Bellissima Diffon Supreme Hot Air Diffuse

 

I struggled to find reviews that would let me compare the more economic Diffon Ceramic with the premium Supreme model, so I ended up buying both. I’m writing this comparison in the hopes that it will allow others to make an educated choice that best suits their own needs.

For reference, my hair is just past my shoulders, 2C/3A, fine-to-average strands, average-to-thick density, prone to fluffy frizz. For the last year I’ve been using a traditional hairdryer (Diva Edit Veloce 3800 Pro) with the Black Orchid diffuser. I ‘Pixie’ diffuse, where you turn the hairdryer off between cupping new sections of hair, and hold the diffuser still while it’s turned on, thus minimising the air-flow that causes frizz. Drying time has previously been 15 mins on low speed/medium heat, to ~90% dry, then I air-dry the rest of the way. A full air-dry takes 5 to 5 hours.

Packaging
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Ceramic arrived in a basic, thin cardboard box with inner plastic bag, no fancy inserts. Supreme arrived in a sturdy, high quality box with lid, much like an iPhone. It had a shaped plastic insert, cushioning foam pads, and the whole package was sealed in thick plastic wrap. Supreme comes with a 27x37cm velveteen flocked storage pouch with shiny inner, and a toggle drawstring fastener, which is a nice touch. The pouch is plenty big enough to contain Supreme, it’s cable and plug, and even a small bottle of mousse and gel.

Design
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Supreme looks super classy with the gold ribs, decorative grill, and lights on its base – definitely a premium product. Ceramic is more basic looking and, while still attractive, doesn’t look quite so polished (e.g. the tips of some fingers look a bit rough, seams are more pronounced). Supreme has a flat base so it can be rested on a shelf/table with the diffuser facing upwards. Thanks to the filter cover’s curved handle, Ceramic can only be placed diffuser down which makes the cable easier to knock.

(Weights below are taken for the main unit, on kitchen scales, with the cable off to one side)
* Weight of current hairdryer with Black Orchid diffuser: 902g
* Weight of Supreme: 540g
* Weight of Ceramic: 412g

* Diameter of Black Orchid diffuser: 15cm
* Diameter of Supreme: 14cm inner bowl (15cm outer)
* Diameter of Ceramic: 12.5cm inner bowl (13.5cm outer)

Shape of fingers
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Supreme has slightly pointier fingers, with silicone buds on the tips. They protrude just enough to protect the scalp from unwanted bumps. I feel that they slide through the curls easier to dry my roots, whereas the blunt ends of the Ceramic’s fingers are more likely to press onto hair-clumps and cause wonky curls.

Spacing of fingers
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Further apart on Supreme; 29mm vs 25mm on Ceramic, from centres of adjacent fingers. With Supreme, curls have a bit more room to form natural shapes instead of being bumped out of the way at wonky angles.

Holes on fingers
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Supreme has slightly longer holes at the finger tips, yet smaller at each finger base, plus it has pairs of vents around the very edge of the inner bowl to channel air-flow right at the sides (Ceramic doesn’t have any edge vents). Ceramic’s holes are right on the finger tips so they are more likely to channel hot air right on to the scalp. Supreme’s finger tip holes are a few millimetres up, with a silicone bud on the very end, which I think protects your scalp a bit more from heat as well as bumps.

Length of fingers
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Same on both models, plus they extend equally from the bowl. For reference, the longest fingers on both Diffons extend as far as the shortest fingers on the Black Orchid diffuser.

Noise
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Supreme is noticeably louder and higher-pitched than Ceramic, even on lowest speed/temperature, but it’s no noisier than a traditional hairdryer. Ceramic, on the other hand, is quieter than a hairdryer.

Drying temperature
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Lowest setting on Ceramic is comparable to the lowest speed/mid temperature on Supreme. Highest setting on Ceramic is like high speed/mid temperature on Supreme. So, Supreme goes slightly cooler (excluding cool shot) and slightly hotter than Ceramic on both speeds. Bear in mind that Supreme has more power anyway, so it’s not an exact match, and difficult to gauge by hand due to marginally increased air-flow. The product video says that Supreme’s temperature is regulated with 50 checks per second. I don’t believe there is a similar such temperature regulation for Ceramic, so maybe it’s more prone to fluctuation? Ceramic does feel like it continues to heat up over several minutes, unlike Supreme which reaches a temperature and stays there. I tend to turn my dryers off and on frequently during use while I ‘Pixie’ diffuse, so I didn’t notice the increase, but users who keep the Ceramic turned on all the time will probably feel it more and therefore need to keep moving.

Unit temperature
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Supreme’s casing/handle stays noticeably cooler during prolonged use, and cools down faster when turned off. The *handle* part of neither models get particularly hot and are always comfortable to hold. However, if your fingers venture too far up to the bowl end, Ceramic will let you know about it after a few minutes.

Cool shot
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Only Supreme has a cool shot and it has 2 speeds, but it is not truly cold on either setting, just noticeably cooler than the other options. It takes around 10-15 seconds to reach its coolest temperature from the hottest/fastest setting. I think there’s a trade-off on speed vs temperature here because all the cool shot hairdryers I’ve tried are colder but blast my surface fluff about like a gale, so I’m actually quite pleased that Supreme doesn’t do that.

