#1653 Photo of a Young Man Using a Blow Dryer On His Hair

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Hairdryer History:
The first hair dryer was the vacuum cleaner! Alexandre Godefoy invented the very first electric hair dryer in 1890. Around the turn of the century, women dried their hair by connecting the hose to the exhaust of their vacuum cleaners. In early models, the front of a vacuum cleaner sucked air in, and the back blew air out, and the hose having the capacity, could be attached to either end.

In 1920, the first true hair dryer became available on the market, but it was large & very heavy, frequently overheated, and the handles were often made of wood.

In the mid 1920s, hair dryers took on a new look and were made available to the general public. What did they look like? They looked like a vacuum cleaner. It used a suction method, whereas the air was drawn away from the head and I suppose they thought that this would draw away the moisture as well.

By the mid 1930s, gas heated dryers found their way into the beauty salons but it dried the hair too harshly and produced unplesant fumes. The patrons and technicians alike complained about ill-effects of the carbon monoxide that the dryers were emitting and being inhaled. A safer electric hair-dryer, although more expensive and heavier to handle, finally made its way to the beauty salons.

By 1951, the first really workable dryer became available to the general public. This new hairdryer consisted of a hand-held dryer connected to a pink plastic bonnet which fitted over the head of a woman.