13 Best Hot Air Brushes For An At-Home Blow Dry 2023

Roll-up, roll-up: the best hot air brushes – a total essential hot tool when you want to create a salon-worthy blow-dry from your own bedroom – are trending on TikTok. Best described as a hybrid between a hair dryer and your hair straighteners, the best hot air brushes offer a smooth, blowout finish in one tool. The heat emitted from a hair straightening brush dries your short or long hair post-shower, while the bristles grasp onto your locks to style it. Without the need for a million hands, eyes in the back of your head, and serious skill. Sold? You bet.
Today's next-gen of blow dryer brushes, from the likes of Shark, Dyson, GHD and Revlon, feature detangling nylon bristles that significantly speed up the hair-drying process (which is ideal for those with curly hair) – while others boast heat-activated silicone bristles to add shine to your locks. Some blow dry brushes also come with barrels infused with kind-to-hair ingredients to combat hear damage and snags, such as coconut oil. Soft and nourished hair, incoming. Here's everything you need to know.
SKIP TO: Are hot air brushes bad for your hair? | What's better – hair straighteners or a hot air brush? | Where to buy hot air brushes from.
Best Hot Air Brushes At A Glance:
Ahead, GLAMOUR's full edit of tried and tested hot air brushes, for every budget and hair type.
1. Best Hot Air Brush Overall
BaByliss Hydro Fusion Hot Air StylerWhy we love it: The most popular hot air brush in this edit, it boasts a large, 50mm rotating brush with a ceramic barrel (to offer a sleek, blow-dry finish) and soft bristles which tame the hair.
Product specifications:
- Barrel size: 50mm
- Wattage: 700W
- Bristle material: natural boar and nylon
- Cool shot: yes
Pros: Advanced plasma technology aims to boost hair growth while a moisture-balancing ionic system works to hydrate the hair and reduce frizz. There are also three temperature settings.
Cons: Works best when hair is sectioned so can take a tad longer.
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2. Most Versatile Hot Air Brush
Dyson Airwrap™ Multi-Styler Complete Long in Vinca Blue And RoséWhy we love it: Cult for a reason, the Dyson Airwrap styler serves as your hair dryer, hot air brush and curling iron all in one and, would you believe it, it'll create even bouncier locks that your hairdresser could with a blowdry.
Product specifications:
- Barrel size: 30/40mm
- Cool shot: yes
Pros: Creates curls in both directions, monitors the product's airflow temperature to prevent damaging the hair and uses charged particles to minimise frizz.
Cons: Takes time to learn how to use it.
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3. Best Hot Air Brush For Travelling
John Lewis 2781JLU Volume Air Hair Styler, BlackWhy we love it: John Lewis' hot air brush is a lightweight ceramic styler which comes with two Airflow/heat settings and a cool setting with Smoothing Iconic Flow to set the style and achieve glossy results.
Product specifications:
- Barrel size: 20/25mm
- Wattage: 800W
- Cool shot: yes
Pros: A point of difference: it includes a plastic brush for taming and detangling as well as a bristle brush. All bases are covered. Oh, and there's a storage pouch for (future) travels.
Cons: No curl release, like some similar models on the market.
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4. Best Hot Air Brush For Thick Hair: Revlon One-Step Volumiser Review
Revlon One-Step Hair Dryer and VolumiserWhy we love it: We're LOVING the Revlon One-Step Hair Dryer. Using the same Iconic Technology as previous editions but with a titanium coating, the One-Step makes it so easy to achieve shiny locks.
Product specifications:
- Bristle material: nylon pin bristles with ball tips
- Cool shot: yes
Pros: It's ultra speedy - we spent approx. 10 minutes on a Zoom with one of Revlon's hair stylists, and managed to achieved an Insta-worthy blow dry before the time was up.
Cons: Can be quite loud.
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5. Best Hot Air Brush For Short Hair
ghd Glide Professional Hot BrushWhy we love it: This hot hair brush tames and smooths dry hair, making for quick and effortless styling - without needing to be handy with a hair dryer.
Product specifications:
- Barrel size: N/A
- Bristle material: N/A
- Cool shot: no
Pros: A 185 ºC optimal styling temperature minimises hair damage and hair breakage, while dual length bristles and ionic tech leave hair extra glossy.
Cons: Takes longer than expected to heat up.
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6. Best Hot Air Brush For Root Volume
ghd Rise Professional Hot BrushWhy we love it: Designed to create double the volume of your air dried hair, the ghd Rise uses the same ultra-zone technology (and consistent heat distribution) as the brand's curling irons for a salon quality finish.
Product specifications:
- Barrel size: 32mm
- Cool shot: yes
Pros: Uses ‘smooth touch’ bristles to style hair right from the root.
Cons: You might need to style in relatively small sections.
