No doubt you’ve noticed that the price of hair accouterments has been rising—Chi this, ceramic that, ionic huh? It’s hard to invest the cash without begging the question: Can a $200 hair dryer or straightener really work that much better?

I can speak for the hair dryer. The answer: Unequivocally, yes.

Before I tried the Bespoke Labs T3 hair dryer, I felt there was no way I could justify the $130 to $300 price tag—it couldn’t be that much better than my Target-bought, 1850-watt Conair, which has ionic technology and several heat settings.

My past-the-shoulders hair is what you might call . . . difficult. It’s wavy, but not curly. It used to be straight and smooth, but now it can be a jumbled, dry mess. It needs a lot of attention, a lot of product, and a lot of time with the hair dryer—upward of fifteen to twenty minutes if it’s really wet, and ten to fifteen if it’s damp. That doesn’t include styling time.

The first day I used the dryer, my hair was soaking wet. I put in a little smoothing serum, and I dried my hair for . . . drum roll, please . . . two minutes. TWO MINUTES. The second day, THREE MINUTES. I thought I read the clock wrong. On the second day, I forgot to put in product, so I figured my hair would look like a broom. But it was smooth, sleek, and ever-so-slightly curled under. Can I get a hallelujah?

Allow a science lesson (as I have come to understand it). Tourmaline, a gem called the “electric stone” in Asia, creates negative ions and infrared heat when it’s heated. (It’s crushed and melted into the dryer, not painted on such as in the less expensive models.) Negative ions break down water molecules into smaller droplets, making evaporation a snap, whereas typical hair dryers just blow the water off. These little negative ions eliminate flyaways and static by balancing out frizz-inducing positive ions. Infrared heat doesn’t heat air—it heats from within—so the warmth starts in the hair shaft, which avoids cuticle damage (i.e. split ends), which, in turn, makes hair look shinier.

So if you want to splurge and really spoil the mane girl in your life (and that might just be yourself), the T3 is a sure bet. Smooth, silky, salon-blowout-quality locks will make her (or you!) feel like a million bucks every day of the year.

$130 to $300, depending on the model. Available at many local salons and Sephora.