The Best Round Brushes for At-Home Blowouts

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Composite of round brushes for hair blowout — Photo: Courtesy of Amazon, Dermstore

Whether you're looking to simply smooth and polish your hair or go all-out with a voluminous blowout, there's one tool that you absolutely need when styling it: a round brush. This brush is exactly what it sounds like—a cylinder-shaped piece with bristles all around the barrel that is meant to smooth strands and add volume to hair.

Choosing the right round brush depends on the style that you are trying to achieve, and the type of hair texture you have, says Erinn Courtney, a natural hair care professional and stylist. "Round brushes with stiff bristles are great for thick and curly hair because they help to detangle," she says. "A round brush with a smaller barrel, when used with low heat, would be a good option for someone with finer [and] thinner hair."

You'll also want to consider the length of your hair when selecting the best round brush for you, says Courtney. If you have short strands, she says to choose a smaller sized barrel, and if you have long hair, choose something larger.

While you can use a round brush on dry hair to add body, "round brushes are usually used with a blow dryer to manipulate the smoothness of the cuticle," says Ana Paz, Alterna Haircare creative team member. Paz prefers aluminum- and ceramic-coated barrels; aluminum heats up with the dryer's hot air, which allows strands to dry faster, while ceramic releases negative ions to add shine and make hair soft.

Courtney and Paz share their top round brush picks for an at-home blowout, bringing you one step closer to a bouncy blowout that lasts all day.

Shop the Best Round Brushes on the Market

Best Overall: GHD Size 3 Ceramic Vented Radial Brush
Best Round Brush for Bangs: Moroccanoil Ceramic Brush 25mm
Best Round Brush for Volume and Shine: Oribe Medium Round Brush
Best Budget: Conair Quick Blow Dry Round Brush
Best Splurge: Christophe Robin Pre-Curved BlowDry Hairbrush
Best For Detangling: Harry Josh Pro Tools Magnesium Thermal Brush
Best Round Brush with Hot Air: T3 Airebrush Duo Blow Dry Brush
Best Round Brush with Boar Bristles: Fixbody Boar Bristles Round Brush
Best Round Brush for Long Hair: Olivia Garden NanoTheramic + Ion Round Thermal Brush
Best Round Brush for Short Hair: Suprent Nano Therma Ceramic & Ionic Roller Hairbrush
Best Round Brush for Naturally Curly Hair: Wet Brush Volume & Body Round Brush

Best Overall: GHD Size 3 Ceramic Vented Radial Brush

ghd black round brush — Courtesy of Saks Fifth Avenue

$40, saksfifthavenue.com

Courtney's pick for the best overall round brush is the GHD Size 3 Ceramic Vented Radial Brush. It has a non-slip handle to ease styling and its ceramic vented barrel makes for some of the best at-home blowouts she has ever seen. "This round brush heats up fast while still being ventilated," she says. "The ventilated barrel allows air to flow through for even heat, while the semi-stiff bristles give you a super smooth and frizz-free finish."

Best Round Brush for Bangs: Moroccanoil Ceramic Brush 25mm

$30, sephora.com

For those who have bangs, you'll want to shop this ceramic brush. The small round brush is perfect for styling short styles, thanks to its ionic and ceramic properties that create small waves and add body to shorter hair. It also features a concealed sectioning tip on the handle to make it easier than ever to part your hair.

Best Round Brush for Volume and Shine: Oribe Medium Round Brush

$125, sephora.com

By using this round brush, those with straight, wavy, curly, and coily hair types can all reduce frizz and boost shine and volume. The boar bristles and soft nylon pins help distribute natural scalp oils while also detangling hair and keeping static static to a minimum.

Best Budget: Conair Quick Blow Dry Round Brush

$12.99, ulta.com

For a brush that won't break the bank, try the Conair Quick Blow Dry Round Brush, suggests Courtney. "[It's] a classic round brush that not only helps hair dry faster, but also helps distribute the scalp's own natural oils for silky, frizz-free hair," she says. "A combination of boar and nylon bristles gives you professional quality results at a fraction of the cost."

Best Splurge: Christophe Robin Pre-Curved BlowDry Hairbrush

$94, dermstore.com

Courtney's splurge pick is the Christophe Robin Pre-Curved BlowDry Hairbrush. She likes its unique pre-curved bristles and says that it gives you gentle and comfortable hold as you style your strands. Plus, it works on any hair texture. "Designed for all hair types, this brush is definitely worth the splurge," she says.

Best For Detangling: Harry Josh Pro Tools Magnesium Thermal Brush

$55, dermstore.com

Courtney recommends the Harry Josh Pro Tools Magnesium Thermal Brush for detangling because of its loose bristles. This looseness, she explains, gently and easily combs through knotted hair. It is also lightweight, which she says makes it easier to maneuver through tangles.

Best Round Brush with Boar Bristles: Fixbody Boar Bristles Round Brush

$12.99, amazon.com

Boar bristle brushes are known for their shine-enhancing and smoothing properties. So if you're looking to get those benefits from your round brush, turn to the FIxbody Boar Bristles Round Brush. "[This] is a great boar bristle hairbrush because of its ceramic-coated barrel that has a high heat resistance. It eliminates frizz almost instantly," says Courtney. "The boar bristles help to spread sebum (natural oil produced by our scalp) that eliminates frizz and static."

Best Round Brush with Hot Air: T3 Airebrush Duo Blow Dry Brush

$179.99, ulta.com

When it comes to hot air round brushes, it's hard to beat the T3 Airebrush Duo Blow Dry Brush. "[It] is the best hot air round brush on the market," says Paz. It has 15 heat and speed combinations and two brush attachments to style your hair in so many different ways—which makes it the ultimate styling brush.

Best Round Brush for Long Hair: Olivia Garden NanoTheramic + Ion Round Thermal Brush

$20.95, oliviagarden.com

Courtney likes the Olivia Garden NanoTheramic + Ion Round Thermal Brush for long hair, because it has such a large barrel. She says it helps easily dry and straighten large sections of hair, which makes styling and blow drying more efficient and seamless—something that can be tricky when you have long strands. It's also made with a ceramic barrel that heats up quickly and large vents to maximize airflow.

Best Round Brush for Short Hair: Suprent Nano Therma Ceramic & Ionic Roller Hairbrush

$14.99, amazon.com

Paz says that short hair needs a round brush with a smaller diameter to achieve volume and curls. Courtney agrees, and recommends the Suprent Nano Thermal Ceramic & Ionic Roller Hairbrush. "This round brush has natural boar bristles and a slim easy-to-grip handle," she says. "Its small circumference makes it perfect for shorter-length hair."

Best Round Brush for Naturally Curly Hair: Wet Brush Volume & Body Round Brush

$15.19, amazon.com

For naturally curly hair, Courtney recommends the Wet Brush Volume & Body Round Brush. It has gentle bristles that are thin and super flexible, which makes detangling curly hair easily. "These bristles make the tugging, tearing, and pulling normally associated with brushing curly hair, along with using a round brush, nonexistent," she adds.

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