Ghd is one of the most popular hair tool brands on the market, and rightfully so – it’s won countless awards for its iconic range. Depending on your budget, you might be looking to add the brand’s Rise Professional Hot Brush, £169, Cult Beauty to your collection to create a perfect summer blowdry.
However, there are other options out there that won’t break the bank and offer similar results, namely that gorgeous bouncy salon-result that looks good on everyone. And now they’re even kinder to your bank balance, thanks to the Amazon Prime Day 2023 sale.
What does a hot brush do?
A hot brush is, well, a hot brush that you pass through your hair to add volume and body. The bristles glide through hair, while the heated plates smooth strands – and, thanks to the rounded shape, you can pass it through hair with a “curling” (like you would when using a round brush while blow-drying your hair) to add bounce and waves to even the straightest of hair.
What makes the ghd Rise so special?
Most of us have tried (and often failed) to recreate the ultimate ’90s bouncy blowout, which the ghd Rise easily achieves in a couple of smooth swipes.
The Rise Hot Brush is the brand’s first volumising tool, promising to smooth and curl hair “in an instant”. It can also be used to give an oh-so-elegant flick to the ends of your hair. The versatile 32mm barrel can easily be used to create both curls and waves for most hair lengths, while its 5mm bristles let you come close to the roots for extra volume. Ghd has studied hair for years and years and concluded that the optimum temperature for hair tools is 185°C, which is of course the temperature of the Rise.
It sounds perfect, especially for people short on time – or if, like me, you’re always rushing out the door in the morning. But can you justify the £169 price tag? Sure, hair tools are an investment, but if you’d rather spend this money on something more vital, here are the hot tools that can rival the ghd Rise for a fraction of the price.
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The best budget-friendly hot brushes to try instead
A hair tool doesn’t need to break the bank and these days we are spoilt for choice when it comes to affordable products. Here, I’ve rounded up five of the best alternative hot brushes on the market.
Remington hydra luxe volumising hair styler, £29.99 in the Amazon Prime Day sale
This thicker brush is ideal for a bouncy blowout and creating soft waves and it’s definitely suited to thicker hair. The key selling point is that it can be used on wet hair, so you can easily skip the boring drying step in your routine. The varying bristle sizes allow you to grip the hair and create more volume on the top of the head, similar to the ghd Rise.
Saving: £139.01
Star rating: 5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Benefits: ionic technology, 3 heat and 2 speed settings, suitable for wet hair, nylon bristles, 90 degrees max temperature
Results: reduced frizz, volume, smooth brow-dry, less heat damage
Revlon One-Step Style Booster Hot Air Styler, £30.29 in the Amazon Prime Day sale
You would have seen the original hot air style by Revlon that went viral on TikTok when it launched in 2020. Well, this is its younger sister – with a thinner barrel this tool is more suitable for shorter hair and it dries while it styles, win, win. It can be used for the perfect ’90s hair look and to give roots an extra bit of volume. It’s also great for refreshing second-day hair.
Saving: £138.71
Star rating: 5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Benefits: thinner barrel, suitable for shorter hair, ceramic technology, 3 temperature and 3 speed settings, ionic conditioning, nylon bristles
Results: volume in the roots, soft curls or waves, reduced frizz
Babyliss Air Style 1000, £38.99 in the Amazon Prime Day sale
This tool has been dubbed a Dyson AirWrap dupe, as it contains a dryer head as well as styling tools. The round barrel is thicker than most, so it would be more suitable for longer or thicker hair. Note, your hair must be mostly dry in order to use this hot brush, which makes the process a little longer. However, the interchangeable heads make up for it, as it’s so easy to smooth out the hair before curling it, when using the round brush head. Plus, it can also be used on the roots for some extra volume.
Saving: £130.01
Star rating: 4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Benefits: interchangeable heads for more hair styles, frizz control
Results: volume, anti-frizz, root-lift
TRESemme Ceramic Hot Brush, £16, Amazon
The slim barrel of this ceramic hot brush can be used to create both soft waves as well as tighter curls at the bottom of the hair. Then, if you sweep a comb through, you will have the perfect at-home blowout. It doesn’t seem to give the same amount of volume at the roots as the ghd option, but it all depends on how you use it and your hair texture and type. The maximum temperature is 180°C and the ceramic coated barrel is kinder to the hair – though it’s essential you still use a heat protectant with any hair tool.
Saving: £153
Star rating: 5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Benefits: ceramic coating for shine, thin barrel, worldwide voltage, firm bristles
reVamp Progloss Volume and Wave Ceramic Hot Brush, £49.99
This hair styler has a genius feature: retractable bristles that make styling much easier and minimise any annoying snagging incidents. The 32mm barrel can be used for tighter curls as well as waves and it’s infused with coconut, argan and keratin for extra smoothness and shine. The temperature has five settings and goes up to 210°C degrees, which is useful for thicker hair – for colour-treated or thin hair the brand recommends one of the lower settings. Similar to the ghd Rise, it promises a smooth finish and shiny locks, too.
Saving: £119
Star rating: 4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Benefits: retractable bristles, 5 heat settings, coated with coconut argan and keratin, suitable for thick hair
Results: softer hair, tighter waves, volume, long-lasting styling
So, whether you pick the ghd Rise or one of its more affordable counterparts, one thing is certain – you’ll be achieving the perfectly styled, bouncy waves in no time.
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