Do you ever find yourself dumbfounded by the magic your stylist works? Here’s a little secret: ‘getting your hair done’ at a salon almost exclusively means getting a blowout with a round brush.
The best part is, you can do this yourself, at home, for free!
All you need to make a salon quality blowout is a round brush, a hair dryer, and some time.
Don’t want the fuss?
Even if you’re just a big fan of using a blow dryer to style your hair, a round brush is a must have item. Picking up the best round brush for blowouts might seem tricky. You have to consider few different parameters such as; size, material etc. In this buying guide, you will get a complete idea about all those important matters.
What is a Round Brush?
A round brush is just a brush with a rounded, cylindrical shape. The shape of the barrel allows you to rotate the brush while styling. This rotation adds natural-looking texture, bounce and volume to the hair.
Round brushes are used mainly to style blowouts. However, a round brush is also useful for day-to-day brushing.
Best Round Brush for Blowouts 2017
Round Brush Brand Top Features
YS Park G – Series Curl Shine Styler Round Brush
● Boar bristle
● Nylon bristle
● Wooden barrel
Ergo Professional Round Brush
● Comfort grip
● Longer & vented barrel
● Nylon bristles
Olivia Garden Nano Thermic Ceramic Ion Round Brush
● Adds shine
● Nylon bristles
● Quick dry
Styling Essentials Natural Boar Bristles Hair Brush
● Anti-bacterial
● Wooden barrel
● Boar bristles
Moroccanoil Round Brush
● Phosphate & Paraben free
● Vented barrel
● Sulfate-free
Ibiza Hair Extended Cork Round Brush
● Anti-Frizz
● Lightweight
● Cork handle
Note: All ratings (out of 10) are based on Styleaurora.com’s editorial reviews.
Nobody wants to buy a brush just to throw it away because it doesn’t suit their needs. Well, now you don’t have to worry about figuring it all out by yourself. We have done all the testing for you and picked up 6 best round brush of 2017. You can spend less money because there’s no more guesswork.
Now it’s time to get down to the business. The big six. It’s time to find your perfect round brush.
1. YS Park G – Series Curl Shine Styler Round Brush
People swear by this brush because of its popularity with professional hairdressers. The YS Park round brush has both nylon and natural boar bristles. Like magic, these slide right through dry hair. They are gorgeous brushes with a wooden handle and a natural look. Even better, these are white boar bristles. White boar bristles are known for being softer than their counterparts.
This brush creates high shine and perfects curls surprisingly well. Everything about it screams high end, from the usage to the high price of the brush. If you’re willing to pay the price, the YS Park G series brushes are a guaranteed win. What’s the catch? The wooden handle isn’t very comfortable to hold. This isn’t a huge issue though. Everything else about the brush is top-tier.
Key Features:
- Boar bristle
- Nylon bristle
- Wooden barrel
- Price Range: HIGH
Who it’s best for: This brush is ideal for those who have difficulty with their thick hair.
2. Ergo Professional Round Brush
The Ergo round brush comes in a stylish all-black. The brush has a no-slip silicone handle that makes it easier and more comfortable to grip. If your hands tend to get sore and fatigued from doing your hair, this is a major benefit.
It also has a vented ceramic barrel that is perfect for heat styling. This brush’s barrel is longer than standard, allowing you to style your hair faster. This brush is in the middle-ground price range of brushes. If you get aches from doing your hair, I’d recommend this brush from the handle alone!
Key Features:
- Comfort grip
- Longer barrel
- Ceramic
- Nylon bristles
- Vented barrel
- Price Range: MEDIUM
Who it’s best for: It’s pretty well-rounded, so it’s a good one to get no matter your hair type.
3. Olivia Garden Nano Thermic Ceramic Ion Round Brush
Olivia Garden is a great starting brand because of its low price. One of the unique features of this round brush is the heat-resistant wavy nylon bristles. The bristles are soft-tipped so that they don’t scratch your scalp. The handle of the brush is also rubberized, so it’s comfortable to hold. Because this is a ceramic brush, it heats up faster, and retains the heat longer.
