Just tried my new Parlux hairdryer for the first time and it is a revelation !

[SweetFelicityArkwright]

Bought a Parlux 385 hairdryer based on all the positive comments I've seen both here and elsewhere about them in the hopes it would help tame my hair. I was fairly sceptical as I have very thick, long hair that is curly and frizzy left to its own devices. I usually just rough dry it, after which it is a dry frizzy mess ( my ds says it makes me look like Robert Plant on a bad day ) and only looks reasonable after I use straighteners.
Just dried my hair with the Parlux and was amazed at the difference. Just rough dried it as usual so I could compare it to my old drier and even so I could actually, for the first time ever, have ventured out without having to use straighteners. It was pretty much straight all over with the exception of a couple of slightly wavy bits at the front, but the waves were soft and actually looked ok rather than my usual frizzy blow drying aftermath. If I had taken time to use a brush as I dried, then I think it would all be straight.
But my hair is not just straight, the condition is better too, both soft and shiny which I have never had before after blow drying. The hairdryer has ceramic ionic technology which I hadn't expected to do much really but the combination of that and the higher power of the dryer have transformed my hair.
I have never had a professional quality dryer before and thought that the extra price wouldn't be justified by its performance and expected that I would probably be disappointed as my hair is so unruly but have to say I am absolutely amazed at the difference a better hairdryer has made.

MIne was £55, no ionic thingy, so only slightly more than a bog standard Toni and Guy one. It does my really thick hair in about 10 mins instead of 20 plus arm ache - well worth it imo. I have used an ionic drier and I wasn't prepared to pay extra as imo it didn't seem worth it and made no difference to my hair.

Well, yet again, thanks to Mumsnet, I have bought the Parlux 385.

I'm officially skint!

Think it must have been the parlux website (I was newish to Internet shopping so went to the horses mouth)
and it's the 3200 ceramic and ionic edition - think it was about £70/80 which I winced at but I'd only ever had 2 hair dryers and they were both less than £30 combined (and having less faffing time on a morning has been worth every penny!)

Yes toofattorun, mumsnet does that to you - I have bought all sorts on the recommendation of this lot - and not one regret!

I have my eye on one as read such good things about them. I have a chin length bob, very thick hair that gets quite flyaway with wispy/frizzy bits when dried. I want it to be smooth and swishy like the hairdresser gets it! I def want the quicker drying as my hair is so thick but do you reckon a Parlux would make it smooth and glossy too?

Mine arrives tomorrow! Have recently had my hair singed by my overheating bog standard dryer. I don't consider it a massive outlay and have reassured DH that less drying time will cut down on the bills. I usually let my hair dry naturally but the longer it gets the longer it takes to dry (naturally) and it can still be damp 8 hours later.

Also, as I've grown out a pixie cut to a shoulder length style and gone back to my own colour to get healthy/shiny hair, I do consider it a gift to me, after forgoing the cost of so many "cut & highlights".

Isn't it funny how we spend so much time justifying when we spend on ourselves! (But spending on others is so much easier...especially on the kids and they don't need half of it!)

We're worth it ladies

I bought the 385 compact ionic one last year when my old one packed up and am not all that impressed, apart from being faster and lighter there is no difference to the end result.

I don't do a full blowdry with a brush, as I don't like that just stepped out of the salon look, I like my curls and waves intact, so I just do a rough dry or use a diffuser, but it still ends up all flyaway and fluffy, so I've gone back to only using it for my fringe and letting the rest dry naturally. Bit of a waste of money really, I had hoped that I could get nice curls faster with it.

Oh no! Was about to buy one but wanted to be able to get a good effect on my daughter's curls with a diffuser as well as for me.

Well, mine's not properly curly (straight on top, wavy from the ears downwards with some very curly bits) and quite long, diffuser drying has never worked for me. Might be better with a true head of curls.

Yeah,I wouldn't waste the extra bucks in the ionic thingy.

If they were that good they'd be in the salons imo and they're not the basic parlux ones are.

I decided to take the plunge and bought this one

www.amazon.co.uk/Parlux-Ceramic-Ionic-Edition-Friendly/dp/B003VYFZ16/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1398254372&sr=8-1&keywords=parlux+hairdryer

Being delivered tomorrow! I hope it lives up to expectations

I have the 3200 ionic ceramic with silencer. Cost around £95 from the parlux website

I've got the ceramic ionic one as well (got mine as a xmas present so don't feel guilty about the expense). I think the hot option is really hot. I do find the buttons annoying though - very easy to accidentally change the setting. And they're heavy.

