I used to think hot-tool hybrids were gimmicky, but after testing some of the best hair-dryer brushes, I’ve found that the combo just works. (You can find an endless stream of TikTok videos and glowing reviews to prove it.) While I’ve been a hair straightener devotee for more than 20 years, brush tools are slowly converting me—especially as new and innovative options that style with less heat damage or double as a curling iron enter the chat. If you’ve never used one before, picture your favorite round brush with a cord on the end, enabling it to blow heat as you set your style.
To help you find one to perfect your ’00s blowout, we tapped professional hair stylists to find out what matters when shopping for the two-in-one tool. We also asked our expert editorial team—a group with different hair types and lengths—to find out what brand they use and love. Then we put close to a dozen to the test, evaluating each for ease of use, heat-setting features, and overall performance. Our favorite was the T3 Aire 360 Ceramic Air Styler Blowout Kit, which is lightweight and quiet, and gives even long hair a frizz-free finish. But other options won rave reviews from curly-haired testers or were better suited for travel.
The best blow-dryer brushes, at a glance
How we tested the best blow-dryer brushes
We tested blowout brushes by evaluating their temperature levels, how easy they were to use, and whether they gave us salon-worthy results on a variety of hair lengths and types. The best blowout brushes were gentle on hair with a slew of heat settings or infrared technology, and they didn’t leave our strands looking or feeling particularly dry or fried. We also went with models that were easy to use and maneuver around our heads (those that weighed about one pound were our favorites). The hair-dryer brushes that rose to the top gave us smooth, silky hair that looked and felt completely frizz-free for hours after our blow-dry.
Best Overall: T3 Aire 360 Ceramic Air Styler Blowout Kit
Original video from Brigitt Early testing T3 Aire 360 Ceramic Air Styler Blowout Kit
- What we love: Less heat damage; lightweight and easy to use; comes in an easy-to-store thermal pouch; works quickly
- What could improve: Our testers fingers kept accidentally changing the heat settings.
The T3 wins for best blow-dryer brush overall because it strikes a really sweet spot—it’s half the price of some comparable dryers (like the Dyson!) and just as versatile. We were quite impressed with the tool’s styling prowess, too, whether using it as a blow-dry brush or a curling wand. Overall, it’s a fantastic value.
Using this hair tool felt like a luxury experience, from unboxing to the actual styling. Compared with other dryers, it was relatively quiet. It comes in a beautiful hexagonal box that houses a pouch rather than a bulky, hard-to-store box. The tool is also one of the lighter options we tested, making it possible to style even long hair with little to no arm fatigue. “I have very long hair, so I appreciated the size of the brush and the fact that it does a good job detangling as you work,” says Glamour contributor Brigitt Earley. “I was able to grab larger chunks of hair without sacrificing smooth, frizz-free results, allowing me to dry my hair much faster than I typically can with other hair dryers and dryer brushes I’ve tried.”
Best Value: Revlon One-Step Volumizer Plus
Original video from Brigitt Earley testing Revlon One-Step Volumizer Plus
- What we love: Great tension; leaves hair soft and shiny; capable of grabbing a lot of hair at once
- What could improve: Short cord
We have raved about Revlon’s One-Step Volumizer at length, and now the brand has a new iteration of the beloved hot tool to gush over. The new blow-dryer brush offers everything the OG did—plus a smaller handle, a smaller brush head to give you more control, and a fourth heat setting to suit a wider range of hair types.
Earley put it to the test on her mid-back-length wavy hair and was impressed by what she saw in the mirror. “I tried the original Revlon One-Step and loved it but was wary of how hot it got—even for my relatively thick hair,” she says. “This one didn’t singe the roots (or my forehead!) quite like the original but still left my hair incredibly smooth and shiny in only about 20 minutes, which is great considering how long my hair is.”
Best for Curly Hair: GHD Duet Blowdry Hair-Dryer Brush
Original video from Malia Griggs testing GHD Duet Blowdry Hair-Dryer Brush
- What we love: Gentle on hair, leaves strands silky and soft
- What could improve: Can dry out hair a bit
So you may be thinking: Can curly-haired girls use a blowout brush? In short, they can, as long as the brush is suitable for coarse hair types, like this GHD pick. It’s gentle on hair and gives you smooth, blow-out-worthy volume at a low temperature, which is gentle on curls.
“Other than my Dyson (which I do love for its versatility), this was my first experience with a blow-dryer brush, and I was super impressed. The GHD is very straightforward—a one-button push to turn on, then it heats in under a minute, and takes my curly hair to blowout beautiful in 20 minutes. It’s easy to use, and the results speak for themselves. I do wish it was less heavy, as it becomes cumbersome to hold after a while, and that I could choose between heat settings. But overall, it’s a solid pick,” says Glamour commerce editor Malia Griggs.
Best for Short Hair: Amika Blow-Dryer Brush
Original video from Alanna Martine Kilkeary testing Amika Blow-Dryer Brush
- What we love: Quieter than others we evaluated; three speed settings
- What could improve: Some users find the handle uncomfortable.
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