How Fast Is Hairdryer Air?

Hairdryer air emerges at 40 m/s — about 145 km/h, the same speed as luge athletes on the ice. Hot settings can reach 100°C; the airflow shears water off hair faster than the heat could ever evaporate it on its own.

The earliest electric hairdryer was patented in 1888 by French stylist Alexandre Godefroy — it was a freestanding pipe attached to a vacuum cleaner running in reverse.

• Same speed as a luge athlete
• Air does most of the drying — not heat