I’ve never been the type of person to save their ‘best’ of anything for a special occasion - from new clothes to luxury make-up. I’m just as likely to sport an expensive-looking blow dry on a random Tuesday in the office as I am at a black-tie event. So as you can imagine, I’m pretty picky when it comes to the best hair dryers.
That doesn’t mean I’m a snob however - far from it. My favourite unconventional tool to get silky, volumised curls is a £43 set of heated hair rollers, so I know that some of the best hair tools around come in surprisingly affordable packages. In fact, some of team MC’s top hair straighteners and curling wand picks are well under £100. That’s why I couldn’t contain my excitement when I heard about Aldi’s TikTok-famous £14.99 ionic hair dryer.
It might currently be sold out (Aldi's Specialbuys don't hang around for long), but the viral hair dryer often comes back in stock, so it's worth keeping an eye out for it to be restocked, plus in the meantime you can bag a bargain on chic kitchenware, under-£5 beauty and more.
Back to the Aldi hair dryer - what's the appeal? Well, the design is eerily similar to the Dyson Supersonic - from the colour options to the shape - but at a tiny fraction of the cost, I was curious to see how this affordable alternative would actually perform.
Normally everyone's top haunt for hummus, pastries and affordable cuts of salmon, Aldi has been making waves in the beauty scene recently with their affordable alternatives to high-end beauty products.
Aldi’s beauty ‘dupes’ often focus on similarities in aesthetics rather than the functionality or ingredients used, but since a big pull of the Dyson Supersonic lies in its sleek, compact design, I thought Aldi’s hair dryer was well worth a trial, even if this was the only similarity to the original.
We love an affordable Dyson alternative here at MCUK, and if you're after the best Dyson Supersonic alternatives and Dyson Airwrap alternatives then we have comprehensive guides to those, but if you're keen to hear an honest review on this under-£15 hair dryer, read on.
My review of the Aldi Visage Ionic hairdryer:
Let's get straight to the point: obviously this hair dryer is not an exact alternative to the Supersonic in terms of performance. It’s not super quiet and it doesn’t have any magnetic styling attachments - but at less than 1/20th of the price of the Supersonic, I didn’t exactly expect it to have the same luxe features.
What the Aldi hair dryer does have going for it is a chic design, lightweight construction and pretty effective hair drying functionality.
The hair dryer has three different speed and heat settings and a cold shot button, so you can tailor the power of your blow dry, similar to most hair dryers on the market. It dried my hair quickly and effectively, with minimal flyaways. I was also able to straighten and volumise my hair quite easily thanks to the nozzle attachment, which allowed me to lift at the root for more volume and direct the heat for a smoother result. It’s important to note that the Aldi hair dryer doesn’t have a diffuser attachment, so isn’t the best hair dryer for curly hair.
I was most impressed with this model’s super lightweight construction and compact shape. I like to take my time while blow drying my hair to ensure a smooth and volumised result, which can make my arms ache after a while. This hair dryer was easy to hold up for the 15-or-so minutes it takes to dry my hair, at no point causing discomfort.
Though it didn’t dry my hair quicker than my regular hair dryer, it gave pretty similar results (I should note here, that the hair dryer I use normally is worth over £100) while the bouncy curls in the image above can be attributed to my favourite Remington Proluxe heated hair rollers, the volume and sleekness was all down to the Aldi hair dryer. In my opinion, it performs better than hair dryers more than twice its price and I know it will come in handy when travelling thanks to its small design. For under £15, I really can’t fault it.
So if the aim of your affordable hair dryer game is a beautiful design, look no further. If you’re after a light, surprisingly powerful hair dryer that's both chic and compact then I’d highly recommend Aldi’s incredibly affordable option. While it’s unavailable to shop online, you can check when it'll be back in stock on the Aldi Specialbuys page. IMO, it’s well worth adding to your cart alongside your bread, cheese and affordable wine.
My favourite Dyson Supersonic hair dryer alternatives:
This hair dryer is sleek, lightweight and under £100. For an affordable alternative to the Supersonic, you can't go wrong with this Remington selection.
The Zuvi hair dryer might be on the pricier side, but it's the most unique hair dryer I've ever used. It utilises light energy (rather than heat) to dry the water in your hair, meaning it uses 60% less energy than the average conventional hair dryer - pretty cool right? While some air is still used to dry the hair, the boost from the light tech means that the effect is quieter and far less damaging to your hair.
This is one of the chicest hair dryers I've ever seen - and it's not just a pretty face. It's quiet, lightweight, customisable to suit your hair's exact needs and has sleek, expensive-feeling magnetic attachments. As the name suggests, it leaves my hair feeling super silky and volumised. This is hands down my favourite Dyson Supersonic alternative from all the ones I've tried. Oh, and it's also currently on sale - so it's a great time to snap one up for yourself.
Still keen to snap up the original Dyson Supersonic? You can get a 21% discount on eBay, where you can find refurbished Dyson hair tools in very good condition.
I have to give a little shout out to the Remington heated hair rollers that I style my hair with at least twice a week. They won't dry your hair, but they're the perfect complementary product to use alongside your hair dryer of choice if you're after volumised, bouncy curls.
