The 7 Best Blow-Dryer Brushes That Will Give You a Salon-Quality Blowout in Less Time and With Less Effort
If you want to style your hair at home, but find the process tedious or lack the dexterity of a hair stylist, using one of the best blow-dryer brushes can bring some levity to the task. Typically, a blow-dryer brush marries heat with the smoothing power of a traditional hair brush into one nifty tool, reducing a hair-styling routine into one easy step. And, according to Courtney Resch, hairstylist and owner of Ashen Salon, the combination of heat and tension from the tool is key to achieving a salon-quality blowout at home. What’s more? “It sets in volume and bounce from the root … creating a longer-lasting effect,” she says.
- Courtney Resch, hairstylist and owner of Ashen Salon in La Jolla, California
- Jay Small, hairstylist, certified trichologist, and co-founder of Arey
- Michelle Cleveland, hairstylist and extension artist
Blow-dryer brushes are ideal for beginners, too. “They can be a great option for someone who isn’t as versed with hairstyling and struggles working both with a blow-dryer and brush at the same time,” says hairstylist and extension artist Michelle Cleveland.” Resch shares the sentiment. “It’s really hard to round brush your own hair,” she says. “The dryer brushes allow you to finish your hair to create bounce and smoothness, and to style without having to use a hot tool like a flat iron or curling iron.”
However, as with any hair styling tool, not all blow-dryer brushes are made equal. To help you find your ideal blow-dryer brush, we asked hairstylists to provide their tips for choosing a blow-dryer brush. Below, we’ve listed seven options that meet their criteria, a few of which they and the Well+Good team personally recommended.
Best blow-dryer brushes, at a glance
- Hairstylist-recommend: T3, AireBrush Duo Interchangeable Hot Air Styler, $190
- The fan-favorite: Revlon, One-Step Volumizer Plus, $37
- Frizz-fighting ionic technology: Drybar, Double Shot Blow-Dryer Brush, $155
- Under $30: Hot Tools, One-Step Pro Blowout Styler, $29
- Available in two sizes: L’ange, Le Volume 2-in-1 Titanium Brush Dryer, $50
- Splurge-worthy: Dyson, Airwrap Multi-Styler Complete, $599
- A dupe of the Dyson Airwrap: Sharper Image, Revel Hair Multi-Styler, $198
What to look for when shopping for a blow-dryer brush
If you’re looking to buy your own blow-dryer brush, there are a few considerations to keep in mind—namely, the size of your tool, bristle material, and heat settings.
When it comes to selecting your blow-dryer brush, size matters, says hairstylist and certified trichologist Jay Small, co-founder of Arey. He says that options with larger barrels are ideal for people with long hair, while smaller picks are better suited for medium or short-length hair.
You’ll also want to consider the type of bristles used for each brush. Many feature tufted bristles that are made to mimic boar bristles, pin bristles, or both. Pin bristles are adept at untangling knots—keeping in mind that you’ll want to detangle your hair before using a blow-dryer brush, says Small. Boar-style and boar bristles create more tension as you blow-dry, and in turn, help smooth strands. He adds that boar bristles in particular also have the ability to extend the length of your blowout, which is a plus for folks who want to avoid exposing their hair to heat on a daily basis. You may also come across blow-dryer brushes with rotating brush heads, but Cleveland recommends steering clear of this variation. “In the wrong hands, they can cause some serious breakage if you don’t know how to work them properly,” she says.
Finally, you’ll want to select a blow-dryer brush with multiple heat settings. That way, you have the option to find which heat setting works best for your hair while reducing the risk of damage. Small suggests starting with the lowest setting and working your way up if need be.
Shop the best blow-dryer brushes
Smalls recommends the T3 Airebrush Duo, which comes with interchangeable round brush and paddle brush attachments. The round brush boosts volume, and the round brush helps smooth hair while drying, and the hair tool has the most heat settings of any other model featured on this list. You can select from five heat settings and two speed settings, making the hot-air brush an ideal choice for most hair types and textures. What’s more, “it’s moderately sized,” says Small, which, in other words, is perfectly suited for short, medium, or long hair.
