9 Best Curling Brushes of 2019

What Are The Different Types Of Curling Brushes?

There are basically two – one that combines a curling iron with a hairbrush and one that combines a hairdryer with a hairbrush.

The first is called a curling iron brush and it applies heat directly to your hair. The other is called a curling hot air brush and it uses hot air to heat your hair i.e. indirect heat transfer.

We’ve reviewed both these types of curling brushes for this guide and have found some real gems for you to pick from.

Which Curling Brush Should You Choose?

You’ll have to consider multiple things before choosing your curling brush.

While some women like to decide between curling iron brushes and curling hot air brushes before moving on to other factors, you can forego this decision because both types of curling brushes are equally effective. In fact, neither is better than the other and which one you choose depends on your preferences.

You can’t choose a curling brush without knowing about materials and barrel thickness, though. In terms of materials, you should always go for ceramic, tourmaline, or titanium coated options even though they’ll turn out to be more expensive.

These materials offer the most controlled heat transfer and help by keeping your hair from getting fried. They also keep the heat uniform and generate negative ions to deal with frizz and flyaway hair.

The length and thickness of your hair will decide what barrel thickness you should go for. Women with the thickest, longest, curliest, and coarsest hair need to go for 2 inch barrels. Anything thinner and they’ll be spending crazy amounts of time styling their hair.

Women with the shortest, finest, and thinnest hair need to go for the slimmest barrels i.e. 0.5 inches and 0.75 inches. Other barrel thicknesses such as 1 inch, 1.25 inches, and 1.5 inches are good for women with medium length and medium thickness hair.

It is also important to note that extremely fine, thin, and damaged hair will need to be styled with minimal heat. Higher temperature settings end up damaging these types of hair even further. This means buying curling brushes with lower power outputs or the capability of operating at lower temperatures.

Top 9 Curling Brushes Comparison Table

Top 3 Budget Curling brushes: Detailed Reviews

1. Revlon Perfect Heat Long Lasting Curls Curling Brush Iron (Best Budget)

Editor’s Rating: 4.25/5.0

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There is no brand that is more accomplished and more popular than Revlon when it comes to hairstyling tools. This company has some of the most reliable and versatile tools in the market right now. This product embodies those exact qualities.

This curling iron brush is a part of Revlon’s famed “Perfect Heat” series. There are two barrel widths that this curling iron brush is available in – 0.75 inches and 1.25 inches.

The thinner brush is perfect for women with very short hairstyles and fine hair. In fact, the 0.75 inch brush is one of the thinnest in the market. The 1.25 inch brush is slightly wider which makes it suitable for women with slightly longer hair.

You can also choose between the two barrel widths on the basis of how loose or tight you want your curls to be. The thinner barrel will obviously yield tighter curls while the thicker one will deliver looser curls. We’ve focused on curling iron brushes only here but this product actually has five other configurations which are all traditional curling irons.

This product is easily one of the lightest in the history of curling iron brushes. It weighs a mere 0.5 pounds. This makes it very easy to manage even for older ladies with joint problems or arthritis especially since it comes with a 360-degree swivel cord.

Its lightweight makes it travel-friendly as well. You can even take it abroad since it is a dual voltage device. The company recommends using an adapter in countries with 220V power system, though.

The barrel comes with a triple ceramic coating which produces negative ions to deal with frizz and flyaway hair. The maximum temperature that this product can reach is 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

It is more than enough for short length hair and you’ll most probably end up using this device at a lower heat setting. There are 30 different heat settings for you to play with and they’re controlled with a simple dial.

It heats up quickly too, only taking about 30 seconds. This product is also safe for forgetful ladies out there as it has an auto shut off feature. The real clincher, though, is its cost. For all the features and reliability that it offers, it is an amazingly cheap product.

