Do Blow Dryers Cause Hearing Loss?
We are constantly using blow dryers which apparently look quite harmless but can really cause some serious hearing loss even hearing damage as well. Constant usage of these high sound producing blow dryers can really affect your hearing power. Most of the blow dryers produce up to 100db sound levels where high volume music on earphone produces 120db noise. These high pitch sound level blow dryers do not only harm your hearing power but the constant sound can get on your nerves and can create stress.
Blow Dryer, A threat to your hearing power
Well if you ask me whether your dryer can cause you hearing loss, damage or not, my answer will be yes. Though blow dryers look quite innocent they have got a vicious monster in their sound level that can make you deaf. According to the survey of NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health), the daily permissible noise level exposure chart shows this:
| Hours Per day | Sound Level |
|---|---|
| 3 hours | 89dbA |
| 2 hours | 92dbA |
| 1hour | 94dbA |
| .5 hours | 97dbA |
| .25 hours | 100dbA |
Leading hair dryer brands such as T3, Conair, Revlon and Remington have hair dryers that have the highest sound settings of around 97db to 100db. As per the chart, a constant exposure of 100db sound is permissible for only 15 minutes and more than this time limit can lead you to become permanently deaf. So, this is quite obvious that hair dryers can cause you serious hearing problems.
Why do Hair Dryers Produce Noise?
Well, this is a million dollar question and you must have been curious about the answer. There are several factors that cause such high pitch noise while operating the hair dryer.
- Most of the heavy hair dryers are made of universal motors. These motors are really lightweight and are specialized for making a rapid movement of hair. This rapid movement of air makes high noise.
- The spinning part of the motors creates high-level sound due to the spin fraction.
- Again the electromagnetic and mechanical fraction causes noise. The cheap motors can get hot during the fraction and thus they use an extra fan to reduce the heat. This fan adds noise.
Procedures for Minimizing Blow Dryer Sound
Behind every problem there lies a solution. The blow dryers come with high sound level but there are some ways to minimize them:
- The fast and foremost way is to buy a quiet hair dryer. You can use Babyliss Nano Titanium Portofino as it is less noisy. Quiet hair dryers come with a motor that generates a low level of sound. They around produce 70db to 90db sound level but some unique models can serve up to 10 to 30db.
- Sound level is disproportional to space. If you use the hairdryer in large space the sound wave will travel remoter without bouncing back to your ears.
- You can also use a diffuser to minimize the sound level. But a diffuser is for curly hairs so you can avoid this method if you do not have natural curls.
Sources
- Naro Audiology and Hearing Solutions, Is Your Hair Dryer Damaging Your Hearing?
- Dr. Michael Roizen, MD, What volume of sound can cause hearing loss?