We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article.
9 Of The Best Hot Brushes For Your Bounciest Hair Ever
For a salon-worthy blow dry or poker-straight hair in minutes.
If, like us, you find brushing and styling your hair too much of a juggle in the morning, ditch the balancing act in favour of a do-it-all hot brush.
The best hot brushes combine a brush, hair dryer and straightener into one hybrid hair tool — they dry, detangle and style simultaneously, giving you a speedy bouncy blowdry from the comfort of your dressing table.
In the ELLE Lab, we put the newest and best hot brushes to the test. Here are our top picks, but keep reading to find out more and shop our favourites:
Can you use a hot brush on wet hair?
Some hot brushes harness hot air to dry as you style, meaning you can use them safely on wet or damp hair, but they don't tend to offer as much drying power as your go-to hair dryer.
Hair is most fragile when wet, so we recommend only using tools that have hot ceramic plates on dry or nearly dry hair. In any case, you may not get the flawless results you're after if your hair is still damp. Protect your strands from damage by always applying a heat protectant before styling.
Hot brush or hair straightener: which is better?
Hot brushes and hair straighteners both deserve a spot in your haircare arsenal, for different reasons.
Though versatile, straighteners often struggle to create the bigger, bouncier waves that a hot brush can produce. That said, they're better for tight waves and curls, so the choice depends on your desired style.
Michelle Thompson, an award-winning Afro and textured hair specialist, explains: 'Hot brushes, straighteners and wands all have their purposes, but hot brushes are very easy to use and great for smoothing out the hair while creating body and movement.
'This makes them ideal for use on medium to fine hair, but they are equally effective on thick, wavy, curly and coily hair when you want to eliminate frizz.'
How we test
The ELLE Lab team recruited 270 testers to help us find the best hot brushes on the market. They judged 31 tools on their comfort, ease of use, design, instructions and performance.
In the lab, our expert beauty testers carried out a temperature test to gauge safety and accuracy, before assessing design features such as automatic switch-off.
To judge how well each hot brush kept frizz at bay, we turned to the Bossa Nova Vision's Shuffle machine, which closely measures how much frizz occurs when hair is exposed to high humidity after styling.
ghd Glide Professional Hot Brush
ghd Glide Professional Hot Brush
This iconic hair tool sold out immediately when it launched back in 2019, so it’s unsurprising that our testers crowned it queen of our list. They raved about its slim, lightweight design and loved how intuitive it was to use, with only one button.
It glided through almost all of our panel’s hair without snagging or tangling and quickly created a salon-worthy style.
It kept flyaways at bay for most, and some found they achieved their chosen look faster than with their usual straightener, meaning they could hit snooze one more time in the morning.
Key specifications
| Styler type | Ceramic |
|---|---|
| Temperature range | 185°C |
| Guarantee | 2 years |
| Auto switch off | Yes |
| Accessories | None |
Dyson Airwrap Complete Multi Hair Styler
Dyson Airwrap Complete Multi Hair Styler
Requiring minimum effort on your part, this hot brush automatically grips sections of hair to mimic a full-volume blow out. It comes with six styling attachments (our panel struggled to pick a favourite) and straightened hair without compromising on body, even for those with fine hair.
The innovative airflow system helped reduce frizz with little noise, and almost all testers agreed that it heated up quickly and delivered impressive results.
Though chic, some testers found the storage case bulky to pack. But make no mistake – this set will give you the best holiday hair ever.
Key specifications
| Styler type | Air |
|---|---|
| Temperature range | 63 to 110°C |
| Guarantee | 2 years |
| Auto switch off | No |
| Accessories | Travel case, non-slip mat, pre-styling dryer, filter cleaning brush, 4 Airwrap barrels, firm/soft smoothing brush, round volumising brush |
T3 AireBrush Duo Blow Dry Brush
T3 AireBrush Duo Blow Dry Brush
This dual-ended gadget allows you to effortlessly flip between bouncy curls or poker-straight strands.
It also has a broad temperature range (perfect for protecting fragile hair) and impressed testers by replacing frizz and flyaways with smooth, shiny locks.
Key specifications
| Styler type | Bristle brush |
|---|---|
| Temperature range | 55-131C |
| Guarantee | 2 years |
| Auto switch off | No |
| Accessories | N/A |
Shark FlexStyle 5-in-1 Air Styler and Hair Dryer
Shark FlexStyle 5-in-1 Air Styler and Hair Dryer
This combined hair dryer and multi-styler won points on the aesthetic front, but did it perform in the lab and impress our panel?
