One of the best hair stylers could transform your morning routine. These tools can help you smooth, dry, curl and shape your locks – and sometimes all of the above, using different attachments. In this guide, we've rounded up a range of tried and tested multi-stylers, all of which can help you achieve salon-worthy looks with minimal time and effort.
Of course, not all hair styler tools are created equal, and some are more suited to particular hair types, lengths or styles. Our experts have put all these stylers through their paces and can recommend who they will and won't suit. Many of these tools can be used to dry and smooth hair, but if you'd prefer a dedicated tool we have separate guides to the best hair dryers and best hair straighteners on the market. Want something more versatile? Read on for our pick of the best hair stylers you can buy.
The best hair styling tool: quick list
Best overall
The Airwrap i.d. is a top-quality, premium styler that's perfect for creating curls, waves and sleek blowout styles with minimal heat. It's not cheap, but the dupes can't compete.
Best affordable
It's no Airwrap in terms of quality, but this Revamp multi-styler has a lot of the same functions and comes with a far lower price tag. UK only.
Best brush dryer
If you're after a brush dryer to add body, this one is affordable and effective. It does just one thing, but it does it well.
Best straightening
The Airstrait dries and smooths hair at the same time, for natural-looking straight hair without the need for hair-frying hot plates.
Versatile multi-styler
Shark's answer to the Airwrap, the FlexStyle is an all-in-one hair dryer and versatile multi-styling tool, with a wide range of attachments.
Cheap multi-styler
Want lots of options without breaking the bank? This is the best budget multi-styler we've tested out.
The best multi-styler overall
The Dyson Airwrap i.d. takes everything that was great about the original multistyler, and adds a new feature that's a complete game-changer. If you can afford it, this is the best hair styling tool on the market.
The original Airwrap rose to popularity for introducing a new, healthier way to create curls. Rather than applying extreme heat with a traditional curling tong, this tool harnesses a phenomenon called the coanda effect to cause hair to wrap itself around the barrel, shaping it and setting it into curls using just air. The i.d. version adds an i.d.curl switch that launches an automated curling sequence (wrap > curl > cool shot), taking all the guesswork out the process and making it absolutely effortless.
Where the Airwrap i.d. really shines is when creating curls, but there's a wide range of other compatible tools that increase its versatility. It can be used as just a hair dryer, and there are various brush attachments for creating bouncy blow-dries, a diffuser and wide-tooth comb attachments for curls and coils, and a flyaway smoother, amongst other things.
The sticking point for many will be the price – there's no getting around the fact that the Airwrap i.d. is extremely expensive. There are other multistylers in this list that also use the coanda effect to create curls (see the Revamp at #2 and Shark at #5) but none that can create clockwise or anticlockwise curls on the same barrel, and none that offer an automated curl sequence.
Read our full Dyson Airwrap i.d. review
The best affordable multi-styler
The Revamp Dynamic Radiance Pro Blow Dry 7-in-1 Ionic Air Styler is the best budget multi-styler we've tested, as well as being one of the best Airwrap dupes if you can't stretch to the real thing (it's UK only – US shoppers should hop down to the slightly pricier Shark FlexStyle at #5).
Like many modern multi-stylers, the design combines a tube-shaped dryer – the top of which pivots for more comfortable drying – and various attachments for different styling tasks. These include the all-important auto-wrapping curl barrels, which we found worked just as well as any we've tried (although you will have to manually swap them over when you want to switch from clockwise to anticlockwise curls, unlike on the Airwrap).
There's a decent selection of attachments – the two auto-wrap curl barrels, a concentrator, flat paddle brush, large oval bristle brush with ceramic barrel and a round barrel with retractable bristles. It's only the last of these that our tester was unimpressed with, and we particularly like the large bristle brush for adding volume. Other brands' efforts have a wider selection of compatible attachments, but most bases are covered here, with the notable exception of a diffuser.
Although it understandably doesn't feel ultra-premium, the build quality is decent and functions as intended – all the attachments clip on and off easily and feel secure in use, for example. The helpful addition of an easily accessible "pause" button means you can remove the wand without disturbing your curls. In fact, our only real complaint was that it was a little too easy to accidentally change the settings mid-style.
In general, Revamp is worth checking out if you're looking for a cheap multi-styler. The even more affordable Progloss appears in our list at #6.
Read more in our Revamp Dynamic Radiance Pro Blow Dry 7-in-1 Ionic Air Styler review
The best hair brush dryer
If you're on a tighter budget and want something that'll help you create bouncy blow-dries, Revlon's Pro Collection One Step is the best brush dryer we've tried. It's not much to look at, but it really delivers when it comes to results – and it's extremely affordable too.
This kind of hair styler tool dries and shapes your hair at the same time. It's quite heavy, but on test our reviewer found it was so efficient that the extra weight didn't really matter. There are just two drying settings: lower powered and less hot, or higher powered and hotter. The higher setting created an irritating noise, but our tester found the lower setting was powerful enough that she never had to use anything else. The large barrel enables you to tackle large sections at a time, and its oval shape makes it easy to create volume at the root.
