The infamous hairdryer brush— although these products have been around for quite some time, they’ve gained an immense interest among users recently thanks to viral trends on social media. Hairdryer brushes are a one-unit device that is a cross between a hairdryer and a brush, blowing out hot air while also brushing through the hair.
The claimed benefit of a hair dryer brush is creating a silky, smooth finish, similar to that of a salon-style blowout, in half the time. As someone with extremely thick, long, and curly hair, I was hooked. I’m not lying— it takes me an hour and 15 minutes to make my hair go from curly to silky straight. As someone who gets arm cramps every time I straighten my hair, I couldn’t help but try this product myself. This could be a life-changing product, saving me time and energy. So, I’ll dive into 4 main points of the review: my first impressions, the ease of use, the end results, and future uses of the product.
First off, I wanted to do some research before I used the Revlon One-Step Volumizer. This is always important when trying out a new device, so you can go into it knowing how the product works and how to maneuver it. After some Google searches, I learned that it can heat up quite quickly, so many users said to monitor the heat of the device in case of heat damage. I also learned that in order to get a wispy, flowy look that usually comes with a salon blowout, it helps to rotate the device in a circular motion in multiple directions. Lastly, I learned that it’s best to use the product on slightly damp hair— not soaking wet hair, but not dry hair. For me, that’s about 20 minutes after I’ve washed my hair.
My first impressions of the device were that it was actually pretty lightweight, which is an important factor to me since my hair often takes longer than average to style due to its length and thickness. Next, I applied heat protectant to my hair (this is always an important step!) and sectioned it off. Now I was ready to finally try the infamous hairdryer brush.
The motions of maneuvering the device took a few tries to get used to, but honestly you get the hang of how the product should be used fairly quickly. It’s also important to note that it helps to brush out your hair first so it’s free of tangles, to make sure that the device runs more smoothly through your hair. Styling each section of my hair was pretty much the same level of ease, but I had some trouble styling areas around the roots of my hair towards the crown of my head. This was expected because I have curly, thick hair, so I wasn’t very disappointed by this. I also did notice that the device heated up very fast, like I read before using it, so I found that switching the heat settings every so often helped with overheating.
The end result of my first use was that I was shocked by how fast I was done— from start to finish my hair took about 35-40 minutes–amazing! I am so used to spending over an hour on my hair, so the quickness alone had me sold. However, one thing I noticed was that the device doesn’t grip to the roots of the hair well, so I still had some curling on the roots of my hair. However, this didn’t pose too much of a problem, since it gave me some volume (and this could always be touched up with a straightener later on). Aside from the trouble with my roots and the overheating of the device, I thought this product was overall a great purchase. My hair was softer and smoother than any other time I’ve styled my hair just with a regular straightening iron. I also loved how the ends of my hair had a cute wispy curl to them, just like salon blowouts give.
As I continued to use the brush a few times more, the ease of use and quality of the product remained consistent for the most part. The third or fourth use of the product, I noticed a burning-hair smell about 10 minutes into the styling process. I figured this was because of how hot the device gets, and how quickly the device heats up, but I had never experienced a burning smell until this moment. I believe it was due to the hair that was caught/wrapped around the bristles of the device. Because of this, I’d recommend pulling out any stray strands of hair nestled in the bristles after each use. Other than this, the end results of my hair remained the same.
The product to me was a great investment. It was super easy to learn how to use, and it made styling my hair much more efficient and quicker. I also loved how smooth my hair felt, and the volume that it gave my hair as opposed to how I usually have more pin-straight hair from straightening it. I would highly recommend this product to people with thick/curly hair, because it saves so much time and energy. I don’t know how well it would work for thinner, straight hair, in terms of saving time and energy, but I have seen many people with all different hair types and lengths enjoy the product. The Revlon One-Step Volumizer blow dryer brush is Danielle approved!