The short answer is ‘yes’. In the Bossa Nova Shuffle tests (to measure flyaways and frizz), the Shark FlexStyle showed up many of its competitors, leaving our testers with silkier tresses.
Almost all our panel said it gave their hair added bounce and volume, plus it was easy to use compared to other stylers thanks to clever air styling tech, while still delivering great results.
Key specifications
| Styler type | Bristle |
|---|---|
| Temperature range | N/A |
| Guarantee | Two years |
| Auto switch off | No |
| Accessories | 1x Paddle Brush, 1x Oval Brush, 2x Curlers (Left and Right Barrell), 1x Styling Concentrator, 1x Curl-defining Diffuser, 1x Storage Case (optional, only comes with the black/rose gold colour), Style Guide |
ghd Rise Hot Brush
ghd Rise Hot Brush
JLo’s 2020 Super Bowl show may feel like forever ago, but we’re still lusting after her larger-than-life waves. Happily, this hot brush helped our panel replicate her look, delivering body at the roots for most testers.
It didn't take long to heat up and left almost all our panel with silky-soft strands. If that wasn’t enough, it made light work of tackling frizz and flyways. In short, it's hard to fault.
Key specifications
| Styler type | Bristle brush |
|---|---|
| Temperature range | 185°C |
| Guarantee | 2 years |
| Auto switch off | Yes |
| Accessories | None |
Revamp Progloss™ Deepform Dry, Style and Shine Professional Air Styler and Hot Brush
Revamp Progloss™ Deepform Dry, Style and Shine Professional Air Styler and Hot Brush
Fancy a full-bodied blow dry from the comfort of your own home? We thought so.
This brush preserved styles, keeping bouncy volume intact for longer. Most testers saw reduced frizz and added softness as a result, with many agreeing it took just one quick swipe to straighten.
Key specifications
| Styler type | Bristle brush |
|---|---|
| Temperature range | 160-210C |
| Guarantee | 3 years |
| Auto switch off | No |
| Accessories | N/A |
Revlon One-Step Volumiser Plus Detachable Head
Revlon One-Step Volumiser Plus Detachable Head
Revlon got our attention when that blow-dryer brush went viral. This is an update to the TikTok-famous styler, which the brand reckons will give you even better results.
It stood out for its affordable price tag and snag-free styling, working wonders on even the thickest and frizziest hair. Easy and comfortable to use, is didn't fry strands or leave them feeling parched either.
Key specifications
| Styler type | Barrel brush |
|---|---|
| Temperature range | 70-81C |
| Guarantee | 4 years |
| Auto switch off | No |
| Accessories | N/A |
Revamp Progloss™ Deepform Ceramic Straightening Brush
Revamp Progloss™ Deepform Ceramic Straightening Brush
Thicker hair looks particularly fabulous when styled, but it can take ages. However, this deep-bristled brush took thicker tresses in its stride, ploughing through chunkier sections to leave most of our panel with perfectly straight hair.
Our testers didn’t flag this as an issue, but our lab test found it slightly slow to reach its maximum temperature. Still, considering it left users with teddy-bear-soft strands, that's a minor niggle.
Key specifications
| Styler type | Bristle brush |
|---|---|
| Temperature range | 130 to 210°C |
| Guarantee | 2 years |
| Auto switch off | No |
| Accessories | Silicone resistant mat |
Glamoriser LightSpeed One Multi Air-Styler & Dryer
Glamoriser LightSpeed One Multi Air-Styler & Dryer
This multi-headed, space-saving tool comes with all the attachments you could ever need.
It made tangle-free styling easy, leaving smooth, soft and glossy strands behind. Our lab test also confirmed it heated up quickly and accurately. Win-win.
Key specifications
| Styler type | Bristle brush |
|---|---|
| Temperature range | 54-110C |
| Guarantee | 2 years |
| Auto switch off | Yes |
| Accessories | Gifting tin, felt storage bag, seven attachments: SalonAir high pressure drying and styling nozzle, 2x OneShot dry, volume and straight brushes for all hair lengths, large AutoAir wand for drop curls, slim AutoAir wand for defined curls, SalonAir diffuser, high flow thermal bristle brush |
Nora is our Beauty and Grooming Tester and has a master's degree in cosmetic science. She is using her expert knowledge of product development, formulation, product evaluation and market research to test a wide range of hair and beauty products in the beauty labs.
Watch Next
ELLE Edit: The 12 Best Moisturisers For Dry Skin
ELLE Edit: 12 Best Foundations For Acne-Prone Skin
ELLE Edit: August Beauty Haul
ELLE Edit: 15 Of The Best Clay Masks
