Hair Dryer Works
A hair dryer is a device that blows hot air to make your hair look and feel dry. It consists of several parts that work together, including a heating element that converts electrical energy into heat, a motor fan to push the heated air out through a nozzle at the end of the device, and a switch to turn it on.
Most modern hair dryer also have a cool shot button that releases a blast of cool air to help set your hairstyle and prevent overheating. This feature helps reduce the chance of accidentally burning yourself or damaging your hair, especially when you are trying to style it in a way that would require a lot of heat.
Hair dryers work by converting electric current into heat energy using a metal wire called nichrome. This wire is coiled around a ceramic core, which is then wrapped in a layer of fiberglass insulation to prevent the wire from touching your body or other objects. The insulation is also designed to be able to withstand the high temperature of the wire, which can reach up to 900°F.
How a Hair Dryer Works
When the power switch on the hair dryer is turned on, the circuit first supplies electricity to the heating element. This is usually a bare, coiled wire, but in more expensive hair dryers it can be something fancier like crushed tourmaline that is believed to help the wire heat more evenly and quickly.
The next part to be supplied with power is the motor. This small fan is attached to the end of the heater coil and spins when the hair dryer is powered on. The centrifugal force created by the spinning fan pushes hot air out through the nozzle at the end of the hair dryer.
Some of the hot air that passes through the nozzle is lost to the surrounding air, but much of it escapes out through the duct at the bottom of the device. Some of the heated air is also pushed back into the barrel of the hair dryer by the fan, which allows the heat to be disseminated more evenly throughout the hair.
A safety feature built into most modern hair dryers is a GFCI that prevents the device from drawing power when it detects an open or short circuit. Thousands of people were electrocuted by hair dryers and other appliances without this technology in place, but modern devices that use a GFCI can significantly reduce the number of accidental electrocutions each year.
The body of the hair dryer consists of a gun-shaped plastic shell that is divided into two halves for easy assembly. One half has a series of holes and pins that line up with the matching half to keep them firmly locked into place during manufacturing. The various electrical components are fitted into the shell and then locked into place with screws and other fasteners. This process is done on an automated line to help control costs and speed up production.