It’s ideal for heat styling. The barrel also has extra large vents which further reduces dry time. Last but not least, this brush’s handle hides a hidden sectioning pick for your hair! This is what makes the Olivia Garden round brush a nice 2-in-1 tool.
This low price brush is ideal for buying your first ceramic brush. The great price is probably why this brush is so popular.
Key Features:
- Ceramic
- Vented barrel
- Nylon bristles
- Adds shine
- Quick dry
- Price Range: LOW
Who it’s best for: I’d recommend this brush for beginners with fine hair.
4. Styling Essentials Natural Boar Bristles Hair Brush
Another classic wood-barrel brush. This Styling Essentials round brush also contains both natural boar bristles and longer nylon bristles. The longer bristles help penetrate the hair down to your roots. Which, if you’ve got a lot of hair, is a massive help.
This brush also makes claims of being anti-bacterial. This is achieved by applying a safe coating to the brush’s handle. I’m not convinced of how effective this is, but a cleaner brush sounds good to me. Even better is the brush’s lower price.
Key Features:
- Boar bristles
- Nylon bristles
- Wooden barrel
- Anti-bacterial
- Price Range: LOW
One possible major con: Again, the brush’s handle is plain grooved wood. Even though this handle is ‘ergonomic’, this isn’t very comfortable to hold for long styling sessions.
Who it’s best for: This brush is best for beginners with thick hair.
5. Moroccanoil Round Brush
The blue and orange details on this round brush almost make it seem futuristic. Just looking at it, you can see why the Moroccanoil brand is so popular. So popular in fact, the brand has celebrity names attached to it. Katy Perry, Jennifer Lopez, and Taylor Swift to name a few. More importantly, this brush is also known for its durability. The Moroccanoil is a great example of value for money. Just one should last you a long time. Finally, the unique brush’s honeycomb style venting is a huge benefit. The airflow is so efficient that the Moroccanoil heats to the perfect temperature every time.
Something to keep in mind: these round brushes have shorter bristles than the majority of standard brushes. This makes it well suited to shorter, fine hair. If you have very thick hair, then this round brush isn’t the best option.
Key Features:
- Ceramic barrel
- Vented barrel
- Sulfate-free
- Phosphate-free
- Paraben-free
- Price Range: LOW
Who it’s best for: This brush is best for someone with thin hair looking for value and durability.
6. Ibiza Hair Extended Cork Round Brush
Ibiza brand brushes are highly praised, and I can see why. This brush screams all natural. It’s one of the most unique brushes I’ve ever seen. The Ibiza brush has a cork handle that will keep your hands cool and comfortable. The genuine boar bristles help smooth the hair.
One of the biggest benefits of this model is that it’s lightweight. The cork makes it light and easy to handle. If you’ve found round brushes to be unwieldy and difficult to balance, this is the one for you. The icing on the cake is that the Ibiza is an eco-friendly product. Guilt-free hair care is such a rare commodity. I’d say it’s worth a few extra bucks.
Overall, the Ibiza has a higher price than most, but trust me, it’s worth it.
Key Features:
- Cork handle
- Boar bristles
- Lightweight
- Anti-Frizz
- Price Range: HIGH
Who it’s best for: This brush is best for anyone with frizz problems looking to expand their collection.
What is a Blowout?
If you’re not familiar with the term, blowouts are simply a way of drying and styling the hair. This technique creates a polished, yet voluminous look. Round brushes are ideal for blowouts because of their cylindrical shape. The use of a round brush and blow dryer together is called a blowout. If you want to know some of the best round brushes for your blowout, strap in and read on!
