12 Best Hair Dryer Brushes in 2024 for Fast and Easy Blowouts
My Revlon One-Step = the easier way to DIY supermodel blowout.
We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we love. Promise.
I'm a beauty editor! I own every single hair tool on the market, from the best curling irons to the best round brushes to the best blow dryers. Out of all the hair tools in my stash, there's only one I use every single day, and that's my hair-dryer brush. These heated brushes take my not-so-good styling skills and turn me into a pro. Think about it: With a hair-dryer brush, there is no awkward fiddling with a brush and blow dryer required.—I'm able to style my long, dense hair in half the time, and it looks like I just walked out of a hair salon.
That said, not all hair-dryer brushes are created equal. For me, the best hair-dryer brushes have a long, swivel cord, a handful of heat settings to toggle between different hair types, and an easy-to-hold, ergonomic handle that won't turn my blow-dry routine into an arm workout. As you can probably tell, I've tested dozens of hair-dryer brushes in the last few years, which sparked me to review the 12 best ones I've tried on my own hair. Plus, I got some expert intel to help breakdown all the different types of hair-dryer brushes and which one you should use below:
Our top picks for the best hair-dryer brushes in 2024:
- 1
- 2
Best Hair-Dryer Brush for Straightening
Shark SmoothStyle Heated Comb Straightener + Smoother
Read more - 3
- 4
- 5
Now, keep reading for the full list of the best hair-dryer brushes, according to my own testing and product reviewers, along with tips from a hairstylist on how to choose the best blow-drying brushes and what to look for before you buy. So let’s get started, huh?
Revlon One-Step Hair Dryer and Volumizer
Revlon One-Step Hair Dryer and Volumizer
Pros
- Works well for most hair types
- Excellent quality for the price
Cons
- According to reviewers, it didn't leave hair totally smooth and silky
Not only has the Cosmo staff personally reviewed the Revlon One-Step on curly, wavy, and straight hair (and genuinely loved it on all three hair types), this cult-favorite hair dryer brush also has more than 318,000 (!) positive reviews on Amazon, so you know it’s good. With three heat and speed settings and a mix of nylon and tufted bristles, this blow-dry brush will leave your hair with maximum volume and shine.
- Heat settings: 3
- Attachments: None
- Bristles: Nylon ball-tipped pins and tufted bristles
- Cord length: 6 ft
- Weight: 1.3 lb
Glowing customer review: "As a Black woman, I was skeptical about the ability of this dryer to straighten my hair. Well, baby, I'm in love; I highly recommend this dryer to anyone looking for an alternative to a regular blow dryer—oh, and yes, it definitely gets hot enough to get the job done."
Shark SmoothStyle Heated Comb Straightener + Smoother
Shark SmoothStyle Heated Comb Straightener + Smoother
Pros
- Ceramic teeth majorly help straighten and smooth my hair
- I love having wet and dry hair modes depending on my preferences
Cons
- Some testers said it took a bit long to dry their hair
Since I cut my hair into a bob, I pretty much always wear it straight... but I legit despise having to blow dry, then flat iron my hair. Enter: Shark's SmoothStyle hair-dryer brush. It uses hot air to help dry my hair, just like all of the other blow-dryer brushes on this list, but the design of the bristles really lends itself to detangling, smoothing, and styling my hair.
It has a mix of plastic and tufted, boar-style bristles on one half of the tool that you've come to expect with a hair-dryer brush. But on the sides of the oval-shaped tool are ceramic-coated teeth that heat up and really help smooth out my hair to give me a sleek look. Plus, I can use the dry mode afterward to get my hair even sleeker, all from one tool.
- Heat settings: 1 (410 degrees)
- Attachments: Storage bag
- Bristles: Plastic teeth and tufted bristles
- Cord length: 6 ft
- Weight: 1.56 lb
Glowing customer review: "Obsessed. My hair is silky smooth, and it took very little time. I’m not the most skilled when it comes to hair tools, but this is so easy you can’t get it wrong."
