I don’t even want to know how much money I used to cough up for monthly, weekly, and sometimes even twice-weekly salon blowouts pre-pandemic. I’ve never been good at styling my own hair, and if there’s any silver lining from the past year, it’s that I’ve had the chance to get intimately reacquainted with my hair au naturel. For the sake of my hair’s health, I’ve been trying to give my stressed-out strands a break by laying off the heat and air-drying roughly 80% of the time. Here and there, however, I’ll have an important Zoom meeting or interview that begs for just a little more polish and pizazz. It took me a while, but I’ve finally nailed down my perfect curling technique. (Team curling wand for life!) But mastering the at-home blowout proved much trickier—until, that is, I broke out the collection of hair dryer brushes I’ve been lucky enough to receive from various brands over the years. I have one word for you, folks: game-changing.
Have you ever tried a new beauty product and been so overjoyed with the results that you just wanted to bang your head against a wall and ask yourself what took so dang long? That’s pretty much what happened the first time I discovered the ease, effortlessness, and salon-level results that come courtesy of the industry’s best hair dryer brushes. Of course, some are far superior to others, and certain models are better suited to particular hair types and textures, so I thought I’d do a quick rundown on all of the best options that reviewers and fellow beauty shoppers can’t stop raving about. Below are 10 best-selling, top-rated hair dryer brushes sure to gift your strands with a salon-level blowout in record time. Keep scrolling!
Rating: 4.5/5 stars, 1324 reviews on Ulta. I get it. The price is a horse of a pill to swallow for something as seemingly simple as a hair dryer brush. But Dyson’s epic Airwrap system isn’t an ordinary hair dryer brush. It’s the Maserati of hair dryer brushes. Once you get the knack for using it, you’ll likely never feel the need to pay for a salon appointment again. Plus, it comes with so many options: a 1.2-inch Airwrap barrel to create voluminous curls or waves, a 1.6-inch Airwrap barrel to create loose curls or waves, a firm smoothing brush to smooth and add polish to frizz-prone hair, a soft smoothing brush to gently align and smooth fine hair, a round volumizing brush to volumize and shape fine, flat hair, and a pre-styling dryer to help prep damp hair. Invest and you’ll basically have a fully equipped hairstyling salon from the comfort of your own home. A glowing review: “Where do I start?! The Airwrap really is an all-in-one. It is so easy to maneuver and adjust to your liking. There is a learning curve with the curl attachments, but you really need to just let the product ‘find’ your hair, and it will do all the work for you. The small barrels are perfect for my ‘a little longer than shoulder length’ hair, but I can see why some may need to purchase the longer barrels to adjust it to their longer hair length. It is a splurge, but it provides a better alternative to styling, and you can nail almost any look with it. It’s also aesthetically pleasing, and the packing is so nice! I had my eye on it for months and am so happy I purchased it. The blowout and curls it provides are so bouncy and smooth. I get compliments from people who normally don’t comment on my hair.”
Rating: 4.6/5 stars, 178,464 on Amazon. This affordable hair dryer brush just might be one of the most viral products on the beauty market. (In fact, many people say it’s a less-expensive dupe for the Dyson Airwrap.) It comes in a variety of super-playful colors, and you can choose from three different temperature settings—cool, low heat, or high heat—to style your hair however you see fit. Last year, a group of Who What Wear employees with different hair types and textures shared their own experiences with and thoughts on the brush. You can check it out here! A glowing review: “For background: I do not have hairstyling experience, and I never blow-dry my hair, but with this hair dryer brush, my hair looks like I went to the hair salon. Like many people, I read the comments before buying. However, after trying it, the comments honestly don’t give this product enough justice. I have curly hair, and I’ve seen professionals mess up when blow-drying my hair, but with this product, I was shocked!”
