Hot air brushes are a clever hybrid between a hairbrush, blow dryer and flat iron. Heated by the power of an internal heating element, these hot styling tools promise to make everyday hairstyling easier than ever before. Plus, you get all the benefits of professional-grade ionic technology straight from your home bathroom!
How to Use Hot Air Brush
Whether you’re trying to achieve poker-straight or curly locks, a hot air brush can help make your hair look its best. Here are the steps you should follow for quality styling results:
1. Prep Your Hair
Before you even turn on your hot air brush, make sure your hair is properly prepped. Wash and condition your hair with a moisturizing shampoo and leave-in conditioner. Towel dry your locks or let them air dry completely for best results.
2. Choose Your Style
Decide whether you want to use your hot air brush as a straightener, a curler or both. Then, select the appropriate heat setting according to the type of hair you have and how hot your brush can go.
3. Prep the Brush
Plug in your air brush and wait until it’s heated all the way to its maximum temperature. Then, shake excess water from the bristles and gently press them against a towel to remove any excess moisture.
4. Arrange Your Hair
Now, it’s time to get started. Comb your hair so that you can easily style it and pick up any lose strands with a fine-tooth comb or brush. For straightening results, section your hair into 1” to 2” thick horizontal sections and use clips to hold the rest of your hair out of the way. For waves and curls, divide your hair into 1” to 2” thick vertical sections and pin them back with bobby pins.
5. Brush Your Hair
Use a comb to divide your sectioned hair into even parts. Then, start from the bottom of the strand and brush through the section slowly with a smooth hand motion. Repeat this process until your entire section is completely brushed.
6. Dry Your Hair
Keeping the strand taut, move the brush slowly down to the bottom of the hair shaft and hold it there for several seconds before releasing it. By keeping tension on your hair while you dry it, you’ll get straighter results with your hot air brush.
7. Finish Up
Repeat these steps until all your hair is dry, set and styled!
Hot Air Brush vs Hair Dryer
Hot air brushes are often compared to hair dryers, but they’re actually very different. So which one is best for you?
Check out our breakdown of the Best Hot Air Brush UK here.
Hair Dryer
A hair dryer uses heated air to speed up the drying process after you wash your hair. It takes roughly 10 minutes to completely dry your hair with a traditional blow dryer, which is much more time than with a hot air brush. However, heat damage is always an issue when it comes to styling your hair, so if you’re looking for volumizing or smoothing results, you should go with a hot air brush instead of a blow dryer.
Hot Air Brush
A hot air brush is essentially a comb with bristles that are hot enough to dry your hair after you wash it. While it isn’t as quick as a hair dryer, a hot air brush allow you to achieve shiny, frizz-free styles without any heat damage. Plus, there are several types of hot air brushes on the market today, so you can always find one that suits your hair type.
If you are planning to clean your hot air brush, then our How to Clean a Hot Air Brush is the right guide for you.
Types of Hot Air Brushes
Now that you know the difference between hot air brushes, flat irons and hair dryers, let’s check out some different types of hot air brushes. The best type for you will depend on your hair type and desired hairstyle!
Traditional Hot Air Brush
This is just like a traditional hairbrush, but with hot air blowing through the bristles instead of cold air. Of course, this means that you’ll be able to use it to dry your hair after you wash it, which is why they’re so popular!
Best For: Wavy and straight hair types
Lasts Longer: If your hair is naturally wavy or straight, you should definitely go for a traditional hot air brush. They’re perfect for creating big and voluminous styles while still adding some definition to your strands!
Curling Hot Air Brush
A curling hot air brush works just like regular curling irons but without the clamp. You can use these lightweight tools to create loose waves and tight curls, depending on your desired outcome!
Best For: All hair types
Lasts Longer: Since a curling a hot air brush doesn’t have a clamp, they cause less heat damage. This reduces the amount of split ends you end up with in the long run. If you only plan on using your hot air brush for curling purposes, a curling hot air brush is best for you!
Volumizing Hot Air Brush
These types of irons have a large barrel that allows you to create smooth and voluminous styles. While they’re great at adding body to your hair, they can still straighten and curl your hair like a regular hot air brush.
Best For: All hair types, especially fine and thin hair
Lasts Longer: If you have fine or thin hair, a volumizing hot air brush is perfect for you! It’ll be able to add volume to your strands without weighing them down. Plus, it’ll keep your hair from getting damaged by the heat!
Summary
Now that you know everything about hot air brushes, you’ll be able to rock beautiful styles every day without any heat damage! If heat damage is an issue for you, go with a traditional or curling hot air brush. However, if volume and voluptuousness is what you’re looking for, a volumizing hot air brush is perfect for you.
So, now that you know the basics of hot air brushes, are you ready to incorporate them into your daily hair routine? They may take some getting used to compared to regular blow dryers and flat irons, but they’re totally worth it!