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7. Best Hot Air Brush For Short Hair
TRESemme Ceramic Hot BrushWhy we love it: At just £15, can this Tresemme hot air brush really style your hair effectively? The answer is yes, according to an absolute tonne of 5-star Amazon reviews.
Product specifications:
- Barrel size: 19mm
- Cool shot: no
Pros: It's great for short hair and heats up really quickly.
Cons: The ¾ inch barrel is great for getting close to the root, but given the high temperature, can burn your scalp so use with caution!
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8. Best Hot Air Brush For Hollywood Waves
BaByliss Big Hair Care Hot Air StylerWhy we love it: This Big Hair hot air brush is one of the kindest to your hair thanks to the Sensor Protect technology which precisely regulates the heat exerted.
Product specifications:
- Barrel size: 50mm
- Wattage: 650W
- Cool shot: yes
Pros: Has a rotating brush head which replicates the action of a hair stylists' blow-dry, without the effort.
Cons: No speed settings on the turning action.
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9. Best Hot Air Brush With Multiple Attachments
BaByliss Air Style 1000Why we love it: This powerful 1000W hot air brush comes with four interchangeable attachments, making it one of the most versatile hot air brushes in this edit.
Product specifications:
- Barrel size: 50mm
- Wattage: 1000W
- Cool shot: yes
Pros: The attachments are easy to switch between mid-style with the simple and secure locking system, while the ionic technology boosts shine as you style.
Cons: The handle is quite broad in terms of ease of use.
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10. Best Hot Air Brush For Dry Curling
Remington Flexibrush Steam Hair StylerWhy we love it: The Remington Flexibrush offer a really nice and loose curl and you can use it with the steam to achieve even longer lasting curls.
Product specifications:
- Barrel size: 22.6mm
- Bristle material: nylon bristles
- Cool shot: no
Pros: Heats up in 60-seconds, features a cool tip to prevent burning as well as two different length comb attachments to suit your needs.
Cons: Unsuitable for damp hair and can only be used on dry hair.
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11. Best Ceramic Hot Air Brush
Revamp Progloss Volume and Wave Ceramic Hot Brush BR-1350Why we love it: This hair air styler is ideal for taming frizzy hair. Plus, it also gives your hair some extra shine, thanks to its barrel that comes infused with smooth oils such as keratin, argan oil and coconut oil.
Product specifications:
- Barrel size: 32mm
- Cool shot: no
Pros: Tames frizz easily, has retractable bristles that make it easier to release sections of hair after styling.
Cons: The barrel tends to get much hotter than the bristles.
12. Best Hot Air Brush For Waves
T3 AireBrush DuoWhy we love it: Ideal for every hair type, this styler from T3 has 15 temperature settings and comes with a smoothing brush and one for wavy styling to suit your needs.
Product specifications:
- Barrel size: 64/76mm
- Wattage: 900W
- Cool shot: yes
Pros: Contains two interchangeable brushes for smooth and wavy styles.
Cons: A few customers note that the bristles became slightly bent and deformed with constant use.
13. Best New Hot Air Brush Release
Shark FlexStyle Air Styling & Hair Drying SystemWhy we love it: Incredibly versatile and suitable for all hair types, the Shark FlexStyle has a variety of functions and even doubles as a hair dryer. It comes with a variety of attachments too, including auto-wrap curlers, a paddle brush, an oval shape brush as well as a diffusor and concentrator.
Product specifications:
- Wattage: 1400W
- Cool shot: yes
Pros: Ideal for straight, wavy and thick hair. Leaves hair feeling much smoother.
Cons: Relatively expensive.
Are hot air brushes bad for your hair?
Hot air brushes are widely considered to be better for your hair than hair straighteners. Why? The ceramic plates on hair straighteners reach extremely high temperatures which can dry out your hair pretty sharpish. Hot air stylers don't tend to reach temperatures quite so high, which results in less damage. Either way, you'll want to be using a heat protection spray with your straightener or styling brush to keep it in good condition.
Is a hot air brush better than straighteners?
There are a few benefits to hot air brushes over hair straighteners: the lower temperatures result in less hair damage, they make it easier to build volume and they add shine and they dry your hair at the same time as styling it.
Where to buy a hair dryer brush
In true Amazon fashion, you can find all of the best hot air brushes right there on-site, and you can get them on next day delivery with an Amazon Prime membership – just in time for your next hair wash day. You can also snap up some of the best hot air brushes at the likes of LookFantastic, Boots, ASOS and Cult Beauty.
After more hair tools? Head this way for the best hair dryers, over here for the best hair straighteners and in this direction for curling wands to create beautiful curls. We've also got travel hair dryers for your weekend away, sleep-in rollers, a guide to every GHD hair dryer, the best hair wrap towels and all GHD hair straighteners, and a round-up of the best hair brushes according to a Beauty Editor – including paddle brush and round brush recommendations.
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