When it comes to hairstyle, we’re all about anything that can expedite the process and get us out the door quicker. Hot air brushes work as a blow dryer, curling iron, and straightener all in one, allowing you to dry your hair while also adding smoothness, bend, or movement.
“The nicest aspect about a hot air brush is that it reduces style time,” explains Zoya Ghamari, owner of Zoya Salon in Dallas. “It also assists you in drying and styling your hair at the same time.”
Alex Brown, a celebrity hairdresser based in Chicago, adds that hot air brushes may help pump up the volume and give you the look of a round brush blow-dry without the need for several tools.
We tested them on people with five various hair kinds and lengths after picking the brains of specialists who advised their best options.
The brushes were then graded on a scale of one to five for ease of use, glide performance, drying performance, styling performance, and durability by each tester.
GET TO KNOW THE EXPERT
Zoya Ghamari is a Dallas hairdresser and the owner of Zoya Salon. She specializes in hair extensions, wigs, and top hairpieces. She serves customers in both Texas and California.
Alex Brown is a famous hairdresser and the owner of Chicago’s Space by Alex Brown. She’s collaborated with Kendall Jenner, Hailey Baldwin, and Bella Hadid, and divides her time between New York, Los Angeles, and her hometown of Chicago.
Here are the results, as well as the finest hot air brushes for at-home blowouts.
1. Revlon One-Step Hair Dryer and Volumizer is the best budget option.
This brush is the original in this category, in our opinion. Its oval form and rounded edges are intended to give your hair a lot of volume, increasing strands at the root while leaving the lengths with a lot of body and flexibility.
Our testers agreed that it was a touch hefty and had a shorter handle, but they believed it was simple to use and awarded it a 4/5 grade in that category.
In terms of glide performance, it performed well for our fine-haired testing but struggled for our thicker-haired tester. All of our testers were pleased with how quickly it dried their hair (it had an average rating of 4.2/5 in that category), but they also thought that it dried so rapidly because of how hot it became—which may be detrimental to hair health over time.
Overall, our testers were quite pleased with this selection, especially given its affordable price. It’s also worth mentioning that Revlon released a newer version of this popular air brush: the One-Step Volumizer Plus.
What We Like
- Affordable
- Simple to use
What We Don’t Like
- a little heavy
2. T3 Airebrush Duo is the best feature.
T3’s hot air brush includes five heat settings and three speed options, whereas the majority of the brushes we examined had three heat settings and two speed levels.
This tool has a round brush head for voluminous hair and a paddle brush head for a smooth, straight look. It also has a negative ion generator that emits 10 million negative ions every second, which is said to leave hair lustrous and smooth.
Our coarse-haired tester enjoyed this tool so much that it’s now her go-to at home. “This one is simpler than the others,” she explained. “Until I started using this product, I didn’t have the ability to reproduce the round brush curl look at home.” As a result, she scored it a 5/5 for usability; its average score in this category was 4.7/5.
Another tester, however, observed that this tool took somewhat longer to dry her long hair than the other brushes. However, when evaluating the temperature, it made more sense—the brush barely reached 190°F, the second-lowest maximum temperature of all of the equipment we examined.
What We Like
- There are several characteristics.
- There are two heads.
- Cord length
What We Don’t Like
- Drying time is little longer.
3. INH Insert Blowout Here is the best for volume.
When our testers tried Insert Name, they observed quick volume, smoothness, and little frizz. Here’s the Insert Blowout Here brush, which goes directly to the roots owing to its oval-shaped brush and ion generating plates.
Our testers also commented on how quickly it dried their hair—when our long-haired tester used it, it only took two passes to get it bone-dry. They also gave it a 4.4/5 for usability because of its simple and user-friendly design.
Glide performance averaged 4.4/5—our coarse-haired tester struggled at first with the 3.3-inch barrel, but she ultimately got the hang of it and was delighted with the curl it left in her hair.
What We Like
- Affordable
- Simple to use
What We Don’t Like
- a little heavy
4. Trademark Beauty Easy Blo One Step Dryer & Volumizer is the best detangler.
Trademark Beauty’s Easy Blo, invented by famous hairdresser Joseph Maine, has nylon pin bristles that untangle the hair as well as tufted bristles that provide smoothness and shine. Our testers remarked in The Lab that these two types of bristles made the glide quite simple and, indeed, doubled as a detangler.
Each of our other testers remarked that their hair had a smooth finish and that they could easily run their fingers through it, therefore they all rated this brush’s drying ability a 5/5 rating.
The only genuine criticism about this tool is that it had a plastic smell when they first switched it on; however, the scent faded gone after the tool was in use. The vivid pink hue of the brush was also a hit with our testers.
What We Like
- Dual-bristles
- Finished with care
What We Don’t Like
- The odor of plastic
5. Drybar The Double Shot Blow-Dryer Brush is ideal for natural hair.
If you have natural hair, Drybar’s The Double Shot Oval Blow-Dryer Brush is ideal. Our tester, who has 3b/c hair, was pleased with how her hair looked and felt after using this tool. “I was able to run it through my hair many times in under a minute,” she added.
“The brush head includes both silicone and regular bristles that stay gripped onto the hair when you move the brush around yet don’t get caught.” Furthermore, our testers awarded this product an excellent average grade of 4.6/5 for usability.
Our one concern, which was shared by all testers, was that the brush becomes quite hot when it’s close to the root. Nonetheless, it performed an excellent job of drying their hair and adding bounce and shine. As a result, it received an average rating of 4.4/5 for drying and glide performance.
What We Like
- Lightweight
- Excellent grip
- It is suitable for all hair types.
What We Don’t Like
- I was feeling heated.
- What Should You Look For in a Hot Air Brush?
- Type of Bristle
FAQ
What To Look For in a Hot Air Brush?
Bristle Type
Ghamari recommends paying close attention to the bristle type of a hot air brush. Ceramic-coated bristles, for example, perform an excellent job of spreading heat while protecting your hair. Meanwhile, bristles made of boar and nylon strive to smooth and detangle strands.
Length of the Cord
Ghamari advises checking the cable length of a hot air brush as well. A lengthy rope will make it incredibly easy to utilize the brush no matter where you are. (For convenience of usage, a rope length of 6 to 9 feet is ideal.)
Temperature Regulation
Ghamari emphasizes the importance of being able to adjust the temperature of a hot air brush. This is because being able to control the temperature prevents you from overheating your hair. Do you have fine or damaged hair?
To minimize further damage to your hair, just set your hot air brush to the lowest temperature setting.
Excellent Photograph
Ghamari also recommends opting for a hot air brush with cool shot capability. Finishing your drying and styling procedure with a chilly shot may assist to seal in your style and add shine.
How Do You Curl Hair With a Hot Air Brush?
Ghamari points out that using a hot air brush is essentially similar to using a round brush, except that you don’t have to fight to hold a blow-dryer in one hand while holding a round brush in the other.
Meanwhile, Brown offers this suggestion for curling hair with a hot air brush: “You may curl hair with a hot air brush by twisting the hair section out of the brush on the final pass,” she explains. “Spraying the part with a light hairspray before twisting can also help the curl hold.”
Do Hot Air Brushes Cause Hair Damage?
“Hot air brushes can only harm hair if they become excessively hot,” Brown explains. She advises reading reviews and conducting research on the brand you intend to purchase. A hot air brush with temperature settings will allow you to manage the heat and avoid damaging your hair.
What Is the Best Way to Clean a Hot Air Brush?
Brown recommends removing all shed hair from a hot air brush after every few usage to keep it clean. “A heated cloth will also help eliminate any unwanted product accumulation,” she explains.
