Growing up with tight coils, I remember wishing that my hair didn't take an exorbitant amount of time to wash and style the way I wanted. Because of this, I mostly wore my hair in twists, braids, and ballet buns to save time as I dashed between school and dance classes, relying mostly on my mom's hairstyling talents to keep me looking presentable. By the time college rolled around, I had kept to such a strict rotation of styles that I had to make an effort to get out of my comfort zone with my chemically treated 4c curls. Enter hair diffusers.
Pinpointing the special care your curls need to reach their peak health, bounce, and shine takes a combination of gentle touch, lots of moisture, and the right products and tools. With that being said, knowing the best steps to take in your haircare routine to alleviate concerns and address problem areas can be a dizzying process. It's natural to feel overwhelmed since, thanks to a little thing called the internet, we have thousands of competing products, techniques, and philosophies available at the click of a button.
While word-of-mouth recommendations can be incredibly helpful, most people need to go through some trial and error before they're able to find a routine that works for their hair needs. Luckily, helpful hairstyling tools like diffusers can cut the amount of work in half. Keep scrolling to learn more about the transformative tool with tips and tricks from stylists (plus recommendations for the best hair diffusers on the market).
What Are Hair Diffusers?
Hair diffusers are generally round attachments (although, modern-day versions of the tool come in a variety of shapes) that direct the hot air from your blow-dryer into multiple streams, spreading the heat over a larger area of the hair. When used correctly, diffusers can reduce heat damage and frizz while helping to promote the definition and volume of your strands. Biolage curl specialist and celebrity stylist Cynthia Alvarez helps us ID which diffusers do what. "There are five different types of diffusers that each work to achieve different looks and work for different hair types," she tells us. These include cup diffusers, hand-shaped diffusers, pronged diffusers, collapsible diffusers, and snap-on diffusers.
Before using a diffuser in your haircare routine, she recommends adding styling products to damp or wet curls for the best results. "Since diffusers apply a gentle heat, make sure to prime hair with a heat protectant, like the Biolage All-in-One Coconut Infusion Multi-Benefit Spray ($31). To lock in your curls without drying your hair out, I use the Biolage Curl Defining Elixir ($19), which is also alcohol-free," Alvarez says. For voluminous curls, she advises flipping your hair sideways or upside down before cupping your hair with the diffuser, moving the hair up and down to thoroughly dry your tresses.
To create loose, elongated curls, Alvarez recommends focusing the diffuser at the roots to speed up the drying time for the ends of your strands. "You can move the diffuser around your head, but be careful not to disrupt the curls. You can also stretch your ends while drying," she says. To ensure even coverage, consider placing your hair in small sections, aiming for roughly 80% dryness to maintain natural moisture.
The Best Diffuser Attachments at a Glance
- Conair Double Ceramic Universal Diffuser
- The Curly Co. Collapsible Hair Diffuser
- Shark Beauty Flexstyle Hair Blow Dryer Diffuser Attachment
- GHD Professional Hair Diffuser
- DevaCurl DevaFuser
Diffuser Attachments
When you imagine hair diffusers, there's a good chance a styling tool that looks like this one by Conair is what first comes to mind. "Cup diffusers are the most popular since they disperse hair evenly to reduce frizz and create defined curls," Alvarez says. "To use, place your hair in the cup and move the diffuser close to your roots and back down the length of the curls."
Customer Review: "I am very happy with this diffuser. It fits my old Conair blow dryer perfectly and I blow dry my hair on low heat. It definitely helps with giving my hair more volume and my waves/curls look softer and more defined"
Alvarez tells us that collapsible hair diffusers like this one by The Curly Co. are great for all curl lengths since they stretch out to a full diffuser but can also condense into a flat, round surface. They're also great for traveling since they collapse into a small disc. "If you're using the flat surface, point the diffuser downward and dry hair in that motion, moving it around the head as the curls dry," she says.
Customer Review: "This diffuser is just what I was looking for. It collapses easily and pops back open when I put it on my dryer. It doesn’t collapse during drying and distributes heat well. It fit on my dryer since it’s silicone. If your hair dryer has a really small barrel then this won’t work. Any other standard dryer is fine. Look no further—this is it!"
The Curl Collective Curl Hair Diffuser always delivers frizz-free, defined hair with custom-designed air circulation optimized for wavy and curly strands. It's crafted with a thermal aluminum interior to direct heat evenly for fast drying. Be advised, however, that this diffuser works exclusively with The Curl Collective Dryer, sold separately.
Customer Review: "I was surprised at how well this works. I've tried many diffusers through the years and this one does not leave my hair frizzy at all and it creates the cutest curls. It also dries my hair quickly and I have shoulder length hair. A very good buy!"
This cup diffuser uses over 90 air vents to minimize frizz while boosting volume and curl definition. Created with curly hair in mind, this unique diffuser also fits around any blow-dryer with a 1.8-inch-diameter barrel. To use, twist the diffuser attachment onto the blow-dryer and push. (It uses a silicone grip to keep the tool secure.)