Rating: 4.5/5 stars, 222 reviews on Walmart. Last September, Drew Barrymore’s beauty line, Flower, expanded from makeup to haircare with a whimsical line of hot tools. Barrymore has really fabulous hair, so frankly, we’d trust anything with her name on it. That said, the reviews for this volume-enhancing hair dryer brush speak for themselves, and adorable packaging aside (a cute aesthetic is always a plus!), it has a long list of exciting features, including two heat settings up to 400°F, cool-touch ionic bristles (bye, styling-inflicted burns!), a ceramic heated barrel, and a handy automatic shut-off. A glowing review: “I love this styling tool to help give me the volume and soft curls that I have always wanted. I do not like the traditional clamp method of curling irons. This styler gives soft, frizz-free curls. I can get so much volume by lifting my hair and curling the styler around the base of my hair. The styler is the perfect hand-held size. I love how, within seconds, it is heated up and ready to use, and it’s very simple to use with just two buttons, low and high. It does not damage my hair either, which is very important to me. I highly recommend this Ionic Volumizing Styler!”
Rating: 4.4/5 stars, 282 reviews on Amazon. First things first, this particular hair dryer brush is designed to be used on dry hair only, so make sure you let your hair completely air-dry or rough-dry with a dryer prior to use. It has a 1.25-inch barrel, which is the perfect size for creating lots of volume and body and hints of curl or wave. (It’s easy and fun to customize your results!) Plus, it keeps the heat at a consistent 365°F, so there’s minimal damage, and the cool tip means no burnt fingers. Wins all around! A glowing review: “I normally go to a salon for a relaxer, but due to the pandemic, I had to find an alternative. For years, I had used a straightening comb, but I just couldn’t get over my fear of burning myself (instilled by my mother, who always nicked me with hot tools in my youth). I have to admit I was skeptical, but after researching online articles and reviews, I decided to buy this GHD. Wow!!! The results are better than I expected! My kinky hair is almost completely straight—much better than the results I got with my old straightening comb because I can get the brush on my roots! No burned scalp, fingers, or ears! There are less-expensive brushes out there, but I believe you get what you pay for. This is a very well-made product.”
Rating: 4.7/5 stars, 29 reviews on Sephora. It’s not surprising that the blowout franchise of all blowout franchises makes some of the best at-home tools to help you create and maintain your strands at home. Drybar actually has two different hair dryer brushes: this one, which has a 2.25-inch round brush perfectly suited for shorter hair lengths and creating loose waves and curls, or The Double Shot Blow-Dryer Brush ($150), which has a 2.44-inch oval shape and gently curved edges to deliver megawatt volume. Pick your poison, but both models suit all hair types and textures, are ergonomic and lightweight, and leave behind ultra-polished, shiny results in their wake. A glowing review: “I looooooooove this. A few months ago, I used a cheaper version that my friend had, and it left me feeling dry and frizzy. But this—smooth and shiny, no frizz, and tons of body. I have wavy/straight, long hair that is medium thickness, which does not have body to it when I style with a normal hair dryer. I section off my hair after towel-drying, and it only takes me about 20 to 25 minutes to fully dry. Worth the money.”
Rating: 4/5 stars, 222 reviews on InStyler. There’s nothing that gets us more excited than a two-for-one styling deal, and this brilliant hair dryer brush from InStyler is at the top of our “need” list. Pop it to the open setting for a built-in flat iron (if you want to straighten or smooth frizz) or clamp it closed to create a heated round brush that can deliver glossy body, volume, and/or soft curls. It’s well-suited for all hair types and textures, and it has four different heat settings that go up to 400°F. . A glowing review: “Over the years, I’ve tried several different heat-styling tools to help manage my hair, which is definitely mixed texture. My experience has largely been either that a flat iron makes my hair totally flat with no volume, or a curling iron doesn’t really give me gentle curls like I’m aiming for. What I love about the InStyler is that it works as everything from a flat iron to a curler, and by following the video tutorials, I was able to learn how to get both straight hair with volume and those gentle curls I’d been after. The ability to change the heat levels allows me to work with the varying textures of my hair effectively and without feeling like I’m doing damage.”