Amika Blowout Babe Thermal Round Brush
Amika Blowout Babe Thermal Round Brush
Pros
- Stays at an even 356 degrees, which is the perfect temperature to heat and style your hair
- Completely silent
Cons
- Won't actually dry your hair, must use it on fully dry hair
If your TikTok FYP is filled with the latest beauty trends and gadgets, there's a good chance you've seen this viral heated blowout brush that testers say gives them a salon-worthy blowout at home. The secret lies in the consistent 356 degrees, which is the perfect temperature to smooth your hair—though note that testers with super thick, curly, or coarse hair will need to straighten beforehand. The nylon bristles are firm enough to glide through your hair and tackle any tangles but still pliable enough that they won't cause damage. But the absolute best part? It's totally silent. *Drops mic, adds to cart*
- Heat settings: One, 356 degrees
- Attachments: None
- Bristles: Plastic
- Cord length: 9 ft
- Weight: Not specified
Glowing customer review: "I absolutely love this brush!! It gives me the perfect blowout look every time. Literally my new favorite hair tool," writes one tester. "Love this brush so much it makes my hair look so amazing like I just had a fresh blowout," adds another.
Dyson Airwrap Styler Complete Long
Dyson Airwrap Styler Complete Long
Pros
- The lower heat design is much less damaging to your hair
- Comes with multiple attachements so you can brl
Cons
- It's pricey $$$
Let’s be honest: If you’ve got a spare $600+ lying around, then yeah, the latest Dyson Airwrap is the best hot-air brush to fulfill all your wildest hair dreams. Aside from the fact that it comes with two wand-like heads to curl your hair and a Coanda dryer head that simultaneously dries and smooths, it also comes with three different brush heads (a soft smoothing brush for fine hair, a firm smoothing brush for frizz, and a bristled brush for volumizing) to give you the exact customized look you want.
- Heat settings: 3
- Attachments: 6 barrels, storage case, filter cleaning brush
- Bristles: Nylon ball-tip for the round brush, firm plastic for the flat brushes
- Cord length: 8.5 ft
- Weight: 1.5 lb
Glowing customer review: "I have super thick long hair and it takes forever to dry it normally. It takes half the time now with this—the combination of the smoothing tool and volume attachments not only smooth and straighten my hair but give it that 'just left the salon blowout' look in no time at all."
Conair InfinitiPro Frizz Free 1 1/2-inch Hot Air Brush
Conair InfinitiPro Frizz Free 1 1/2-inch Hot Air Brush
Pros
- Gives your hair that nice "bouncy' look
Cons
- May not be the best for detangling super thick hair
With short hair, you don’t necessarily want to use a hair-dryer brush with a thick, clunky brush head since you won’t be able to get as close to your scalp with it. Instead, try this one-and-a-half-inch barrel with short, mixed bristles and a gentle ceramic base (ceramic = less damaging heat) to help add volume and smooth flyaways to your lob or bob.
- Heat settings: 2
- Attachments: None
- Bristles: Nylon ball-tipped pins and tufted bristles
- Cord length: 6 ft
- Weight: 1.3 lb
Glowing customer review: "This hot air brush is a game changer. If you have trouble maneuvering a round brush and hair dryer, I recommend this heat styling combo. It's very light, and the heat/speed combo is perfect to blow out your hair without blowing it all over the place."
L'ange Le Volume Elevé 2-in-1 Titanium Brush Dryer
L'ange Le Volume Elevé 2-in-1 Titanium Brush Dryer
Pros
- The teardrop design gives you closer access to your roots, allowing for more volume
- Won't make your arm feel heavy or tired while styling
Cons
- Users say the bristles may begin to fall off over time
Some hair dryer brushes can weigh you down—literally. Opt for a lightweight option with the L'ange Hair Le Volume brush. Coming in at just under 1.5 lbs (!), when I use this hair-dryer brush, I don't feel my arm cramp up after minute four of blow-drying. Not only that, but the teardrop-shaped barrel is specially designed to get closer to the roots for more volume.
- Heat settings: 3
- Attachments: None
- Bristles: Nylon ball-tipped pins and tufted bristles
- Cord length: 7.9 ft
- Weight: 1.26 lb
Glowing Customer Review: "I have very curly hair and in the humidity, it gets extremely [frizzy], this product goes beyond a five-star rating. I have tried everything out there—this thing is miraculous."
