Getting volume and bounce in your hair at home is no mean feat. Especially if you have fine or flat hair that struggles to hold onto a style. We can all dream of having our hair blowdried every day by a personal glam squad, but the majority of us have to rely on ourselves for styling our hair at home. Whilst using a hair dryer and round brush to fake a blowdry is absolutely possible at home, it takes a bit of arm gymnastics to coif your hair around the brush, making it fiddly and time-consuming, especially if you have long or particularly thick hair. That is why I love hot brushes (or blowdry brushes)—they make achieving a bouncy blowout at home a whole lot easier.
Who What Wear UK beauty editor Eleanor Vousden uses hot brushes like the Dyson AirWrap to fake a blowdry at home.
So, which hot brushes are the best? With so many on the market, it can be tricky to decipher which one is best for your hair. Blowdry brushes can range from the £20 to £30 mark, all the way up to £480 for Dyson’s AirWrap model. This is why I’ve called upon our team of editors to give their honest, tried-and-tested reviews of the best hot brushes out there that they actually use. Scroll ahead for our edit of the ones that made the cut.
I’m aware that this is the most expensive hot brush out there, but I believe that the Dyson AirWrap is one of the best hair multi-stylers for creating bouncy blowdries at home whilst giving you the option to style your hair in many ways. It offers six different attachments, including a round brush—which is easily my favourite of the bunch—as well as two curling barrels for tighter curls, two paddle brushes for detangling and straightening lengths, and a blow-drying attachment. The soft bristles of the round brush polish my hair as I twist it through my lengths, leaving it shiny and with an incredible bounce and so much volume at the roots. I will admit that it takes a few goes to get a feel for the styler and how it best works for your hair type. I like to use a good hair mousse and hairspray to ensure my curls last, and I make use of the cold shot button to “set” my hair into place before removing the brush to prevent the style from dropping. These tips, combined with the AirWrap itself, really have helped my curls stay in place. If you’ve been thinking about investing, I’d recommend it. Pros: Premium hair tool, multiple attachments, bouncy blowouts at home. Cons: Expensive, takes a while to get used to how the tool works.
Who What Wear UK copy editor Georgia Seago put the Revlon One Step Hair Dryer and Volumiser to the test, and she’s convinced me to try it too. “I was umming and ahhing over whether I should bother with a blowdry brush—could it really be as easy as the TikTok girlies make it look to get a smooth, bouncy blowout at home? I opted for Revlon’s iconic version because it was the one I’d seen people use and rave about (and it was the cheapest), and I wasn’t disappointed,” she says. “It takes a couple of attempts to get the hang of the technique, but from thereon in it’s pretty foolproof. The barrel itself is massive and has loads of tightly packed bristles, which is what creates the tension needed to really smooth the hair shaft. I’ve seen some users comment that the brush can be a little damaging to their hair—and it does get very hot—but I think if you look after your hair well in general, use a heat protectant (mine is in my leave-in conditioner) and don’t use the brush on soaking wet hair (I rough-dry mine with my hair dryer first), you’ll be fine. Pro tip: make sure the hair is fully dry at the root and use a light-hold hairspray to repel moisture and keep your hair from going frizzy throughout the day. I also prep mine with my favourite hair oil (L’Oréal Professionnel Mythic Oil) and apply a little extra when I’m done for an extra-smooth result.” Pros: Affordable, has good tension to style. Cons: The brush gets hot, so a heat protector is essential.
Social media editor Joy Ejaria loves the Shark FlexStyler Hair Dryer & Styler.
Joy after using the Shark FlexStyle. “I’ve found myself reaching more and more for my Shark SmoothStyle Hot Brush & Smoothing Comb on those in-between wash days,” says Who What Wear UK social media editor Joy Ejaria. “With the brush, I can shape my hair in a desired style or smooth away frizz. Unlike other hot brushes, this one has ceramic-coated plates on the side that further help the smoothing process. As someone with coarse Afro hair, it’s made a world of difference because I often prefer wearing my hair straight.” Pros: Works across all hair types, wide range of styling attachments, leaves hair smooth. Cons: More expensive than most models.
“Up until a couple of months ago, my experience with hot brushes was limited to watching my grandmother style her hair with her metal-barrelled hot brush in the mirror on her hallway landing. After a string of professional blowdries that just didn’t feel ‘me’ (and some strategic Instagram advertising) I decided to give BondiBoost’s hot brush a go,” says Who What Wear UK deputy editor Maxine Eggeneberger. “Since I started using it, I’ve never had so many compliments on my hair. The huge barrel gives excellent bounce and shape that lasts all day without separating, whilst adding insane shine and dimension. “My hair has never felt softer and I do think the condition has improved too, as the brush effectively negates the need for other hot tools. Whilst rotating the brush to create your desired effect and bounce does take practice, it’s so much easier than doing so with a brush in one hand and a dryer in the other. As someone with a lot of hair, it’s nothing short of a miracle that I can give myself a bouncy blowdry (one that I love!) in 15 minutes flat.”Pros: Great for beginners, adds volume and smoothness, lasting hold. Cons: Somewhat noisy and quite large, which could make it hard to hold for some.
“This blowdry brush gives my Dyson AirWrap a run for its money,” says Who What Wear UK junior beauty editor Grace Lindsay. “With eight different attachments, it can do everything, including curl, wave and add volume. You can choose from two different temperatures and a cool setting which can help set your style in place. I personally like to use the biggest attachment to dry and smooth my hair, and then I go in with the curling attachment to add some movement to my ends.”
The bristles on GHD’s hot brush allow you to create amazing volume at the roots and shape through the lengths.
A great hot brush option for those who want multiple attachments on a budget.
If it’s straightening and round-brush drying that you’re predominately after, this one does both.
Creates bouncy and voluminous blowouts every time, whilst the ionic technology adds shine to lengths.
From Beverly Hills hairstylist Jode Eber comes this professional blowout brush, which leaves your hair looking like you just stepped out of the salon.
The large brush makes light work of blowdrying longer hair.
Focused on straightening and smoothing? GHD’s Glide Hot Brush is the one to try.
Next Up: We Tried 5 Hair Multi-Stylers—Here Are Our Honest Thoughts
