The electric hair dryer had existed in some form since the early 1900s, but early models were unwieldy handheld units that required constant aiming and delivered uneven heat. The real development came in the postwar years, when manufacturers began adapting the big hooded dryers from professional salons into something compact enough for a home bathroom.
By the late 1950s, hooded hair dryers — which enclosed a head full of rollers and circulated heat evenly — had become a legitimate consumer category. They made a particular kind of sense for the era. Women were setting their hair regularly, and sleeping on rollers all night was the standard alternative. A home dryer cut that process down to thirty or forty minutes, which was a meaningful change to a weekly routine.
By the early 1960s, the home hooded hair dryer had settled into a recognizable form: a motorized base unit connected by a hose to a soft or rigid bonnet. Heat settings were adjustable, bonnets were getting bigger to accommodate the large rollers that bouffant and beehive styles required, and portability was becoming a selling point.
A 1963 Baltimore Sun beauty column noted that the newer models were “a far cry from the first models, which had to be held, or were used with a sort of wind tunnel over the head” — and that coarser hair could tolerate higher heat than fine hair, a distinction the adjustable settings finally made practical at home. The machine had gone from novelty to useful tool in less than a decade.
The category kept evolving through the late 1960s. Some dryers added mist functions, which allowed women to re-set dry hair without a full wash. Others included facial sauna attachments. These additions reflected both improving technology and a broader cultural interest in home beauty treatments — the idea that a woman could replicate more of what a salon offered without leaving the house. It was practical, yes, but it was also wrapped up in the era’s general enthusiasm for convenience and domestic self-sufficiency.
What ended the bonnet dryer’s run as the dominant home styling tool was a shift in hair itself. The loose, natural-looking styles of the mid-to-late 1970s — the kind associated with Farrah Fawcett’s famous feathered cut — required a brush and a handheld blow dryer, not a hooded machine built around rollers. The handheld blow dryer, already established in Europe, took over American bathrooms through the 1970s, and the bonnet dryer gradually faded to a supporting role. It never disappeared — women who set their hair with rollers still used them — but it stopped being the centerpiece of home hair care.
The vintage ads and product photos collected here span roughly 1960 to 1972 and show the full arc of that hooded hair dryer era — from the early Lady Sunbeam and General Electric models to the multifunction machines of the late ’60s, all representing a moment when home hair dryers were a serious household appliance and a real part of how American women managed their hair.
The popularity of hooded home hair dryers (1963)
By Solange Bertrand, The Baltimore Sun (Maryland) June 2, 1963
The home hair dryer is a big success these days, and little wonder. New models are a far cry from the first models, which had to be held, or were used with a sort of wind tunnel over the head.
To make best use of the home hair dryer, plan setting sessions for a time when other beauty chores can be done. A facial treatment, pedicure and manicure suggest themselves.
Of course, the great boon of the home hair dryer is its speed. When hair is set on large rollers, it can dry a coiffure fast enough to allow for morning settings. This can mean eliminating the custom of sleeping all night on rollers.
Coiffures can be quickly refreshed with modern dryers. The heat settings on modern home dryers are controllable, so women can have the warmth they prefer. Use these controls to dry different hair textures properly. Coarser hair can stand higher heat than fine hair.
If the hair is smoothly rolled and dried at the proper temperature, its sheen and life will be measurably improved. Dry overly curly hair at a low heat and it will kink less. Straight hair dried at higher temperatures seems to have more body.
Lady Sunbeam vintage bonnet hair dryer (1960)
Get the new deluxe controlled heat hair dryer… It dries hair gently and quickly. In just minutes, that lovely new hair style is yours.
General Electric Portable Hair Dryer (1962)
Under these pink & pretty Sally Victor petals… is that marvelous new General Electric portable hair dryer.
Lovely, isn’t it! And aren’t you! Because famed hat designer Sally Victor beautifies the bonnet of the most practical hair dryer you can buy. Portable, it travels in a pink hatbox. Lifts out and straps on, so you’re free to move about and do chores while being dried quickly, quietly, evenly… comfortably!
It has four heats, including a Cool. Use the new larger rollers? Bonnet’s supersized, covers all! Free offer of initials for case. For the hair beauty you want in the time you have, and a heavenly gift.
