolutely worth it. If you're a blow out addict, this will change your life.

But if you're more of a wash-and-go girl, or if you have the silky straight hair that I dream about, you can probably skip it and save your pennies. Check out my favorite Babyliss dryer if you're looking for a sturdy model that will give you a professional blow dry (it's actually the model my stylist at Oscar Blandi always used on me) at a decent price.