Collage: Jemeria Davison; Source images: Courtesy of brands and editors Save Story Save this story Save Story Save this story If there’s one type of styling tool our editors rely on the most, it’s the best blow-dryer brushes. These tools can help you get a professional-level blowout, no salon appointment (or sore arms) required. While they won’t entirely replace your blow-dryer —you’ll still want to rough-dry or air-dry first—they’re a game-changer once your hair is damp, cutting down on both frizz and styling time.
The concept of a hair dryer brush is simple yet intuitive: The handy, two-in-one tools combine the detangling ability of a brush with the power of heat, allowing you to get the right amount of tension to style, volumize, and blow-dry your hair to perfection. Even better? “Blow-dry brushes work for most hair types—fine, wavy, straight, medium, and even very thick hair if the sections are small enough,” says Reagan Baker , a stylist based in New York City, adding that they’re the closest you can get to a professional blowout without needing expert technique.
How do I get the most out of a hair-dryer brush? How do I minimize heat damage from a hair-dryer brush? Are hair-dryer brushes easier to use than traditional hair-dryers? How do I clean my hair-dryer brush? Meet the experts How we test and review products Our staff and testers Even if you've gotten used to—or resigned yourself to—maneuvering your blow-dryer and round brush simultaneously, these hair-dryer brushes make styling more controlled, easier, faster, and smoother. Interest piqued? Keep reading to learn more about our tried-and-true picks.
Allure senior commerce director Shanna Shipin using the Dyson Airwrap Co-anda2x Multi-Styler and Dryer
Why it's worth it: As far as we're concerned, the Dyson Airwrap Co-anda2x is one of the most powerful, user-friendly blow dryer brushes on the market—so much so that it took home a Best of Beauty Award . For starters, its high-powered Hyperdymium 2 motor spins 150,000 times a minute (in comparison, the standard Airwrap motor spins at 110,000 revolutions per minute, or RPM for short). That gives it a faster airflow, which means it can dry and style hair more quickly than the original model. It's also ultra-lightweight, at 0.9 pounds, which can make all the difference when you’re styling in sections, and automatically shuts off when you put it down (so you'll never again wonder whether you unplugged it). The suite of attachments—five to be exact—makes it easy to define your curls or straighten your strands for soft, sleek, hair-commercial-worthy styles. In other words, you get endless opportunities to touch up and play around with your styles, minus the heat damage.
The Airwrap Co-anda is available in two versions: Curly+Coily and Straight+Wavy . Both have the same number of attachments, with a few differences. Our tester is using the Curly+Coily version, which comes with a diffuser for setting bouncy curls and a wide-tooth tension comb that gently stretches and smooths hair. The Straight+Wavy version features an Airsmooth attachment that straightens without a hot plate (so you can ditch your emotional-support high school flatiron) and a 1.2-inch curling barrel instead. It all bundles up into a sleek case you can easily keep on your vanity or under your sink.
Shipin before using the Dyson Airwrap Co-anda2x Multi-Styler and Dryer
Shipin after using the Dyson Airwrap Co-anda2x Multi-Styler and Dryer
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