INH Insert Blowout Here Blowout Brush
INH Insert Blowout Here Blowout Brush
Pros
- Reviews say the brush gets hot enough to quickly dry your hair, but not too hot where it hurts
Cons
- It does not have dual-voltage, and a voltage converter may damage the brush
Rather than a mix of bristles scattered across the head, the flat sides of this brush just have nylon bristles with ball tips. So if you've got a head full of thick or curly hair, you'll be able to grab every strand without spending an hour doing your hair, or worse, tugging at your strands and potentially causing damage.
- Heat settings: 3
- Attachments: None
- Bristles: Nylon ball-tipped pins
- Cord length: 6 ft
- Weight: 1.72 lb
Glowing customer review: "After my first use, I'm in love! It dries my hair in less than five minutes on the high setting, and my hair had volume!"
Drybar The Double Shot Blow-Dryer Brush
Drybar The Double Shot Blow-Dryer Brush
Pros
- Combines nylon and tufted bristles for better tension and control
Cons
- Reviewers with thick, coarse hair note that this works best combined with other tools to straighten hair
In an ideal world, we’d all be able to go to a Drybar every other day for a professional blowout, right? Dreams. The next best thing? This hair-dryer brush, which has three heat settings (cool, medium, and high) along with an ionic base (sounds fake, but ionic technology really does help seal your hair cuticle and curb flyaways and frizz) to help you get a shiny blowout on your own.
- Heat settings: 3
- Attachments: None
- Bristles: Nylon ball-tipped pins and tufted bristles
- Cord length: 8.9 ft
- Weight: 1.3 lb
Glowing customer review: "Because my hair is very thick, it often gets frizzy with a blow dryer, but this takes [on] the frizz. I’ve owned several hair-dryer brushes in the last decade and was hesitant about this one due to the price but let me tell you, it is worth it!"
Conair 2-in-1 Hot Air Styler Brush
Conair 2-in-1 Hot Air Styler Brush
Pros
- It creates major root volume
Cons
- Testers say that if you don't blow dry it out in an even motion, kinks can easily occur
K, this brush is TINY, meaning if you’ve got long, coarse, or thick hair, please mosey on by. For everyone else? Meet your BFF. Because the brush heads are so skinny (1 inch and ¾ inch), you can easily nestle them right up under your roots to volumize your fine hair (pro tip: spritz on a volumizing spray first). Or, if you’ve got a bob, lob, pixie cut, or bangs, just twirl small sections of your damp hair around the brush to create waves and curls.
- Heat settings: 1
- Attachments: None
- Bristles: Nylon
- Cord length: 6 ft
- Weight: 0.95 lbs
Glowing customer review: "I have fairly short, fine, thin hair, and the 3/4 inch barrel is perfect for just giving my hair enough curl to look fuller. It's great for making nice curls on longer hair too."
T3 AireBrush Duo Interchangeable Hot Air Blow Dry Brush
T3 AireBrush Duo Interchangeable Hot Air Blow Dry Brush
Pros
- The cool setting is great to set your blown out hair, reviewers say
Cons
- IMO, the paddle brush head is not nearly as effective as the round brush head for a bouncy look
Trust me when I say two heads are better than one here. This smart (like, very smart) blow-dryer brush has five heat settings and three speed settings, so you can get a hella-bouncy blowout with the round brush attachment, or snap on the paddle hair brush attachment for a smooth, glossy finish.
- Heat settings: 5
- Attachments: Two brush heads (paddle and round)
- Bristles: Nylon ball-tipped pins and tufted bristles
- Cord length: 9 ft
- Weight: 1.025 lbs
Glowing customer review: "I have thick, straight, color-treated hair. I'm not using this product to straighten my hair, but instead to give it volume/movement and sleekness, like at the salon. The T3 does all of this and doesn't dry out my hair like the other products do."
Revlon One-Step Hair Dryer & Styler
Revlon One-Step Hair Dryer & Styler
Pros
- The bristles are very malleable, reviews say
- Works best on straight to wavy hair
Cons
- Testers note that the hottest setting can sometimes be too hot
Ah, Revlon—so nice, it gets listed twice (hi, I'm free for all your taglines, thanks). The one complaint I’ve heard during blow-dry-brush reviews? The round brush is kinda hard to maneuver for total hair newbs. If that sounds like you, try this flat brush, which blow-dries your hair as you brush it. Just note that it’s most likely best for hair that's already straight (think: straight hair with some bumps and waves).
