Having grown my hair long, I don't need a blow dryer all that often. However, if I have to leave the house shortly after getting up, I need one to help rid myself of bedhead. Thus, the reason for my owning a blow dryer.
The other day I was using my dryer and it began making noises. Not being overly familiar with the sound of an electrical appliance shorting out, I convinced myself that the spitting and sputtering I was hearing WAS the dryer doing so. I needed a new dryer--time to shop. Considering that I wear my hair straight, I REALLY don't need much more than a big wind--something powerful enough to dry my hair in under five minutes. I DON'T need a lot of attachments and gadgets and I most definitely don't need to spend a whole lot of money. Good luck.
The first thing I noticed was that dryers don't take up nearly as much shelf space as before. Hmmmm. You would think the lack of too many models would make the choice easier, but it wasn't to be. If one model was powerful enough, it had too many attachments and cost WAY more than I wanted to spend. If I found something within my price range, the 'power' it had would have been the equivalent of standing in front of an open window on a 90 degree, 80% humidity day. One was the power I wanted--with NO attachments--but it had only one heat setting: SCALDING! Then 'they' threw the word 'ion' into the mix and I got ALL confused. This was not an activity that took only a couple of minutes. I finally decided on a dryer with the power I wanted and with the heat settings I wanted--unfortunately, it also was 'ionic' and had a bunch of accessories. BUT, it was within my price range--always a good thing. And it had a retractable cord--hooray!
I hate the safety plugs they have put on most appliances these days. And the plug will only go in ONE way. I live in a VERY old house, which hasn't had an electrical system overhaul done on it, so using these things is not an easy thing to do. With the air conditioner installed in the bedroom, the power outlets I can use are limited. Summertime finds me using the outlet the furthest from the dresser mirror, because the outlet closest is where the AC is plugged in to. It has never been too much of a problem, as I can use the full-length mirror--that is until I brought home my new dryer. The cord is at least a foot shorter--maybe more--than my old one! I found myself drying my hair, then moving over to look in the mirror, drying my hair, moving over to look in the mirror...--not too much fun. So is this--along with the HUGE plugs--another safety feature? Or is the cord shorter because it is retractable? Whatever the reason, it makes me a very unhappy camper, indeed.
Oh, well, despite the 'ionic' and the short cord, the dryer works about as well as I could want. It did dry my hair in less than five minutes and that is all I need. I just hope it doesn't die any time soon--I don't want to go shopping again for a while.
(Whoa--and I never thought I could get a post out of buying a blow dryer. Not a GREAT post, but something! :))
