The most success we had with the Hot Tools Volumiser was when we used it in conjunction with a standard hair dryer. In these instances, we used the normal dryer to blast the majority of water from the hair before using the Hot Tools Volumiser to add the finish touches.

On the rare occasion that I do heat style my hair for work, I rely on my GHD irons and my Dyson Supersonic. My preference is always to start with a blowout to keep my hair smooth, full of body, and easy to toss around. On the second or third day, that blow dry will serve as a great foundation for creating a tousled, curled ‘do with my GHD irons. Outside of work trips, events, etc., I don’t take the time to do anything to my hair because I don’t have a lot of time to spare as a working mother. Design: Comfortable, but clumsyHot brushes are all the rage right now, but I had yet to find one that worked well on my long hair in a way that actually minimized my styling time and efforts. Ahead, you’ll find all the ways the Hot Tools 24K Gold One-Step Dryer Volumizer both impressed me and let me down. However, unlike with the Dyson Airwrap in which the attachments never get too hot meaning they can be handled almost immediately after use, the Hot Tools brushes burn easily. If you want to swap between brushes during styling, we recommend you let the styler cool down first. With some texturing spray on semi-dry, detangled hair: this is the nirvana combo. I am evangelical about L’Oreal Tecni.Art Pli Styling Spray for soft, flexible volume. And I’m super impressed with the new The Hair Lab By Mark Hill Working Styling Spray for a little more oompf. Editor’s Note: We reviewed this article on September 24, 2023. As per our editorial policy, we are constantly updating our content, to make sure it reflects the best of the best when it comes to beauty, wellness, and fashion. We want to assure our readers that we still stand by our recommendations, which we do. In this way, we still got the desired amount of volume and smoothness but we didn’t end up having limp hair by the end of the day. In fact, when used this way the Hot Tools Volumiser performed well enough to make us want to ditch our Revlon One Step for good which, if you know how much we love our Revlon styler, is high praise.

There is a downside to this smoothing function, however. We found that the Hot Tools created such a sleek finish that it reduced the amount of volume we could achieve. The Revlon may create a slightly more rough finish, but the volume is greater as a result. Many blow dryer brushes are a case of what you see is what you get. But this Hot Tools Volumiser 2-in-1 Brush gives you two different changeable heads in the box – one 2.4”/61mm and one 2.8”/71mm, which allows for more options when styling. The difficulty I found with this design was in the location of its power and temperature control. At the base of the brush, there’s a knob that turns easily from left to right ranging through settings Off-Cool-Low-High. It keeps the design sleek and minimal, which I’m a big fan of as it makes this tool aesthetically pleasing. But functionally, it made my blowouts feel a bit clumsy.

My biggest hair concern is probably frizz. I usually apply a leave-in conditioner spray or lightweight oil to help tame my hair as it air dries without weighing down its natural volume. After a walk outside in the drizzle: in a mere 30 seconds you can do a very brief once-over that will dry as well as de-frizz.

On day two, after a night in a topknot: phenomenal. I didn’t expect to see all the kinks from the tight elastic band disappear so easily. Unusually, the product description says that the smaller head suits short to medium-length hair, while the larger head suits medium to long hairstyles– which doesn't sound very versatile if you are intending it to be solely for your own use. However, the larger head is useful for drying and styling off larger sections of hair, while the smaller one allows for more precise styling and adds bounce to smaller sections. There’s also a nice velvety drawstring bag to keep all the parts together, which is also good for travel. How well does the Hot Tools Volumiser Blow Dryer Brush perform? About the brand: Hot Tools Professional makes hair appliances that are designed and developed by professional hairstylists. Accessible price points and easy-to-use designs make its tools consumer-friendly, too. About My Hair: Long, wavy, and frizzy Activated-charcoal nylon bristles sit alongside boar-hair bristles on the barrel of each brush. The use of activated charcoal helps to cleanse the hair and scalp by removing excess sebum, in the same way, charcoal does to your skin when applied as a mask or similar. The rows of bristles sit on either side of the air vents found in each barrel, and on the top of the two attachments is a cool-touch tip that gives you better control as you move the styler through your hair.

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Bristles: Most hair dryer brushes are made with either pin bristles or boar-type bristles, or a combination of both. Pin bristles do a good job at detangling hair, while boar bristles grip and smooth hair (though they can sometimes add too much tension, we found in Lab tests). If you're looking to smooth out frizz or make hair look super shiny, look for a dryer brush with boar-style bristles. If you're more focused on detangling, pin bristles are great. In expert evaluations, some testers liked bristles of varying lengths to grab every last hair.