Disclaimer: The product featured was provided for review.
Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of attending the annual
London Drugs #LDBeauty event where I had the opportunity to preview some of the hottest beauty products coming in stores for the fall and holiday season. One of the items that really caught me by surprise was the
Hot Tools Signature Series One-Step Blowout Volumizer ($89.99 CAD). Although I blow dry my hair daily, I don't invest a lot in hair tools. Aside from a basic straightener and curler, both of which I rarely use anyway, I'm not particularly fond of "innovative", "one-step" hair tools. Especially given my less than stellar experience with the supposedly amazing
Revlon One-Step Iconic Hair Dryer and Styler a few years back, I was quite hesitant with this new device from Hot Tools. However, I've been using the One-Step Blowout Volumizer every single day since I received it a few weeks ago and I am seriously obsessed! To read my review, click......
Packaging & Design:
If you've ever gotten a blowout at a salon, you'd know that the process gives the most voluminous, shiny, and humidity-resistant hair. However, blowouts require great coordination and patience, making it almost impossible to do on your own without lots of practice. Therefore, the idea of the One-Step Blowout Volumizer is to simplify that process and make it possible for you to achieve similar results at home.
With a large oval brush head ventilated with slots for airflow generated by the fan located in the handle, the Signature Series One-Step Blowout Volumizer is essentially a hair styler that combines a round brush and a blow dryer into one device. Admittedly, the design is quite large and clunky. To accommodate the fan, the handle is thick and unwieldy, especially if you have small hands like I do. Additionally, instead of a normal control switch, the Volumizer has a large dial for control, which is not super easy to use as you need both hands (one holding onto the handle) to adjust.
The One-Step Blowout Volumizer has three settings: high, low, and cool. Both "high" and "low" appear to provide the same temperature but the "low" setting gives a weaker airflow. "Cool", on the other hand, provides lukewarm air, but at the same intensity as that of "high". I personally find "high" a bit too hot so I only use it for a short while before switching to "cool".
The One-Step Blowout Volumizer brush is made of nylon bristles and real boar hair, which help gently grip the hair while also adding shine. As you can see in the picture below, the head of the brush has a ceramic coating for even heat distribution. Therefore, the black part of the device does get quite hot during use. Additionally, as is expected for most hairdryers, the device employs negative ions to prevent frizz. Lastly, one bonus feature of the bristles is that the longer plastic ones are infused with activated charcoal (the light blue beads) which supposedly help refresh second-day hair.
The Result:
So despite its chunky design, the Hot Tools Signature Series One-Step Blowout Volumizer really blew me away (pun intended). My main issue with the
Revlon One-Step Iconic Hair Dryer and Styler (which is somewhat of a similar device) was that the air generated by the fan was too weak and diffuse. However, with the Signature Series One-Step Blowout Volumizer, I am very impressed with how strong the airflow is. Granted, it's not on par with a regular hair dryer, but for a two-in-one styler, it's pretty darn good! With that said, drying my hair using this device alone does take longer than with my regular hairdryer (I use the NuMe Stealth Hair Dryer, reviewed
here). So what I've been doing is first blowdrying with my regular dryer to the point that my hair is half or three-quarters dry, and then going in with the One-Step Blowout Volumizer. By using this method, I actually cut down on the overall drying time.
The large oval brush does a great job at gripping small or large sections of hair, drying and sealing the cuticles all at the same time. So instead of holding a round brush in one hand and a hairdryer in the other, I can achieve the same result with the One-Step Blowout Volumizer, which does the job of both. After styling, my hair is noticeably more voluminous and shiny and it remains that way for a longer period of time. So overall, this is an amazing (and reasonably priced) device that I would recommend to anyone with straight or wavy hair that blow drys on a regular basis. Although the device can be used on short hair, the brush head won't grab on as well so it works best on those with at least shoulder-length hair. If you are looking to simplify your styling routine, then definitely check this out!
Availability:
Hot Tools is available in stores and
online at London Drugs.
Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of attending the annual London Drugs #LDBeauty event where I had the opportunity to preview some of the hottest beauty products coming in stores for the fall and holiday season. One of the items that really caught me by surprise was the Hot Tools Signature Series One-Step Blowout Volumizer ($89.99 CAD). Although I blow dry my hair daily, I don't invest a lot in hair tools. Aside from a basic straightener and curler, both of which I rarely use anyway, I'm not particularly fond of "innovative", "one-step" hair tools. Especially given my less than stellar experience with the supposedly amazing Revlon One-Step Iconic Hair Dryer and Styler a few years back, I was quite hesitant with this new device from Hot Tools. However, I've been using the One-Step Blowout Volumizer every single day since I received it a few weeks ago and I am seriously obsessed! To read my review, click......