Heat settings: 5
Speed settings: 3
Brush-head size: 2.5 in (round brush attachment); 3 in (paddle brush attachment)
Bristle material: Nylon and tufted
Weight: 1 lbs
Pros:
- Includes interchangeable round brush and paddle brush attachments
- Features five heat settings, making it ideal for most hair types and textures
Cons:
- Pricey
It’s likely that you’ve come across Revlon’s blow-dryer brush somewhere on the internet. We’ve been singing its praises on the Well+Good since 2019, and just when we thought it couldn’t get any better, the brand released a newer version of its widely beloved hot-air brush. It’s sleeker—and, dare we say, faster—than its predecessor, but it retains many of the original features that we’ve come to love, like its nylon and tufted bristles and the option of multiple heat and speed settings, which you can adjust with a single dial.
Well+Good commerce writer Danielle Calma says it manages to take her hair from damp to dry in under 10 minutes, all while leaving it voluminous and healthy-looking—a feat for her coarse, and sometimes rough, hair. If anything, she says, it’s loud, but fortunately, it works quickly.
Heat settings: 4
Speed settings: 3
Bristle material: Nylon and tufted
Brush-head size: 2.4 in
Weight: 1.6 lbs
Pros:
- Slimmer and lighter weight than previous Revlon model
- Simple and straightforward usage
Cons:
- Loud
This blow-dryer brush from Drybar has a lightweight design and an oval-shaped barrel with beveled edges to seamlessly wrap around hair, plus ionic technology, which is meant to reduce frizz and boost shine. It features three temperature and speed settings—cool, medium, and high—allowing you to customize the airflow according to your hair type and texture, and widely spaced nylon and tufted bristles. It also comes in a smaller version, which is ideal for traveling.
Heat settings: 3
Speed settings: 3
Bristle material: Nylon and tufted
Brush-head size: 2.4 in
Weight: 0.9 lbs
Pros:
- Features ionic technology to reduce frizz and boost shine
- Available in smaller version
Cons:
- Limited speed and heat settings for price
This blow-dryer brush has frizz-fighting ionic technology and boar bristles, which, as Small previously mentioned, will help preserve your style for longer. It’s also the largest, albeit heaviest, option on the list—the brush is a little under three inches in circumference, making it ideal for people with longer hair. The brush is replete with two speed settings, and toggling between these two options simultaneously dials up and down the level heat. A bonus: It’s also inexpensive at just under $29.
Heat settings: 2
Speed settings: 2
Brush-head size: 2.8 in
Bristle material: Nylon and boar
Weight: 1.8 lbs
Pros:
- Budget-friendly
- Made with boar bristles to preserve styles for longer
Cons:
- Heavy
This hair-dryer brush comes in two sizes to accommodate people with long, medium, or short hair, and, at a little over a pound, it is also one of the lightest options on the list. The brush itself features nylon and tufted bristles, plus three heat and speed settings, ranging from cool to high heat. What’s more, it packs ionic technology, which, in combination with its titanium barrel, offers users a smoother blowout—something to which many people online have attested.
Heat settings: 3
Speed settings: 3
Brush-head size: 2.9 in; 2.3 in
Bristle material: Nylon and tufted
Weight: 1.2 lbs
Pros:
- Available in two sizes
- Features ionic technology
Cons:
- Titanium plate retains heat that might be too hot for people with fine or thin hair
If you style your hair often, you might consider Dyson’s multifunction hair tool to be worth the splurge. Well+Good contributor Helen Sidebotham previously mentioned that it works efficiently to dry and style her curly hair in record time. As importantly, it’s easy to use, even for “most novice hairdo-ers.” The all-in-one styler has a total of six speed and heat settings, plus a cool-shot button to set your style in place, and it comes with several attachments—including a hot air brush—to dry, straighten, and curl hair.
