A handheld electric fan makes a huge difference during summer heatwaves, but there’s no need to stash it away in a drawer when the weather cools down. Whether you need an ad-hoc hair styler or a quick way to cool your kids’ dinner without blowing on it, your mini fan can be your best friend.
Great fans don’t have to be expensive, either. I recently tested five portable fans from across the price spectrum, and the most expensive model was outranked by a humble model costing a fifth of the price.
1. Drying your hair
When reviewing the Dyson HushJet Mini Cool Fan, I noted that “even on the lowest setting, you can really feel it; dial it up to maximum and it’s as powerful as some hairdryers I’ve used” — and it seems some fan-owners follow that thought to its natural conclusion, using their portable coolers to help dry and style their locks without heat — though it might not yield particularly sleek results.
“Drying my hair on electric fan sounds less damaging than blow drying it,” said one user in Reddit’s haircare community. “My genuine question is: does it contribute to the frizziness of my hair?”
According to experts, cool air from a fan might do exactly that. We recently interviewed Dr Julie Chung, CEO and founder of haircare brand T3, who suggested that heat styling can be a better choice for the health of your hair.
“Heat in general has been sort of demonized incorrectly,” she tells told us. “Women always think, ‘Oh heat is terrible for my hair, I’m just gonna let it air dry, I’m gonna shower and just sleep on it.’ Hair is actually in its most fragile state when it’s wet. It tends to be much easier to break — that tensile strength is decreased and it’s more likely to snap.
“And not to mention when you air-dry your hair, usually the hair is very frizzy and it tends to look even unhealthier if your hair is already in a dried out state.”
2. Drying laundry
Portable fans are particularly popular in Singapore, where the hot and humid summers make them a necessity for daily life, so it’s no surprise that members of the Ask Singapore community on Reddit have some particularly creative ideas.
One inventive traveler explained that they use their portable fan to dry small items of laundry, which could be a helpful hack when you’re on a long vacation and don’t have enough socks to last the whole trip.
Just don’t try washing your underwear in the hotel coffee machine. The bathroom sink will do just fine.
3. Drying nail polish
You can buy electric fans specifically designed for drying nail polish, which can cost up to $70 / £50 / AU$100, so it makes sense to save your cash that instead to finish your manicure in record time.
“Whether you’re at a salon or home, cold air from a fan or blow dryer will help the polish harden faster,” Sarah Gibson Tuttle, founder of nail products company Olive & June, told beauty site Byrdie in an interview.
However, opinion seems to be divided on whether this actually helps, or if it’s more likely to spoil the finish of your polish.
“[Many] people use fans or blow dryers to speed up the drying process, and while it works by evaporating the solvents faster, you can run into bubbles forming in the polish,” said professional nail artist Amy Oung.
Perhaps give it a try and see what you think. Of course, this will only work on regular nail polish — gel polish needs to be cured with a UV light.
4. Cooling hot food
Many handheld fans have stands or folding stems that allow them to double as desk fans, which can be a handy tool for parents.
“My handheld fan can prop on the table,” one parent said. “Very useful for when the food is too hot for my kid to eat but [I’m too lazy to] blow. I just blast the fan at it for few seconds.”
Not as cute as the cat-shaped drink-cooling robot Nékojita FuFu, which we saw at last year’s IFA show in Berlin, perhaps, but certainly more affordable.
5. Fidgeting
Fans aren’t just for purely practical purposes — they can also provide something to occupy restless hands. One fan-owning Singaporean Redditor said they originally “Bought it for survival, kept it for emotional support.”
“I use it waiting for buses, walking between MRT exits, in crowded lifts, and weirdly… when I’m anxious or bored,” they explained. “It’s basically a socially acceptable fidget spinner at this point.”
Do you use your fan for something other than keeping cool and comfortable? Let us know using the poll below, or in the comments.