Even so, this device isn’t without flaws. Its durability is suspect. Most previous buyers say that it doesn’t last more than a few months, particularly if you don’t treat it well. Another minor flaw is that its bristles are unable to grip extremely fine hair because they aren’t tight enough.

Who’s it for: If you have short hair or want an incredibly light curling iron brush, this is the device for you.

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2. Conair Instant Heat Styling Brush

Editor’s Rating: 4.0/5.0

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The entire purpose of a curling brush is to make your life easier. If it is too heavy, then that takes away from that purpose. In fact, the lighter a curling brush is, the better it is.

The Conair Instant Heat Styling Brush is as light a curling brush as you can get anywhere in the world. Weighing only half a pound, this featherweight curling brush will be easy to use for petite women and the elderly alike.

It is also a very versatile device, though. It comes in two barrel widths of 0.75 inches and 1.25 inches. The thinner barrel is best for very short hair or women who want tight and bouncier curls. The thicker barrel will suit women with slightly longer hair. It will also create loose curls and wavy bangs.

The barrel itself boasts of a multilayer technology, which ensures uniform temperatures and prevents unwanted hot spots. Conair says that it is made up of four different materials including steel, copper, nickel, and chromium. This isn’t something you find in many products in the market.

We should also mention that the bristles on this device are quite strong. So, if you have short but thick hair, this curling brush will still work for you. The bristles should be able to manage tangles too as they are tipped with small balls.

However, because they’re not supple, rough use over an extended period of time can result in the bristles breaking off. Further, their hardness can often also result in hair getting tangled and pulled.

Another great feature of this device is that it has 25 different heat settings. You’ll be able to manage the heat settings with an easy to use dial on the handle. The brush is quick to heat up as well, taking only 60 seconds.

However, it has a special feature called Turbo Heat. With Turbo Heat active, the heat up time of this device halves to only 30 seconds. Needless to say, it has the auto shutoff feature also, where the device shuts down in 60 minutes of no use.

This is a travel-friendly product. Added to its lightweight, it also supports multiple power systems i.e. 110V to 220V.

The biggest problem with this device is that its cord is shorter than what is standard in the industry. This could prove to be a problem for you, especially if you don’t have the power outlet appropriately placed.

We should also add that the tip of this device has a tendency to get hot and this could prevent you from using both your hands. You may also find it difficult to clean this device. We suggest using cotton swabs and rubbing alcohol.

Who’s it for: If you have short, fine hair and don’t want to do weightlifting while styling your hair, you should get this device.

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3. Revlon Hot Air Brush Kit for Styling & Frizz Control

Editor’s Rating: 3.75/5.0

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This is the first curling hot air brush to have made it to our list of best curling brushes. It may not be the latest product in the market but it is still one of the better ones.

This is actually a multipurpose hot air brush kit. It comes with three attachments – a dryer, a 1 inch brush head, and a 1.5 inch brush head. This means that you can dry your hair, get curls, or get straight hair. The two brush sizes also mean that you can choose to have tight or loose curls. In fact, you can even do a mix of the two, if you’re feeling innovative.

The dimensions of the brush heads mean that this device is suitable for women with short to medium length hair and medium thickness or curling. It won’t work as well for long length hair and extra thick or coarse hair.

At the same time, this product does boast of an amazing amount of power, with a power output rating of 1200 watts. This makes it one of the most powerful hot air brushes in the market not only right now but ever! When it blows air, it blows it really well.

The barrel design, however, could’ve been better. First and foremost, it is made of aluminum which isn’t really the best material as it can get too hot. If it gets too hot, it can end up frying your hair. Further, there are strangely placed holes at the bottom of the barrel which seemed to have no purpose whatsoever.

One thing they did well with this brush was to add ionic technology to the aluminum barrel. This allows the barrel to create negative ions which counter static and, hence, nullify flyaway and frizzy hair.

The bristle design is good in that they don’t tangle and pull your hair. The bristles are soft and short. The device comes with three heat settings – hot, warm, and cool. The cool setting is good for finishing off the style you’ve created.

