We all want the Matilda Djerf blowout, but mastering the humble hair dryer to achieve this look can be challenging. Enter the hot air brush — these popular hair tools allow you to effortlessly create a professional quality blowout without stepping foot in a salon.
The hot air brush is easily my favourite styling tool and something I always recommend to friends and family who want to step up their hair game.
To help you achieve salon-quality, smooth blowout, Beauty Space has rounded up and reviewed seven top-rated products to find the best hot air brush in Australia.
I compare each product based on its features and functionality, provide a helpful guide to buying a hot air brush and answer some frequently asked questions.
Read on for the Beauty Space top picks.
7 of the Best Hot Air Brushes for the Perfect Blowout
1. VS Sassoon Hot Air Brush ‘n’ Style
VS Sassoon offers a great option for the best hot air brush, and it comes at an affordable price point, clocking in at under $50.00 AUD. Despite its affordability, this hot air brush does not compromise on delivering a beautiful blowout.
Featuring ceramic tourmaline technology, the hot air brush ensures even heat distribution, which in turn reduces frizz and provides a polished finish. It’s attached 38mm thermal brush is perfect for shaping and adding texture, making it ideal for initial drying and styling. For a more natural look, the soft ball tip bristles help create a softer, more effortless style, while the attached 25mm hard bristle brush is ideal for shaping the ends, fringes, or shorter styles.
At only 800 watts, don’t expect a Dyson Airwrap-level blowout, but it will provide volume and bounce.
Want to learn more about this hair tool? Read my full review of the VS Sassoon Hot Air Brush ‘n’ Style.
Watts: 800 | Static or Rotating: Static | Attachments: Two | Heat Settings: Two
2. Mermade Hair Hot Air Brush
The Mermade Hot Air Brush is Australia’s answer to the Revlon One Step, which isn’t widely available.
The Mermade, however, comes wrapped in their signature pink or purple design and is slightly more powerful than the One Step, making it the perfect tool for creating a smooth, voluminous blowout for all hair types.
Similarly to the One Step, the wide, oval-shaped barrel provides serious lift and bounce and can be maneuvered to create 90’s style flicks to the end of your hair.
With its tangle-free, boar-free, flexible, and nylon-hybrid bristles, the brush makes it easy to glide through and style your hair.
Its lightweight design and slim grip handle make it easy to use, and its ionic technology helps seal your hair cuticle, protects your follicle, creates shine, eliminates frizz, and curbs flyaways.
Watts: 1200 | Static or Rotating: Static | Attachments: None | Heat Settings: Two
3. Hot Tools Black Gold Volumiser Set
Another hot air brush we love is the Hot Tools Black Gold Volumiser Set.
The benefit of this brush is the two detachable heads. The larger one barrel is identical to the Revlon One-Step and works well in creating bounce and volume — particularly for those with long and thick hair.
The smaller barrel is beneficial in creating more defined blowout curls. Either way, you get versatile styling options in one tool.
The tool has a titanium plate surface which provides even heat distribution and results in smooth, shiny and frizz-free hair.
With three heat settings and two-speed settings, you can customise your blowout to suit your needs.
The benefit of this tool can also be a downside — I have found hair tools with detachable heads can sometimes become loose over time — especially for those with thick and long hair so just keep that in mind when opting for an interchangeable styling tool.
Watts: – | Static or Rotating: Static | Attachments: Two – 61mm barrel and 38mm barrel | Settings: Three Heat / Two Speed
4. Dyson Airwrap Complete Multi Styler
When talking hot air brushes, the Dyson Airwrap is the queen of all devices. It’s garnered a cult following thanks to the innovative Dyson technology, unique functions and ability to create the bounciest blow dry — with less heat damage. One of the key benefits of the Airwrap is the many attachments that come with the multi-styler, allowing you to create many different styles.
The Dyson Airwrap uses intelligent heat control to regulate the temperature, ensuring that your hair won’t be damaged in the process. With a more powerful and effective drying performance, you’ll be able to style your hair faster and better than ever before.
The enhanced Coanda effect creates a defined shape, curls, body, volume and smooth frizz and flyaways while the cool tip switches the direction of airflow to prevent overheating. Made from lightweight and durable poly-carb materials, this styler is designed to last.
Whether you have a sensitive scalp, thin and fine hair, or thick, coarse, and dense hair, the Dyson Airwrap Complete Multi Styler can give you the perfect blowout every time.
Watts: 1300 | Static or Rotating: Static | Attachments: Multiple | Heat Settings: Automated with Intelligent Heat Control
5. Remington HYDRAluxe Volumising Hot Air Styler
If you want a bouncy blowout without the frizz, then try the HydraLuxe Volumising Hot Air Styler.
The unique combination of soft and hard bristles on the oval-shaped barrel gives maximum lift and volume, while the moisture-lock ceramic coating helps to retain the hair’s natural moisture for a Smooth, shiny finish.
TheHydracare Temp setting makes this an ideal styler for those with thin or fine hair, as it minimises damage and leaves hair looking healthy and vibrant.
The styler is also very easy to use and lightweight, making it perfect for on-the-go styling.
There are some design issues that could be improved on this hot air brush in terms of fast heat up and a cool tip at the end to not burn your hands.