Well I received my 385 model today and it is fantastic. I've only ever had £30 hairdryers in the past and so I'm impressed with the power and the fact that it has a 3 metre cable. It's light and is designed beautifully. It is also hotter than my current dryer.
I have thick hair and it takes me ages to dry my hair in the morning so I bought it mainly to cut down on my morning routine.

I thought some images to try and illustrate what a difference the Parlux makes to my hair might be useful for anyone thinking of getting one.

this is very similar to my hair left to dry naturally.

this is similar to how it is after rough drying with my old dryer. Very flyaway, dry and frizzy, a bit like Crystal Tipps for those that remember her.

And this is similar to the result after rough drying with the Parlux.

I am still just running the straighteners through my hair after drying but could easily not bother, which is a first for me. The results are also lasting for a few days so that I can go out in the morning without having to straighten my hair first, without scaring anyone.
I do think that the ceramic ionic technology is doing something as my hair is shinier and softer.
Obviously I can only say what the results have been for me and I would hate anyone to be disappointed if they don't get similar results, but I have been totally amazed at how much difference a decent dryer has made.

I have been reading comments on here and elsewhere for years about Parlux and thought 'Yeah right' just a waste of money for someone with my hair type as how much difference could a hairdryer make and the ceramic ionic thingy is just a gimmick but I am now eating my words.

Interesting. Mine is definitely more like image 2 with both the parlux and the old dryer, but I never straighten and am aiming to keep my curls, clearly hair type plays a part.

I definitely think there is something that is smoothing the cuticle of my hair with the Parlux as the difference is so dramatic and is similar to how my hair is after straightening.
Your hair sounds nice WhoKnows, I would love waves that started at ear level rather than mine that start at the root and make my hair look corrugated.

Thanks you. Want to swap? I'd love it if mine started to wave at the roots!

I had mine cut today, the hairdresser has got new GHD dryers in, they certainly did a better job of scrunch drying my hair than her old ones used to. I will persist with the Parlux - to be honest letting mine air dry is partly about keeping the curls, partly laziness, the crown hair definitely looks better if I make an effort with drying even if the bulk of it doesn't.

I'd agree, on the whole, with your photos there SweetFelicity. Think your after is a bit smoother than I get but my before is more James May than Robert Plant. I think I'd love Robert Plant curls!

Mine arrived today (ionic, ceramic version). I washed my hair specially to try it!

I'm so impressed. It's easily the best hairdryer I've ever used. The hot setting is damn hot, however Definitely smoother, bouncier hair with less frizz. Not sure it's quicker, particularly, but that's not why I bought it.

My hair is similar to those photos, too, Sweetfelicity Naturally wavy!

Ooooh, now I need one of these too .... have always have had mad, curly / frizzy / do what it wants hair until I manage to tame with GHD's and more recently a L'Oreal Steampod but this sounds like I might sometimes just get away with a blowdry and save the time-taking other stuff for when going out etc. Thank you :)

I have thick, poker straight hair at shoulder skimming length. When I was 18, after years of torturing my hair to bend/curl I decided to have a perm (1980). I looked exactly like the pics posted above, with the Cristaltips coiffe! My hair was MASSIVE and uncontrollable so, I do know how that feels!

I ordered the Parlux 385 Ionic Ceramic. I just want dry hair (or part dry if I'm tying it up) which is shiny and sleek so I cannot say it sorts out my frizz/curls. What I now have is thicker (I presume healthier) hair but with even more "weight" to it.

I've been growing out a heavily highlighted pixie cut. I've necessarily gone back to my own dark blonde colouring so that the longer it got (instead of over highlighted, crispy ends!) the healthier it got so I'm hoping my new Parlux will help, in that process .

Tip: Don't buy the orange one. I sent one back because it looked like a power tool off Bob The Builder! (Real kiddie-toy orange it was). The red is lovely.

I know this is an old-ish thread, just bumping it to see if anyone has any updates on their Parluxes.

They're about $130 (gulp) in Australia, for the 3500, which I assume is the basic model.

My hair is long and quite fine, and I use straighteners on it if I want it too look good, as it's naturally wavy. I'm mostly looking for something that will dry it faster. Smoother would be a bonus, though!

Will I notice the difference, given that I don't have thick or curly hair?
My old hairdryer is a billion years old so I probably don't know what I'm missing.