hair dryer France

Lee may have found blow dryers everywhere in Germany, but you are going to France. In my 4+ weeks I have spent in France, some places had hair dryers and some didn't. You say the hotels you are staying in don't have hair dryers, so it it good to trust the information you have. Other people's experience may be different, but you know where you are staying and they don't.

Thanks to all. I will not air dry there as I have very thick hair that takes hours to dry, okay at home, but may get the shivers when out and about early looking for my cafe au lait!
I noticed the French have fantastic hair, and none of them are walking around dripping! Hotel hair dryers are not the best if not frying hair is important. If I find something I will post.

Norma, I do think I will try to find a Babybliss. Sorry you no longer have yours.
Thank you

You want to buy one here, but a brand that is sold in France? Why? Just go to Target or Walmart and buy a dual voltage travel hair dryer. Be sure to switch the voltage over when you get there. My last trip I forgot to do that and my dryer broke. I had to buy a new one in Barcelona, then another one once I got home so I have one for the U.S.

I want to buy one that is sold in France. I have had good luck doing that with other electrics. Is anyone familiar with BabyBliss?
Thanks

Babybliss is well known and have products which are well reviewed. I don't know if it is a French company, nor do I know whether the products are sold in France. I assume so as they are widely available in the UK and in Spain, places I am more familiar with. In my opinion you should look for dual voltage as a top priority followed by size, weight and power. Some travel hairdryers have very low power. You will need to use a plug adaptor with it in France if you purchase locally.

If you buy one here, you will also have to have a plug adapter for it. As far as brands sold in France, I saw almost every brand I am familiar with (and some others) sold in Spain recently, so it's quite possible that your regular old Conair or similar is also sold in France.

Hi, If you see a Monoprix store, you can get one there. Or, ask at your hotel where the closest Monoprix is. Usually, they're all over the place in a big city, or try the numerous outlets at the train station, if you are in Paris,....can't help you with brand names here.

Nancy - I was researching French hair dryers on ebay over the weekend. What sites were you looking at? I would really like to buy one for my trip as well. I don't trust the voltage adaptors. Thanks
Dana

Thanks for the replies. I was googling around and came across BabyBliss, which I believe is a UK company as they have a UK website. I read a lot of negative reviews about dryers bought here that were adaptable. Seems like they get too hot and your hair gets burned, and occasionally sparks fly! It sounds like a brand that is good here is good there. I think maybe, like anything else, quality may be the deciding factor so... What brands are good? I air dry my hair when home, so don't normally use a hair dryer. Amazon might have European sellers. I don't know about Ebay.
Thanks

Nancy, I bought a Babybliss at Monoprix a few years ago. It was fine, not too big and did the job for me. It was cheap, too, as I remember. Sadly, I lent it to someone who left it behind in Europe.

If you air dry at home, why haul a hairdryer to Europe? I'm very surprised that none of the hotels you are staying in have them, too. Even hotels that don't have them in the room often have them at the front desk if you ask. When I did haul a hairdryer around, I took a dual voltage Conair that I still have. I doubt that "quality" is the issue, since even hairdryers sold in France might have been manufactured elsewhere. What is more likely is that the reviews you have read came from people who thought they had a dual voltage dryer and did not, or who neglected to switch it, or any other form of "operator error". Remember, too, that people who have good experiences with a product (the vast majority) don't go online to post about it. So you see a higher percentage of negative reviews that aren't a true picture of the overall quality of the product.

My hair dryer malfunctioned only because I forgot to switch the voltage. I used it on other trips for over about a 12 week period with no problems. It worked just like at home. Now I have a dryer I bought in Barcelona that is useless to me here. I will take it on my next trip, but I am considering including the UK, so I will need to get an adaptor in France to use it in the UK. Any blow dryer available in France is most likely made in the same countries ours are made.

I stayed in seven places in Germany/Czech on my trip last month, and I think only one place did not have a hair dryer in the room (and there he had them on request, just didn't leave them in the room because he found that quests took them). A lot of them were dual voltage appliances, and I was amused that one of them still had the key attached to change voltages. If a quest had used that key to change it to 115V, they could have ruined the unit.

I've never understood why someone would want to start their vacation by shopping for a blow dryer, when the dual-voltage travel ones you buy in the US work perfectly fine here. After traveling overseas, I couldn't imagine delaying a shower until I've bought a blow dryer. About 4 years ago I bought a Conair travel dryer in Target. When we moved to France - over 2 years ago - I switched it to 220 and decided I'd buy a "local" one when it died. It hasn't died. I switch it to 110 when I go back to the US. My guess is that anyone who reports having sparks or problems has forgotten to switch it to the correct voltage.

I also only wash my hair once or twice a week, so I would be in no hurry. A delayed shower wouldn't kill me. A delayed cafe au lait however...
We don't all do things exactly the same, and that makes life and travel interesting. I've learned lots of better ways to do things from other people.

Nancy, you are right that everyone does things differently. I think most travelers just don't want to spend their vacation time shopping for an appliance. I had to shop twice (long story and won't get into it) for a hair dryer in Barcelona and I hated spending my time doing that as opposed to something fun. How often do you travel to Europe, or do you plan to travel to Europe? I only ask, because if you do buy a dryer there, you will only be able to use it there. If you buy one here you can use it anywhere with an adaptor.

Hi, Yes travel to Europe, and plan on twice a year. I bought other electrics in France, and they were not only dual voltage ,but in one case, a third the price, quality impressive, too. I do not like to shop, but thought if it was easy to grab one there I would. I remember seeing stores in many towns that sold small appliances. Too bad I didn't grab a hair dryer and face the reality that walking around with wet hair was a bad idea. I look like Ms. Frizz in all the photos! Anyway, thanks everyone for your help. It's not a big deal. I just thought I would throw it out there; I didn't expect so many replies!
Thanks again

If you are in Europe a couple of times a year it would definitely be worth buying your hair dryer there.

My wife and I go to Europe every summer for a month. Before we go we both get our hair cut short so that we can towel dry it after washing. Also, we do not spend any time in front of mirrors so we do not really care if our hair is shorter than usual or a little frizzy.

Nancy - I bought a BabyBliss hair dryer at a Darty store in Paris a few years ago and it works fine.

Thanks to both of you. Shaving my head might be a better solution, but then I would be asking which hat was best! Did you buy the travel Babyliss? I saw one in a store, and it was really tiny. Thanks again

You can buy lots and lots of models of dual-voltage BabyBliss (etc.) dryers on Amazon - and 240v ONLY dryers, too, if that's what you're after.

I used a Babyliss hot roller set on my last trip and it was great. I got it because it was dual voltage and then just needed the adapter plug. I was so tired of looking at bad-hair photos. We all have our own priorities.

I recommend you the one I use , it's the Karmin G3 Salon Pro Hair Dryer which is amazing , dries really fast the hair, treats it well and keeps my hair smooth, shiny and soft. If you are interested you can check it out at safrons. com .
Good luck. ^_^