I have slightly-longer-than-shoulder-length layered hair that I do very little with, other than washing a couple of times a week. I prefer to leave it to dry naturally as it develops a gentle kind of wave that I quite like, and (most importantly) requires minimal effort. But I also have a fringe, and experience has taught me that if I leave that to dry on its own, even if I attempt to comb it into shape, it looks rather wild, and develops kinks in odd places.
So I use a hair dryer and a round plastic bristled brush just to dry my fringe. It takes a total of about five minutes each week.
SAD DEMISE OF PREVIOUS HAIR DRYER
Unfortunately, a few months ago, I could tell that the inexpensive hair dryer which I had been using for the past five or six years was on its last legs. It didn’t always come on at once when I turned it on, and there were some slightly odd smells emanating from it. Not wanting the risk of a fire, I knew I would have to buy a new one soon - but hair dryers are quite expensive in Cyprus. So I waited until we were visiting the UK at the end of August, and took the first opportunity I had to pop into Argos.
CHEAP HAIRDRYERS AT ARGOS
I looked first at a branded hairdryer that was a little under £8, on special offer. Seemed like a good deal.
Unfortunately, when I typed in the code to see if it was available, I was told that it was out of stock.
However, the automated system suggested I look instead at the Argos Value compact dryer, model CHD211, which cost £3.97. I found the page in the catalogue - it wasn’t with the main hair dryer section - and it looked as if it would do the job.
THREE POUNDS NINETY-SEVEN
Yes, that’s right. Under four pounds. It somehow didn’t seem right to pay such a low price - I wondered if it would be complete junk. Yet Argos guarantees their products, with a no-quibble refund, if necessary, within the first couple of weeks. So... I shrugged, and decided to buy it. I figured that even if it only lasted a few months, I wouldn’t have lost much.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS AND USE
Once I had extracted it from the box, the hair dryer was bigger than I had expected. It was, however, lighter in weight than my previous one. It had a nozzle to allow for styling, a fairly short cord, and a 1200 watt motor. There are two speed settings labelled 1 and 2, with 0 being the ‘off’ default.
So, after I washed my hair, I plugged the hair dryer in and switched it on. My first impression was that it was surprisingly quiet. Perhaps it was just by comparison with my previous one, which had become quite noisy in its old age.
My second impression was that it didn’t seem to be doing much... the low setting was a lot lower than I was used to. I tried the high setting and it seemed to work well: my fringe dried nicely, in about the same time as it used to take with the low setting on my old hair dryer. If anything, it was easier, since the nozzle allowed the air to be more focused in one direction.
A COUPLE OF MONTHS LATER
So here we are, at the start of November, and my hairdryer is now an established part of the household. I have continued to use it in my low key way, and it has continued to work in its gentle style. I am now regularly using the lower setting after all: the lack of strong power or heat has to be a good thing from the perspective of my hair, even if it takes a little longer than it does on the high setting.
WHAT ELSE CAN A HAIRDRYER BE USED FOR?
When I wrote on Facebook - as you do - that I’d just paid a massive £3.97 for a new hairdryer, a relative who has virtually no hair left commented ironically, asking what a hairdryer was.
A good friend, who never uses one for her hair either, responded: 'It’s a machine that blows out hot air for various purposes, such as drying socks in the winter, drying a painting of an impatient artist, re-melting a wax coating to smooth it out, etc.'
On a slightly less pleasant note, I know from my own experience that a hairdryer is also a useful device in the battle against Athlete’s Foot, ensuring that the gaps between toes are completely dried before donning socks. I’m told, too, that a hot hairdryer held close to the crown for a few seconds can also stun head lice and may possibly destroy any lingering eggs.
So... even if you don’t have hair that requires a dryer, you may find that this is still a vital gadget in your home.
NOT SO GOOD FOR LONG HAIR
Reviews of this hair dryer at the Argos site are almost unanimously positive for everyone who just wants to dry short hair or a fringe. However, there are complaints from people with long hair, saying that the device tends to overheat after about five minutes of continuous use, and that with the relatively low power, it can take an extremely long time.
CONCLUSIONS
This hairdryer is, undoubtedly, excellent value. If you style your hair extensively or have lengthy locks requiring a lot of drying, you would probably do better with something more powerful than this. However, if you only use a hair ryer for a couple of minutes at a time, or want an extra inexpensive one for travelling, this is ideal. It suits me perfectly, and I look forward to a long and happy relationship with my value dryer.
2022 UPDATE
My value hairdryer lasted about eight years with regular - if infrequent - usage, as described above. Then, one day, it stopped working. It is no longer available at Argos or anywhere else, as far as I tell, but the general principle of the review still holds: for relatively low usage, a cheap hairdryer is likely to last as long as a more expensive one. Even if it only survives the two year warranty period, it can still be excellent value.
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