In my opinion, hot brushes are among the best investments you can make when it comes to styling your hair at home. Like most of you, there’s no way I could blow-dry my own hair to the same standard as my hairdresser, but with one of the best hot brushes in hand, I can get pretty close.
I’ve tested a range of hot brushes, priced from £40 all the way up to the best part of £500, with varying results. Some hot brushes are designed to blow-dry and style hair simultaneously, while others feature ceramic bristles to help straighten your strands or create tousled waves.
Personally, I like a hot brush to add body and volume to my hair, along with a few flicks and curls, but I’ve also tested the device’s smoothing capabilities. Some hot brushes are multi-purpose, too, so you’re getting a five-in-one hair tool, in some cases, which helps justify some of the heftier price tags.
To find out which models are worth your hard-earned cash, keep scrolling for my full review and verdict.
How I tested
For fairness and consistency, each hot brush was used with the exact same styling products (a mixture of Arkive and R+Co) and I photographed the result of each one. In the case of the multi-stylers, all heads were tested, but with the main focus and bulk of my review looking at the brush attachments. I considered the overall results, ease of use and value for money of each hair tool tested, to bring you a list of my favourite options. Some brands offered me a demo of the brushes beforehand, but I turned these down, as I wanted to test every tool the same way you would use them at home.
For reference, I have straight-to-slightly-wavy hair. I have some highlights throughout, so the ends can get a bit ‘puffy’. However, while my hair type is quite malleable, the problem comes with getting styles to last, so I was keen to find out which hot brushes would be up to the job.
Why you can trust IndyBest reviews
As a beauty editor with nine years’ experience, I’ve written for The Independent, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Grazia and more. When it comes to reviews, I pride myself on providing my honest thoughts to help you find the best products available.
The best hot brushes for 2025 are:
- Best overall – Dyson airwrap id: £479.99, Boots.com
- Best budget buy – Diva pro styling ceramic hot brush: £42.49, Sallybeauty.co.uk
- Best for a professional blow-dry – ghd duet blowdry hair dryer: £299, Ghdhair.com
- Best for sleek volume – Shark beauty smoothstyle hot brush and smoothing comb: £67.99, Amazon.co.uk
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Dyson airwrap id
This hair tool had a lot to prove, considering its hefty price tag but, after using it, I loved the end result and it’s become a real favourite. Not only did it deliver all the flick and bounce I crave (Pamela Anderson’s 1990s ’do being my inspiration), I also felt like I’d had a professional blow-dry.
Helping to justify the price, the airwrap comes with five attachments, meaning you get a dryer, curling tong, smoothing brush, volumising brush, and a flyaway smoother all in one. I found all of the attachments easy to use and, thanks to the straightforward lock button, simple to swap out.
The dryer is surprisingly powerful and could even replace my existing hair dryer. The airwrap’s curling barrels take a bit of getting used to, as you need to push a switch to change the direction of air, depending on which side of your head you’re working on. However, this latest, updated design has made life easier – the older model had separate left and right barrels that needed to be swapped over.
I don’t have much use for the flyaway smoother attachment or the smoothing brush, due to my hair type, but the hot brush attachment itself was easy to use and works fast. I loved the result, which lasted all day, with a little help from some hairspray.
Buy now £399.99, Boots.com
Diva pro styling ceramic hot brush
This may be the cheapest option on the list, but it will still give you flicks to rival Sabrina Carpenter’s. The hair tool’s design is basic and the heat level isn’t adjustable (it’s set at 180C, and I found it took a little while to heat up), but this hot brush works really well for adding curls, body and movement.
Designed to be used on dry hair, it’s very simple to operate – there’s just an on/off switch, which turns red when you push it. Push it once more and the light changes from red to green, indicating the ionizer setting has been activated, to make hair smoother and glossier.
This isn’t the brush I’d recommend for smoothing, though. Instead, I’d use it to add bounce and body. With hairspray, I found my bounce lasted all day. Overall, this hot brush offers good value for money, plus the 3m swivel cable is a small detail that made a big difference.
