Panasonic Nanoe Moisture+ and Mineral hair dryer review

Panasonic Nanoe Moisture+ and Mineral hair dryer two-minute review

The Panasonic Nanoe Moisture+ and Mineral EH-NA0J-N895 hair dryer comes packed with clever tech. It can do more than simply dry hair, claiming to create stronger hair from root to tip, protect hair colour from fading and lock in moisture. I have highlighted hair and while it’s hard to tell whether it had any real effect on my hair colour while testing it over the course of a month, I did appreciate just how smooth and healthy my hair looked after each use.

I have medium-length wavy hair that is prone to frizz, and this hair dryer seemed to tame my hair each time I used it and didn't leave me with that overdried frizz you can sometimes get when using a powerful hair dryer. As well as three speed settings, there are separate Hot, Hot/Cold Alternating, Cold, Scalp and Skin modes on board, which made it easy to achieve the sleek results I wanted. I was impressed at how quickly the hair dryer worked, and because it’s powerful and heats up immediately, it’s instantly satisfying to use. The highest setting could get quite intense, however, but this model is equipped with Intelligent Sensing to prevent hair from overheating. I was also able to lower the heat quickly when needed, which was helpful when using it on the kids' hair.

The hair dryer’s Nanoe Moisture+ and mineral technology promises to encourage shiny results and suppress static electricity to tame flyaway hair. The concentrator nozzle does well to direct the air flow, which made it easy to blow dry my hair as it felt smooth and styled with fewer flyaways. It also comes with a diffuser attachment too, which is quite compact in design compared with the average diffuser but large enough to accommodate medium to long hair. In short, I think that if you’re looking for a well-designed hair dryer that will be powerful yet gentle on dry and coloured hair – and you have the budget – this stylish model is worth a try.    

Panasonic Nanoe Moisture+ and Mineral hair dryer review: price & availability

• List price: £249.99
• Available: UK and EU
• Planned to launch in Australia in October 2024

Panasonic has an extensive haircare offering and the Nanoe Moisture+ and Mineral EH-NA0J-N895 hair dryer is its latest design. It comes with a premium price tag, but I think its design and clever tech help to justify the extra spend. Panasonic claims that it can generate 18 times more moisture than its previous hair dryer model – the Nanoe Hair Care series Double Mineral hair dryer EH-NA9J-N895, priced £139.99 – which might explain why it’s considerably more expensive.

If you’re looking for a cheaper hair dryer from Panasonic, you can opt for the Panasonic Nanoe Ion Hair Dryer EH-NA65CN895 hair dryer in Rose Gold, which promises to improve visible shine to your hair and costs just £69.99.

At the time of writing the Panasonic EH-NA0J-N895 costs £249.99 from Amazon, while it's £330.99 if you buy direct from Panasonic. Right now it's only available in the UK and EU, with an Australian launch planned for October; there are no current plans to sell it in the US, however.

• Value for money score: 4 out of 5

Panasonic Nanoe Moisture+ and Mineral hair dryer review: design

• Compact 1600-watt design
• Nanoe Moisture+ generator incorporated into design
• Evenly balanced and easy to hold

The design of the Panasonic EH-NA0J-N895 hair dryer looks and feels high-end. It weighs 1lb / 460g without any nozzles attached and measures H8.7 x W5.8 x D2.9 inches (H221 x W148 x D74mm).

The hair dryer comes with both a concentrator nozzle to direct the air flow and a diffuser attachment to define curls and waves and maximise volume. Both these attachments can be securely fitted in place with a firm push. I think the concentrator looks disproportionately small compared to the body of the hair dryer, but this is because the nozzle is positioned above an outlet that generates Nanoe Moisture+, which is a key element of the hair dryer's impressive performance; more on that later.

There are three heat settings as well as ‘Intelligent Sensing’ to prevent hair from overheating. You’ll also find a mode for hot and cold alternating, which is ideal for when your hair is mostly dry as it can improve the finished results and encourage shine. A cold mode will help with setting your style, while a scalp mode will run on a lower heat when needed. A skin mode completes the line-up and is designed to leave your face feeling soft and moisturised.

