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Best hot brushes, tried and tested on every hair type
The best hot brush can be used to style your hair easily into a voluminous, salon-style blow-dry.
Many can be used on damp hair to finish drying while styling, and are multipurpose so can curl and straighten too.
Our test includes the popular Dyson Airwrap, which we've tried against its rivals, including the GHD Duet Blow Dry, Revlon Hair Dryer Brush, Shark FlexStyle to see if there's a worthy Dyson Airwrap dupe.
We discovered one Best Buy that stood out from the rest according to our diverse panel of testers with hair types from 1 (straight) to 4C (tight afro curls) who tried each of the hot brushes we've reviewed.
How our tests find you the best
Styling
Hot brushes can be pricey so we test on every hair type, from straight strands to tight curls, to make sure our recommendations work for everyone.
Weight
Do you get achy arms while blow drying? We factor in how heavy each hot brush is so that styling feels effortless.
Versatility
Want a sleek blow dry one day and bouncy curls the next? Our top hot brushes have a range of attachments so you can switch styles with just one tool.
We also test
Ease of use, noise, energy use and cable length.
The best hot brushes
Only logged-in Which? members can view the hot brush test results below.
Join Which? to get instant access to our test results and Best Buy recommendations below.
| Hot brush | Price | Score | Styling | Ease of use | Attachments included | Where to buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sign up to reveal Get instant access to this and all our scores and recommendations. Unlock tableFirst month £5, then £11.99 per month, cancel at any time Already a member? Log in | 90% | |||||
| 74% | ||||||
| 63% | ||||||
| 61% | ||||||
| 60% | ||||||
| 59% | ||||||
| 56% | ||||||
| 53% | ||||||
| 52% | ||||||
| 52% |
Sign up to reveal
Get instant access to this and all our scores and recommendations.
Unlock tableFirst month £5, then £11.99 per month, cancel at any time
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Date tested: July 2024. Page last checked: May 2025. We're not able to show every retailer and cheaper prices may be available.
The hot brushes we tested
All the hot brushes we tested are listed in alphabetical order below.
Only logged-in Which? members can view the best hot brushes from our tests.
Join Which? to get instant access to our test results and Best Buy recommendations below.
Babyliss Air Wand
Accessories Straightening brush, curved blow dry brush
Cable length 240cm
Temperature settings 4
Speed settings 3
Weight with round brush 560g
Beauty Works Aeris Multi-styler
Accessories Pre-styling hair dryer, 30mm airflow curler, 40mm airflow curler, smoothing paddle brush, oval volumising brush, XL round blowout brush, storage case
Cable length 235cm
Temperature settings 4 (60°C, 90°C and 120°C and cool mode)
Speed settings 3
Weight with round brush 580g
Dyson Airwrap Multi-styler and Dryer Complete Long
Available from Boots (£479.99) (Only available in store) and Argos (£479.99) (Out of stock)
Accessories Coanda smoothing dryer, firm smoothing brush, large round volumising brush, 30mm airwrap barrel, 40mm airwrap barrel, diffuser, filter cleaning brush, storage case
Cable length 252cm
Temperature settings 3
Speed settings 3
Weight with round brush 470g
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GHD Duet Blow Dry
Accessories Storage bag
Cable length 253cm
Temperature settings 1
Speed settings 1
Weight 540g
GHD Rise
Cable length 253cm
Temperature settings 1
Speed settings 1
Weight 250g
We've put Dyson, Shark and other cheaper models to the test in our reviews of the best hair dryers and best hot brushes.
Mark Hill Hot Air Brush
Cable length 300cm
Temperature settings 3
Speed settings 2
Weight 500g
Revamp Progloss Pro Define Perfect Blow Dry
Cable length 298cm
Temperature settings 3
Speed settings 2
Weight 470g
Revlon Salon One-Step Hair Dryer and Volumiser
Cable length 251cm
Temperature settings 3
Speed settings 3
Weight 470g
Shark FlexStyle 5-in-1 Air Styler and Hair Dryer
Accessories Paddle brush, oval brush, 2 x curlers (left and right barrels), styling concentrator, diffuser, storage case
Cable length 257cm
Temperature settings 3
Speed settings 3
Weight with round brush 600g
Shark SmoothStyle Hot Brush & Smoothing Comb
Cable length 182cm
Temperature settings 3
Speed settings 3
Weight 630g
How we test hot brushes
Each of our panel spend time using all the hot brushes on test to get their hair into their preferred style, whether that be blow-drying, curling or straightening. This is so that they can fairly compare each model and put the results in proper context.
