Is ceramic or tourmaline better in a hair dryer?

Tourmaline is actually a ceramic enhancement, not an alternative. Tourmaline infused ceramic components generate significantly more negative ions than plain ceramic alone up to six times more by some estimates. If your main concern is frizz control and gentle heat distribution, tourmaline ceramic is the better choice. Plain ceramic dryers still distribute heat more evenly than dryers with no ceramic components, so either is a meaningful upgrade over basic plastic element dryers.