Using this curling brush shouldn’t be a problem since it has a 360-degree swivel cord which will make it easy for you to move the device around your head. The great bit is that this device is surprisingly cheap.

The biggest flaw in this brush is its durability. It isn’t a very long lasting curling brush mainly because of the plastic mount that the company has used for detachable brush heads. The plastic mount gets worn out with repeated use to the point that it can’t hold the heads in place.

The device works perfectly fine otherwise. If the mount had been more durable, the entire device could’ve been the best thing ever to have happened to the hairstyling world.

Who’s it for: If you’re looking for maximum flexibility, know how to manage heated tools, and don’t want to spend too much, this is the device you should get.

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Top 3 Value Curling brushes: Detailed Reviews

4. Conair Supreme 2-in-1 Hot Air Styling Brush

Editor’s Rating: 3.75/5.0

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This hot air curling brush from the Conair Supreme series is a very travel-friendly device that is ideal for women who want styling versatility. Even though it is an older model from Conair, it remains one of the best ever.

Its versatility is a result of the fact that it comes with two barrel brushes. These measure 1 and 1.5 inches respectively. The thicker brush is good for medium length and medium thickness hair while the thinner brush is good for shorter and finer hair. Similarly, the thicker brush can produce bigger curls while the thinner one is better suited to produce smaller curls.

There are multiple reasons why we’re calling this curling hot air brush travel-friendly. The first is that it is a very light device. It weighs only just over one pound. Its lightweight nature also makes it easy to use, especially since it comes with a 360 degrees swivel cord and has a very effective cool tip.

Another travel-friendly facet of this device is that it is fairly compact. Additionally, it is also a dual voltage device. This means that if you travel out of North America, you can still use it as long as you have an adaptor.

While this is a great product, it still has flaws. The foremost of these is that its barrel is made up of aluminum. Aluminum as a material heats up very fast and can even reach temperatures that damage hair. Aluminum barrels are not very long lasting either.

The saving grace here is that it doesn’t have enough power for the aluminum barrel to reach hair damaging temperatures. With a power rating of only 500 watts, there is no way that your hair will get damaged by this device.

In fact, this brush, on the whole, is not durable. Most users say that it breaks down within a few months. The plastic attachment mount is the main culprit in that regard. It just wears out with regular use and the brush heads start falling off while in operation.

It also has only two temperature settings – high and low. The device, however, is quite affordable.

Who’s it for: If you want a travel-friendly device that is also very versatile, then this product from Conair fits the bill perfectly.

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5. PHOEBE Curling Iron Brush

Editor’s Rating: 4.0/5.0

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Most curling iron or hot air brushes tend to have fixed temperature settings. Even when there are 20 to 30 heat settings, the numbers remain fixed. Very few devices in the hairstyling product segment offer truly variable temperature settings.

The PHOEBE Curling Iron Brush does. Its variable heat settings are its greatest strength. Basically, you can choose any temperature between 265 degrees Fahrenheit and 430 degrees Fahrenheit and it will show up on the LCD digital display on the handle.

The temperature range of this device is excellent because it takes into account all hair types. If you have fine, thin, or damaged hair then you can operate this curling brush at really low temperatures and if you have extremely thick hair then you can crank it up to its maximum.

The only downside is that changing the temperature settings is a pain. The little switch on the side can be very difficult to operate in the middle of your styling operations.

The device heats up pretty quickly, though. You won’t have to wait for more than 30 seconds for it to come to the chosen temperature. From the perspective of safety, you have an automatic shut off coming into play after 60 minutes.

It also has a temperature lock feature which comes into effect after three seconds of no operation. This is also a feature that throws many of its users off simply because it kicks in too soon.

This curling iron brush is available in two configurations – 1 inch and 0.75 inches. The thinner Barrel is perfect for very short hair and tighter curls while the thicker one is great for short hair and relatively looser curls. There is also a pure 1 inch curling iron as an option but we won’t be focusing on that one.