Watts: 1200 | Static or Rotating: No | Attachments: None | Heat Settings: Three Heat / Two Speed Settings
6. Revlon One-Step Volumizer Brush
The Revlon One Step combines the power of a dryer with the volume of a styler and is easily one of the most popular and hot air brushes on the market with over 420,000k + reviews on Amazon.
The One-Step has a wide, oval barrel with hard bristles for gliding through all hair types and textures. The one thing you can expect from the One-Step is volume. The oval-shaped barrel provides serious lift and bounce and can be maneuvered to create 90’s style flicks to the end of your hair.
This innovative product dries your hair from the inside out, evenly distributing heat to ensure quick and damage-free results.
The ceramic coating helps protect your hair from over-styling, while the nylon pins and tufted bristles detangle and provide improved control and volume.
This tool is incredibly easy to use and is great value for money at around $100 AUD.
The combination of the powerful wattage and the ceramic coating means that this is one of the most effective tools on the market for styling all hair types, including curly hair.
Watts: 1100 | Static or Rotating: Static | Attachments: None | Heat Settings: Three Heat/Speed Settings
7. BaByliss PRO Elegant 32Mm Tourmaline Ceramic Hot Air Brush
The 32mm round barrel allows you to create tighter curls and more defined ends than oval-shaped barrel blow dryer brushes. This would be an ideal tool for anyone with medium to short-length hair looking to create some serious bounce and volume.
In terms of functionality, this tool is really easy to use and is very lightweight. It has two heat and speed settings and doesn’t rotate – so no learning curve is needed! The Tourmaline-Ceramic coating allows for a smooth, shiny and frizz-free style, and the 700-watt motor dries hair in no time.
The downside of this tool is that the bristles can become worn down, especially for those styling long and thick hair.
Watts: 700 | Static or Rotating: Static | Attachments: None | Heat Settings: Two
A Guide to Buying a Hot Air Brush
With so many makes and models, it can be confusing to know what to look for in a hot air brush – especially if you are new to this styling tool. To help you find the right one for you, here are some important factors to consider:
Bristles
A hot air brush can come with hard bristles (like the Revlon One Step) and soft bristles (like the BaByliss PRO Tourmaline Ceramic Hot Air Brush).
Hard bristles can be more effective and move through the hair and detangle as it styles. The downside of hard bristles can be that they don’t grip as well to thin or fine hair.
Soft bristles can be more effective in creating a smooth and softer look and have great traction to the hair. Brushes with softer bristles might not be the best option for those styling thick or long hair as they can become worn down over time.
Static vs. Rotating
Another major factor to consider when buying a hot air brush is whether it’s static or rotates.
If it’s static, you will need to maneuver the tool to create the curl or style you are looking to achieve.
Some hot air brushes have a rotating functionality, meaning they will do the work automatically for you. This often requires a learning curve on how to use the brush properly and avoid hair becoming stuck.
There’s also the Dyson Airwrap that pulls hair around the barrel using heated air technology to create the blowout look.
Barrel Width and Shape
Hot air brushes can come in a round brush or oval-shaped barrel.
An oval barrel shape will add a lot of volume to your hair, whereas a round brush can allow you to create more defined curls or flicks to your hair. Those with short hair may opt for a round brush in order to see a more bouncy blowout look.
Settings
Two heat (low, high) and two speeds are the most common settings you will find on most blow dryer brushes.
Those with thick, coarse and long hair will benefit from hot air brushes with high heat and powerful heat and speed settings. Those with thin, fine or damaged hair will want to use low – moderate heat and speed settings to minimise damage to the hair.
Many hot air brushes also come with a cool shot button or setting that allows you to lock in your hairstyle by closing the hair cuticle with cold air.
Barrel Coating
The barrel coating is an important feature as it can impact the quality and healthiness of your hair.
Many tools come with a ceramic coating which can help to distribute heat more evenly, preserve your hair’s natural moisture, provide fast heat up to avoid hot spots and minimise frizz.
Tourmaline is another common coating utilised in hot air brushes. Tourmaline uses Ionic Technology that produces negatively charged ions to prevent moisture in your hair and ultimately minimise frizz. Those with thick, frizzy or difficult-to-dry hair will want to opt for a tool with a Tourmaline (aka Ionic) coating.
Attachments
A hot air brush that comes with multiple barrel attachments can be a major plus in allowing you to achieve versatile styles. The Dyson Airwrap Multi Styler comes with a whole kit of attachments allowing you to create a variation of hairstyles.
Some of the other models may come with two detachable barrels – a smaller and a larger barrel for creating different-sized curls.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use a hot air brush on wet hair?
Unless the tool explicitly says you can, it is not recommended to use a hot air brush on wet hair. Hair should be about 80% dry before using a hot air brush.
This is because a hot air brush does not have the wattage/power of a normal hair dryer and requires close contact with the hair.
Is a hot air brush better than flat iron?
This will depend on the look you are trying to achieve. If you are after straight, sleek hair or styled curls, then a flat iron might be a better option for you. A hot air brush, on the other hand, provides a voluminous, bouncy blowout look.
Does a hot air brush curl hair?
The size of the barrel and the way you maneuver the brush can determine whether it can curl hair.
Hot air brushes with a thinner barrel will be able to create touseled curls. Winding the hair around the barrel as you pull the hot air brush down the hair can also help in creating a curl effect.
Recommended Reading
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