Blow dryer

Blow Dryer

A blow dryer or hair dryer is an electromechanical device designed to blow cool or hot air over damp hair, in order to accelerate the evaporation of water particles and dry the hair. Blow dryers allow to better control the shape and style of hair, by accelerating and controlling the formation of temporary hydrogen bonds inside each strand. These hydrogen bonds are very powerful (allowing for stronger hair shaping than the sulfur bonds formed by permanent waving products) but are temporary and extremely vulnerable to humidity. They disappear with a single washing of the hair.

History

The first model was created by Alexander F. Godefroy in his salon in France in 1890. The handheld, household hair dryer first appeared in 1920. Blow dryers are used in beauty salons by professional stylists and in the household by consumers.

Design

Most hair dryers consist of electric heating coils and a fan. The heating element in most dryers is a bare, coiled nichrome wire that is wrapped around mica insulators. Nichrome wire is used in heating elements because of two important properties: It is a poor conductor of electricity and it does not oxidize when heated.

Safety

In the past, the consumer and professional hair dryers used to contain asbestos. In 1979, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) banned the use of asbestos in handheld hair dryers.

Environmental Impact

Hair dryers can use a lot of energy. Between 500 and 1500 watts of electricity are used to dry hair by a hair dryer.

See Also

• Hair iron
• Hot comb
• Curling iron

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