- Heat settings: 2
- Attachments: None
- Bristles: Nylon ball-tipped pins and tufted bristles
- Cord length: 6 ft
- Weight: 1.57 lb
Glowing customer review: "Let's be really clear here, I HAVE 4c hair—no, really, it's 4c. I spend so much time detangling my hair that it is ridiculous! I was able to blow dry my hair on the cool setting in 20 minutes."
BaBylissPRO Nano Titanium Oval Ionic Hot Air Brush
BaBylissPRO Nano Titanium Oval Ionic Hot Air Brush
Pros
- Leaves hair feeling and looking super smooth
Cons
- May take a bit of a learning curve to get used to the rotating design
You know how your hairstylist will pull and wrap the same section of hair over and over (and over) during a blowout? Yeah, that’s all to flatten your hair cuticle and make your hair silky. It’s also tough to do on your own—unless you have a rotating hot-air brush like this, which spins your hair around a frizz-smoothing base to really sleek it out and add shine.
- Heat settings: 3
- Attachments: None
- Bristles: Nylon and boar
- Cord length: 8 ft
- Weight: 0.96 lbs
Glowing customer review: "My hair was all frizz, all the time, I tried straightening irons, expensive blowouts, and dozens of products—everything failed, but for me, this worked! My hair is smooth and shiny and soft again."
What are hair-dryer brushes?
A hair-dryer brush is a corded round brush that blows heat from the inside out to dry your hair as you brush, twirl, and style it. Basically, it combines your blow-dryer with your round brush, so you only need one tool to blow out your hair (plus, obviously, a very good heat protectant spray). The result? Straight yet bouncy hair. And don’t be confused by the jargon: hair-dryer brush, hot-air brush, blow-dryer brush—they’re all the same thing.
Can I use a hair-dryer brush on wet hair?
Yes, you can use a hair-dryer brush on wet hair. That's actually how you use a hair-dryer brush: to dry your hair. Although to prevent excess damage, it’s always best to let your wet hair dry a bit (think: 30 to 40 percent dry) before going in with your blow-dry brush. Trying to blow-dry your sopping-wet hair requires a ton of unnecessary heat, tension, and manipulation.
And if you’re blowing out natural hair or tight, curly hair, know that you won’t get the same super-sleek results that you’d get from a traditional blowout or silk press—you’ll still be left with some texture, even if it’s straighter.
Is a hair dryer brush better for your hair?
A hair-dryer brush isn't necessarily better for your hair compared to using a regular round brush with a blow dryer. But (!) it's generally much easier, because you only have to hold one tool, rather than synergistically rotate a brush and hair dryer at the same time. If you’re someone who absolutely cannot give yourself a professional-looking blowout at home—especially if you have wavy/curly or thick hair—then yes, a hot-hair brush is definitely a good tool to try. But if you’re someone who is pretty skilled with a round brush and a blow dryer already, you might not find that it leaves your hair as smooth and sleek as your usual combo.
Are hair dryer brushes damaging?
Hair-dryer brushes, like all hot tools, can be a bit damaging for your hair strands. The heat from the brush, combined with the potential tugging and pulling of the bristles through your hair, can possibly cause some breakage throughout your hair, especially if your hair is already fine, fragile, or damaged.
To mitigate some damage, make sure that your hair is approx. 80 percent dry, so that you're not running this hot tool with rough bristles through sopping wet hair (remember: Your hair is the most susceptible to damage while wet). Also, try not to use the tool every single day. The bristles on a hair-dryer brush—whether nylon, tufted, or a mix of both—can snag and pull at your strands as you glide it down your hair, resulting in potential breakage and flyaways over time.
How do you clean a hair-dryer brush?
To clean a hair-dryer brush, first, make sure it is unplugged for safety. Then, remove any hair that's tangled and caught in the bristles. (My hack is to take a wide-tooth comb and run it through the hair-dryer brush bristles.) Finally, use a damp cloth—optionally with mild soap—to wipe the bristles and surface and you're good to go. Regular cleaning will keep the hair-dryer brush in tip-top shape so you can get the most out of it.
