Getting your hair done at the salon may be a nice treat, but for most people, it’s too time-consuming and expensive to make a regular habit out of. Instead, invest in one of the best brushes for blowouts (and a top-quality hair dryer) so you can do your own blowout from the comfort of your home.
While giving yourself a salon-quality blowout at home might seem impossible, filling your beauty arsenal with tools created for your unique hair type can help make this lofty goal more achievable. While brushes with larger barrels tend to suit longer hair, a smaller circumference is ideal for shorter lengths to ensure the brush doesn’t slip out of your hand. Additionally, different types of hair brushes have different benefits. Round brushes give volume, paddle brushes are great for detangling and adding shine, and vented brushes tend to help cut down on blow-drying time.
It’s also important to consider the type of bristles used for each brush. If your hair naturally tangles, nylon pins are not only heat-resistant but also adept at taking on knots, while boar bristle brushes are great for promoting shine and distributing the oils from your scalp through the rest of your hair. Of course, the number-one priority for a blowout-friendly brush is to find ones with bristles that are heat-resistant so they can stand up to the high temps of the blowdryer.
Ahead, you’ll find eight of the best brushes for blowouts, so to get shopping, scroll on.
1. A Mixed-Bristle Brush With A Round Body
Care Me’s Brazilian blowout brush is crafted with two types of bristles: boar bristles, which distribute the oils from your scalp to keep your hair shiny, and nylon pins, which easily comb through coarse hair. This combination works well on all hair types and is available in 43- and 53-millimeter barrel sizes for both shoulder-length and long hair. The brush’s ceramic and vented barrel also reduces drying time by evenly distributing heat, and its rounded shape makes it easy to create voluminous curls and waves.
Relevant review: “Lightweight, easy to handle, bristles just soft enough to not pull too hard when you’re blowing out, but firm enough to hold the hair. And no plastic burning smell from the hair dryer!”
2. A Heated Brush That Styles & Dries Your Hair At The Same Time
Revlon’s best-selling One-Step Hair Dryer & Volumizer Hot Air Brush doubles as a blow dryer and hair brush in one — but it also helps add volume to the root and create big-bodied curls. Cut down on styling time with this genius hot tool that’ll give you a salon-worthy blowout at home, every time.
Relevant review: “Blow-out at home! This gave me salon-quality results on my own. I have thick, naturally curly hair. Blowing dry my hair in the past also required use of a straightener and hot rollers to put some bounce back in (a total of about 1.5 hours). This tool did it all in one step in about 25 minutes! Highly recommended.”
3. A Brush With An Extra-Large Barrel For Serious Volume
Built with a 55-millimeter barrel, Xtava’s round brush is ideal for maximizing volume at the roots of your hair. The double-bodied brush uses heat-resistant nylon bristles to detangle hair, as well as shorter, anti-static boar bristles to promote smoothness and shine. Crafted with a wood handle that won’t overheat while styling, the extra-large barrel is ideal for longer lengths.
Relevant review: “I’m so loving this brush! It’s the perfect size brush for styling and adding volume when blow-drying your hair. I have more than a few round brushes and this one is my new favorite. I like that my hair doesn’t tangle when I pull outwards plus the handle is wooden so it feels good in my hand as it has a good grip.”
4. A Vented Paddle Brush That’s Designed To Dry Hair Quickly
Crafted with 10 rows of sturdy nylon pins, this paddle brush is built for detangling long, thick hair. Curved to adjust to the head’s natural contour and made with an anti-slip grip, comfort meshes with functionality to create a professional-level tool for just $7. Styling is effortless with the anti-static, heat-resistant head, which features nine built in vents to reduce blow-drying time.
Relevant review: “Great brush! My hair gets tangled easily and this goes right through my hair! Helps my hair dry faster with the blow dryer as well.”
5. The Investment-Worthy Brush That All The Pros Use
All the pros use GHD hair brushes and hot tools — so if you’re looking to invest in a top-quality brush that’ll last, this is the one to buy. The 35-millimeter barrel of GHD’s professional radial brush is versatile enough to create both smooth and voluminous styles. It’s a great size for short to medium hair, but if you have longer or thicker hair, go with the 55-millimeter option. The matte, all-black design looks sleek, too.
Relevant review: “Fab brushes. I bought 3 in different sizes, small, medium and large. They are so light and easy to use and I need all the help I can get with my blowing drying technique! They don’t catch the hair as you pull them though and they definitely make it much smoother than my old bristle brushes. I would recommend these brushes.”
6. A Super-Popular Brush To Create Smooth, Sleek Styles
Ideal for when you want sleek, straight hair instead of bouncy curls, the Denman cushion brush is built with an anti-static rubber pad and features nine rows of nylon pins to glide through hair of all types — even wet, curly hair. Denman brushes will last you years, and they’re versatile enough to be used for standard brushing, detangling wet hair, blow drying, straightening, and more.
Relevant review: “These bristles are made not to melt when you put a blow dryer next to them. I used to be a hair-dresser, and would use this brand brush to straighten curly hair. If you know how to do it, it really works. This is a high quality brush.”
7. A Slim Boar-Bristle Brush That’s Great For Short Hair
Bangmeng’s anti-static hair brush has a 1-inch barrel, making it the best fit for shorter hair. Built with nano-ceramic ionic technology and boar bristles, this round brush promotes shine and helps distributes oils through your hair, while an ergonomic, anti-slip rubber handle makes it comfortable to use. It comes at a great price, too.
Relevant review: “The perfect styling brush. Easy styling while drying. Hair was shiny and silky.”
8. An Oval Vented Brush That’s Great For Both Blowouts & Everyday Use
Wet Brush makes some of the best hair brushes out there, period. And while their Osmosis Speed Dry brush was — as its name suggests — designed to cut down on blowdrying time, its basic shape also makes it a great brush for day-to-day detangling on both wet and dry hair. Not only does it feature an open-vent design to allow for ample airflow and heat-resistant bristles, but it’s also sold in lots of fun colors, like light blue, coral, and blue/purple ombre (in addition to the pretty lilac pictured).
Relevant review: “Love this brush, it is perfect for all hair types when your hair is wet. Great to use on blow-drying as well.”
9. A Set Of 5 Blowout Brushes For Under $30
If you’re skilled at giving yourself blowouts and want options when it comes to styling your hair, pick up this set of five brushes. Each one has a different-sized barrel, but they’re all made of ceramic with nano ionic technology to promote smoother, more lustrous hair. Non-slip handles and honeycomb vents round out the thoughtful design.
Relevant review: “I initially bought one set to try first at the salon. I was really skeptical because of such a low price, I have to say, I was pretty impressed. They glide through the hair easily and are easy to roll. The handle [provides] a no slip grip (important to me). So far so good, I bought several more sets for the salon after initial investment, no regrets so far.”
10. The Best Blowout Brush For Just $5
Looking to spend less than $5? Then this is the brush for you. Made by hair experts Conair, this round brush is a foolproof staple to keep in your kit: It has round-tipped bristles, a rubber, easy-to-grip handle, and is sold in three sizes — even an extra-small option for very short, fine hair or bangs. You can’t really go wrong for the price.
Relevant review: “This brush is perfect for blow drying my hair. It lifts from the root and makes my fine hair look thicker and fluffier, without pulling it out.”