The Complete set (pictured above) comes with six attachments, but there’s also options meant for curly and coily hair, or for straight or wavy hair—all of which come with a storage case to neatly consolidate the attachments. You can also purchase additional attachments separately from Dyson or other retailers.
Heat settings: 3
Speed settings: 3
Bristle material: Nylon (round volumizing brush attachment)
Brush-head size: 2.2 in (round volumizing brush attachment)
Weight: 1.5 lbs
Pros:
- Includes multiple attachments to dry, straighten, and curl hair
- Separate controls for heat and speed settings
Cons:
- The priciest option on the list
If $500 is out of your budget, spring for Sharper Image’s hair-styling tool—a dupe for the Dyson Airwrap for half the price. Similar to the Airwrap, this pick comes with six attachments (a blow dryer, smoothing brush, volumizing brush, styling brush, and two curling wands), and it likewise features six speed and heat settings, plus a cool-shot button. Better yet, it works as efficiently as its pricier counterpart. Well+Good contributor Erica Radol, a self-proclaimed “chronic hot-tool user with split ends” was impressed by the product.
“It not only cut my drying time in half (a major plus for anyone looking to minimize damage), but it also made my hair look less frizzy and parched and even made my ends feel softer,” Radol previously wrote. In short: “The Revel is a keeper,” she says.
Heat settings: 3
Speed settings: 3
Brush-head size: Not specified
Bristle material: Nylon and tufted
Weight: 1.6 lbs
Pros:
- Has similar features to the Dyson Airwrap at half the price
- Packs ionic technology to reduce frizz and boost shine
Cons:
- Unlike theDyson, it doesn’t come in various options suited for different hair types and textures
Dos and don’ts for using a blow-dryer brush
1. Do use a heat protectant.
As with any hot tool, you’ll want to use a heat protectant to minimize hair breakage and damage. Small recommends the Arey Mend Heat Protective Leave-In ($30). It protects against heat up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit and doubles as a leave-in conditioner to help retain precious moisture in the hair—which is especially important when exposing it to hot tools that can leave it dry and brittle.
2. Don’t use a blow-dryer brush on wet hair.
“Before you use a blow-dryer brush, blow-dry your hair 80 percent of the way dry—and do this upside down,” says Resch. Small echoes, “Wet hair can stretch up to 50 percent its length, while dry hair is drastically stronger.” As such, dry hair will be better to withstand the heat emitted from the blow-dryer, and the motions of using the brush itself.” Cleveland also mentions that you can opt to air-dry your hair if you want to limit heat exposure. “Always remember that applying too much heat and tension to your hair will cause breakage, and, over time, damage the hair strands,” she says.
3. Do make sure to dry the crown of your head.
“Finish the last 20 percent of the drying process right side-up with your drying brush. Blow-dry your hair from the crown of your head upward to create volume; keep the focus at the crown, but you can even blow dry your bangs using this method. Dry the opposite direction of where you want them to lay,” says Resch.
4. Don’t forget to take extra measures to preserve your style.
“I don’t really love it if people blow-dry their hair everyday,” says Small, as doing so can lead to damage in the long run. It’s why he says that it’s as important to consider methods to extend the life of your blowout, so you can avoid exposing hair to more heat than is necessary. For this, a dry shampoo can come in handy. “I always recommend using a powder dry shampoo directly after blow-drying,” he says. “This will eliminate a build-up of grease at the root and draw the oils down the strands, which is where they’re supposed to be.” He recommends the Arey Wait A Sec Dry Shampoo ($27), which not only keeps greasy build-up at bay, but also lends hair volume.
Another product Small suggests is the Sleepy Tie ($30), which is a satin scrunchie that you can use while you sleep, and it’s purported to help extend the life of a blowout. “While we sleep, we get warm, and our hair texture will change from the variations in temperature,” he says, “and so it’s important to protect the hair with products that can preserve hair overnight.” Alternatively, you can use an old T-shirt: “You can put it over your hair, and it will help to preserve the cuticle and keep the hair in a better shape so that when you wake up in the morning, you’re not feeling like you have to restyle,” he says.
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