New Year, New You: Time to upgrade your hair dryer?

Continuing my New Year, New You series, I'd like to talk to you for a minute about hair dryers and why it just might be time to upgrade yours.

Now, I'm a total low-maintanence girl when it comes to my styling tools. I usually prefer to let my hair air-dry if possible, but since that's just not practical on most days, I do like to give my hair a quick blow-out before I head out the door. I'm not one for fancy hair dryers because, well, I've managed to have amazing luck over the past several years by staying true to one brand and one brand only: Conair.  Let me explain.

Back in my teen years, I used whatever hair dryer I could get my hands on. I went with any brand I could find as long it was cheap and had a "hot" setting. And for years I found that my hair dryers had a lifespan of about one to two years before they'd just suddenly stop working. In fact, I used a brand that shall remain nameless once and had the hair dryer almost catch fire and kind of explode dangerously close to my face. Yikes!

Because of my poor track record with other brands, I developed a habit of keeping my old hair dryer (provided it didn't stop working or explode on me) and storing it under the sink just in case my new hair dryer decided to quit on me.  If you have ever had a hair dryer stop working for you, and you did NOT have a back-up, well you know how desperate that situation can be! 

But that all changed once I found Conair. For me, Conair has been my gold standard of affordable hair dryers because they're the MOST dependable hair dryer I've ever owned (plus, they just plain rock). In fact, I haven't been able to break my habit of keeping my old hair dryer when I upgrade to a new one, so I currently have two fully-functioning Conair dyers in my home! Here's a pic of my Conair Ion Shine 1875, which I've had for MANY years (the teal one), which is now my back-up dryer since I decided to purchase the newer model of the Conair Ion Shine 1875 (the black one), a few years ago. Both dryer are still in fantastic working order, and I use the black one just about every day.

I could stop this post right now and say I love Conair, the end. But recently I was contacted by the agency that works for Conair and they asked me if I'd like to try their new Infiniti Cord-Keeper Styler for review. Wait a minute, "Cord-Keeper"? What the heck? How could I say no?

So let me tell you about this new Conair Infiniti Cord-Keeper Styler. In one word, it's the BOMB. Seriously, it's got this retractable cord that you control by just pushing the little triangular button on the side of the dryer. When you're ready to use the dryer, you just pull the cord to whatever length you need. And when you're done using the dryer, you just push that little triangular button and ZIP! The cord instantly retracts and you are good to go! No more leaving your hair dryer out on the counter when you're in a hurry and you don't have time to roll the cord up around the handle.  Nope, you just push the button and BAM, you can put that baby back in your bathroom cabinet in two seconds FLAT.

So tell me, which looks more appealing to you? My drier on the left, with the traditional messy cord, or the Infiniti Cord-Keeper Styler, on the right?

Here's a closer look at the Conair Infiniti Cord-Keeper Styler (from the Conair website):

 Now you see it, now you don’t with the Infiniti Cord-Keeper Styler by Conair™ !  The cord retracts into the handle of this innovative blow dryer with just the touch of a button for convenient and tidy storage.  And of course, it has all the great benefits of an Infiniti styler, like a full 1875 watts of power and a high torque DC motor for maximum drying power and speedier styling!  Other features include:

• Tourmaline Ceramic™ Ionic technology - ion output helps smooth the cuticle layer creating silky, shiny hair; infrared energy protects hair's natural luster
• Ionic technology reduces static electricity and leaves hair silkier, shinier and more manageable
• Cool shot
• 3 heat/2 speed settings
• Removable filter
• Concentrator
• Diffuser
• Limited three-year warranty
• Unit weight: 2.75 lbs

For me, it just doesn't get better than this hair dryer. It's got the 1875 power that I'm used to, it's got ionic technology (essential for making my hair smooth and shiny!), a concentrator (can't live without that), a diffuser, and it's light! I mean, it's under 3lbs.  And of course, who can forget that retractable cord?

I've been using this hair dryer for almost one month straight and so far, I am in love. It gets super hot yet never manages to feel hot on my scalp like other dryers do. Also, it's just super easy to work with, and of course the best part is that it's a snap to put away when you're done. No more yelling out in pain when I accidentally step on the cord of my hair dryer in the middle of the night because I was too lazy to put it away that morning.

So with this New Year, New You series, I'm hoping to offer you affordable ways to treat yourself right in 2010. Upgrading your existing hair dryer is definitely an affordable way to pamper yourself this year, and it's the gift the keeps on giving, that's for sure. 

The Conair Infiniti Cord-Keeper retails for about $39.99 online and wherever Conair products are sold, but guess what? I just saw this model at CVS which means one thing: save up your Extra Bucks and you could get a fantastic deal!

A sample of this product was given to Nouveau Cheap for editorial purposes, either directly from the manufacturer or from the agency that works on behalf of the manufacturer. All reviews on NouveauCheap.blogspot.com are the honest opinion of its author and editorial samples do not, in any way, affect the outcome of product reviews.