The best hot brushes in the UK for a salon finish at home, tried and tested by our expert
Hot brushes promise bouncy blow-dries and voluminous curls – without the salon price tag. We put 14 to the test to reveal the best, from budget buys to multistylers
Few things put a spring in your step quite like a beautiful, bouncy blow-dry from your favourite hair salon. However, if you don’t want to spend your days – or your money – at the salon, then a hot brush could be just the styling tool you need.
As the name suggests, a hot brush is a round or paddle-shaped hair-styling tool that either heats up like a straightening iron or uses warm airflow like a hair dryer to dry and style your hair. Depending on the shape and size of the brush, a hot brush can give you anything from a straight, sleek style to volume and lift, or even red-carpet curls.
A good hot brush is a thing of joy because it can provide close to salon-style results with minimum fuss. Brushes that style with warm air can be used for wet-to-dry styling straight from the shower, saving you time, while blow-dry brushes usually style at lower temperatures, reducing the risk of heat damage to your hair.
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At a glance
Best hot brush overall:
GHD Duet Blowdry
Best budget hot brush:
Revlon One-Step Volumiser
Best premium multistyler:
Dyson Airwrap Co-anda2x
Best round brush for root lift:
Shark Glossi 2 in 1 hot tool
Best cordless hot brush:
Revamp Straight & Go
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Why you should trust me
I’ve embraced my natural curly hair for many years, but it’s hard to deny that a good professional blowout brings a polish and confidence that everyone else is quick to notice. During lockdown, when you couldn’t get a salon appointment, sales of hot brushes began to take off; as a home-styling tool, I became enamoured of their time-saving ease and effectiveness. As a beauty journalist, I’ve tested dozens, some of which are among my all-time favourite tools – and I always have my own hot brush on standby at home.
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How I tested
I tested 14 of the most popular hot brushes on the market, including blow-dry brushes and ceramic hot brushes in various sizes and shapes. I used each of the brushes on my medium-length curly hair straight after washing, and again on the day after washing. I dried my hair fully before testing the ceramic hot brushes, and I gave my day-old hair a quick spritz of water when using the blow-dry brushes.
With each of the brushes, I timed how long the brush took to achieve a relaxed daytime look with a bit of polish, and a more styled look suitable for an evening out. I also took note of how each brush handled when styling, how comfortable it was to hold and how easy it was to get my desired results. I checked the condition of my hair immediately after styling, and wore the finished styles for a typical working day to see how well a style lasted.
After testing, the hot brushes sourced for this article were either returned to the manufacturer or donated to the homelessness charity Crisis for resale.
Here are the eight hot brushes that performed best in my tests.
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The best hot brushes in 2026
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<em>Best hot brush overall:</em>GHD Duet Blowdry
- What we love:Fast styling with a shiny, healthy-looking finish
- What we don’t love:Pricier than many other tools on our list
GHD’s blow-dry brush looks slightly terrifying with its black ceramic barrel and spiky teeth, but it does a fantastic job of styling and taming the most unruly hair (including mine) to leave it with amazing shine.
Why we love it
When the Duet was launched last year, GHD’s lineup already included a small range of ceramic hot brushes for styling dry hair (see below). The Duet is a departure for GHD in that it combines the brand’s signature ceramic coating and intelligent heat sensing with warm-air styling at a low temperature of 120C to give great results with less heat damage.
The ceramic-coated plastic bristles look a little scary at first, but they passed through my hair effortlessly without any tugging or snagging. By directing heat evenly over all parts of the tool (bristles and all), the Duet worked quickly, even on my type-3 curly hair. Not only did the hot brush enable quicker styling, which meant less time getting ready in the mornings, but the reduced time that hair is in contact with heat resulted in less dehydration and a shiny, happy finish.
It’s the finish it achieves that sets the Duet Blowdry apart from its competitors – this brush created the healthiest, glossiest look out of all the brushes tested, especially at the drier ends of my hair. It’s also possible to use the Duet to create a range of styles: by simply changing the angle of the brush as I styled, directing and rotating the hair away from my face, I was able to get more of a bouncy, voluminous look, or a sleeker style by stroking the brush downwards. The Duet is a great all-rounder that could happily replace several of your existing styling tools.
It’s a shame that … the Duet Blowdry’s RRP is nearly £380, a fairly hefty price even for this premium brand. Nevertheless, its ability to style at low heat means that if you have fine or damaged hair, or if you style often, your locks might just thank you for the investment.
