Revlon hair dryer brush review: Our beauty writer tests the viral One-Step Volumizer

I can't start this Revlon hair dryer brush review without mentioning the incredible level of buzz around this product. It's built a huge cult following online and often sits at the top of Amazon’s bestsellers beauty list – not to mention videos with the hashtag #revlonhairdryerbrush have amassed more than 592 million views on TikTok.

This tool promises to act as the best hair dryer and styling brush in one, delivering a generous dose of volume, a smooth finish and a bouncy blow-dry – minus the salon visit – in one. According to savvy shoppers, it's one of the best Dyson Airwrap dupes on the market, with more than 25,000 five-start reviews on Amazon. But the big question is: does it compare to the luxe buy, which costs close to £500?

It’s clear from the before and after photos that this hair dryer brush does magical things to every hair type, from the most curly hairstyles to styling straight hair, so I was curious to see how it fares on my poker-straight hair. I got my hands on the much-discussed device for the purpose of this Revlon hair dryer brush review. Here's how I got on with the fan-favourite tool.

Annie Milroy

Annie Milroy is woman&home's Beauty Writer and has also assisted on numerous fashion & beauty shoots during her career. She's also interviewed the likes of Claudia Winkleman, Nadia Hussain and Rochelle Humes, as well as the industry’s finest experts in skincare, make-up, hair, body and health. 

Our beauty writer's Revlon hair dryer brush review

Revlon One-Step Volumizer design

In terms of design, the Revlon One-Step Volumizer differs somewhat from other hot brushes. You might be familiar with the rotating cylindrical brush head on the Babyliss Big Hair Rotating Blow Dry Brush, which mimics the pull-and-wrap technique of a salon hairstylist. But this version is a lot simpler and actually easier to use. 

The brush head is on the large side (its diameter measures at 7cm), which means you can work through your hair pretty quickly, especially useful if you have a long hairstyle or it's on the thick side. The head doesn’t move and is shaped somewhere between a paddle brush and a radial brush. The oval design means you can achieve smoothness via the flat side, while the gently rounded edges offer that signature volume and flick you'd get from a traditional blowout. 

The bristles, made from a combination of nylon pins to detangle and tufted bristles that smooth, do a fantastic job of passing through the hair without turning it into a pile of knots. The brush also has a cool tip at the end, which means you can use the opposite hand to gain maximum tension on the hair when making each pass. And on a superficial level, it comes in teal, mint, or classic pink, which brings a far more uplifting vibe to a hair dryer stand than your average black or grey dryer. 

How well does it perform?

That brings us to the most crucial part of our Revlon hair dryer brush review: what's it actually like to use? My first impressions were that this hair dryer is a bulky boy and, teamed with the fact I have little to no upper arm strength, I was concerned I might struggle to contort my arms to create lots of volume. 

Luckily, despite the weight of the styling tool, this hair dryer was easy to manage. I started by sectioning off my damp hair and added lashings of my best heat protection spray and got to work twisting my hair around the brush. Much to my surprise, after just 12 minutes (yes, I timed it) I had managed to produce a respectable blowout, featuring silky smooth strands and the classic blow dry flicks that you can only hope for from a salon visit. 

It was quick and easy to use and cut my normal drying and styling time by more than half. I always put off washing and styling my hair in the mornings because I would much rather get 45 more minutes of precious sleep, but using this hair tool means that my hair is dry and styled within 15 minutes. While it may not be that quick for everyone – like I said, I have fine, straight hair – it will save most people from using numerous tools and shave time off your morning routine. 

Does it come with any attachments?

In terms of extra attachments, there are none, as the Revlon One-Step Volumizer doesn’t come with any fancy nozzles or diffusers. The only things in the box are the brush itself and an instruction booklet. This could be a letdown if you like your hairdryer to offer styling versatility through snazzy gadgetry, like the Dyson Airwrap Styler or Shark FlexStyle. 

On the plus side, with the Revlon hair dryer brush you have everything you need to create a smooth blowout in the palm of your hand. The non-detachable brush head means there’s no wondering around which nozzle to use for a smooth finish, no time wasted swapping accessories over and no panic because you’ve misplaced the volumizing attachment. 

How does it compare to the Dyson Airwrap?

Let's face it, nowadays most people want to know how any hair tool compares to the Dyson Airwrap. Though on the surface this tool isn't all that similar, due to the lack of brush head attachments and fancy drying technology, I do believe it can produce similar results to using the straight, round volumizing and smoothing brush heads of the Airwrap. 

The lack of swish is something to consider if you're comparing these two tools. The Revlon is louder, bulkier and gets hotter, and it's also not as versatile. However, if all you want to do is replicate a straight salon blow dry then, with certain brush head attachments, both the Revlon and the Dyson will create similar sleek results. 

The Revlon isn't going to produce any bouncy ringlets or smaller curls, but if you're looking for a smoothing effect, minus the eye-watering price tag, this is a great option. 

What’s not good about the Revlon Hair Dryer Brush?

The 1100-watt power of the One Step Volumiser packs a punch, but with that comes a fair bit of noise – so if you’re used to the whisper of the Dyson Supersonic hair dryer you may find this jarring. It also blows out a lot of hot air, which, when right next to your face, can be quite uncomfortable. For this reason, I'd recommend using it before applying makeup. It’s also very warm when on the highest heat setting, so rosy-cheeked girls like me will emerge looking like they’ve just sat in a sauna for half an hour. 

The settings themselves are operated using a twistable ring around the base of the dryer, which means this cannot be done with one hand and is a little bit faffy, as you have to turn the tool around to try and change the settings when using it. Also, as previously mentioned, this brush is bulky and quite heavy compared to other styling tools – but when you consider that it’s a hairdryer and styler in one, it’s completely understandable. That said, I would imagine it would take up a lot of space and weight in a suitcase if travelling, which is worth bearing in mind if you're planning to take the tool away with you. 

Revlon hair dryer brush review: w&h verdict

Having low-maintenance fine and straight hair, this hair tool was always going to produce decent results, but even I was impressed by its powers. I struggle to style my hair, tending to get overwhelmed by curling tongs and fancy stylers, but this simple tool couldn’t have been more straightforward to use and the results were incredibly easy to achieve. If I can produce salon-worthy hair, then literally anybody can.

I loved that this is a two-in-one dryer and styler, meaning you can save yourself not only time but also money by investing in this £62.99 tool. It’s also completely idiot-proof – I haven’t heard of anyone not being able to master this or having anything negative to say about the results, either. While it’s not going to give you glamorous curls that only Chris Appleton can give Kim K, it will give you your best-looking hair and yields similar slick results to those achieved with the straight brush of the Dyson Airwrap (for about an 8th of the price). It's a brilliant alternative for this attachment, but admittedly not as versatile or glam-looking. 

For the price and guaranteed results, I can’t think of any reason not to rush out and purchase this hair tool. To echo the thousands of reviews online that claim it's the best hair tool on the market, I can vouch for the transformative powers of this dryer and styler. So if you’re after effortlessly styled, salon-worthy tresses, this absolute gem promises to have your back and I think it's most definitely one of the best hair dryer brushes around. It's absolutely worth the hype.