Real quickly — before we get to our quick tip — be sure to read the message about FB at the top of our blog. Get ALL our updates from now on — just follow the steps mentioned above and you won’t miss anything!
So on with our tip ….. This may seem totally obvious to some, but I’m sure it is overlooked by many. We spend so much money on hair care items each year, but while we’re trying to take care of our hair, are we taking care of our hair tools? I’m not sure of the average life span of a hair dryer, but I know from past experience, the cheaper you go, the less likely it is to last very long. I’m not saying you have to go out and buy a $75 salon type hair dryer, but it does pay to get something that’s a bit better than what you might find screwed to a hotel room wall!
Several months back I bought a new hair dryer, this time from Sally Beauty Supply (pictured above). It’s not top of the line, but it’s definitely better than ones I’ve bought in the past. So I’ve been determined to help it last as long as possible. With this one easy tip you’re going to lengthen the life of your dryer. Even if you have a real cheap dryer, this will help it stick around even longer.
If you’re noticing that your dryer isn’t blowing as strong as it has in the past, if it seems to be blowing hotter than normal, if it smells like something is burning (that’s a way bad sign), or if it’s not sounding like it normally does …. you probably need to clean the back side (or filter) of your hair dryer. You know – the “meshy” part of the dryer. Every dryer is a bit different, but they all have them. Just like us — it’s got to breath!
Items needed: Hair dryer & a toothbrush. Optional supplies – tweezers, tooth pick, Q-tips.
Warning: Unplug your dryer before cleaning it … just to be safe!
The end of my dryer looked like this. Pretty bad, I know. If you let your dryer get really bad, it could possibly be be a fire hazard. Let’s not even go there! This part actually unscrews from the end of my dryer making it easier to clean.
Step 1 – In circular motions, brush off the mesh filter
You’ll get the dust/lint/hair off onto your toothbrush. Brush as much as necessary to clean it off. If needed, use a Q-tip, or tweezers to help remove all the lint.
Then this was what was under the filter I can unscrew: More junk. This would have been even worse had I waited longer.
As I used my old toothbrush to get the dust off — this is what started coming out of the filter … Ack! Hair had been sucked into the fan and was underneath the filter. I used some tweezers to help get it all out. Not a good thing if hair is getting wrapped around the fan.
After I got it all cleaned off:
And after I screwed the end back on:
Awesome! I really need a new dryer so thanks so much for the tip to make it last longer!!!!
Ohhh great tips!! I definitely need to clean my hair dryer, it’s pretty gross!
Super smart!! I would have never thought to use a toothbrush!
Thanks for the useful tip! I just got an amazing new karmin g3 hair dryer and I want it to last so I’m definitely doing this.
This is pretty useful! It is important to learn how to care for your styling tools to not only stretch the value of your investment but also to ensure that you don’t end up damaging your hair with its use.
So this will make my hair dryer last longer? The last hair dryer i had just stopped working suddenly. Is it cuz i didn’t clean the back?