The Best Hot Hair Brushes

Buying Guide

You may rush to the beauty shop for a blowout now but straightening hair with heat is nothing new. Using nothing more than heat and a large, round surface, people have been getting that salon look at home for decades.

Hair-straightening irons are a go-to tool for many people, especially those with curly and wavy hair. But even those who have naturally straight locks can benefit from some heat-infused straightening. The right tool will help you achieve those soft, shiny, lustrous strands that you get from your favorite stylist.

But heat isn’t the only element at play in getting straight, voluminous hair. You’ll need to start with a good shampoo, as well as a conditioner designed specifically to work with your hair type. Wait to dry your hair until it’s damp. If you’re in a hurry, absorb moisture using a microfiber towel or turban while doing something else before continuing your haircare routine.

The key to straightening your hair is a wide-barrel brush and a hair dryer that uses ionic heat. Ionic hair dryers use negatively charged ions to break down the positive charge in the water molecules. This dries the hair without opening hair shafts, which helps keep frizz at a minimum, giving you a sleek look.

A hot hair brush can help you reduce some of that effort. Think of it as a curling iron, brush and hair dryer all in one. The brush has a barrel that blows hot air toward your hair, combined with bristles that you can run through it. Instead of having to hold a brush and dryer at the same time, you have one wand that does it all.

But not all hot hair brushes are alike. The barrels are made using different materials, but there are also bristles to consider. Multiple heat settings can help you customize what you need, alternating between simply warm air and the hottest temperature. Many hot hair brushes also have a cool setting to help you lock your style in place toward the end of your DIY blowout.

• Whether through blow dryers, hot rollers, straighteners or curling irons, heat has long been used to give hair that smooth look. Heat breaks apart the hair’s hydrogen bonds. When the hair cools, those hydrogen bonds reform, taking the shape you’ve styled the hair into using heat.
• Similar to a curling iron, you shouldn’t hold a hot hair brush in one position for more than a few seconds. Doing so can damage your hair.
• If buying a hot air brush sold in the U.S., you’ll likely need an adapter to use it when traveling in other countries because of the difference in power outlets.
• To achieve volume, hold the hot hair brush at the roots briefly before moving through the rest of the hair. To reduce volume, run it through quickly at the root level.
• Nylon bristles can reduce frizz and tangles. They can be a little harsher on the scalp, though. Boar bristles can be a softer alternative that achieves the same results.
• Hot hair brushes typically work best with longer hair. Shorter hair often won’t give you the length you need to work with. But even fine hair can do well with hot hair brushes. You can add volume by circulating the brush under the roots for a short time before extending it through the rest of your hair.
• Some hot hair brushes spin, allowing you to simply place it under a chunk of hair and move downward to the ends. This can add another layer of convenience.