Wet or dry styling: wet
Motor: 460W
Heat settings: one
Ionic technology: no
Cord length: 2.7m
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<em>Best budget hot brush:</em>Revlon One-Step Volumiser
- What we love:Great-value styling tool; does exactly what it promises
- What we don’t love:Not as versatile as some of our other picks
Launched in 2016, Revlon’s One-Step is the hot brush that saw air styling go viral, with hundreds of thousands of online posts proclaiming the wonders of the all-in-one paddle brush and blow dryer.
Why we love it
There are good reasons the One-Step is part of many people’s home styling routines: it’s effective, and effortless to use. There are no complicated settings here – simply plug it in and switch it on, and you’re good to go. Warm air (there are two heat settings, plus a cold shot) dries the hair and heats the ceramic barrel to smooth and style the hair within minutes.
The One-Step brush has two kinds of bristles to smooth and shape the hair: nylon bristles that spread out and detangle the hair, and boar bristles that smooth over the outer cuticle for a sleek and shiny finish. Pass the hair over the wider, flatter side for a smooth, straight finish, or curl around the curved edges to lift the roots or slightly curl the ends. That’s all there is to it.
Revlon has introduced upgraded models to its One-Step range, but the original One-Step remains unsurpassed for its simplicity and effectiveness – I have actually received gasps of admiration after styling my hair with it. The ceramic barrel smooths hair with every stroke, and ionic technology leaves hair looking healthy, glossy and frizz-free. If you’re looking for a good wet-to-dry styler at a great price, this is the one I’d recommend.
It’s a shame that … the One-Step doesn’t pretend to be anything other than an all-in-one hair styling brush; it does a simple blowout extremely well, but (unlike some of the other stylers on our list) it doesn’t do anything else.
Wet or dry styling: wet
Motor: 800W
Heat settings: two, plus cold shot
Ionic technology: yes
Cord length: 2m
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<em>Best premium multistyler:</em>Dyson Airwrap Co-anda2x
- What we love:Gentle styling protects hair health; intuitive app
- What we don’t love:Among the priciest tools; not backwards-compatible
Dyson’s latest Airwrap is a substantial upgrade to its bestselling series of air-powered styling tools, which use the air-based Coandă effect to wrap the hair around curling barrels.
Why we love it
Using air rather than hot metal to create curls and ringlets means there’s less risk of damage and dehydration – and no need to dry your hair before styling.
This model has an upgraded 150,000 RPM motor, which significantly speeds up drying compared with previous Airwraps – although it does, sadly, mean you can’t re-use attachments from earlier models. As with the Airwrap id before it, the Co-anda2x is available in two versions: a straight/wavy model with 30mm and 40mm curling barrels, and a version for curly/coily hair, which comes with a diffuser and the 40mm barrel only.
Each attachment uses an embedded RFID chip to automatically apply recommended airspeed and temperature settings. The 2x also connects to the MyDyson app, which sends personalised wrapping, drying and cooling settings to the device based on your hair type, so you can just hold the tool near your head and it will do the rest for you. It’s a foolproof system that worked perfectly for me, but you can also control the tool manually should you prefer.
The Co-anda2x’s gentle styling left my hair with soft and shiny ringlets every time I used it, and in fast time, too.
It’s a shame that … at about £580, the Co-anda2x is one of the most expensive styling tools, and due to the re-engineered motor, you won’t be able to use your old attachments if you’re upgrading.
Wet or dry styling: wet (touch-ups to dry hair also possible)
Motor: 1,700W
Heat settings: three (adjustable using MyDyson app), plus cold shot
Ionic technology: yes
Cord length: 2m
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<em>Best round brush for root lift:</em>Shark Glossi 2 in 1 hot tool
- What we love:Styles hair from wet or dry; small and neat
- What we don’t love:Not so good for very long or thick hair
Not just a pretty brush, Shark’s Glossi is a well-designed tool with wet-to-dry air-styling and a dry-styling mode to refresh your look between wash days.
Why we love it
The Glossi is Shark’s successor to the SmoothStyle wet-or-dry styling brush, and like the earlier model, it has settings for styling hair from either damp or dry. In wet mode, the Glossi blows air through the brush vents to style like a blow-dry brush; and in dry mode, heated ceramic plates smooth the hair like a straightening brush. There’s a choice of three heat and three airspeed settings in wet mode, and three heat settings up to 215C in dry mode.