How to find the best hair-dryer brush:
First, know how to use a hair-dryer brush
"Make sure you're using maximum tension with the hair-dryer brush and move slowly down the shaft of your hair in a 'C' shape motion," says hairstylist Andrés Melendez. If you want extra volume near your face (hi, curtain bangs), direct sections of the hair out and away from the face. It will probably take you a few times to truly ~nail~ the technique, but trust me, it gets easier.
Choose the bristle type
A hair-dryer brush with boar-style bristles will help smooth out flyaways and give your hair a sleek look (especially if you combine it with a hair-straightening product). Meanwhile, if you want to help detangle coarse hair or quickly dry it, look for bristles with pins on the ends, a combo of pin-tipped nylon and tufted, boar-style bristles.
Assess your hair goals
Think about what styles you want to achieve with your hair-dryer brush, like a smooth blowout, major volume, or fluffy bangs. For bangs, you might want a round-brush style that's smaller in width (think around an inch) to help style short hairs. Volume, though, will require a wider round brush (between 1.5 and 2 inches).
But you should also know what a hair-dryer brush will not do. A hair-dryer brush is generally used for creating a smooth blowout. Though some believe you can use it to add curls to the hair, the most you can typically create is a soft body wave, says Melendez. Though some hair-dryer brushes may have specific features for curling the hair, your best bet is to stick to a curling iron.
Consider the heat settings
Make sure your hair-dryer brush has a handful of heat settings, especially depending on your hair type. For example, if you have fine, damaged, or color-treated hair, you'll want one with a low-heat option to help cut down on some damage. But if your hair is thick or coarse, you'll probably need higher heat (think: between 350 and 400 degrees). And of course, if you plan to use your hair-dryer brush on a few different hair types (i.e. you're the best roommate ever), having a handful of heat settings will be key.
Meet the expert:
- Andrés Melendez is a hairstylist at Whip Salon, and a colorist at the Benjamin Salon in New York, NY. Melendez splits his time accommodating clientele along the East Coast, NY, CT, and FL.
Why trust Cosmopolitan?
Siena Gagliano is an associate editor at Cosmopolitan who writes beauty and has four years of experience writing about beauty, fashion, and lifestyle news. She’s an expert at researching and writing hair stories, like the best shampoos for thinning hair and the best purple shampoos, and feels especially knowledgeable in hair-dryer brushes thanks to having long, dense hair that takes a particularly long time to dry and style. She regularly tests and analyzes hair-dryer brushes on her own hair for efficacy, while working with the industry’s top hairstylists to assess new formulas and brands.
Beth Gillette has been the beauty editor at Cosmopolitan for more than a year and has nearly six years of experience writing about hair, including volumizing shampoos and wavy hair products. She tests nearly every hair-dryer brush that crosses her desk for efficacy and ease of use, which helped her write this story.
Siena Gagliano is the associate editor at Cosmopolitan, where she primarily covers beauty, fashion, travel, and lifestyle. Wanna know how to get the best brows of your life? Gotchu. What about how to find the best fashion deals of the season, the softest sheets on the market, or exactly how to use retinol without irritating your skin? Check, check, and check. Before joining Cosmopolitan, Siena was a writer at Bustle and several other media outlets. As her 2024 goal, she has vowed to find the best (extra) dirty martini NYC has to offer—and yes, that means ~attempting~ to try every cute cocktail spot in the city (hit her up with some recs, pls). Follow Siena on Instagram for a behind-the-scenes look at that magazine life.
Beth Gillette is the beauty editor at Cosmopolitan, where she covers skincare, makeup, hair, nails, and more across digital and print. She can generally be found in bright eyeshadow furiously typing her latest feature or hemming and hawing about a new product you "have to try." Prior to Cosmopolitan, she wrote and edited beauty content as an Editor at The Everygirl for four years. Follow her on Instagram for makeup selfies and a new hair 'do every few months.
Watch Next
The Best Anti-Frizz Products for Every Hair Type
The Best Round Brushes to Level up Your Blowouts
It’s Time to Vote for Your Beauty Favorites
25 'Chella Hairstyles You'll Drool Over
