Babyliss' new hot brush is brilliantly affordable, but can it fake a luxe blow dry?

When it comes to affordable hair styling brands, BaByliss leads the way in marrying affordability without compromising on efficacy; if you ask hairdressers to name the best affordable brands for hair tools, BaByliss is guaranteed to come up. One of its latest tools – and one that I’ve just put through its beauty editor testing paces – is the Air Power Volume Hot Brush.

If you’ve never used one of these tools, the beauty of a hot brush is that it’s inspired by a hairdresser’s blow-drying technique using a separate hair dryer and brush, combining the two in one easier-to-manoeuvre tool. If you know how to use a hairbrush, you know how to use one of the best hot brushes.

As a beauty editor who tests a lot of hair tools each month and who has been doing so for the best part of a decade, I know what makes a great pair of straighteners, the best hair dryers and hot brushes. So, how does the BaByliss Air Power Volume Brush measure up? Ahead is my full review, complete with pictures of the results, to help you decide if it’s the one for you.

Our contributing beauty editor's full BaByliss Air Power Volume review

Our first impressions of the BaByliss Air Power Volume

Opening the BaByliss Air Power Volume you’re met with a pleasing metallic dusky pink tool with champagne accents. It’s not the lightest brush we’ve ever picked up, but it’s not especially heavy either, and it looks pretty stylish overall.

With a large vented brush head with both solid and flexible bristles, the handle shows that there are two speed and heat options – high speed and high heat; low speed and high heat; and high speed and cool. But on top of the standard settings there’s also a button to activate the “Anti-Frizz” mode to promote smoother styling (the brand notes that the tool dries with a more “matte” and volumised finish without this), as well as a dial on top of the brush to adjust the airflow depending on if you’re styling wet or dry hair. All in all, it seems like a well-equipped tool thus far.

How does the BaByliss Air Power Volume perform?

Considering that this brush comes in at well under the £100 mark – significantly less than the likes of the Dyson Airwrap and even Drybar Double Shot - I did find that the results didn’t last as long as other tools I’ve tested, but this could potentially be remedied with the help of some longevity-boosting styling products.

The brush requires a few passes over a section to dry it completely, but it yields decent smoothness – probably amplified by the Anti-Frizz Ionic System, which is activated with a handy switch at the base of the brush head. The Air Power Volume was also able to flick the ends of my hair extremely well, which is ideal if you like to “swoop” curtain bangs or want to style the ends of your hair this way, as shown below – and, as you can see, even with the Anti-Frizz shot on this styler still yields a slightly volumised look.

One downside to the brush is that I noticed that the brush gets quite hot, and with just the one temperature setting aside from the cold shot there’s no alternative here. I can’t say whether or not this is limited to the tool or a widespread issue, but I found I needed to blast the cold shot once or twice to cool the brush down. The top of the handle also gets quite hot as a result, meaning I had to hold onto it further down the handle than I instinctively would have. These drawbacks aren’t the end of the world, but they are noticeable parts of the user experience.

How does the BaByliss Air Power Volume compare?

Regarding the size of the tool, the BaByliss Air Power Volume’s brush head is generous and in line with similar tools from Drybar and Revlon. This generous size makes it a good choice design-wise for those with a lot of hair, hair that’s very long, or both.

As for the results, speaking about my own hair specifically, the results of the Drybar Double Shot Brush last longer, but the tool is also priced at £45 more – a gap that gets even larger when you consider that BaByliss tools are often on sale. I’d say that the Air Power Volume is similar to the famous Revlon One-Step Volumiser in terms of results, though the latter doesn’t get quite as hot, in my experience.

Should you buy the BaByliss Air Power Volume?

Considering its £80 price tag, this tool does a good job of drying and styling and lends itself to an easy DIY blow dry. The Air Power Volume is also great for those who like a slightly bouncy effect; I would say if your hair doesn’t have much of a curl and you want to boost volume, it would be an ideal, affordable purchase. It worked on my curly hair, and the results are still nice in line with its price, but I might be more inclined to reach for another tool for this kind of look.

In a nutshell, this would be a good buy if you like to dry your hair out smooth, enjoy a little volume boost and want something that’s both easy to use and affordable.