To dry for: Thinking about blowing your cash on a ceramic, ionic or tourmaline hair dryer? We get the scoop on the hot new appliances and take six for a spin.

Byline: Erin White

Feb. 21--If you've taken a wander through the blow-dryer aisle lately, you probably saw a handful of words -- like "ceramic," "ionic" and "tourmaline" -- that seemed out of place. Still, these descriptors, particularly that first one, have hairstylists buzzing and consumers happily dropping close to $200 for new ways to dry hair. But why?

The terms are confusing and can be difficult to sort through. "Ceramic" is the most important one to latch on to. Most hair-dryers use metal heating coils. If a package says "ceramic," that means the coil is made of ceramic instead. Check the package carefully because some products will say "ceramic" even if the coil is made of mostly metal and just a bit of ceramic. The idea of using ceramic to make heat isn't novel -- it's been used to soothe tired muscles for years. But the substance is relatively new to the beauty industry. It started hair specialists buzzing around 2002 when Farouk Systems, still the leader in the area, released the Turbo Chi Dryer. That model cost $300. Prices have fallen some, but the dryers from the Chi line still cost around $200. Each. Why are stylists -- and the rest of us -- willing to pay so much for hot air? Patricia Mosier, an instructor with Fort Worth Beauty School, says the new ceramic models work more quickly -- an informal poll of about a half-dozen Fort Worth stylists indicates they work up to 50 percent faster -- and leave hair in better condition than regular drugstore models that use metal heating elements. Farouk Shami, founder of Houston-based Farouk Systems, which makes the Chi line, says that ceramic produces a different, moister kind of heat, than metal does: far-infrared heat. If you've ever been to a spa and had a heat-producing red light applied to an achy area, it was likely far-infrared heat. This type of wave penetrates hair differently, drying from the outside in and sucking the moisture out of hair more quickly, says Farouk Shami, who worked with NASA scientists to perfect the Chi line. "If we dry the hair in half the time, we save the condition of the hair," he says. Ceramic heat also produces negative ions -- Shami says, which smooth the cuticle and soften the hair. Essentially, the negative ions produced by the ceramic heat break up water molecules into fine particles so that some of the particles stay behind and hydrate hair. This also eliminates frizz and adds shine. It's more or less the same process as adding a fabric softener to the washing machine, he says. Some ceramic blow-dryers carry the label "ceramic ionic," which is a bit confusing because it's redundant. All ceramic heat will produce those ions. Other new watchwords on blow-dryer labels are "tourmaline" and "diamond." Shami explains that manufacturers are combining these gemstones with ceramics in an attempt to make more negative ions. But it's important to remember that they work in conjunction with -- not separately from -- the ceramic heating coil. Adding tourmaline to a metal heating coil won't get you anywhere, he says. Overall, experts say, ceramic dryers add up to far less heat damage, both because of faster drying times and because the hair reacts differently to heat made by a ceramic coil than it does to heat produced by a metal coil. But do they work well enough to justify the price? Hairstylist Josh Kinney, who owns Shampoo salon in Fort Worth, says absolutely. Kinney, who says his cut and color are his professional strengths, wasn't crazy about the styling portion of the appointment before he discovered ceramic dryers. "I've ditched all the old dryers," he says. "I'm able to take frizzy, long hair and get it really smoother faster than ever." Ceramics that make the cut Does ceramic technology really make a difference? Yes, for this tester. We managed to trim an average blow-dry time down by about 4 minutes. After weeks of ceramic drying, our long, wavy hair ...