• Design score: 4.5 out of 5

Panasonic Nanoe Moisture+ and Mineral hair dryer review: performance

• Four modes and three speeds
• Suitable for all hair types
• Prevent hair color fading

I really enjoyed using this hair dryer over the course of the month as it felt compact, comfortable in hand and powerful. It’s not too heavy, and just like the Dyson Supersonic and the Shark Style iQ hair dryer there’s a nice weight to its design, which makes it comfortable to grip and manoeuvre. The head and handle of this design feel evenly balanced, and I found the matte black finish easy to grip. It comes with a small hanging loop at the base of the handle and an ample 2.7m cord, which made it easy for me to move around freely while styling my hair.

I found it easy to fit both the concentrator and diffuser attachments to the head of the hair dryer. With one firm push each attachment clipped on. This came as a relief as I find nothing worse than having to force an attachment onto the body of a hair dryer - particularly when the head is hot. Once the hair dryer is on and gets hot (and it can get very hot to the touch), it’s hard to adjust the position of the concentrator nozzle, however. So it’s important to check it’s directed at the angle you need before you start drying. I got caught out a couple of times and had to wait for it to cool down before adjusting.

The handle features the on/off button, while the controls are conveniently positioned on the head of the hair dryer so they are easy to view and adjust. Having the controls on the head of the hair dryer, as opposed to on the handle means they can’t be accidentally adjusted while in use.

I liked how flexible I could be with the drying modes here too. With three speed settings to choose from, I could either leisurely blow dry my hair or give it a quick blast. Its 1600 watt motor is powerful and I managed to blow my mid-length hair in just eight and a half minutes. At 88.3 decibels, it’s not too noisy, although it’s not the quietest I’ve tried either.

This dryer features Panasonic's Nanoe Moisture+ technology, which is designed to moisturise hair from root to tip and, according to Panasonic’s own testing can reduce split ends and breakage and prevent hair colour from fading. I have only used this hair dryer for a month so it’s hard to see if it’s had any effect on my colour, but I did like the fact that it left my hair feeling smoother than normal and the heat didn’t leave my hair feeling bushy or overdried. After each use it felt groomed and sleeker than normal.

The hot setting gets very hot quickly but there is an intelligent sensing to prevent hair from overheating, which is reassuring if you want to use it on kids. I found the Hot/Cold Alternating mode was particularly good when drying my daughters' long hair as it never got too hot in use. This mode was also useful for achieving smooth results when blow drying my own hair. I did need to be a patient as this took longer than simply blasting my hair on the highest heat setting.

The Scalp mode is a useful shortcut to switch to when you need to go a little easy on your hair, as it will instantly lower the heat. Once I’d finished drying my hair, it was nice to have the option of using the Skin mode too. This uses nano-sized steam particles to deeply moisturise the face, and while it didn’t give me quite the same effects as a facial, it came as a welcome finish when my face felt particularly dry after a hot shower.

• Performance score: 4.5 out of 5

Should you buy the Panasonic Nanoe Moisture+ and Mineral hair dryer?

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How I tested the Panasonic Nanoe Moisture+ and Mineral hair dryer

I have tried a range of hair dryers in recent years across the board from budget options such as the Revlon SmoothStay hair dryer, to those with a premium price tag such as the T3 Afar.

I was keen to see just how well the latest technology from Panasonic fared on my dark, wavy hair that is prone to frizz. Having tested a number of premium brands, I know what makes for a good hair dryer. I trialled the EH-NA0J-N895 over the course of a month after each hair wash. I used a wet brush to blow dry my hair and use the concentrator nozzle to direct the air flow. I was keen to see how comfortable the hair dryer is to hold, how easily adjustable it is and whether its temperatures and technology could provide smooth, salon-style results.

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First reviewed June 2024