ALSO READ: How to Blow Out Hair Perfectly – 7 Easy Steps
Types of Round Brushes
If DIY blowouts haven’t worked for you, it might mean that you’ve been using the wrong type of brush. Yes, the brush you use will make that big of a difference. One of the great things about round brushes is the wide variety of products available. This can also be one of the most confusing parts. I’ll describe a few of the most common types of round brushes below.
These are a bit of a gimmick in the world of hair. I believe that these blowout brushes are important to mention so that you know what to avoid. Blowout round brushes are a combination of a blow dryer and a round brush. Similar to those flat irons with bristles that ‘brush’ your hair. It sounds convenient, but creates more problems than it solves.
First Problem: you can’t use these on wet hair. This is a major issue. Half the purpose of using round brushes is that it drys your hair easily.
Next problem: this type of round brush only has one use. Surprise, blowout round brushes are only used for blowouts. This means that you’re buying something that costs as much as a hair dryer. Except it can’t dry your hair. You get the idea.
Things to Consider Before Buying a Round Brush
- Be careful! Ceramic brushes can reach high temperatures. Always be aware of how hot your blow dryer is.
- Remember to use a heat protectant product for your hair to reduce damage.
- If your hair is frail or prone to breakage, avoid boar bristles. Boar bristles create more tension in the hair when styling.
- Extremely curly hair does not play well with bigger round brushes. Start off with a smaller brush.
- Pay special attention to the details of boar hair brushes. Synthetic boar bristles just don’t work well.
- Your brush is an investment. Sometimes you can find a hidden gem. Sometimes you get what you paid for.
Round Brush Size Guide
The size of a round brush is incredibly important. Different sized brushes are suited for different lengths of hair. For basic use, you’ll want the brush size to be appropriate for your length of hair. If you’re not sure how long your hair is, here’s the general rule of thumb. If your hair is chin length or shorter, you have short hair. Medium length hair is around collar bone length, and long hair is anything longer than that. Now that you know, here’s a handy guide to what size round brush you should buy.
If you have short hair: Use a round brush that’s 1.5 inches or less
If you have medium length hair: Use a round brush that’s 1.5 to 2.75 inches
If you have long hair: Use a round brush that’s 2.75 to 3 inches
This following infographic will explain the size guide more precisely.
But what if you’d like a different look? Well, brush size can achieve this as well. The size of your brush is the key to getting the result you want.
Use a smaller brush if… you want your blowout to give you tighter curls with less volume. Smaller brushes are also killer for styling your bangs!
Use a bigger brush if… you’d like gentle waves. Larger round brushes also create more volume in the hair.
7 Benefits of Using a Round Brush?
- They can dry your hair quickly and leave your hair looking tidy. Unlike blow drying or towel drying alone.
- Round brushes are versatile, depending on size, you can style curly or straight.
- The bristles help polish your hair. This makes your hair look smooth and professional.
- Round brushes are more thorough than a traditional paddle brush. Ever tried to brush the underside of your hair with a paddle brush? Frizz-city. It’s not a good look.
- Using round brushes is surprisingly easy to learn.
- Because round brushes come in so many sizes, it’s easy to find one that fits.
- Round brushes minimize the need for using a damaging flat iron. Skilled blowouts can have a similar straightening effect with much less heat.
Bonus Round Brush Blowout Tips!
- Dry your hair with an old tee shirt. Cotton tees won’t create frizz like towels can.
- Focus on the roots of your hair first. This will give you the most lift.
- Get out of your bathroom! If you’ve just showered, that is. The leftover steam can ruin your blowout.
- Finish off sections of hair with cool air. This will set your curls.
Final Thoughts:
Who knew brushes were so complicated? There are so many different possible combinations with round brushes. Thankfully, with all this information, you shouldn’t have any trouble finding the best round brush for blowout. The right round brush is the first step in creating a flawless blowout. Practice makes perfect, Armed with the right knowledge, you can do this in the comfort of your own home. Skip the salon when you can, and your wallet will thank you.
Make sure to use only the best round brushes for your blowout, and you’ll be a pro in no time. You’re already one step closer.