The Glossi comes in four colours and uses smart heat sensors to maintain an even temperature when styling. That means less risk of heat damage and more efficient styling too, as the tool stays at the same temperature between passes. It’s smaller and neater than the SmoothStyle, which means it’s more effective at getting close to the roots, making it a good option for shorter hair. The Glossi has a 1,250W motor, which is an upgrade on the SmoothStyle’s 900W.
One thing to note is that I wasn’t able to straighten using dry mode alone. With my curly hair, I needed to blow-dry on the wet setting before using dry mode to finish. I did like the bouncier result I got from the blow-dry brush alone and the sleeker look I got from finishing with dry mode; in both cases, my hair felt soft and healthy after styling.
It’s a shame that … there’s little wrong with the Glossi, but at its RRP of £159, it’s more of an investment than other hot brushes on our list. Very long or thick hair may get on better with a larger brush, such as the BaByliss below.
Wet or dry styling: both
Motor: 1,250W
Heat settings: three independent heat and air settings (wet mode); three heat settings (dry mode)
Ionic technology: no
Cord length: 2.4m
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<em>Best cordless hot brush:</em>Revamp Straight & Go
- What we love:Beautifully small and neat; sleek and smooth finish
- What we don’t love:Slow-ish to heat up; not so good for very long/thick hair
I wish I’d had this neat little tool on my way to a party six weeks ago, when the weather turned damp, and I had nothing with which to fix my hair. Revamp’s cordless ceramic hot brush, small enough to fit in all but the slightest of handbags, would have been ideal.
Why we love it
It weighs just 320g, and it’s just under 20cm long, so it’s ideal for travel – or for refreshing your hairstyle after work or the gym. The Straight & Go’s size also means it’s good on shorter hair, as the smaller brush head reaches the roots more effectively than larger brushes.
The brush has 10 temperature settings ranging from 130C to 210C, suitable for everything from the finest hair to coarser curls and coils – the lowest setting is even cool enough for synthetic hair. The curved design feels good in the hand and helps give a smooth finish – roll over the curved edge as you brush to finish the tress with a gentle flick under. I found one to two passes at 180C were enough to smooth and straighten my fine-ish hair, and the ceramic coating infused with coconut and argan oils left my locks soft and shiny.
It’s a shame that … the Straight & Go is a great size for short- to medium-length hair; very long or thick hair will prefer the larger GHD Glide below. The brush takes about two minutes to heat up – quite a bit longer than its corded friends.
Wet or dry styling: dry
Motor: not applicable – ceramic heated straightener
Heat settings: 10 (130C to 210C)
Ionic technology: yes
Cord length: cordless
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The best of the rest
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GHD Glide
- What we love:Great for straight and sleek finish on long hair
- What we don’t love:Less versatile than some of our picks
Best for: straightening long and thick hair
GHD’s Glide hot paddle brush is one of the best alternatives to classic straighteners. Designed to be used on dry hair, the Glide’s ceramic bristles smooth effortlessly, detangle and straighten even thick and curly hair, with ionic technology sealing in moisture and reducing frizz. The tool quickly straightens large sections of hair, so it’s a great replacement for your straighteners if you have long or thick hair and like to wear it straight.
It didn’t make the final cut because … I found the Glide effective on my mid-length hair, but preferred the voluminous look achieved using the Duet Blowdry (above). Nevertheless, this is a fantastic brush for creating sleek styles, especially for those with more hair than I have.
Wet or dry styling: dry; motor: not applicable; heat settings: 1; ionic technology: yes; cord length: 2.7m
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Babyliss Air Power Volume
- What we love:A good-value option, especially for long or thick hair
- What we don’t love:Dry mode didn’t straighten my hair without blow-drying first
Babyliss’s Air Power Volume offers wet-to-dry air styling and a dry-styling mode, with heated ceramic fins to refresh your look between wash days. The 1,000W motor made light work of drying my hair in wet mode, taking me from towel-dry to a wearable everyday style in less than 10 minutes. One switch on the handle controls the combined heat and airflow settings, while a separate button toggles on an ionic anti-frizz mode for extra silky shine.
Using the BaByliss Air Power to style from wet to dry left my hair smooth, soft and sleek all day; and dry mode worked really well for smoothing hair down again the following day. This is a well-designed wet-to-dry air styler for less than £100 that gives results comparable to some of the more expensive brushes on our list.