Schick Petite Salon Home Hairdryer (1962)
Now Shick has invented the world’s fastest home hairdryer! (so relax and enjoy it)
Hair wet, or just set? Get into something comfortable-the new Schick Petite Salon Home Hairdryer. The heat is smooth and even — never a “hot spot.” The bouffant hood fits over your largest rollers. It’s the fastest — and quietest — of all home hair dryers! Cuts drying time to next-to-nothing! Travels light, too.
For speed, comfort, and ease, there’s nothing like the new Schick Petite Salon… so relax — and enjoy it!
Vintage hair dryers: Lady Sunbeam (1963)
From shampoo to hair-do in record time!
Drying with the new Lady Sunbeam hair dryer is 10 to 15 minutes faster than other home hair dryers-the quick, easy way to give yourself all those fabulous hair-dos you’ve sighed over!
All of them? Of course! The new Lady Sunbeam turban-style beauty cap is spacious enough to fit over even the largest rollers and perform its quiet, efficient drying operation. Fetchingly styled too — keeps you feminine and appealing while you’re wearing it . . . makes you lovelier when you’re finished.
There’s a Lady Sunbeam hair dryer that’s just right for everyone’s needs, so pick out yours today. From shampoo to finished hair-do, you’ll be glad you did!
GE’s Heavenly hair dryer with a new cloth bonnet fashioned by Sally Victor! (1963)
So chic, yet covers the biggest rollers! And it’s the same paisley fabric this famous hat designer uses in her own collection. Being cloth, it’s washable… and breathes.
Drying time’s cut because the moistened air can escape. And this General Electric works so quietly, so comfortably, on 4 even heats, including cool.
Lady Norelco Professional Home Hair Dryer (1964)
New home hair dryer works the way professional dryers work
New Lady Norelco Professional Home Hair Dryer dries hair fast — is quieter, more comfortable than any other home hair dryer on the market.
Vintage portable hair dryers for women
MORE: Blonde & blonder: How women in the ’70s got that sun-lightened hair look
Beautybug vintage hair dryer: Some bugs fly. Ours dry. (1967)
Vintage hair dryers: Rayette Mist (1967)
How do you like her new Rayette hairdryer? It’s the Salonette. First mist hairdryer with a built-in facial sauna.
Mist & Sauna Hair Dryer (1969)
Beauty Shop to go. Lady Sunbeam Mist & Sauna Hair Dryer
Heady little PowerTool that earns its keep. Works like a whole staff of beauty experts. Dries wet hair. Mist-sets dry hair. Turns out a radiant, sauna-fresh face.
Marvelous Mist and Sauna. One super-duper machine that does the work of three. Acts like your very own, live-in Beauty Shop.
- When you shampoo, it’s a great big beautiful salon-type dryer. With plenty of room for all your fattest rollers. And three heat settings to get you gorgeous in a hurry.
- Or, it’s a quickie hair setter. Goes from limp locks to glorious curls in about 20 minutes with gentle Moisture Mist.
- Or, it’s a fab facial. Pop on the ingenious Sauna Shield and bask in the penetrating mist. Come out blushy and relaxed and clean, clean, deep-pore clean.
GE’s Speed Dryer, Soft-Bonnet Dryer, Styling Dryer (1972)
You’ve got a lifestyle. The Beauty-Makers can help you live it.
He’s coming for dinner, and you’ve just washed your hair. Under GE’s Speed Dryer you go. Besides being fast, GE’s Speed Dryer has Touch ‘n Tilt. Touch, it tilts so you can do other things. Like type with two hands.
You’re a travel nut. Meet GE’s soft-bonnet dryer. Comes in its own carrying case like good, lightweight luggage. Comes with two styling combs and a brush attachment.
You like your hair the way it is, “natural.” GE’s new styling dryer will dry curly or straight hair, style it the way you want. High-powered. Handy (ours has a special easy-to-hold handle) so you can do other things. Like type with two fingers.
DON’T MISS: 1970s home perms: How women got those retro permed hairstyles
Hooded hair dryers you can buy today
- Get A Salon Quality - Achieve salon-style natural curls from the comfort of home with the hooded dryer attachment. It's perfect for heat styling, deep conditioning, and hair oil treatments using...