Although the design isn't perfect, the results more than made up for any flaws: the Revlon Pro Collection One Step consistently left our reviewer's hair sleek, bouncy and voluminous. If you're seeking more versatility – including the ability to create curls – there are plenty of multi-stylers in this list to choose from. But for bouncy blow-dries on a budget, this is the tool for you.
Read more in our Revlon Pro Collection One Step Dryer and Volumiser review
The best straightening tool
The Dyson Airstrait uses an angled blade of focused airflow to dry and straighten at the same time – meaning you can use it on wet hair. Its design has an 80s sci-fi vibe and swaps the usual straightener hot plates for unheated panels, with vents to deliver the air.
At 1.18lb / 536g, the Airstrait is heavier than a traditional straightener, but it makes light work of drying/straightening hair, with our reviewer able to achieve both in 10 minutes, less than half the time it would take to dry and straighten her hair usually. It has some neat features too: one that adjusts the volume of airflow when hair is in it, and another that cuts airflow when its arms have been open for more than three seconds.
Our reviewer found that there was little-to-no hair snagging or sizzling and that the Airstrait was able to dry segments of her hair with just one pass. Its results were natural-looking straight hair rather than pin straight, however, and the Airstrait can't get right up to the root, so may not be as effective for those with tight curls.
Talking of curls, what the Airstrait is not so good at is creating them – for that, you'll want the Airwrap (#1) or another multi-styler. However, if you have wavy or slightly curly hair and are looking for a styling tool that will help you smooth things out without damaging your locks, the Airstrait would make an excellent choice. It's expensive, but top quality, and there's nothing else like it on the market right now.
Read our full Dyson Airstrait review
Another versatile hair styler
The Shark FlexStyle Air Styling & Hair Drying System is a hair tool with a range of useful attachments for creating different styles. It's Shark's answer to the Airwrap (#1); it comes with very similar auto-wrapping curl barrels, which create curls using directed air, resulting in less heat damage than traditional tongs. However, unlike with the Airwrap, you'll need to manually swap over the barrels to create clockwise and anti-clockwise curls, and there's no automated curl sequence.
You can also use the FlexStyle as a dryer – the pivotable top section makes it comfortable to hold and easy to direct the airflow in this mode. Plus, there are brush tools, a concentrator and a diffuser that can be snapped on for different looks. In some countries you can build your own bundle, and choose only the attachments you'll actually use, which is a neat option.
Price-wise, it's much more affordable than an Airwrap, although still not super-cheap. The quality is fine (the black version looks and feels more premium than the beige one) but it's still worth keeping an eye out for a deal if you decide this is the hair tool for you. Shark loves a sale, so you shouldn't have to wait too long.
Read more in our Shark FlexStyle review
The best cheap multi-styler
The Revamp Progloss Airstyle 6-in-1Air Styler DR-1250, or the Revamp Progloss, is a very budget-friendly multi-styler that comes with with six attachments – a wide-bristle brush, a paddle brush and a rotating hard bristle brush, which is designed for creating soft waves. There's also a conical attachment for creating curls, a drying attachment and a diffuser.
The dryer works well, drying our reviewer's hair in just over four minutes. And in our tests, the smaller barrel brush and paddle brush were particularly suited to fine hair. The larger rotating brush worked well in that it was easy to wind hair around the barrel, but the barrel itself was too wide for clearly defined waves on shoulder length hair, suggesting this tool may work better with longer hair. Elsewhere, our reviewer found it hard to grip the air styler when creating curls, due to the length of the handle.
The Progloss was also rather noisy at 80dB. Saying that, we'd recommend the Progloss to those who want to create a variety of styles without spending big.
Read more in our Revamp Progloss Airstyle 6-in-1Air Styler DR-1250 review
How to choose a hair styler tool
When choosing a hair styler, you first need to consider what you want to achieve. Are you looking to create waves, straight locks or to enhance or define existing curls? If there's only one style you know you'll want to create most of the time then you may want to choose a hair styler dedicated to that function, or if you want to be able to mix up styles then a multi styler may be better for you.
Also think about your hair type – some tools are better suited to some hair types than others. We've indicated where this is the case in our list.
It's also worth considering design and portability, do you need something that will travel easily or will your tool likely stay in one place? Do you have the space to keep several accessories and a large hair styler tool or do you need something that's relatively compact? Is an included carry case important to you?
Budget will also likely play a key part in your decision. The price of hair stylers ranges from relatively inexpensive 2-in-1 hair brush dryers to multi-stylers, which vary in price, with Dyson being the most expensive.
What is the best hair styling tool brand?
There are a number of brands in the hair styling tool market. Dyson is top of the range in terms of price and quality, but elsewhere there's Shark, Revlon, Remington, BaByliss, plus GHD and T3.
