Details: top : BB Dakota c/o // shorts: BB Dakota c/o // Drybar Double Shot Blow-Dryer Brush c/o // Revlon One-Step Hair Dryer and Volumizer Hot Air Brush // similar flower basket: Target // milky soap: Sabon

Battle of the Brushes

In October of 2019 (I checked my Amazon history 😊) I ordered the Revlon One-Step Hair Dryer and Volumizer Hot Air Brush. It was love at first use and ever since then it’s been the hair dryer I’ve used every time I’ve blown out my hair… that is until I also tried out the Drybar Double Shot Blow-Dryer Brush…

The Drybar brush is kind of like the “designer” version of the Revlon one and I’ve been trying out it out for a little over a month now. Since I’ve been really testing out and experiencing both, I thought it would be fun to do a little comparison of the two for my new “Beauty” category on the blog (my current makeup routine kickstarted this category!). Note that the Drybar brush was gifted to me, but this post is in no way sponsored by either brand.

It might be helpful to talk about the quality of my hair first so you can get a better idea of how these types of blow dryer brushes work for me– I have relatively fine hair and it’s not very thick. It’s also cut in a lob, which you can obviously tell, and runs down only a few inches past my shoulders.

In order to use either of these blow dryer brushes, I honestly just run it through my hair like I would a normal brush. To start, I will flip my hair and run it through it upside down too! It’s honestly so easy and there are tons of YouTube videos on it as well in case you ever want to see someone do it in person. I will share it on my Instagram stories ‘Beauty’ highlight too!

Below is what my hair looks like before/after using either! They both really give you a smooth, salon-like blow out that I have never been able to achieve from a regular hair dryer (unless it’s in an actual salon and being done by someone!). If I were to only use a regular hair dryer on my hair, my hair ends up a bit pouffy and then I have to run a hair straightener through it. But these have changed that entirely. They honestly eliminate the need for me to ever get a professional blow out again–  they’re that good.

But below I’m breaking down a more specific comparison between the two…

Let’s Break it Down

Price:

Both brushes happen to be currently on sale (!!) but the Revlon hair dryer brush is $80 less than the Dry Bar one, so it is clearly the less expensive option. My recommendation would be that if you’re nervous if this type of hair dryer will work for you, then try out the Revlon one first, because it’s not as big of a financial commitment. But if you already own the Revlon and want an upgrade, or if you are convinced this type of blow dryer will work for you, then definitely spring for it and get the Drybar one (keep reading to see exactly why I think it’s worth the extra $$!).

Weight:

I don’t like hair dryers that are too heavy and honestly both of these feel very very light. Especially since you’re moving both around so much to brush through your hair with them, they’re both surprisingly agile. I also love that you don’t have to hold a hair brush with it as well, like you normally would do when blowing out your hair with a regular hair dryer. I also am holding it for max 10 minutes (whereas it’s usually taken me longer with a regular hair dryer), which is a major plus for either of these too.

Time to Dry:

Ok, I’ve timed myself using both on damp hair right after I get out of the shower… I just towel dry my hair and then use the blow dryer brush right on it! I’ve seen people with much thicker/longer hair than mine use a regular hair dryer on their hair first to just dry it out to be a tad damp and then run the blow dryer brush through it, and that works as well. But mine is fair enough that I can just use the brush on it damp and it works perfectly!

Ok, so back to the timing– it took 7 minutes and 55 seconds to get my hair to a perfect blow out with the Revlon brush it took 6 minutes and 18 seconds to get my hair to a perfect blow out with the Drybar brush. So the Drybar one took about a minute and a half faster to dry my hair.

Quality of Blow Out:

This section is what I think is the real differentiator of the two hair dryers. Now that I’ve used both extensively, I can confidently say that the Drybar brush gives a smoother and all around “bouncier” blow out, if that makes sense. I do think that it was also made a little bit more sturdier and is of better quality than the Revlon one too. However, the Revlon brush is a great “starter” hair dryer brush and is an awesome way to get used to this new type of hair dryer, without making a huge investment. It’s almost like the drugstore version vs the Sephora version of makeup😊. There’s a time and place for either one!!

Bottom Line

If your hair is at all similar to mine, then you will 100% love either one of these. I honestly think that it comes down to how much you want to spend on the hair dryer right now. If you want to go for the highest quality right off the bat, definitely get the Drybar brush. BUT if you are nervous about it working on your hair for any reason or don’t want to spend more than $50 on it, then start out with the Revlon brush and see how you like it! xx