Air flow (wind speed)
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Unlike the other push-buttons on Supreme, the fan speed is altered with a sliding toggle switch. It’s very slightly blowier than Ceramic, but still hardly anything compared to a traditional hairdryer with diffuser. Both produce what I would describe as a hovering cloud of warmth, which is no doubt what helps to reduce frizz (i.e. it doesn’t blow shorter hairs away from their curl families). Another factor that may help to reduce frizz is the ion technology in Supreme that isn’t present in Ceramic.

Ease of use
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I’d be repeating most of the reviewers here who say what a tremendous improvement the Diffon design is over traditional hairdryers with a diffuser attachment, so I’ll just stick to the Ceramic vs Supreme comparison. Both models are equally manoeuvrable and the weight difference is negligible. Ceramic generally requires much less thought during use owing to the single sliding switch. However, if you want to use Supreme in the same way, you can, plus it remembers the last setting when turned off and on again. I like how subsequent clicks move the temperature up, and then back down again in reverse (1,2,3,2,1 rather than 1,2,3,1,2,3). That said, I have simplified my usage of Supreme by keeping the temperature on low, and only toggling the speed switch. Afterwards I use the cool shot to set it. Note, the higher heats are very good for quickly setting areas that need extra styling product, for example, an unruly fringe or frizzy parting.

Drying time
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Drying time is faster using Supreme by a good 5 minutes. Supreme takes about the same time as my hairdryer (15 mins), probably less due to better manoeuvrability. I imagine the time difference between Ceramic and Supreme might be greater if you fully dry your hair, but I only go as far as 90%.

Immediate curl finish
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I don’t usually like my wash-day waves/curls and prefer them after one sleep. However, they do look more voluminous and bouncy with Supreme over Ceramic, I’m guessing because of the cool shot. Both offer the same level of definition, which is better than my hairdryer and diffuser.

Curl longevity
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I sleep with my hair in a CoolNet Buff and don’t refresh, except to poke a few pieces back in to place with dry fingers. With my hairdryer and Black Orchid diffuser I got 2 very good days, 3 was a bit fluffy but fine for errands, day 4 needed a ponytail. It’s about the same with Supreme, maybe better because the waves/curls stay defined for longer, even with less product. Ceramic is still pretty good but my hair looks less voluminous over a few days, however, definition continues equally with both models.

First use thoughts
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First go (Supreme) photo in cream top still not fully dry or fluffed, but Wow! I’m very impressed. Diffons are so much easier to use than my hairdryer/diffuser combo. So much lighter and need less reach to get the awkward bits round the back. I skipped downstairs with a delighted “ta daaa”, and spent a good 10 minutes bobbing around like Shirley Temple. My hair just felt so bouncy even with minimal ‘house hair’ products. I can’t wait to try a Diffon dryer again with ‘out in public’ products. Second go (Supreme) photo in lilac top minimal product, fully dried and fluffed.

Final thoughts
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Supreme is a little heavier and noisier, but the control placement, lower temperatures, and silicone-tipped fingers, make it much more comfortable to use than Ceramic. It also delivers a faster drying time overall, partly down to simplified technique, but mostly down to the bigger bowl. Both models reduce frizz more so than a traditional hairdryer with diffuser, but Supreme takes the ionic win. Over a few uses, I found that I don’t have to ‘Pixie’ diffuse at all with Supreme; the technique lessens frizz by reducing high air-flow from traditional hairdryers, but Diffon dryers don’t have that problem to begin with. However, ‘Pixie’ diffusing still benefits Ceramic because turning it off frequently helps to lessen the heat. I think if my hair was shorter or less dense, I’d be perfectly happy to carry on with Ceramic, using just the low setting, but the size of my previous Black Orchid diffuser has spoilt me, so I favour the XL Supreme for its roomier bowl and speedier finish. I am now exclusively using Supreme over all my other hair drying tools, and I wholeheartedly recommend it to all other waives and curlies. Extra bonus; A pleasing side effect of both Diffons is that I use less hair product (easily half), which will be great for offsetting the cost over time. I used to use plenty of foam and strong hold gel (both Giovanni Eco Chic) to tame the frizz, but now I can get away with 4 pumps of foam and a teaspoon of gel for the same result.

Consider getting the Ceramic model if
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Hair is shoulder length or shorter, and low to average density. You have robust curls with coarser strands (less room in the bowl may cause wonkiness in fine, fragile curls). Your hair has less natural frizz. You don’t mind taking longer to dry. You turn your dryer off and on during use. You want something smaller/cheaper for travelling. You want no-fuss settings. You are not strictly following CGM (it gets quite warm).

Consider getting the Supreme model if
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Hair is past shoulder length and/or thick in density. You have looser/delicate curls (more room in the bowl for fragile curls and finer strands equals less wonkiness). Your hair is prone to frizz. You have a sensitive scalp. You want to dry faster. You keep the dryer on constantly during use. You want more settings/customisation. Cool shot is important. You are following CGM (cool shot is your friend).