The device boasts of ionic technology which will do away with any frizz or flyaway hair that you may be dealing with. The ceramic tourmaline barrel is also quite durable and safe to use.

The bristles on the barrel are made of nylon and they never go above 120 degrees Fahrenheit. This is a definite plus since it prevents even the most inexperienced users from scalding their fingers.

At the same time, the bristles are a bit too hard. This means that they don’t move with your hair and instead end up pulling it. You can avoid it if you’re careful, though. The 360 degrees swivel cord will help you in your efforts.

Unlike many competing products, this is a dual voltage device. This means that you can travel abroad with it and you’ll only need to take along an adaptor. The fact that it is quite light helps with use and travel goals too.

It’s also a little difficult to clean this device because of the way the brush head is designed.

Who’s it for: If you have short but thick hair, then this device will perform wonders for you.

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6. SwanMyst Curling Iron Brush (Best Value)

Editor’s Rating: 4.25/5.0

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It’s very difficult to find a flawless product in the hairstyling segment. This is largely because different people have different sets of needs and requirements. The SwanMyst Curling Iron Brush, however, tries it’s very best to cater to virtually every woman out there.

It starts with its two barrel configurations. You can get this curling iron brush with either a 1 inch barrel or a 1.25 inches barrel. There isn’t much difference between the two but if you have thicker, longer hair, you’ll definitely have to go with the thicker barrel. On the other hand, if your hair is thin and fine, then the slimmer barrel is the one you should get.

The barrels boast of the ceramic tourmaline ionic technology. This means that your hair won’t get toasted while being styled and that you’ll also finally be rid of flyaway and frizzy hair.

On the barrel are anti-scald bristles and this means that you can touch them without burning your fingers or your scalp. We should also mention that the bristles will be longer than what you may be used to and you’ll realize soon that that is a definite advantage.

However, there is a learning curve here. Till you figure out how to use a device like this, you may have to deal with pulled hair. Still, the cool tip makes handling this device even easier.

The real draw of this device is its variable temperature system. You can choose any temperature between 265 degrees Fahrenheit and 430 degrees Fahrenheit. This kind of flexibility isn’t that common and really adds to this product’s allure over its competitors.

It can be a little difficult to manage the temperature settings, though. This is mainly because of this device’s 3-second automatic temperature lock feature. The feature is there to prevent accidental temperature changes but if you’re indecisive, it can turn into an annoyance. As it is, the temperature changing system takes some getting used to.

The curling iron brush heats up super-fast too, taking only about 30 seconds. Along with this, there is the 60-minute automatic shut off feature designed to keep you safe.

Managing the device around your head should be easy with its 360-degree swivel cord. The device is very travel-friendly too. It is light at only 1 pound, supports 110V to 220V power systems, and even comes with a handy bag.

The only real flaw of this device that we could come up with is that it isn’t all that useful for women with extra thick or particularly long hair.

Who’s it for: This device embodies perfection unless you have very long, very thick, or very curly hair.

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Top 3 Premium Curling brushes: Detailed Reviews

7. John Frieda Hot Air Brush (Top Pick)

Editor’s Rating: 4.25/5.0

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This curling hot air brush is one of the most popular in its segment. While that may be because of the iconic name, John Frieda, it is also because this brush is quite special.

It comes in two configurations – 1.5 inches and 1 inch. The slimmer barrel is for ladies with short hair while the wider barrel is for women with medium length hair. The barrels can be chosen on the basis of your curl requirement too. You pick the thick barrel for wider curls and the slimmer barrel for thinner curls.

Women with longer and thicker hair won’t benefit from this device though. For them, a 2 inch barrel would be more helpful as the thinner barrels may entangle their hair.

Boasting of a titanium ceramic barrel, this device is also helpful for women with frizz and flyaway hair. It generates enough negative ions to nullify static and by extension flyaway and frizzy hair.

