This Laifen Swift 4 hair dryer review is unlike any I’ve written before.Let’s be honest: Before GHD hair dryers are not supposed to be exciting. They’re supposed to blow hot air at your head until your arm gets tired and you smell faintly of singed ends. And yet here I am, swooning over a dryer that looks less like a bathroom tool and more like something you’d want left out on the counter, on purpose, for guests to admire.
Unboxing and First Impressions: A Love at First Sight
Out of the box, the Swift 4 makes an immediate impression. No plastics, all carboard and easy to unbox. The nourishing pods are all boxed up individually and its easy to assemble. There are a few paper protective sleeves with ease ‘pull down’ tags, its a delight to unbox.
Design and Feel – Small Size, Outsize Punch: Our Laifen Swift 4 Hair Dryer Review
Laifen isn’t a big name in Australia.. yet. This is our first review of any products in their range so I was quietly skeptical. But spend thirty seconds holding the Swift 4 and you’ll understand why that’s about to change. It’s small, it’s light, it’s quiet compared to the leaf-blower theatrics of my old GHD, and it sits in the hand the way a good hair dryer should. Oh and its really beautiful to look at and hold. They have nailed the design, choose from a range of colours. It’s beautiful to look at and a little luxury every day that has genuinely brought me joy. It’s everything you want from a hairdryer, and is genuinely the best we have reviewed so far.
Functionality – Ease and a Light Show
The button layout is refreshingly simple: Two buttons – one is for speed that gives you low/medium/high. I really like the heat function where I press once for temperature setting, press again to cycle through the next from cool (blue) medium (orange) red (hot), the back of the hairdryer lights up like a VIVID installation . My favourite part is the long-press function that triggers an oscillating heat mode the temperature glides from cool to hot over a few seconds rather than blasting you with one aggressive setting the second you press the button. Yes, there is an app too – customise your drying settings and more. Personally, I just need a great hairdryer not a relationship.
The Nourishing Pods – The Feature That Steals the Show
What makes the Laifen Swift4 different from every other high-speed dryer currently fighting for space in your bathroom cupboard is the Nourishing Pod.
It clips onto the nozzle with a satisfying magnetic clunk – genuinely one of the most pleasing small mechanical sounds I’ve encountered on a beauty appliance and the idea is that you add a few drops of your own essential oil directly into the pod. A few months ago we reviewed Oil Garden who have a fabulous range so I used their healing Rosemary Oil. Laifen heats the oil to around 58°C, fine enough to release the nutrients without cooking them, then mists it straight through the airflow and into your hair as you dry.
I’ve been using rosemary oil, a few drops topped up every week or two, and Laifen says a pod lasts around three months depending on how often you dry your hair. It’s the closest thing to a blow-dry-bar hair spa treatment I’ve had at home, and it turns a chore into something that feels a little indulgent. Whether it’s doing anything scientifically miraculous to my hair health is a question for a laboratory. For a girl with girly hair, I do lean into my curls but my straighteners get a work out so using this has been a little luxury.
Drying Power – Where It Actually Counts
Underneath me loving the design, the Laifen Swift 4 hair dryerisis still, first and foremost, a high-speed dryer, and it does that job fast. It’s rated at 1400W, which puts it firmly in serious-drying territory rather than travel-hairdryer territory, and it made short work of my hair effortlessly.
Noise and Portability -The Quiet Achiever
This is where the comparison to my old GHD gets genuinely unfair to the GHD. The Swift 4 is noticeably quieter, which matters more than you’d think when you’re drying your hair at 6:45am trying not to wake the whole house. It’s also compact enough that it doesn’t dominate a drawer or a countertop the way older, chunkier dryers do it’s just 277 x 70 x 89mm, it tucks away easily, and with a 2.5m cord, it reaches wherever you need it to without wrestling the plug out of the wall. It’s the lightest dryer on the market for its power and that alone means its a joy to use.
It’s worth noting, as with all Laifen dryers, the Swift 4 is not dual voltage, so if you’re taking it travelling outside Australia, check yourdestination’s voltage before you pack it.
For Australian readers, the Laifen Swift 4 hair dryer is available via Laifen Australia online, with Australian RRP around AUD $349.95, often discounted to around AUD $279.96. It sits firmly in premium hair dryer territory but still undercuts Dyson and GHD on price — making it a compelling upgrade for anyone in Australia looking for a quieter, faster, and more beautiful dryer.
The Verdict
What are we ADDICTED to? The Laifen Swift 4 is proof that a hair dryer can be both a genuinely powerful piece of drying tech and a beautiful object you’re happy to leave out on the counter. The magnetic Nourishing Pod and its oil-infused mist is the standout feature and the reason I’d recommend this over almost anything else in the category – it turns a daily chore into a small at-home spa moment. It’s light, it’s quiet, it’s fast, and the oscillating heat mode means no more scalp-scorching surprises.
What do we need to be more ADDICTED to? It’s not dual voltage, so frequent flyers will need to plan ahead. And Laifen is still a name most Australians haven’t heard of yet — which, once you’ve used one of these, feels like everyone else’s loss.
Shop the Laifen Swift 4 from AUD $279.96 (Platinum RRP $349.95), available direct from Laifen Australia.
Daily Addict received a review unit of the Laifen Swift 4. No payment was received for this review. All opinions are our own.
