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Best hot air brushes and Airwrap alternatives
A Dyson Airwrap curls and smooths with air instead of hot plates, which is gentler, but alternatives from Shark and Revlon do most of the job for far less. A one-step dryer brush is the simplest pick if you mainly want a smooth blow-dry at home.
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Best overall
1. Revlon One-Step Volumiser (Pink Edition)
Mid to long · Oval · Ionic and ceramic
The simplest way to a smooth, full blow-dry at home, and part of the best-selling range of hot air brushes here. It dries, detangles and adds volume in one pass, and the oval brush suits mid to long hair. It is one fixed brush shape, so it will not curl like an Airwrap or FlexStyle.
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Best premium
2. Dyson Airwrap i.d. Straight+Wavy
Under 150C · Straight to wavy · 6
The tool to buy if you want curls, waves and smooth blow-dries from air alone. Coanda airflow wraps hair around the barrel with no clamp, heat stays under 150C, and the i.d. curl sequence wraps, styles and sets each curl at one button. This version is designed for straight to wavy hair, so curly or coily hair needs a different Airwrap.
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Best Airwrap alternative
3. Shark FlexStyle 5-in-1 HD456TLUK
Measured 1,000 times a second · 32mm and 24mm auto-wrap · Curlers, oval brush, concentrator, FrizzFighter
The closest thing to an Airwrap for much less, with a twist that turns it from a hair dryer into a styler. Auto-wrap curlers in 32mm and 24mm, an oval brush, a concentrator and a frizz-smoothing tool come in the box. Shark's frizz and shine claims are measured against air drying, not against other stylers.
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Best budget multi-styler
4. Revlon One-Step Multi Air Styler 5-in-1
5 · 32mm vented · 64mm oval, 38mm round, paddle
For someone who wants several styling heads without a big outlay. It swaps between a 32mm curler, an oval brush, a round brush, a paddle brush and a root-drying concentrator, all powered by air. The listing does not say the curler wraps hair automatically, so expect to wind sections by hand.
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Best rotating brush
5. BaByliss Big Hair 2885U
Yes · 50mm ceramic · 2 speeds, both directions · 2 heat plus cool
For big, bouncy blow-dries on longer hair. The 50mm ceramic barrel spins in either direction at two speeds, so the brush does the turning your wrist would. A 50mm barrel is too large to grip short hair.
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Best for all hair lengths
6. Remington Blow Dry & Style Air Styler
1200W · 25mm, 38mm, 50mm, paddle · 2 heat, 2 speed · 6
A kit of brush sizes for a household with different hair lengths. Six attachments run from a 25mm brush for short hair to a 50mm brush and paddle for longer hair, plus a concentrator and root boost. At 1200W it is well short of a full-size dryer, so rough-dry very wet hair first.
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Best for root volume
7. Revlon One-Step Style Booster (38mm)
Dries and styles in one · Ionic and ceramic · 38mm round, ceramic-coated
For root lift, flips and soft curls, and for reviving a style the day after. The 38mm round brush works on any length, including layered cuts. The smaller brush takes more passes than the oval Volumiser on long, thick hair.
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