- Enjoy Longer Deep Conditioning - The hooded hair dryer attachment for home featuring an integrated headband. This innovative design reduces heat exposure around your ears and neck, preventing...
- Save Time And Effort - Achieve faster, more efficient drying and experience a deeper conditioning treatment with the hair drying cap, which promises to cut drying time by almost half with diffused...
- Professional Floor Hair Dryer: This salon bonnet hair dryer is a good hair-styling tool for coloring, hot-perm, conditioning and hair-drying, hair-treatment and spot-caring, while protecting your hair...
- Hooded Hair Dryer: The stand up hair dryer adopts advanced counterclockwise airflow gently penetrating into heated hair by 360 degree rotating for even treatment and superior comfort, ensuring...
- Considerable Design: The large hood sized 9” can easily accommodates rollers of all sizes. In addition, the hood door can tile up and down to a comfortable angle to fit your head. You don't need to...
- ADJUSTABLE HEIGHT DESIGN: Easily adjust the hood up to 4.5 inches for customized comfort. Simply hold the base with one hand and gently pull the hood upward to your desired height.
- CUSTOMIZABLE HEAT SETTINGS: Equipped with a powerful motor and 4 heat settings. Its large (diameter 14inch), adjustable hood ensures even heat distribution for quicker, more effective drying
- COMPACT & PORTABLE DESIGN: Lightweight and easy to store, this hood dryer is perfect for those on the go. Its sleek and stylish look adds a touch of sophistication to any home salon, making it an...
- EVEN, GENTLE DRYING: 1875 watts of consistent airflow plus 2 heat/2 speed settings make it easy to dry your hair quickly with this hair dryer.
- EXTRA-LARGE HOOD: The roomy hood fits over jumbo rollers so you can boost volume, set your curls, or deep-condition with ease.
- COMPACT STORAGE: This bonnet hair dryer packs up neatly for easy storage and features a built-in handle for convenient portability.
- Get A Salon Quality - Simply hook up the long, flexible drying hose to your hair dryer, wrap the net plopping cap for drying curly hair around your head and adjust the comfortable fit, and let the...
- Enjoy Longer Deep Conditioning - A headband integrated into the satin diffuser cap for curly hair blow dryer, portable hair dryer with hood that reduces heat around your ears and neck, to prevent heat...
- Easy To Use - Complete with a drawstring around your head and chin these soft bonnet hair dryer attachments are lightweight and comfortable while the longer, flexible hose still lets you move around...
- Get A Salon Quality - Simply hook up the long, flexible blow dryer attachment to your hair dryer, wrap the net plopping bonnet around your head and adjust the comfortable fit, and let the hair dryer...
- Enjoy Longer Deep Conditioning - A headband integrated into blow dryer cap, portable hair dryer with hood that reduces heat around your ears and neck, to prevent heat and irritation issues, enjoy your...
- Easy To Use - Complete with a drawstring around your head and chin these hair dryer bonnet attachments are lightweight and comfortable while the longer, flexible hose still lets you move around and do...
- 1875W Tourmaline Ionic Hooded Hair Dryer: with On/Off ionic generator switch and with 3 temperature settings, COOL, LOW HEAT, HIGH HEAT help you reach the best results and get your locks silky and...
- Airflow Vent Adjustment Control: This professional sit under hair dryer features a removable airflow vent and a filterable air intake grill, which allow you easier and faster to dry out your hair...
- For Home & Salon Use: This professional bonnet hair dryer allows you to experience top-notch hair care, meeting all your styling needs so you can easily create your favorite hairstyles at home. It's...
- 【Extra Larger Hood Capacity】- Equipped with an 28-inch extra larger hair hood and an adjustable hair elastic strap to hold almost any hairstyle (Especially suitable for people with long hair and...
- 【Fast Drying】- This bonnet hair dryer is extra large, and it has many ventilation holes and up to 46.85"-long stretchable hose to dry your hair faster and more even heat distribution. It cuts deep...
- 【Portable and Easy to Use】 - The size of hair dryer bonnet and it comes with a travel bag makes it great for taking the your home salon on all your trips. Suitable for storing and traveling. This...
