After trying countless hot brushes, hair multi-stylers, hair dryers, and straighteners, I’ve learned exactly what makes a good one stand out. A hot brush is a brilliant tool to have if you love that fresh salon blow-dry finish and want to dry, smooth, and style your hair all in one go.
The tool comes with three heat and speed settings: 66ºC, 88ºC, and 110ºC, making it suitable for creating volume and smoothness on different hair types. Its tourmaline-coated barrel produces negative ions and infrared heat to help smooth the hair and reduce frizz.
The large oval barrel is designed to add lift at the roots while giving volume through the lengths. It also makes it easier to dry and style bigger sections of hair at once. The nylon ball-tip bristles help detangle and smooth the hair, while the shorter bristles add bounce, shine, and a polished finish.
At just 380g, the tool feels lightweight and easy to handle. It also comes with a 3m cord and a 360° swivel, making styling more comfortable and flexible.
Pros
- Creates bouncy blowouts
- Lightweight design
- Three heat and speed settings
- Easy to use
- Adds volume and bounce
- Glides through hair without tangling
Cons
- May not smooth coarse hair enough
- Works better on layered, medium, or short hair
- Some reviewers say the tool stopped working after around a year or more
As I usually do when testing hot brushes, I washed my hair, towel-dried it, and then gave the roots a quick blast with my hairdryer to remove extra moisture and speed up the styling process. Ideally, your hair should be around 70–80% dry before using the tool.
My first thought was how surprisingly lightweight this hot brush feels. At just 380g, it weighs less than a tin of tomatoes, so there is very little chance of your arm getting tired while styling. A big relief.
The large oval brush is designed to hold a generous amount of hair, making it especially useful for long or thick hair because it can help reduce drying and styling time. Its mix of nylon bristles and shorter bristles works well to detangle, smooth, and add polish as you rotate the brush through your hair.
I was genuinely impressed by how easily it moved through my lengths without catching, pulling, or causing any discomfort. To use a hot brush properly, take one section at a time, twist the barrel gently, and slowly pull it through the hair. Repeat this a few times until the section is dry, smooth, and styled into shape.
The speed and heat settings feel thoughtfully designed. It comes with three heat options and a few different speed settings, allowing you to adjust it according to your hair type. I began with the highest heat and fastest speed to dry my hair quickly, then switched to a lower heat and slower speed to shape my layers and set them in place while drying.
Overall, the hot brush took about 20 to 25 minutes to take my hair from wet to fully dry and styled. I really liked the volume, shape, and bounce it added, especially around the front of my face where I have shorter layers.
For the longer sections of my hair, I didn’t notice a huge difference apart from extra shine and smoothness. However, if you have long or heavy hair, there’s only so much shape a hot brush can create. For longer lengths, I’d suggest using a curling wand if you want a style that holds for longer.
The bounce lasted all day, and my hair still held some shape the next morning. My best tip is to sleep with your hair twisted into a loose bun, preferably secured with a silky scrunchie. That said, you may need to redo a few sections to refresh the shape.
Overall, I think this is an excellent hot brush. It gave my hair the kind of bounce and volume you would expect from a salon blow-dry, while also leaving the lengths feeling silky, soft and smooth. I also really love how lightweight it feels in the hand—it is easily the lightest hot brush I have tried so far.
My hair is thick, slightly wavy and usually holds a curl quite well, so the blow-dry lasted throughout the day, and I still had some bounce and shine the next morning. Those with finer hair might want to use a good hair mousse beforehand to help the style last longer. Amika says this hot brush works on all hair types, and while I cannot personally confirm that for every texture, I did notice that the brush head creates strong tension, which can help stretch out curly hair and create that smooth, blown-out finish. However, if you want a very sleek result, you may prefer to straighten your hair first and then use the hot brush on dry hair for extra shape and polish.
My only small complaint is that I wish it smoothed the coarser hair around my crown a little better, as I still had some frizz after styling. That said, it was easy to fix with a small amount of hair serum. I also noticed from reviews that some users had issues with Amika’s original hot brush model stopping working after around a year. However, this 2.0 version appears to have been upgraded to improve the tool’s lifespan. Considering it costs almost £100, you would definitely expect it to last longer than a year, so I would feel more confident investing in this newer, improved model.
