If you’ve never suffered a curling iron-induced burn, consider yourself among the privileged few. It’s the reason why I tend to shy away from hair irons of all sorts—that is, until now.
I love the look of big, bouncy, brushed-out curling-iron curls, and when I went on a quest to find a worthy substitute for my standard curler, I stumbled upon Hot Tools Thermal Hot Air Brush ($26; soap.
com).PHOTOS: How to Get the Best Hair of Your Life
Turns out, you get some serious bang for your buck with this one, as it works simultaneously as a round brush, hair dryer, and curler. Not unlike your traditional curling iron, its got a self-rotating barrel. But, the magic lies in the fact that this device dries and curls at the same time, so the air enables hair to glide more easily through the tool (the flexible nylon bristles don’t hurt, either).
Being that I’m perpetually in pursuit of adding volume to my fine, flat hair, I first used the tool as I would a round brush, focusing less on curling and more on adding some oomph near my roots. The tool totally came through—and I was nearly giddy about the time I saved by skipping my usual blow dryer/round brush balancing act. Later, I used the device specifically to curl my hair and was equally thrilled with the curling iron-like results.
And just like that, my fear of curlers is conquered. As for my quest for the perfect tool for big, bouncy curls? Officially over.
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