Style
The Surprisingly Versatile Styling Tool You'll Wish You Bought Sooner
If you love the look of a salon blowout and want to achieve the same style at home, a hot air brush might just be your new favorite hair tool — even if you’ve never heard of one before. The best hot air brushes style and dry your hair at the same time using controlled hot air that comes out of a brush-like barrel. If you've got a good one, you can create either sleek styles or soft, bouncy waves without using any other tools.
Depending on your hair type and the style of brush you choose, the results you get from a hot air brush can vary, but the process remains pretty similar. After applying a heat protectant product, start off by rough drying your hair with a traditional blow dryer to get rid of excess water — or air dry until damp. Starting with hair that's 50 percent dry speeds up the process and helps to minimize damage.
Next, clip your hair into sections and start working from the bottom sections, moving upward. It takes a bit of technique, but it's no different from styling with a round brush and a blow dryer — except for the fact that you've got one hand free. Like a salon blowout, with the right hot air brush and good technique, your style can last for days.
1A Curling Brush For All Hair Types With Three Temperature Settings & A Rotating Barrel
Tru Beauty Titanium Rotating Hot Air Brush, $40, Amazon
This hot air brush features a two-inch rotating, ceramic-coated barrel which gives it the ability to hold heat like a curling iron. It can easily create long-lasting volume and body — even on long hair. With three different temperature settings, this brush is a higher quality, versatile choice for all hair types.
2A Paddle Brush Dryer For Smooth, Straight Hair
Revlon Salon One-Step Hair Dryer & Styler, $39, Amazon
This paddle brush styler has a unique design that narrows the airflow between its tangle-free, massaging bristles to speed up drying and create smooth, straight styles. It's a great choice if you're looking for something extremely uncomplicated but still want to leave the house with polished-looking, blow-dried hair.
3A Ceramic Barrel Hot Air Brush With Ionic Conditioning & A Cool Setting
John Frieda Hot Air Brush, $22, Amazon
With ionic conditioning and tourmaline ceramic technology, this hot air brush creates quick and effortless bouncy curls or blowout-like volume with less damage. With a cool setting to lock in curls and natural boar and nylon bristles that glide smoothly through wet, damp, and dry hair, it's a popular choice for first-time buyers and longtime users alike.
4A Travel-Friendly Mini Hot Air Brush
Lescolton Infrared Mini One Step Hair Dryer & Styler Hot Air Paddle Brush, $47, Amazon
This hot air brush is a great alternative to using a flat iron for straight styles. It can also add volume at the roots or a slight wave if you want. The lightweight, compact design is perfect for throwing in your travel bag.
5A Budget-Friendly Curling Brush That Won't Snag Your Hair
Vidal Sassoon Hot Air Styler, $15, Amazon
With a trusted name like Vidal Sassoon, this hot air styler is perfect if you’re looking a budget-friendly option that’s lightweight and can give you quick curls without the hassle of a curling iron. What’s unique about this brush is that it’s barrel locks in place to curl and unlocks to release your hair from the brush — meaning you don’t have to worry about getting your hair caught around the small barrel.
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