Rating: 4.6/5 stars, 9469 reviews on Amazon. This hair dryer brush is surprisingly fancy-schmancy considering it comes in at a very reasonable $52. Chicness aside (how pretty is that gold and black color palette?), this top-rated tool has tons of assets for a good hair day: two types of charcoal-infused bristles for top-notch detangling, refreshing, and smoothing perks; three temperature settings to suit all hair textures; two speed settings; and its namesake 24K gold styling surface to ensure even heat distribution. A glowing review: “First, let me start off by saying I have always hated styling my hair. I’m not good at it, and it takes way too long to do. I’ll spend 45 minutes on makeup (love doing my makeup), but then, I get to hair and usually throw my wet mop into a tight ponytail. That ‘look’ not only ends up looking unpolished, but I pull my ponytail so tight that I always break hairs just from the tugging several times a day. My hair is medium-long (about three-five inches past my shoulders), fine but fluffy/frizzy, and I have a lot of it. It takes me about 20-25 minutes to dry it with a normal blow-dryer. When I’m done with drying, it’s normally so frizzy and crazy that I must flat-iron, or else, it looks like I just woke up. Flat-ironing would take me another 20 minutes or so, so we’re looking at 45 minutes total to do my hair. Nope. I don’t have the time or patience for that. But then, I discovered this Hot Tools miracle. I’ve only been using it for a little less than a week, but it’s changed my hair life, and I am telling all my girlfriends. It’s reduced my time from 45 minutes to 10. Ten!! Not only that, I don’t have to flat-iron my hair, which saves time and heat exposure to my fine hair.”
Rating: 4.6/5 stars, 4674 reviews on Amazon. This highly sought-after (yet super budget-friendly!) hair dryer brush not only dries strands efficiently and with minimal damage, but it also breathes tons of volume, smoothness, and shine into your style thanks to the built-in tourmaline ceramic technology. You have three different heat settings to choose from, and the Ego Boost mixed pattern of bristles provides lots of long-lasting body and volume. A glowing review: “Y’all! This hot air brush made me cry, but in an amazing way! After spending years trying to re-create the salon blowout, I’ve always failed miserably, but after using this thing, I cried tears of joy! I have super-thick hair that is extremely frizzy as well as curly, and it normally takes over an hour to blow-dry my hair with a regular hair dryer (I’ve tried so many hair dryers, all with the same result), and I have to straighten my hair two to three times to get it to actually look straight, but after using this, I’m never using another straightener or blow-dryer again! In 30 minutes of using this, my hair was completely dry with no frizzing, and I looked like I just stepped out of a hair salon. It’s so soft, and it doesn’t make my hair smell burnt like hair dryers and straighteners do! I’m madly in love with this tool, and it’s so easy to use! I never leave reviews on stuff, but I needed to preach the gospel on this little gem!”
Rating: 4.4/5 stars, 1421 reviews on Amazon. Okay, this is definitely one of the coolest and most innovative hair dryer brushes to make our list thanks to the two different attachments it comes with. The first is an oval brush featuring a smart blend of soft and hard bristles for max detangling and smoothing benefits, and the second is a unique volumizing pick that you can use right at your roots. Plus, you can choose from two different heat settings and one cool setting as you style and finish. A glowing review: “I’ve never been able to use blow-dryers or curling irons without burning my forehead or my wrists. This little baby has revolutionized the way I do my hair!!! It was easy to snap together, and it just got better from there. It has this cool vent to give your hair a boost from the roots. The blow-dryer aspect is surprisingly strong, and I won’t be needing my cumbersome old blow-dryer anymore! This tool is simply my new favorite! It gave my hair a lovely sheen and made styling my moody, half-kinky, half-curly, frizzy, hard-to-do-anything-with hair a total pleasure to work with. I would highly recommend this to anyone who is tired of spending hard-earned money on gimmicks that do not work. Love this, and it’s a keeper.”
Rating: 4.3/5 stars, 172 reviews on Sephora. Part blow dryer, part styler, this all-in-one hair dryer brush is one of our personal favorites, and the satisfied reviews definitely back us up! It strategically utilizes negative ion technology, so you get the shiniest and smoothest end result, and the special mix of long and short bristles helps to detangle, smooth, and reduce breakage as you style. A glowing review: “I have been trying to decide between this and another cheaper model for months. After watching a few reviews, I chose to go with this one, and I am so glad I did! I have thick, curly hair, and it’s super prone to frizz. I usually have to blow-dry my hair, then straighten the roots and then curl it if I want any control. I’d walk right out the door after using this for 20 minutes. I’m in love!”
Up next, Our Hair Has Never Been Softer and Happier Thanks to This Game-Changing Product
