The 12 Best Round Brushes For Salon-Worthy Blowouts

Josh Liu is a celebrity hairstylist who’s A-list clients include Ariana Grande, Shailene Woodley, and Miranda Kerr.

“Different sized round brushes will change the type of hairstyle you achieve,” says Liu. Liu recommends using a small barrel around the hairline, to straighten curly roots, or to create “tighter, bouncier, and voluminous curls that are fluffy.” Smaller barrels are also great to use for bangs. Medium barrels are ideal for medium to longer hair lengths that are looking for that bouncy ’90s blowout. And finally, a large barrel round brush can create smooth, straighter styles.

“Round brushes are a quick and efficient way to style and dry your hair which maintains bounce, volume and shine,” says Liu. “Other traditional paddle and boar bristle brushes are more for smoothing and straightening, when volume and bounce are less of a priority.”

“I prefer nylon heat resistant bristles as it doesn’t overwork or overstretch the hair as most boar bristles grip a little too tightly and is less versatile,” says Liu. “Nylon heat resistant bristles, as on T3’s Volume round brush collection, are gentle and efficient for detangling and smoothing all hair types, and great for providing enough tension to add volume, bounce, curl, smooth and bevel hair.”

“I recommend rough drying your hair about 75% dry prior to styling with a round brush,” says Liu. When the hair is damp but no longer dripping wet, you can use a round brush to add shape and volume. “To maintain maximum volume, bounce, or curl, roll your hair up from the ends of your hair all the way into the base and hit it with a cool shot button and clip to set it. If you want a looser style, feel free to cool shot and let it drop—you know your hair best. If your hair holds a curl well, you can skip the setting clip and/or cool shot.”

“For beginners, practice rolling your hair using a round brush without the blow dryer first,” says Liu. Sectioning is also key: “Keep sections clean if you feel you are prone to tangling up your hair in round brushes. The technique is also important. “Start blow drying in smaller vertical sections at the root on a high heat low speed, and smooth the root, and wrap it around the barrel one time, heat it up. Then twist and release the heated hair, move down the shaft a bit, wrap it and heat it up, then twist again and release the heated hair and pull. Repeat until all the way down the hair shaft—this will create a twisty, bouncy, beachy blowout. You can imagine using the round brush as if it were a clamp barrel curling iron. This is a great technique for those with thin and fine hair which prefer fluffy voluminous styling.”

Tatjana Freund is ELLE’s Beauty Commerce Writer. She has interviewed countless haircare professionals, and is always testing out new and trending hair treatments.