It didn’t make the final cut because … dry mode on its own wasn’t powerful enough to fully style my type-3 curly hair without using the blow-dry mode first.
Wet or dry styling: both; motor: 1,000W; heat settings: two, plus cold shot; ionic technology: yes; cord length: 2.5m
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Hershesons the Multi-Tasker
- What we love:A fun multistyler with interchangeable heads
- What we don’t love:For dry hair only; I needed to blow-dry my hair before use
Best for: a budget multistyler
Not quite an Airwrap dupe, since it uses heated barrels rather than air to style, but the Hershesons Multi-Tasker is still a rival in the multistyling space as it comes with three attachments to smooth, lift and curl hair. It comes in two variants by hair length – I tried the Multi-Tasker for short hair, which comes with a 38mm round brush for a voluminous faux-blowout, a 30mm brush for voluminous waves, and a 25mm curling wand for more defined curls, all in an eye-catching shade of cobalt blue.
I found the two brush attachments worked well on my curly hair when I styled it from dry in its natural pattern. For best results with the curling wand, I found it was necessary to dry my hair straight-ish first before styling, which added an extra step. The finished results were good with all three attachments, however, and lasted a full day of wear.
It didn’t make the final cut because … as with the Mark Hill curler above, the Multi-Tasker is designed for use only on dry hair, which is a drawback if you’re hoping to save time on styling. The Airwrap has the edge for styling in multiple ways from wet to dry.
Wet or dry styling: dry; motor: not applicable; heat settings: four; ionic technology: no; cord length: 2.5m
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What you need to know
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Hot brushes aren’t an entirely new idea – I can still remember my mum’s round brush with aluminium heating plates from the 1980s. However, the hot brush market has expanded significantly over the past decade, with today’s models offering far more advanced features than my mum’s old brush. Today you’ll find they have multiple heat settings, intelligent heat control to reduce damage, ceramic coatings for gentler styling, and ionic technology to lock moisture into hair.
Types of hot brushes
Hot brushes generally fall into two categories. The first uses hot plates, similar to those found in straighteners or curling irons, to heat the hair and reshape it. The second type, the blow-dry brush, uses warm air to dry and style hair, often combined with a ceramic barrel. Blow-dry brushes are designed for use on damp hair and can dry and style at the same time, which is fantastic for saving you time on your morning routine. Ceramic hot brushes, like straighteners, are used on dry hair.
The shape of the brush you choose will affect the type of styles you can create. Flat, paddle-shaped brushes are great for straightening and smoothing, while round brushes add lift at the roots and curl at the ends (with smaller barrels creating tighter curls). Oval-shaped brushes allow for both, smoothing along the long edge and curling or lifting with the rounded corners. Most blow-dry brushes are either round or oval in shape, giving lift and slight curl to the hair; ceramic brushes are usually either round or paddle-shaped.
How to use a hot brush
To use a blow-dry brush, start with towel-dried hair. Section hair, working from the bottom to the top. Pull the brush through the hair from the root to the end, creating tension as you go (as you would when drying your hair with a separate brush and dryer), while also rotating the brush as you go if it’s round. If your brush has the setting, you can optionally finish with a cool shot of air to help reduce the temperature of your hair and fix the style.
With a ceramic hot brush, start with dry hair and section it. Slowly glide the brush down each section, pulling the hair taut. Let each section cool briefly before moving on. Finish with your favourite hairspray to fix the style in place.
Can you buy a refurbished hot brush?
Premium hot brushes command a hefty price tag. If you’d like to save some cash and consider sustainability, it’s worth looking for refurbished options on manufacturer websites. Manufacturer-refurbished models are tested for electrical safety and covered by a warranty, so you won’t be out of pocket if a problem arises. Some brands also offer trade-in programmes, where you can exchange an old tool for a discount on the latest model. If you’re looking for an even more budget-friendly hot brush, I’ve included some excellent options here for less than £50.
For more, read the Filter’s guide to the best hair masks and the Dyson Supersonic Nural hair dryer review
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Lise Smith is a writer with more than 15 years of experience covering beauty, lifestyle, parenting and the performing arts. She loves any beauty tool or product that can guarantee an extra 10 minutes in bed
• This article was originally published on 13 May 2025. Reviews published in the Filter may be periodically updated to reflect new products and at the editor’s discretion. The date of an article’s most recent update can be found in the timestamp at the top of the page. This article was amended on 14 April 2026; three new hot brushes were added after testing, and prices were updated throughout.