Abstract: A wireless hand held hot air hair dryer comprises a nozzle for exhausting air, a heating chamber disposed proximate the nozzle, a fuel reservoir for storing a vaporizable fuel in a liquid state, and catalytic heating means in fluid flow communication with the fuel reservoir and including a catalyst member disposed within the heating chamber for combusting vaporized fuel supplied from the fuel reservoir. The dryer further includes a battery-powered motor and a fan driven by the motor for passing air through the heating chamber so as to contact said catalyst member, to thereby heat the air prior to exhausting through the nozzle. Manually operated control means are also provided for controlling the amount of current applied to the motor and proportionally adjusting the flow of fuel to the heating means to thereby regulate the temperature of the heated air in relation to the amount of air flow exhausted through the nozzle.