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Drying my hair has alway been a chore. It’s the sole reason I started training my hair to go days in between a wash. The thought of blow drying has always been so intimidating. It would typically take me anywhere between 15-20 minutes to dry my hair after showering. As much as I wanted to shower before bed and let it dry overnight, that just wasn’t an option.
A while back I was convinced I just needed a new blow dryer even though my Nano Babybliss Pro Titanium was working just fine. So I asked my Instagram friends for their recommendations and they delivered in big ways. One message out of the many was from a hairdresser who urged me to reconsider investing in a new hair dryer, but rather trying a blow dry spray instead. She promised my blow dryer wasn’t the issue…I just needed a little something to help speed up it’s efficacy. Purchasing a spray was much more cost effective than splurging on a new blow dryer, so I decided I’d test a few of those that were recommended and here are the results of my very informal and non-scientific research :). Hope it helps!
I tried four different blow dry sprays each boasting good reviews. I was look for quickest dry times, weight/consistency, and smell. Ultimately, I really just wanted one that would shave off a considerable amount of that 15-20 minute dry time I faced after every wash. Here are the four I tested…
Aveda Speed of Light / Redken Pillow Proof / Kenra Blow Dry Spray / L’Oreal Blow Dry It
Price points highest to lowest:
Aveda Speed of Light – 7.8 oz – $32
Redken Pillow Proof – 5.7 oz – $22
Kenra Blow Dry Spray – 1.7 oz – $13 (the full size option is 6.8 oz & $20 on Amazon)
L’Oreal Blow Dry It – 4.2 oz – $3.99
I tested each spray over the course of a week’s time, each after I washed and removed excess moisture using my DuraComfort microfiber towel. I applied around 8-10 spritzes all over my wet hair and then ran a brush through it. I started the timer as soon as I started drying and stopped it when my hair was completely dry throughout.
First up is the Aveda Speed of Light.
As far as doing what it promises to do, the Aveda Speed of Light definitely sped up my dry time. Considerably. It normally takes me 15-20 minutes to dry my hair with no accelerant and using this spray first cut down my dry time to 6 minutes & 45 seconds!!!! Incredible!!!
This one is lightweight and doesn’t have a greasy consistency which I loved. It doesn’t leave any residue or make my hair feel sticky either. The only negative to the Aveda Speed of Light is the smell. It’s not bad at all, rather a bit medicinal/herbal. Not my favorite, but then again that’s my personal preference. Had this been the only spray I tried, I’m sure I would’ve thought differently, but compared to the Redken and L’Oreal the fragrance of this one was a little off-putting. That said, I still use this one because the results were phenomenal.
Next up, Redken Pillow Proof.
Let me just say that out of the four, this one was my most favorite. While the drying time wasn’t as fast as the Aveda Speed of Light, I loved the smell and consistency of the Redken Pillow Proof so much. Lightweight and left a shine once dried and the fragrance is awesome (again, personal preference).
Redken Pillow Proof still cut down my dry time considerably even though it took a little over a minute and a half longer than Aveda, but again…overall this was my personal favorite.
The Kenra Blow Dry Spray was my least favorite.
(The price tag for the full size version of this spray keeps going up and down). Okay, so I just wasn’t a fan of this spray at all. Maybe I’d have liked it better if I hadn’t tried the others for comparison, but I didn’t like this one at all. It has a sticky consistency and doesn’t smell very good (my opinion, of course) and also had the longest dry time out of the four.
While it did shave off a good amount of time from what it normally takes to dry my hair, compared to the others the Kenra Blow Dry Spray just didn’t stack up. Especially for the price!!! The travel size that I tried was $13 and I honestly felt like I wasted my money. I have girlfriends who SWEAR by this spray, so what do I know?!
Lastly, L’Oreal Blow Dry It.
I can’t say enough about the L’Oreal Blow Dry It! This one is a fantastic, affordable option. Not only did it not break the bank, but it dried my hair hella quick, too.
Needless to say, the price point on the L’Oreal Blow Dry It is my favorite. I loved the smell and consistency as well. The L’Oreal gave me the second quickest dry time and left a nice shine, too. I think this one is a great dupe for the Aveda Speed of Light (minus the medicinal/herbal smell).
Overall, the Redken Pillow Proof and the L’Oreal Blow Dry It were my two favorites. The Aveda Speed of Light is a great value, but compared to the other options I don’t think the full size bottle of the Kenra Blow Dry Spray is worth it.
Again, totally non-scientific research and a lot of personal bias and preference here, but hopefully this helps if you’re looking for something to help speed up the hair drying process without investing in an expensive blow dryer.
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