If you’ve ever struggled to get a smooth glide with a pair of straighteners, allow us to introduce you to the best straightening hair brushes. Yes, the innovation makes life easier for those with particularly thick or curly hair, but all things considered, the straightening hair brush bears universal appeal. Combining the detangling bristles of a brush with the smoothing heat of a good hair dryer, the best options can take your hair from just-showered wet to bouncy blow-dry in very little time at all.
What to look for in a straightening hair brush
With more and more launches cropping up, appetite for the convenient hairstyling tool continues to grow. You may be tempted to make a hasty purchase of the first hot brush you find, but not all straightening hair brushes are created equal. Do you have hair that kinks or coils? You’ll do well to consider options with flexible, smooth beaded bristles, which flex with your strands and minimise the chances of excessive tension, snagging and breakage. These tend to come in round brush formats, which are also the best option for those after voluminous blown-out styles. If your hair isn’t as prone to tangles, or you want to achieve straighter looks, there are a great number of firm-pronged brushes on the market which keep hair taut as they straighten for a super sleek finish.
If you’re still not sure where to look, let the Vogue beauty editors guide you. We’ve tried and tested the best straightening hair brushes to help you take your pick below.
Vogue’s shortlist of the best straightening hair brushes:
- Best straightening hair brush for DIY blow dries: Mermade Interchangeable Blow Dry Brush, £99
- Best straightening hair brush for looser curl types: ghd Glide Hot Brush, £159
- Best straightening hair brush for 4c hair: Tymo Ring Curly Hair Straightening Brush, £76
- Best affordable straightening hair brush: Revlon Pro One Step Volumiser,
£63£39.99 - Best straightening hair comb for kinky roots: Terviiix Anti Scald Hot Comb,
£33£23.24 - Best straightening hair brush for short hair: Drybar The Half Shot Round Blow Dryer Brush,
£125£100
How we tested the best straightening hair brushes
Tried on straight hair through to afro textures, every hot brush in this streamlined edit comes vetted by Vogue editors. Each has been chosen for its performance and ease of use. We’ve considered key specs, like cable length for unrestricted movement, weight and handling, to find tools that don’t feel like a strenuous arm workout, plus how well heat is distributed through the bristles to get fast results. Only the top performers made our list – scroll on to shop our top picks.
Why it’s Vogue-approved:
Before the advent of the straightening hair brush, there was the hot comb: a time-honoured tool for finessing straight finishes from the curliest Afro hair types. Super precise, this iteration improves on the classic Black salon staple with anti-scald technology and keratin-infused teeth to protect the health of your hair and scalp. It’s ideal for straightening baby hairs, getting a sleek finish right at the roots, taming unruly cowlicks and training both hair extensions and wigs to lay flat without any telltale bulges.
Why it’s Vogue-approved:
Thanks to its slim barrel size, Drybar’s hot brush is exceptionally good at blow drying short or fine hair. Consider it essential for bouncy bobs and ’90s-style curtain bangs – when we tried it, it took a fringe from flat to Farrah Fawcett in seconds. On longer locks, it’ll still produce an equally polished finish with ionic technology that smooths frizz for soft waves with plenty of shine. What’s more, the tufted bristles on this pick are curly hair-friendly, having a forgiving amount of flex should they catch on knots or tangles.
Why it’s Vogue-approved:
Best for beginners, CCbeauty’s viral clamp brush enables even the novice to get a silk press finish from hair tools already in your arsenal. Used with a hair dryer, the vented brush can smooth hair as it diffuses heat, but the real magic happens when it’s used in tandem with a pair of solid hair straighteners. Chase the plates of your straightener of choice with this heat-resistant brush and you’ll have a far sleeker style than you can get with your flat iron alone. Whatever tool you use, it ensures heat is evenly distributed to every strand for a bone-straight finish every time.
Why it’s Vogue-approved:
The unique ring-shaped ceramic bristles on Tymo’s Tiktok famous brush provide excellent separation of hair types that are prone to shrinkage without any snagging. Powered by ionic technology to keep frizz at bay, one slow pass is sufficient to stretch and smooth even the thickest coils. Needless to say, the heat-protectant glove, clips and hair brush included are an added plus, and we love the narrow wand for detangling hair from root to tip.
Why it’s Vogue-approved:
With a long swivel cord and single temperature setting, ghd’s styler makes styling thick hair incredibly simple. Ceramic teeth of varying lengths help to apply heat through dense sections of hair, so if drying your hair is usually a chore, this is the hot brush for you. Simply spray heat protectant, switch it on and the prongs heat to an optimal temperature of 185 degrees within seconds. And fret not – though this pick does have firm prongs, its smooth ionised coat ensures it lives up to its name passing through curls with an effortless glide.
Why it’s Vogue-approved:
Whether you’re looking to blow dry, curl, or simply smooth your hair, Mermade’s pick has an attachment handy for every styling need. Even with the biggest barrel attached, it’s virtually weightless in hand – a feature that comes in clutch when styling trickier to reach regions like the nape and crown. Boasting an ionic ceramic coating to protect hair from heat damage and breakage, the three-in-one styler is one we’d recommend for those who like to switch up their hairstyle often.
Why it’s Vogue-approved:
One of the more affordable hot brushes on the market is Revlon’s One Step Volumiser, which dries damp hair quickly and safely with a range of four temperature and airflow settings. Best for longer hair, the broad ceramic-coated barrel adds instant volume with minimal heat damage, and the cool shot feature sets curls with impressive hold for a style that lasts all day,
This article was originally published on Vogue.com.
