How Many Watts Is A Hair Dryer and How to Calculate?

lady in a robe holding a blow dryer but how many watts is a hair dryer?

Ever wondered how many watts is your hair dryer?

I am very conscious about my electric appliances and how much electricity they consume.

That’s why the wattage is the first thing I check to make sure it’s manageable in the long run.

If you want to know how many watts your hair blow dryer is, how to calculate it, and the effects on your electricity bill, please keep reading.

Check: Best Hair Dryer for Blow Drying Straight

How Many Watts Is a Hair Dryer?

So, how many watts is a hair dryer? The wattage of an average hairdryer ranges from 750 watts to 2500 watts depending on the model you’re using. A commercial or professional hairdryer can have wattage as high as 5000 watts.

With that in mind, below are some of the most popular blow dryers and their wattages;

  • BabylissPro TT – 1000 Watts
  • Remington D3190 – 1875 Watts
  • Revamp Professional ProGloss – 5500 Watts
  • Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer – 1600 Watts
  • REVLON One-Step Hair Dryer – 1100 Watts
  • Xpoliman Professional Salon Hair Dryer – 2000 Watts

How To Find Out How Many Watts A Hair Dryer Uses

You can find out the wattage of your hair dry in two ways;

  • Check The Product’s Manual – A hair dyer or any other appliance’s power rating label is often indicated in the manual or on the packaging box.
  • Research Online – If you don’t have the actual product packaging, a simple google search will show the model’s wattage. You can also find it on the manufacturer’s product description page or on various eCommerce sites like Amazon, eBay, or Walmart.

NOTE – The wattage indicated is the maximum wattage. If you’re not using the hair blow dryer in the maximum settings, then you’ll be using it at a lower wattage than what’s indicated.

Why Is It Important to Know How Many Watts A Hair Dryer Uses?

So why is it important to know how many watts a hair blow dryer uses? Because it helps you gauge how much power it consumes. Unfortunately, many people have little to no idea about how much electricity their appliances consume.

Some blow dryers are rated as high-wattage or low-wattage. Does high wattage mean more efficiency? To make it easier for you, let’s start by defining wattage.

What Are Watts?

Often indicated as W, Watts is a unit of measurement of how much power an appliance consumes per hour. Let’s say you’re using the Remington D3190, a lightweight model that has 1879 watts of power.

If you use it for one hour, that will mean that it will consume at least 1875 watt-hours. So, the dry time also matters, and it varies depending on hair type.

This video explanation will help you learn more about watts:

How To Calculate Power Consumption

My girlfriend spends at least 15 minutes daily with a dryer. And the unit used to bill power consumption is kilowatts hours (kWh).

As such, 1000 Watt-Hours is equal to 1 kWh. With the 1879-Watts Remington D3190 hair blow dryer as an example, she uses 0.47 kWh. So how did I arrive at that number?

1 Kwh = 1000 Watt Hours

So, 1875 Watt-Hours = 1.875 kWh

But she uses it for 15 minutes. So, 1.875 kWh * 0.25 (15/60) = 0.47 kWh.

To calculate how many kWh she uses in a year, you multiply 0.47 kWh by 365 days, which is equal to – 171.55 kWh.

Currently, the average cost of 1 kWh is 10.42 cents

10.42 cents per kWh* 171.55 = $17.88

As a result, she spends at least $17.88 per year using a dryer for 15 minutes a day. This price may vary since the cost per kWh fluctuates.

However, she will only spend that when using it in the high heat setting and sped settings. When using a low or medium heating setting, the hairdryer will consume less power.

If this process is too long, you can use this Online Appliance Energy Calculator.

Check: How to Blow Dry a Bob Flawlessly

Does High Wattage Mean Efficiency?

While a high-wattage hair blow dryer may emit more heat, and you’ll spend less time drying your hair, they’re not the best. For starters, the higher the wattage, the more power it will consume.

Secondly, a high wattage could mean a higher emission of radiation and ultrafine particles, which could be bad for your health. And lastly, a high wattage hair blow dryer is risky, primarily if your power outlets can’t support this kind of power.

woman blow drying her hair

The quality of a hair blow dryer also matters. You’ll come across low or medium-wattage hair dryers that don’t consume a lot of energy but will produce enough heat and minimize your drying time.

For instance, an ionic hair dryer, like the Xpoliman Professional Salon Hair Dryer, can dry your hair faster, even at low wattages, than traditional types of hair dryers.

This makes ionic technology suitable for curly hair, frizzy hair, and for maintaining sleek hair.

However, ionic dryers aren’t ideal for thin hair. On the other hand, Ceramic hair dryers can heat up quickly and reach very high temperatures, making them ideal for dry hair.

There’s also a hybrid type that combines ionic technology and ceramic technology to offer the best hair drying experience without damaging the hair.

Instead of going for high wattage, it’s best to look for a power-efficient dryer that will be cheap to run and easy to maintain. Being dual-voltage also helps, especially if you’re looking for a hair blow dryer for traveling.

Also Check: The 90’s Blowout Hair Styles

FAQs

A hairdryer is plugged into a 120 V outlet. The current in the hairdryer is 9.1 A. How much power is the hairdryer using?

The amount of power a hair dryer uses is measured in Watts. On the other hand, Power = Voltage (V) * Current. In this case, it will be 120 * 9.1, which is equal to 1092 watts. However, all hair dryers will have their rated power indicated on the manual.

Do Hair Dryers Use A lot of electricity?

pretty girl blow drying hair in front of the mirror

A typical hair dryer will consume anywhere between 700 and 3000 watts, depending on the model and type of hair dryer you’re using. The amount of time you use it daily and the heat emission settings also determine the power consumption.

How much energy does a 1500-watt hair dryer use every second?

A 1500-watt dryer uses 1500 watts or 1.5 kWh in an hour. To get how much power it consumes per minute, you divide 1.5 kWh by 60, which is 0.025 kWh. To get how much power this hair dryer consumes per second, you divide 0.025 kWh by 60, which is = 0.000417 kWh. Energy is measured in joules or kilojoules. And 1 kWh = 3600 KJ. 0.000417 * 3600 = 14.76 KJ. The hairdryer will consume 14.76 KJ every second.

What Wattage Is Best for A Hair Dryer?

lady blow drying her natural curly hair

A hair dryer with a wattage ranging from 1700 to 1900 watts works best. 1000-watt dryers may be suitable for traveling, but they may take too long to dry your hair. 2000-watt hairdryers are powerful but are best for commercial applications or large households.

Conclusion

And there you have it. While most people don’t pay attention to how much power their appliances consume, it’s crucial that you do. Doing this not only helps you track electricity usage, but also enhances the safety of using these devices.

References

  • 1. Herrmann MR, Brumby DP, Oreszczyn T. Watts your usage? A field study of householders’ literacy for residential electricity data. Energy Efficiency [Internet]. 2017 [cited 2021 Dec 2];11:1703–19. Available from: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12053-017-9555-y
  • 2. Ultrafine Particles Emitted through Routine Operation of a Hairdryer [Internet]. Environmental Science & Technology. 2021 [cited 2021 Dec 2]. Available from: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.est.0c08564
hand holding a black hair dryer but how many watts is a hair dryer?

So, how many watts of hair dryer do you usually consume? We’d like to know in the comments below!