We're careful to make sure our testers have a wide range of hair types, from 1 (straight) to 4C (tight afro curls). Our testers give each hot brush scores for styling, ease of use and, after using them all, tell us which is their favourite.
We regularly revisit the hot brushes on sale to see if there are any more popular models that need testing and when we find them we do.
We also conduct the tests below on each hot brush:
- Weight The heavier the hot brush, the quicker your arm will get tired when holding it above your head to dry your hair, so we weigh each one. For those that have multiple attachments, we weigh it with the round brush attachment, as these were the most popular with our testers. The heaviest weighs 630g compared with the lightest at 250g.
- Cable length You'll want a long cord if you like to hold the hot brush up to a mirror as you style, so we measure the length of each cable. You can get a three-metre reach with the longest cable we found and just 182cm with the shortest.
- Versatility We look for hot brushes with a range of useful attachments for different styles, such as brushes and curlers, plus a good range of speed and temperature settings.
- Noise With a decibel (dB) meter, we measure how noisy each hot brush is. As most dry and style the hair, they make a similar noise to a hair dryer. But we did find a few that were louder than most.
- Energy use We use an energy meter to see how much it would cost in electricity to use each hot brush for two hours every week for a year. We didn't discover huge differences – you'd save £9.32 a year by using the most efficient hot brush that dries compared with the least efficient.
Why you can trust us: at Which? we're free from manufacturer and retailer influence. Find out more about our impartiality and how your support helps us to stay editorially independent.
How to use a Dyson Airwrap
There are lots of attachments that come with the Dyson Airwrap whether you want to style your hair in a blow dry, curly or straight.
- For curls We'd recommend using the Airwrap barrels on slightly damp hair. Brush and section your hair, then introduce the bottom of a small section of hair to the arrows on the barrel. The rest of your hair will wrap around the barrel by itself. Leave it for around 15 seconds to dry and style, set the curl with a cool shot for around five to 10 seconds, then switch it off to release the curl.
- For volume Section your hair and use the round volumising brush from root to tip. Roll the hair around the brush for a bouncy blow dry finish.
- For a straight style Section the hair and use the firm smoothing brush from root to tip for a sleek style.
Dyson also has a handy set of video tutorials on its website to help with styling.
For reasons of price, lots of people search online for a Dyson Airwrap dupe and there are a number of products that look pretty similar. Sign up to Which? to find out whether we discovered a cheaper alternative.
How to clean Dyson Airwrap filter
A couple of months into using my Dyson Airwrap, I noticed a flashing white light on the barrel. A quick online search later and I found out that this was an indicator that the filter needed cleaning. Cleaning the filter removes dust and debris, so that the Airwrap receives enough airflow to dry and style effectively. Here's how to do it:
- Gently rotate the filter cage anti-clockwise and pull it down and away from the barrel.
- Wash the filter cage under a warm, running tap. For a deep clean, leave it to soak in warm, soapy water for 30 minutes.
- Shake the filter cage to remove most of the excess water, then leave it to dry.
- On the Airwrap itself, slide the filter cleaning brush (this is included with the attachments) onto the filter mesh.
- Using an up and down motion, clean the filter with the cleaning brush until all the dust and debris has been removed.
- Once the filter cage is completely dry, rotate it back into position on the Airwrap so it's ready to use again.
Is the Dyson Airwrap worth it?
If you can't decide between bouncy curls or a sleek blow dry, the Dyson Airwrap gives you the flexibility to choose your style thanks to its six different attachments. However this doesn't come cheap at £480.
I've been using the Dyson Airwrap for more than six months on my thick, wavy hair. Join Which? to find out if I think it's worth the investment.