This Viral Hot Brush Gives Me the '90s Blowout of My Dreams

With no damage.

I’ve been in a committed relationship with my beloved blow dry brush for more than five years. (You know the one.) To say I love this gadget, which I purchased on impulse at Target and immediately fell in love with, is an understatement. It changed my entire relationship with my thick, dry, wavy hair. Save for a brief dalliance with the Dyson Airwrap, which I tried but ultimately found underwhelming, I haven’t strayed from my old faithful for a fast, easy blowout.

But like many long-term relationships, my brush and I have been going through a rough patch lately. It’s loud. It’s bulky. It’s probably the culprit of some significant breakage I had to chop off a few months ago. It may be a fire hazard. Is it time to retire the go-to and treasure the happy times we had together?

I’m trying to be more gentle with my hair, but I still love a good blowout—and I’ll stretch one for more than a week. So when I saw Mane’s It’s Giving Body Large Hot Round Brush ($98) all over my TikTok, I was intrigued and knew I had to give it a try.

The Brush

The tool promises to give you a blowout look that lasts longer than an air dryer style, and it’s also perfect for restyling bedhead or second-, third-, or whatever-day hair. This sounded promising, and exactly what I was looking for; I don’t own a curling iron, so when my blowout gets wet, sweaty, or frizzy, I usually have to start from scratch, since air dry stylers aren’t great at restyling.

The Large Hot Round Brush is not a blow dry brush—that’s the most important thing to note, as I was definitely confused when I pulled the lightweight tool out of the box, turned it on, and didn’t hear any airflow. As the name would suggest, it’s a fusion of a curling iron and round bristle brush; it heats up to 355 degrees and has heat-resistant bristles that won’t get all tangled and twisted up in your hair as you work through section by section.

The It’s Giving Body Large Hot Round Brush was designed for all hair types and features a vented ceramic barrel that the brand says will “lock in moisture and maintain shine by sealing the cuticle,” so you get that glossy, shiny post-blowout finish without scorching your hair into oblivion or messing with a dryer, round brush, and curling iron. We love efficiency!

My Review

Like I said above, I probably should have done the reading before putting the tool to work; it’s not a blowout brush like my beloved fave—you cannot use it on wet hair! When I use my blow dry brush, I dry my hair to about 80% dry, then style in sections. Because I have such thick, wavy hair, it typically takes me a few passes to fully dry and straighten each section, and sometimes I literally start sweating with the effort.

The Mane brush is a lot lighter, which is great for hair types that need more tension. You can’t change the temperature, but I found the heat to be very efficient for straightening out my strong wave and shaping my hair into easy bends and flips.

Because this is a hot brush, fully dry hair is key. I prepped my wet hair with heat protectant, then rough dried it on medium heat with the Dyson dryer. Once my hair was dry—which takes awhile!—I turned on the Large Hot Round Brush and waited for the little jingle telling me it was ready, then began by styling my front sections, starting at the root and using gentle tension before curling under.

Though it took a little experimentation to figure out the best way to curl and how to work with, not against, the bristles, I was pleasantly surprised at how efficiently the brush smoothed my stubborn waves and how much volume I got from a quick session. I like a classic ‘90s-inspired blowout with some layers curled under and some curled upwards, and the Large Hot Round Brush was easy to incorporate into my existing routine. It works well for my thick, wavy hair, but I think it would be even better for thinner hair types looking for extra oomph and bounce.

Mane It's Giving Body Large Hot Thermal Round Brush ($98)

SHOP

After my first use, my hair felt soft and shiny, not stressed-out and straw-like, and my blowout lasted beautifully for four days, only ending because it rained. (Even the best hot tools can’t hold their own against curls and rain.) I’ve gotta make room in my bathroom drawers, because the Mane brush is moving in—for good.

Read the original article on Byrdie.