Hot air brushes?

[sourgrl]

I am looking at replacing my 2 inch curling iron (RIP) and I have been eyeing a 2 inch barrel hot air brush. Something like this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004INUWX0/ref=aw_wl_ov_dp_1_2?colid=3EPIIIEFAOF3N&coliid=I3VRMK8T7KCEU5&vs=1

Anyone have any experience with these? Like a hair dryer, it has a hot/warm/cold setting. I'm wondering if I could get smooth waves by using this on the cool setting (without the spinning...yikes). My thoughts are using the cool setting on a hot air brush would give me the results I'm looking for but with less damage then the iron. Would love to hear experiences with these. Before and after pics would be a big plus :)

[jennareid]

I very rarely blow dry my hair because it's so thick and the under layers will be damp forever and it takes so long. It makes me so mad I want to tear my hair out. Seriously, it's such a horrible feeling for me. I never could deal with a regular dryer, but I have a cheap (maybe $12) hot brush/dryer that I use occasionally and I love it. Really easy to dry my hair (though I use the hottest setting or I'll be there all day) in sections. It makes my hair soooo smooth and sleek. I think I have a picture from when my hair was shorter I can try and find later. I haven't had much luck at curling with it to be honest. It's kind of fiddly with the teeth, and my hair isn't great with curls. Really I've just found mine to be good for straightening.

[Nique1202]

I'm gonna sound like I'm a big party pooper probably, but those nylon bristles (and all the bristles I see on similar brushes) are likely to cause at least as much damage as a curling iron just from the friction of them, even if you don't spin them through your hair. If your hair reacts well to the method you were using with the curling iron and you don't plan to grow longer, I'd probably just get another curling iron and stick to what you know works.

[lapushka]

Those are great on shorter hair (APL or thereabouts). But on hair your length, I'd be very careful. The brush can get easily tangled, and I'm not just saying that - I experienced it. :( Mine are carefully put away, should I go short again.

[meteor]

Those are great on shorter hair (APL or thereabouts). But on hair your length, I'd be very careful. The brush can get easily tangled, and I'm not just saying that - I experienced it. :( Mine are carefully put away, should I go short again.

I totally agree.
I would hate to be a party pooper too, but I think tools like this can help accumulate damage. I found that my hair grew in thicker (less tapered) just from not messing with it with a styling brush - I think the wrong brushes can cause mini-damage and some breakage that keeps hair from reaching its full potential. The problem is - it's hard to see that breakage unless you watch your hair like a hawk and brush over a white cloth or something... even then, I think an aggressive tool can chip away at hair cuticle without one noticing.

If you want smooth braids, how about braiding slightly damp hair overnight with some finishing cream or watery conditioner or using Curlformers or mini-buns or something safe like that? :flower:

[sourgrl]

Thank you all for your input :flower: I'm trying to find the least damaging way to get the style I'm looking for. I know I can get it done with heat but I want to weigh all my options before I go down that road.

Getting caught in the brush was my biggest concern, Lapushka. Thank you for sharing your experience.

Meteor I haven't had much luck with the braiding option but a bun former is on my list of things to try. It would be awesome if something so affordable can give me the style I'm looking for. I think I'm going to try that route first then go from there.

[Arctic]

I have a similar gadget, but from different manufacturer.

To be honest, it is so labourous and slow to work with I have probably only used mine 4-5 times in the few years I've had it. I bought mine to straighten my hair, as in giving a "blow dry", but I actually like real blowdrying more. I found this rotating hot brush made my hair's surface frizzier than it normally is. I have never done curls with it (barrels are too big for that), but it is good to bend my ends with. I don't know how it would curl hair. I have big doubt one could do curls with cold air. My gadget promised TONS of volume, but I never achieved that, my hair was quite flat like it always is. That was a bit of a disappointment, I was hoping more root volume.

I was in hopes that it would replace the blowdrying step for me, but this gadget is so slow to dry hair it just takes ages, so it's easier to first blow dry a bit, then grap this gadget.

I never used it long enough to notice any damage. The air is not hot-hot (there are heat settings but probably no cool air setting - I never use the hottest one), and I don't think mine gives heat damage more than my blowdryer used on medium. Mine has soft bristles, which feel pleasant, and I don't think they damage hair themselves - but the constant brushing and tension as it rotates, and if the process is repeated often, then yes, I can well see some mechanical damage accumulating. When I bought mine I had bob length hair, and I wasn't worried about damage.

The brush has never got stuck on my hair, it rotates on both counter clockwise and clockwise, and with the length my hair was when I last used it, if I accidently clicked it to rotate in wrong direction and it seemed for a moment it would get tangled into my hair, I just needed to rotate it to the other direction. The technique needs some practicing, and I probably never learned it well. Mine just gathers dust and is one of those things I regret putting money into.


For long hair, I would look into curling iron that has tines you can pull inside the barrel when you are ready to release the hair from around the barrel. This allows the hair to just easily glide off. Then turn the tines on the surface of the barrel again and curl next section.

If heat is not a problem, then I warmly recommend curling wands. Amazing curls that hold for days. Mine has wide range of temperatures, and with my hair I can use the lowest setting and get fantastic results. However, even the lowest setting is, if I remember corretly, 140 C degrees, more than where water boils (in 100 C).

[sourgrl]

Thank you for your thorough review, Arctic. Very helpful to anyone considering one of these.

[Arctic]

No problem!

I think these photos were taken after blow drying a bit and then using my rotating brush:

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/entry.php?b=113574

I don't mention the brush in my blog text though, but I have a vivid memory I used it then (this was my Bachelor of Arts graduation day, so I remember it better than normal days). My rotating brush was freshly purchased then. (Mine is Babyliss, but I can't remember the exact model anymore.)

The type I think would be easy to use on long hair is like this: http://www.conair.com/-p-1311-1_124_153.html
The retractable bristles make it practically impossible to tangle in your hair. If you would find one of these with cool air setting, this would be amazing product!

[Kina]

I bought one and used it exactly once. It got so caught in my hair I had to cut that section off. My hair does tend to eat things, though, so ymmv

[sourgrl]

Very pretty Arctic! That brush is cool. If I could find an air brush like that I would probably commit to it.

Kina, thank you. My hair an get grabby. I can't use a BBB for that reason. It seems heat may be my best option. Thankfully I've read up on how to minimize damage. That and only using heat occasionally should give me what I'm looking for.

[morrigan*]

I had the opportunity to use one, and have similar experience that Arctic. It's quit time consuming to use and it made my hair frizzier too.
I wanted to achieve blow dry look, but wan't successful at all.

[meteor]

Meteor I haven't had much luck with the braiding option but a bun former is on my list of things to try. It would be awesome if something so affordable can give me the style I'm looking for. I think I'm going to try that route first then go from there.

Yes, damp-setting is the safest curling method for such long hair, IMHO. :flower: Especially since you mention that your hair can be grabby with brushes.
I'd check out for tighter curls the rag-curl method or for larger curls - jumbo foam-roller sets and flexible bun formers like this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYbcufW9jGQ
And I highly recommend beautyklove's channel on the many ways to achieve heat-free waves/curls:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4626FAE04F57ED14

[sourgrl]

Wow. That is some stunning hair! Thank you for the info, Meteor. I wasn't planning on using the bun former that way but that's an awesome option.