Salon standards are high, top-notch, or premium if you will. And for good reason, they use trained professionals in the art of hair beautification to give their clients those sexy styles. So trying to DIY your way to a salon level blowout might pose a challenge. Or for me, impossible.
So, here is the dilemma. I like to look nice, especially when it comes to my hair; my pride and joy. I mean, your hair can make or break an outfit. And if you’re like me, making yourself look nice is almost therapeutic.
Because I like to look nice, I leave my hairstyling to the professionals. But lately, I’ve been thinking that I’m tired of going to the salon for a blowout and my wallet is tired of paying for it.
I had to find another way!
Then I saw my silver lining, my light at the end of the tunnel, my four leaf clover. I discovered the hot air brush. Has it changed my life? Yes. Could that be an exaggeration? Yes. But is the hot air brush still awesome? Absolutely!
If you’ve never been trained to style hair, you probably don’t know your way around a round brush and blowdryer. But fret no more, The hot air brush is here and is ready and willing to help us take our homemade hairstyles to the next level!
Wait, But What is a Hot Air Air Brush?
It’s a hair styling tool that brushes and blow dries and/or straightens your hair at the same time, so in other words, a hybrid. Easy peasy. In the salon, stylists use blow dryers and round brushes to create the iconic blowout style which is cool, but this tool combines them both. Now that’s innovation.
The air is controlled and comes out of the brush-like-barrel to dry and style your hair simultaneously.
Depending on the style of brush you use, you could give yourself sleek styles or bouncy beach waves without having to use any other styling tools.
To Straighten or to Wave, That is the Question
There are basically two types of hot air brushes. One is a round brush attached to a dryer. For this one you’ll want one that rotates, they move with you as you style so as to reduce pulling and snagging of the hair. They also do all of the work for you when they rotate. After turning it on, the hot air will blow through the barrel. Just take a section and get close to the roots for full coverage.
If you want your brush to rotate, hold down the button while you use it to brush through your hair. You’ll want to smooth it out so make sure you have enough pull or tension on your hair. If you do it right (which is easy) your results will look like a stunning salon-worthy blowout.
This kind of brush is for the follicle having folks that want volume and waves. You know that nice bounce when you walk. It helps give you that natural looking curl.
By the way, brushes with ceramic coated bristles give you pretty good heat styling precision as the bristles hold the heat.
If you don’t like the rotating mechanism, most brushes give you the option to turn it off. So if you want more control, thats always and option.
A couple of things to consider though. If your hair is on the shorter or fine side you might want to go for a smaller brush. A slimmer barrel might be a better fit if you have hair like this. You probably won’t be able to get your hair around it if it’s too big.
Some of the brushes also have the ability to blow air from two different direction rather than one, giving them more curling precision. So if you’re interested, look for that in the features of the brush when you’re shopping around.
You might be thinking “well, can’t I just use a curling iron?” Well you could, but a curling iron won’t dry your hair properly while styling like a hot air brush can. Also, the curling iron involves direct heat to the hair. So if you’re less than savvy with it you might end up damaging your hair.
If you want soft bouncy waves with awesome volume while also using minimal effort, round barrel hot air brushes are the way to go.
The other kind of brush is one that’s similar to a paddle brush and backed by ceramic plates. This kind of brush is great if you’re looking for straight, sleek styles, especially if you want a pin straight style.
It has the same effect of using a straightener, but with the hot air brush, that time gets cut in half. If you have straight hair and are an on-the-go kind of person, this is a no fuss hair tool that will give a bit more style in your routine.
Whichever brush you’re using there are a couple of things you need to know before using these tools. You’re going to want to not use them on wet hair. It’s better to use them on either damp or dry hair. If you want to style using the brushes soon after getting your hair wet, go ahead a towel dry it a little to get it around 50% dry then proceed.
You’re also going to want to use heat protectant. Other heat styling tools provide direct heat to the hair. Those methods leave your hair more vulnerable to damaged locks, this of course if done improperly. Therefore, you’ll need to use heat protectant too, that’s right, protect against the heat. Now, even though hot air brushes don’t use direct heat, I would still caution you to use heat protectant, even if just a little.
Also, depending on your hair type and the texture of your waves or curls, you results may vary, but the process is just as simple.
So, Yes You Should Get a Hot Air Brush
All-in-all this is a great time saving hair tool for both professionals and amateurs, like the majority of us. Not only does it dry your hair, it also styles it is one fell swoop.
So, whether you want a straight sleek style or big bouncy beach waves, you really can’t go wrong. And it’s a great alternative to having to spend more money, time and gas getting your hair done at a salon. Now you can be your own stylist!
