It's officially the second week of September, which means that people from across the globe are flocking to New York City for nine days of runway shows, cocktail parties, celeb sightings, and nonstop taxi rides, all in the name of fashion. No matter how many outfits you plan or beauty appointments you book, nothing can truly prepare you for the chaotic good that is fashion week. Rest assured, us fashion editors will die trying. This year, I'm determined to have hair that looks just as good as (if not better than) my outfits. Nine times out of ten, my hair is pulled into a slick-back style with a bun at the nape of my neck. But if there's one event that calls for a hair change, it's this one.
For the past decade, Sally Beauty has been my one-stop shop for affordable haircare, so a trip to the store was necessary. I'd been eyeing the Ion Luxe Turbosonic Hair Dryer since it won Marie Claire's Hair Awards this year, so naturally, it made its way into my cart. I can confirm that it's a certified winner in the styling tool department—and did I mention that it's under $100? I know, I couldn't believe it either. If you want to see how my hair stole the show at fashion week this year, just keep scrolling.
Before I dive right into my hair transformation, I need to give you a little bit of context. I went natural back in 2020 after years of using chemical relaxers to straighten my hair. Four years in, I've learned that I have low-porosity 4A/4B coils that require copious amounts of attention. Everything you see on the internet about wash day is absolutely true—yes, my hair requires hours of detangling, but the luscious curls (and amazing arm workout) I get make it all worth it.
Before using hot tools, I made sure to clean and clarify my hair. First, I removed any product buildup with a detox shampoo and added life back into my tresses with a moisturizing conditioner. Then I detangled with the bondbar Bonding Curl Cream. To ensure that my curls stayed bouncy and shiny throughout the day, I followed up with a generous amount of the Freewill Curl Defining Gel Cream and the Texture ID Styling Custard.
If you ask a hairstylist how to use a diffuser, they'll often refer to the 80/20 method. In simple terms, this method requires waiting until your hair is 80% dry and then using the diffuser to dry the remaining 20%, or vice versa. As someone who rarely uses heat on my hair, this method was an automatic yes for me, especially since I was looking for volume and definition as opposed to length. I love that the Ion Luxe Turbosonic Hair Dryer has two magnetic attachments—a diffuser and a standard blow-dryer nozzle. It also has two heat and speed settings that are easy to toggle between depending on what your hair needs. The diffuser attachment is just the right size for my curls and I used it in an upward motion on the cool setting. On my longer pieces, I stretched my hair and used the diffuser on my roots to combat shrinkage and promote length. Frizz is my hair's number one enemy, so I'm a huge fan of the fact that this dryer's ionic technology controls heat and adds shine, leading to less frizz. Did I mention how quick the process was? So quick that I didn't have to remind myself to trust the process. It also didn't lead to heat damage, which is something I hadn't experienced in years.
The true test of whether or not a product works for curly hair is to spend a day outdoors. I bopped around between shows and spent my downtime in the West Village, and guess what? My hair still looked as good as it did when I grabbed my purse and jetted out the door. My hair was bigger and had more definition, but there was no frizziness or dryness, even in NYC's unpredictable weather conditions. Let's just say my hair entered every room before I did, and it was greeted with compliments I can only thank my new hair dryer for.
