Yahoo LifestyleHair Dryer Brushes Are the Secret to Getting Sleek Hair in a Hurry
- 1/9
Hair Dryer Brushes Are the Secret to Getting Sleek Hair in a Hurry
We updated this article in June 2022 to add more information about each featured product, based on recent testing done by the Good Housekeeping Institute Beauty Lab. Our top picks have been trimmed down to reflect the best products currently on the market, including a new best overall pick from Amika.
For anyone who struggles to blow dry their own hair at home, hair dryer brushes take the guesswork out of the equation. These brilliant 2-in-1 tools effectively style and dry your hair at once, combining the styling power of a round brush and the drying power hair dryer in one tool. Bristles detangle and smooth hair while heat dries it, and the result is voluminous, frizz-free shine in a single step. But there are a multitude of dryer brushes to choose from, each with its own unique features.
At the Good Housekeeping Institute Beauty Lab, we test and vet hair styling products every day, from styling tools like the best straightening irons and hair straightening brushes to top-rated hair dryers, hair brushes and more — so we know what makes a good hair tool. In our most recent test of hair dryer brushes, our expert testers evaluated 10 products at home and in our Lab for ease of use, performance, drying time and more. After evaluating the results from our testing (including nearly 11,000 temperature readings!), we rounded up the best of the best.
Our top picks:
For more information on what makes a great hair dryer brush from our Beauty Lab pros, scroll to the bottom of this article. And if you want more information on how to get your best hair at home, check out our guide to the best hair tools and how to use them.
sephora, amazon - 2/9
1) Hair Blow Dryer Brush 2.0
Amika
sephora.com
$100.00
Get a shiny, salon-caliber blow-out at home with this easy-to-hold Amika blowdryer brush. 100% of testers agreed this brush was best for creating perfect style and volume on all hair types, all while having the gentlest heat of tested products. Testers found this gives a pro-level blow dry while boosting hair’s fullness; "I also liked that they use two types of bristles (short and long) as it grabbed the strands of hair and glided through," said one. This pick has the longest cord for easy styling and was the only winner with wrap for storage. It's also the quietest hair dryer brush we tested.
• Heat settings: 3
• Cord length: 9.6 ft.Amika - 3/9
2) One-Step Hair Dryer & Volumizer Hot Air Brush
Revlon
amazon.com
$64.99
With over 300,000 Amazon reviews, Revlon's cult fave One-Step Hair Dryer and Volumizer lived up to its reputation: It achieved the fastest rate of drying hair in Beauty Lab testing. The brush's shape allows for smoothing and glides easily through even the rough hair textures. “I liked how the brush head was large, which allowed it to dry more hair at once,” a tester reported. “It was good for creating smooth, straight hairstyles.” The tool also ranked highly for having simple-to-follow instructions and boosting hair's shine.
• Heat settings: 3
• Cord length: 6 ft.READ OUR FULL REVIEW: The Five-Star Revlon One-Step Hair Dryer Brush Is a Total Game Changer
Revlon - 4/9
3) Professional 24k Gold Charcoal Infused Blowout Styler
HOT TOOLS
amazon.com
$44.40
True to its name, Hot Tools won the gold for effortlessly combing through and speedily styling even dense, coarse or curly strands. The controls were also the simplest to use compared with the other models, thanks to a rotating temperature control with three heat settings and vent platforms for faster drying on even super thick and curly strands. In Beauty Lab evaluations, 100% of expert testers found that it styled hair fast and combed through strands with ease. “I was surprised by the speed and how fast my hair went from wet to dry,” a user commented.
• Heat settings: 3
• Cord length: 8 ft.Hot Tools - 5/9
4) The Double Shot Blow-Dryer Brush
Drybar
sephora.com
$150.00
In Beauty Lab evaluations, we found that this efficient hair dryer brush, a GH Beauty Award winner, reached a maximum temperature of 167°F over five minutes of use, nearly 100ºF lower than the competition to prevent hair from getting overly exposed to heat while still effectively styling hair. The brush’s narrow barrel and smaller surface area make it ideal for fine or short to medium- length hair. Weighing in at just under a pound, one tester found it comfortable to hold and that the brush combed easily through her hair. “I got great volume with this, yet my hair felt really smooth — it was comparable to a blow-out from a salon,” another marveled. “Much better results than using a regular dryer and separate brush,” another user noted.
• Heat settings: 3
• Cord length: 8.9 ft.Drybar - 6/9
5) Hot Body Ionic 2-in-1 Blowout Hot Air Brush
Style Craft
walmart.com
$79.95
In Lab tests, this brush got the highest scores for leaving hair looking shiny and frizz-free. The mixed pattern bristles give hair height and body; the longer plastic bristles detangle hair while the shorter, bushier bristles smooth hair into a glossy sheet. However, this tool got the hottest during use in Lab tests, so be sure you use a heat protectant and use on partially-dried hair. Our testers also found there was a bit of a learning curve when it came to understanding and maneuvering this tool.
• Heat settings: 3
• Cord length: 5.8 ft.StyleCraft - 7/9
6) Airwrap Complete Styler Set
Dyson
sephora.com
$599.00
In addition to two 1.2-inch barrels and two 1.6-inch barrels for curling, the dryer comes with useful attachments for blowing out hair straight, including a pre-styling dryer, a firm smoothing brush, a soft smoothing brush and a round volumizing brush. The paddle brushes use Coanda technology to guide air flow down the shaft of the hair, mimicking a salon blowout. What makes it even more amazing? It combines powerful airflow with controlled heat to dry your hair as it styles with less damage, making a favorite amongst GH Beauty Lab pros. One GH editor with thick, curly hair says, "the Airwrap is the only hair dryer brush I can use to keep my hair straight and less damaged than traditional counterparts."
• Heat settings: 4
• Cord length: 8.5 ft.sephora.com - 8/9
7) Hot Air Spin Brush
Conair
amazon.com
$61.99
If your arm gets tired from pulling hair round and round, snag this rotating pick that does the work for you. The smaller-than-average 1 ½-inch barrel is perfect for shorter styles, and the spinning mechanism rotates in two directions to create natural-looking curls and waves on dry hair in between washes. While we haven't tested this pick in the Lab, the brand claims the ceramic technology dries damp strands and adds lasting shine.
Heat settings: 3
INFINITIPRO BY CONAIR - 9/9
9)
Good Housekeeping / Danusia Wnek - Hearst Owned