There are three heat settings that you’ll be able to rely on if you get this brush – cool, warm, and hot. Further, you’ll find the device to be quite easy to handle as it is both, light and compact. What will make it even easier to manage is its 360 degrees swivel cord.

The biggest flaw of this curling brush is that it doesn’t have enough power. It is only rated for about 500 watts, which may increase the styling time for many women. It also lacks dual voltage support.

Who’s it for: If you have short, fine hair and absolutely revere quality, this brush is made specifically for you.

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8. Revlon One-Step Hair Dryer & Volumizer

Editor’s Rating: 4.0/5.0

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This curling hot air brush is designed for women with thicker, longer, and coarser hair. The biggest proof of that is that the barrel that measures two inches across. Further, this curling hot air brush has a power rating of 1100 watts.

Women with thicker and longer hair require wider brushes so that their hair doesn’t tangle. Similarly, they need a more powerful hairstyling device. Otherwise, they end up spending too much time styling their hair.

However, this device’s thick brush barrel and solid power output make it unsuitable for women with shorter or finer hair. The extra power may end up frying their hair while the thicker brush may not be able to grip their shorter hair.

This device comes with three different heat settings – hot, warm, and cool. However, this device’s heat setting toggle switch could’ve been designed better too because it isn’t really user-friendly.

A major downside of this device is its size and weight. While its weight is average, when combined with its bulkiness, it becomes unwieldy. Additionally, this device also lacks durability.

It breaks down far too soon with the motor being especially susceptible to wear and tear. Regular and consistent use can lead to the motor burning out very soon. This is usually accompanied by a distinct burning smell.

We should also mention that this isn’t a dual voltage device which means that you can’t really travel with it outside of North America.

Who’s it for: Possessing a lot of power, this curling hot air brush is good for women with medium length hair.

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9. BaBylissPRO Nano Titanium Rotating Hot Air Brush

Editor’s Rating: 3.75/5.0

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BaBylissPRO Nano Titanium isn’t just the only rotating curling hot air brush in our best curling brushes list but also one of the most popular rotating brushes currently available.

This device boasts of all the features that any modern woman would want from her hairstyling tool. The most beneficial of those is its two-way rotation. You won’t have to be a contortionist any longer just to style your hair.

The brush will rotate whichever way you want and make your life a hundred times easier. It is easy to control this feature too with a simple button located conveniently on an ergonomic handle.

Rotating curling hot air brushes have an inherent problem, though. They’re prone to pulling hair if you’re not careful. This happens when the hair gets stuck between the rotating barrel and the static plastic on its two ends.

Luckily, all you need to do to avoid this problem is learn how to use this device properly. You’ll also have to learn to be gentle with this device. The spinner has the potential to break down too soon, especially with rough use.

The barrel sports nano titanium technology which has multiple benefits. The foremost benefit is uniform heat but others like quick heat up times are also important. The barrel also boasts of ionic technology designed to help you get rid of frizzy and flyaway hair.

It measures 2 inches across, which makes it excellent for women with long and thick hair. The wide barrel, however, means that this device isn’t all that suitable for women with shorter or finer hair.

Additionally, this device isn’t very powerful. It is rated for only 500 watts. This is something that women with really thick hair may not appreciate so much since lower power means more time spent styling the hair. If you get this product, you’ll find three heat settings in the form of cool, low, and high.

You should also be aware of the fact that this product BaByliss isn’t a dual voltage device. It is built for America’s 110V power system and cannot be used in 220V power systems used in the rest of the world.

There isn’t much that is wrong with this device, except for its cost. This is one of the most expensive curling hot air brushes in the market today. At the same time, it has so many features and is so effective at what it claims to do that the cost pales in comparison.

Who’s it for: If you have thick, long hair and don’t mind spending extra for quality, then this product is the best you can get ever!

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