Buy now £42.49, Sallybeauty.co.uk
Ghd duet blowdry hair dryer
This hair tool arguably gave me the best results overall (I received the most compliments after using it) but, as much as I loved how it made my hair look, the duet has its pros and cons.
While some other hot brushes can only be used on dry hair, ghd’s duet is designed to be used directly after towel drying. This seemed to help my blow-dry last longer (and look more professional) but the process took me a lengthy 40 minutes in total.
Functionality wise, the duet is really intuitive with just an on/off button, as it auto regulates the temperature. However, the sheer weight (1.2kg) of the device detracted from its ease of use. It’s also loud, to the point I was paranoid my downstairs neighbour would start complaining when I dried my hair late at night.
However, the result was the closest I’ve had to a salon blow-dry. My hair was left smooth, voluminous and the barrel was the perfect size to add some flicks to my long hair. With an RRP of £379, it’s a serious investment, but if you have the money, time and some strong arm muscles, it will save you money on regular blow-dries, while keeping frizz at bay.
Buy now £299.00, Ghdhair.com
Shark beauty smoothstyle hot brush and smoothing comb
Similar to the ghd duet, this Shark hot brush comes with both wet and dry modes. While I found the end result wasn’t as polished, the smoothstyle was noticeably quicker than the duet. I found Shark’s design super helpful, too – rather than buttons, you twist the bottom to change settings such as temperature. This meant I didn’t accidentally turn off the device or drastically increase the heat without realising. I also liked that the tip of the brush stays cool, so you don’t burn your fingers when styling.
This tool gave my hair plenty of volume, but I’d say Shark’s hot brush works best for those who want sleekness, as opposed to curls, flicks or waves. I have long hair, but, even so, the size of the brush made the tool feel quite bulky and therefore less easy to use, compared with some other options. The cord also felt quite short, so I was restricted in my movements.
Buy now £69.99, Amazon.co.uk
Mark Hill style addict hot air brush
If you’re looking for an affordable alternative to the ghd duet, this tool would be my recommendation. Like the duet, this model doubles as a hair dryer and, while its smoothing abilities didn’t quite rival those of the ghd tool, the results had me gaining compliments throughout the day.
As someone who hates reading instructions, I loved how straightforward this device was to use, with a simple dial that changes the temperature. At 600g, it’s also much lighter than the ghd device. The only downside is the barrel size, which is rather chunky. While that means styling could take less time, I think you’d struggle if you have shorter hair or layers. I wasn’t able to achieve the level of bounce I crave, but if you favour smoothness over body, this relatively affordable tool could be a great option.
Buy now £49.99, Boots.com
MDLondon wave heated barrel brush multi-styler
Michael Douglas is the hairstylist behind MDLondon, and this was my first time testing one of his tools, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. My initial impression was that this is a tool that feels truly innovative and unlike anything I’ve ever used before. The barrel has plastic bristles, which do a really good job of grabbing the hair and holding on to it, when you’re using it like a traditional hot brush. On one side, however, there are two rows of bristles that are much closer together, acting more like a comb, and I found these worked well for smoothing flyaways.
If that wasn’t enough, with the push of a button, all the bristles retract, and you’re left with a regular curling wand. Effectively, you’re getting two tools in one. All the buttons are straightforward and the light-up panel makes it easy to see what temperature it’s set to. At first, I had to keep checking if I was using the bristles I wanted to, but after a bit of practice I could tell instinctively. I found the end result was a bit more ‘cool girl’ than big blowout, but I loved it nonetheless and am seriously impressed by the design.
Buy now, Mdlondon.com
The verdict: Hot brushes
Since testing the Dyson airwrap id, it’s the tool I have continued to reach for on repeat. It may be pricey but, if you’re happy to splurge, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed by the results it will give you. Ghd’s duet styler also gave me salon-worthy results but it missed out on the top spot due to its weighty design. If you’re happy to forgo the bells and whistles, the Diva pro styling ceramic hot brush is a great budget option.
Notable mentions go to MDLondon’s wave, due to its innovative design, and Mark Hill for creating an affordable hot brush with smoothing capabilities comparable to some of the device’s luxury counterparts.
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