Since we haven’t been able to visit the hair salon that much lately, we’ve been breaking in some home hair styling tools instead with some pretty professional results. Here, the 35 Thousand team give their verdict on the best at-home hair gadgetry.
The Revlon one-step hairdryer and volumizer Hot Air Brush
Review by Tilly Doody-Henshaw
“This was totally a Tiktok enabled purchase, and this brush has truly changed the game! I’ve tried and failed to blowdry my hair at home for years and this looked like it was going to solve all my problems. In no time it leaves my hair super sleek, smooth and shiny. I just rough dry it, split into three sections and dry downwards, tucking the ends in or flicking backwards. It takes me 10-15 minutes from start to dry and I just sleep with my hair clipped in a loose bun to keep the shape. For someone who doesn’t like spending lots of time on their hair (I’m very lazy with it), this has really upgraded my hair game. The barrel is huge so I don’t think it would work for shorter hair, but mine falls just under my shoulders. It is also oval shaped, so it stops any ‘Dolly Parton’-esque bounce.”
Buy here
Self grip rollers
Review by Misty Reich
“Any large Velcro rollers will do but I love these High Tops Self Grip rollers from Dry Bar. In my opinion, the larger the better for smooth, voluminous hair. Smaller ones will give waves and even curl, but for the blow dry hack, large ones are the trick.
I use them to cheat my way to a salon calibre blow out- even if I am working with a crappy hotel hair dryer. Here’s how I style my hair
1) Rough dry – I do mine upside down, because, more volume is always better
2) Roll Hair – When hair is still hot from drying, section off and brush bundles of hair and roll- I do a row down middle part of my head from forehead to nape of neck and I use 4 large rollers for that. I then do 3 on each side of that row of rollers so my whole head is rolled.
For an even smoother effect you can use a roller brush to blow dry each piece that will go around a roller so individual sections are heated and smoothed before being wrapped around roller.”
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GHD Glide Hot Brush
Review by Susannah Taylor
“This Glide Hot Brush is particularly useful for smoothing frizz, post workout flyaways, and second day hair fluffiness. A straightening/ smoothing tool in the form of a hairbrush, the brush heats up to 185 degrees and has hard bristles. The multi-level bristles are brilliant for gripping onto hair and managing even the most unruly of locks (eg mine) and it’s particularly useful for me at the moment because I’m inbetween Brazilian blowouts and therefore have frizzy roots! I use the Glide after blowdrying my hair (note: not to be used on wet hair) and it makes light work of my curly wurly bits, smoothing them flat. The only downside is that it‘s not that easy to wave the ends with this tool, so if the super straight look is your thing then it’s definitely worth the splurge.”
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T3 Twirl convertible styling wand
Review by Susannah Taylor
“In my humble opinion this is the queen of styling wands. On its own, this bigger sized wand creates modern, beachy, naturally soft waves rather than tighter curls. With a tourmaline infused ceramic finish that heats up to 410 degrees almost immediately, it also eliminates static and smooths cuticles so the waves look smooth and luxurious. However what’s also exciting about this gadget is that the barrel is interchangeable so you can then buy others that you lock in to create different finishes. Choose from the Tousled waves Tapered styling wand for more surfy curls to the Polished Curls Barrel which has a clip to keep hair in place whilst you wave it. Genius.”
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Babyliss 9000 cordless Straightener
“Babyliss describe this product as a ‘high performance cordless straightener’ which it is because it heats up to nearly the temperature of their plugin version with temperatures of 160, 180 and 200 degrees. Whilst the straightener is ready to use almost straight away, you need to charge it for 3 hours to last for 30 minutes cordlessly. With ceramic plates that won’t pull or frazzle your hair, it also has a curved body if you want to curl or flick the ends as I do. With an auto-safety function that turns them off automatically if left on, there is also a handy travel pouch that’s heat protected inside so you can throw them in your hand luggage and go. The only downside to these straighteners is that they are quite heavy so you may not want to be carrying them to work everyday. However they are brilliant for keeping in the car, for post gym frizz smoothing or even for a pre touch-down touch-up on a flight.”
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Cloud Nine Air Shot Pro
If Apple were to design a hairdryer then this would be it. The Cloud Nine Air shot Pro not only looks super sleek, is lightweight, but its technology is state-of-the-art too. It’s eco precision motor means that velocity of airflow is optimised at a lower wattage meaning hair dries faster and is left super shiny (even no my frizzy locks.). With a cool shot button and even weight distribution, this powerful hairdryer doesn’t feel like the usual kettle bell weight salon hairdryer we’ve had to use in the past.”
Buy here
If you love this article then ‘Tools of the Trade’ – our favourite, results-driven skincare gadgets – is also a must-read, here
