When it comes to buying a hair dryer, there’s not many things to think about other than how quickly and effectively it dries your hair, right? Wrong. In fact, many of today’s best hair dryers are packed full of styling and protective features, including different attachments for different hair types, infused oils to add scent and shine, and adjustable heat setting to protect your hair.
While brands like ghd, Dyson and mdlondon have taken over the hair styling market, one company that shouldn’t be overlooked is Revamp. Revamp design and manufacture countless hair tools that are not only powerful and efficient but affordably priced, too.
One of its latest launches is the – deep breath everyone – Revamp Dynamic Radiance x Shine Intelligent Ionic Hair Dryer. If the only bad thing about the dryer is its excessively long name, I’d be happy, so I spent a few weeks testing out the Revamp Radiance x Shine Hair Dryer (which is what I’ll call it from now on to save this review’s word count) to see if it lived up to its promises.
Revamp Radiance x Shine Hair Dryer review: price and availability
The Revamp Professional Radiance x Shine Intelligent Ionic Hair Dryer costs £149.99 and is available at Revamp and select retailers like Amazon, Very, Boots and Currys.
Revamp Radiance x Shine Hair Dryer review: unboxing
The Revamp Radiance x Shine Hair Dryer arrived with the dryer and its extra long cord, as well as three magnetic styling attachments. The dryer comes with the super slim precision concentrator styling nozzle, a smoothing concentrator styling nozzle and a curl diffuser to suit multiple hair types and styles. It’s available in gold.
Revamp Radiance x Shine Hair Dryer review: design and features
The Revamp Radiance x Shine Hair Dryer has a slim and lightweight design that has a twist and rotate handle so it can be stored away for easier travel. In a stylish gold colour, the Revamp Radiance x Shine Hair Dryer has a thin and comfortable handle, with buttons located at the front and on the side.
There are four buttons that control the Revamp Radiance x Shine Hair Dryer. The one at the front is the cold shot button, while the ones on the side are the on/off button, and the heat and speed controls. The side buttons are located underneath the LCD display screen which lights up when in use to show what temperature the dryer is, and the speed and ion settings.
The Revamp Radiance x Shine Hair Dryer is powered by a brushless motor that offers up to 110,000 rpm and 150 km/h air volume. It has four heat settings and three speed settings for customisable styling and protection. The dryer is also infused with Progloss Super Smooth Oils, including keratin, coconut and argan to add shine to the hair.
Revamp Radiance x Shine Hair Dryer review: performance
I’ve tried Revamp hair dryers before, and while I enjoyed the look of them, I always found them to be chunkier than I was used to – which meant I often smacked myself in the head with it during styling. So, I was already impressed by the Revamp Radiance x Shine Hair Dryer’s new slim look and I’m happy to say there were no incidents of me knocking myself in the head during testing, mainly thanks to its lightweight and comfortable design.
Another great aspect of the Revamp Radiance x Shine Hair Dryer’s design was its magnetic attachments which clicked on nicely without any twisting or screwing. I found that the entire hair dryer, including the attachments, didn't get too hot while in action, so you can remove the accessory straight away without burning your hands.
The Revamp Radiance x Shine Hair Dryer dries hair incredibly quickly. I have quite thin hair so it doesn’t take me too long to dry my hair, but the Revamp Radiance x Shine Hair Dryer took hardly any time at all. I enjoyed checking the LCD display to adjust the heat and speed settings, and found that the cool shot actually got very cold and did so quickly.
I was impressed by how powerful the Revamp Radiance x Shine Hair Dryer was, especially considering its size. It almost felt like it jerked back in my hands as I turned it on, and while it’s not the quietest dryer I’ve tried, it’s not the loudest either. It also added an insane amount of volume to my hair – which comes with a bit of a caveat which you’ll find out about further down.
Compared to other Revamp dryers, I didn’t massively notice the infused oils. After drying, my hair did feel smooth and look shiny but it didn’t come with any smell. Other hair dryers I’ve used which have infused oils tend to have a subtle smell but the Revamp Radiance x Shine Hair Dryer didn’t have this. I’m not sure if this is a positive or negative, as you might want your hair to smell like the infused oils or you might not – but it’s worth mentioning anyway.
I’ve never had this experience with a hair dryer before, but I did find when using the Revamp Radiance x Shine Hair Dryer, my hair would get very knotty. I always brush my hair before drying so it starts out wet with no knots but by the end of the drying process, my hair had great volume but the ends had gotten knotted and tangled. It’s not a complete deal breaker as removing the knots was easy, but doing this removed some volume.
Revamp Radiance x Shine Hair Dryer review: verdict
If you’re looking for an affordable hair dryer that’s powerful and volumising, the Revamp Radiance x Shine Hair Dryer is hard to beat. While it did add the occasional knot to my hair, it dries extremely quickly and gives hair a huge amount of volume and shine.
The design of the Revamp Radiance x Shine Hair Dryer definitely sets it apart from its predecessors, and it’s nice to hold, pretty in gold and easy to travel with. It has just the right amount of settings to customise, and its cold shot actually gets cold rather than lukewarm like other dryers I’ve tested. It’s hard to fault really, and for £149.99, it’s a steal – plus Revamp has already discounted it multiple times to £99.99.
Revamp Radiance x Shine Hair Dryer review: alternatives to consider
If you like the sound of Revamp, a good alternative to consider is the Revamp ProGloss Hydro Shield X Shine Hair Dryer. While I prefer the design of the Revamp Radiance x Shine Hair Dryer, the ProGloss is more affordable, comes with more attachments and the infused oils in this dryer are more prominent in terms of shine and smell.
A good alternative from a different brand is the mdlondon Blow. It has a similar design to the Revamp Radiance x Shine Hair Dryer and it’s not much more expensive. It’s also rated as the best hair dryer for volume in our best hair dryer guide, and there were no knots to be seen during the reviewing process.
