Laifen Swift Special: Must-Have Hair Dryer or All Hype?

Hair dryers are kind of a necessary evil for me. Sure, I could air-dry my hair, but there’s no predicting what it will do when I go that route. So I tend to reach for my blow dryer whenever I style my hair. And I’m always on the lookout for something powerful and effective yet somewhat quiet. I tried out the Laifen Swift Special High-Speed Hair Dryer recently with some mixed feelings.

Online vs. Real Life Differences

Laifen’s PR rep offered to send me a sample, so I decided to give it a shot. I requested the Silver Blue hue. Online, the color looks just as the name implies. In person? It’s a pinkish-purple. I’m not a fan of the color, but ultimately I don’t really care as I’m not using the thing in public. 

Interestingly, the brand’s product page indicates that three attachments are included: a diffuser, a concentrator nozzle, and a smooth nozzle. Mine arrived with just the smooth nozzle and diffuser.

Both attachments are magnetized so they just snap on to the dryer body. I usually don’t have the best of luck with diffusers — they tend to just add more frizz to my hair. But this diffuser minimized frizz and helped shape my hair into curls. The smoothing nozzle does leave my hair visibly smoother, although it also creates a flatter, less volumized look than my other dryer. It also sounds louder with a higher-pitched whine to it than other blow dryers I’ve tried, so that’s a definite drawback.

Swift Special Hair Dryer

Visit Amazon $159.99 from Laifen

Temperature Settings and Drying Time

The dryer has three temperature settings: hot, warm, and cool. I’ve been using the hot setting on fresh-from-the-shower wet hair. Using the smooth nozzle, it feels like it takes forever to dry my hair (which falls past my shoulders). In reality, it only takes 1-2 minutes longer than my traditional blow dryer.

I suspect I feel this way because the “hot” setting doesn’t really blow out very hot air. I’ve also found I need to very slowly run the nozzle down each section of hair. And the nozzle has to be held within an inch or two of my hair for more effective drying to happen. 

Weirdly, though the air output isn’t hot, the dryer and attachments themselves are hot to the touch after use. As in it low-key concerns me when I’m done drying my hair because they’re so hot. 

After about 1.5 months of off-and-on use, I’m slowly getting used to the dryer. The hottest setting isn’t that hot, which is probably a good thing for my hair. And it’s also going to be helpful on those 90-degree summer days when I need to blow dry my hair but don’t want to immediately start sweating post-shower. I also appreciate that the cold setting is noticeably cool, which helps set my blowout for the day. 

It’s Shaped Well With Thoughtful Details

At just under 6 feet long, the cord length is more than adequate for me. The dryer doesn’t weigh my arm down during drying sessions. The air intake is at the bottom of the vertically built dryer which is different for me. But it doesn’t seem to suck my hair in like some traditional dryers do, so I like that feature for the most part. 

The button placements are thoughtful as well, with two air speed options on a sliding button. The push button cycles through the temperature settings easily. The lighted ring at the back of the dryer’s head helpfully turns red, yellow, or blue to indicate what temp you’re on. 

It’s Not Bad, But I’d Likely Skip It

Overall, the Laifen hair dryer and its two attachments are handy for everyday use. I don’t love how hot the dryer gets after using it, but it’s lightweight and offers both curly and straight styling options that work well for me. After having it used it for a few weeks now, I probably wouldn’t pay the full price of $160 for it. Since it was free to me, I’ll keep using it occasionally, but I wouldn’t feel comfortable recommending it to others at that price level.