Customer Review: "I’m a fairly recent entry to the 'curly girl' world who has been using this diffuser attachment since early summer (5+ months). It does a wonderful job drying my natural curls without adding unwanted frizz. Definitely recommend this product!"
For fast, even drying from root to tip, try the Hair Blow Dryer Diffuser Attachment by Shark Beauty. It has retractable and extendable prongs in a petal design to create natural hold on curls and a deep bowl design for large sections. Consider picking up the Shark FlexStyle Air Styling & Drying System since this diffuser is designed to work with it.
Customer Review: "This diffuser is a must addition to the Shark dryer if you have curly hair. I like that it’s adjustable and it can be adjusted for longer or shorter hair. Would definitely recommend. Love my Shark dryer."
Alvarez tells us that diffusers with prongs rising from the base of the attachment like this one are generally larger in width and, as such, are designed to be used on long, thick curls that require some extra attention. The GHD Professional Hair Diffuser provides perfectly formed curls and waves as you blow-dry. "Use as you would the cup diffuser, working in smaller sections as you go," she says.
Customer Review: "I have a GHD hairdryer and have naturally wavy hair. I bought this product to help style my hair properly and it did just that. The product has been designed great, not massive gaps in between, and has given me a professional finish."
Alvarez describes hand-shaped hair diffusers like DevaCurl's universal DevaFuser as "the best at preventing shrinkage and frizz but … not ideal if you are looking to achieve voluminous curls." To use this type of diffuser, Alvarez advises placing the tool at your roots before lightly stretching the ends to achieve optimal definition.
Customer Review: "Works like a charm. Use this item attached to a blow dryer and it helps dry curly hair faster than air dry. Lifts more curls towards the roots then normally without this item. Love it."
Looking for a universal diffuser to add to your haircare routine? This one uses a slip-on design that allows the diffuser to be added to any blow-dryer nozzle for easy use. Crafted with high-quality PC material with good resistance to water and heat, this diffuser is effective and budget-friendly. Pro tip: Start with a lower level of heat and damp curls for a flawless finish.
Customer Review: "I have shoulder length curly/wavy hair. Finally decided to start embracing the waves instead of fighting against them with a straight style. This diffuser made the transition easy. The bowl is a perfect depth for fine hair. Highly recommend!"
It's no secret that Who What Wear beauty editors are big fans of Drybar's extensive collection of hairstyling tools and products. This diffuser is essential for achieving full, bouncy curls since it broadens and reduces the speed of airflow from your blow-dryer to dry and define curls while adding ample shine for naturally curly hair. Plus, your curls will be completely frizz-free.
Customer Review: "I have extremely thick and curly hair that is very frizz prone. I used this diffuser and not only was my hair dry in 30 mins it was frizz free! I am so impressed!"
If you're looking for another snap-on diffuser to add to your curly haircare routine, consider picking up the Italian Series Diffuser Snap-On. This tool snaps onto your BaBylissPRO Rapido dryer (sold separately) to define and separate hair while drying to help you achieve the frizz-free, soft, bouncy curls of your dreams. I especially love this one for use with thick, long hair.
Customer Review: "Exactly the attachment I needed for my BaBylissPRO hair dryer. The item was reasonably priced and shipped out quickly. I love both the BaBylissPRO hair dryer and this new diffuser."
Diffuser and Blow-Dryer Sets
This best-selling Curlsmith blow-dryer stands out from the rest because it comes with an eight-inch diffuser specifically designed to enhance natural curl patterns while controlling frizz and reducing heat damage. It also has prongs at the back for easy use and offers even, gentle airflow.
Customer Review: "This diffuser changed my life. This dried my curls fast, and they were so bouncy and the ringlets were so defined! They’ve never looked so good until I bought this! Im obsessed!! Worth it if you want perfect round curls every wash day!"
I love The Blow Dryer from Pattern because it has four amazing attachments (a diffuser, brush, wide-tooth comb, and Concentrator Nozzle) that can all be used to help create the perfect style. The dryer itself has a powerful AC motor and ceramic-coated grill for even heat distribution and to reduce hot spots.
Customer Review: "This is an amazing hair dryer but the attachments are the star of the show. I love using them. They make my dry time so much faster and I don't have to use a brush with them."
Remember when I mentioned the Double Ceramic Universal Diffuser? This is the iconic dryer that comes with it. With double ceramic technology and frizz-fighting conditioning ions, the dryer works to provides infrared and uniform heat for fast drying. It also has three heat and two speed settings for different hair types.
Customer Review: "This is quite a powerful blowdryer that comes with a diffuser. The multi-heat setting gives hair a break from full-on HOT. Nice addition to the hair routine."
The Texture Hair Dryer and Diffuser is designed for natural, wavy, and naturally textured hair. I like this one because it has a has a circulating airflow system for gentle drying, ceramic technology for fast drying, ionic technology for up to 75% less frizz, and a diffuser with a multi-chamber design.
Customer Review: "This diffuser made a huge difference in my curls. I did not realize how ineffective my last diffuser was at encouraging my curls to come. I highly recommend this as it is affordable and does a great job of not blowing my curls around."
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