11 Best Diffusers for Curly Hair (2025), Tests and Reviews

Honorable mention

Photo: Nena Farrell

Beachwaver Co. Blow Drying Hair Brush $189: This cute blow dry brush has a set of attachments, including a diffuser. A sure choice if you want both a blowdrier brush and a diffuser, but if you don’t want to include a blowdrier brush, there’s a cheaper option.

Our Favorite Products

Everyone is different and can take some trial and error to identify the right diffuser routine. Maybe you want your hair to dry out completely, or maybe you want to take it to 80%. You may need holidays, curl gels, hair oils, or a little heat protectant. These are the products we want to use in our own hairstyle routines that may be useful for you.

Turbie Twist Microfiber Towel $20: I like to do Stop my hair After showering, absorb water for a few minutes before diffusing. These microfiber towels are designed to stay on top of each other, absorbing a lot of moisture without drying out your hair too much. Others swear by wearing a t-shirt, but this is what works best for me.Louryn Strame

$28 Pattern Vacation Conditioner and Your mother’s curl talk cream and gel not $19: I put the clumps of hair into my hair, then put it in the hair, followed by a palm curl cream and, eventually, a generous amount of gel. This is what primes my natural curls to look at their best after penetration. It may be too heavy for some curl textures, but this is my favorite method. –Louryn Strame

Kristin Ess Style Assist $12 Broad Drimist: This is one of the most effective Thermal protection agent I have actually tried to reduce the drying time. Broadry Halfway lets you know where you actually sprayed and where you didn’t. I wish it could be applied as easily as the Milk_Shake Foam primer below, but the bottle still has a well-targeted spray and the product is light enough to leave no residue behind. –Cat Merck

Milk_Shake Lifestyleling Blow-Dry Primer $26: This light scented heat protectant is intended to prevent color fading and reduce drying times. It doesn’t do the latter as effectively as Christine’s ess above. It’s a bit of a long way, but it’s a snap to even the coverage as it scrapes for a few minutes and gets a high mark to come out of the bottle as a bubble of filling. –Cat Merck

Davines This is a $32 Curl Gel Oil: This gentle curl gel oil is great for my thin hair and curls form and moisturizes without losing weight or crunching the hair. It starts to feel like a gel in your hand and transforms into oil in your hair. I recommend using it with a diffuser, but it did get good results as well, and I used it occasionally on air dry days. –Nena Farrell