What Materials Are in a Hair Dryer?

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By eHow Contributing Writer

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Hair dryers are convenient hair appliances with a simple construction. Hair dryers are assembled from many parts, but the two main parts are a heating source and a fan to blow the heated air. Over the years, the styles of hair dryers have changed, but the mechanics have not.

Coiled Metal Wire

The heating element creates the hot air that dries the wet hair. In most dryers, the heating element is a coiled metal wire. This wire is usually made of a nickel and chromium alloy.

Fan

To get the hair dryer to blow the hot ai, a fan is needed. All hair dryers have small fans whose blades spin to generate the air flow.

Electrical Motor

A small motor is needed to operate the fan.

Heat Shield

The outside of most hair dryers is made of plastic. All hair dryers have heat shields that provide insulation and prevent the outside of the dryer from becoming too hot and burning the user. The heat shield is usually made of mica, a mineral.

Switching Mechanisms

All hair dryers have an off/on switch, in addition to two to four different switches for temperature settings.

Polarized Plug

All hair dryers legally require polarized plugs. The types of plugs are called ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCI) and they greatly reduce the changes of accidental electrocution and electric shock.