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.

Publication: Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Fort Worth, TX)

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COPYRIGHT 2007 Fort Worth Star-Telegram

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...

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