The magic hair thingie
Brother, do you have a minute to talk about the Revlon Salon One-Step Hair Dryer and Volumizer?
This thing and its hype are legit. My friend Lily mentioned it over the holidays and I bought it on a whim but now I’m going door to door to shine its light into people’s hearts.
Let me tell you right off the bat that I’ve never mastered a styling tool in any way more significant than “oh… your hair is… not wet anymore.” I didn’t hold a brush to my own head until the seventh grade, and that was only because it was 1989 and I was determined to mimic the impressive bangs of my classmates. I used my mom’s velvety hot rollers and failed miserably. Then, in the weird novelty-retro Shag days of the early 2000s, hot off a breakup and high on the fumes of the Charlie’s Angels soundtrack, I got my hair cut into a chin-length flip, complete with red highlights to compliment my too-thin eyebrows. I used a large-barrel curling iron to flip out the ends, when I could be bothered. It didn’t last long. This was the extent of my relationship with styling tools until this baby came long.
I have long, very thick hair that’s also naturally curly, and most of the year I do my own version of the Curly Girl Method. This is great because I’m lazy and the Curly Girl Method requires just a few reasonably-priced products and very little effort. But from November-March, it’s too cold for me to let my hair air dry, so I’d have to blowdry it, then use a straightener or curling iron or even hot rollers to try and make it look smooth and bouncy. It never really does. It makes me sweaty and it makes my arms sore and mostly I just give up and put it in a ponytail. I have never managed any success with a round brush; I’ve tangled more than one deep into my scalp.
I’ve tried the Amika Polished Perfection Straightening Brush (version 1.0). It was nice, but not as nice as I’d hoped. For one thing, my thick and curly hair is not cut in a way that looks its best super straight. I also like some body and volume, and found that very difficult to achieve with the Amika, but very easy with the Revlon thingie.
I’ve spent a lot of money over the years at Drybar, which is fine; it’s a pleasant experience for someone else to wash my hair and then make it look smooth and shiny as I sip a drink and let my brain go white noise while a movie I would never watch unless I was hungover or on an airplane plays in front of me. But now that I possess the magic hair thingie, I can make my hair look like Drybar makes it. Sometimes better!
Here’s what I do: wash and condition my hair, use my microfiber hair towel, comb through it with a wide-tooth comb, and then let it air dry a bit. You don’t want to go at sopping wet hair with this thing. I apply some Briogeo Rosarco Blow Dry Perfection & Heat Protectant Creme, one of the only good things that came from having a Birchbox subscription – every other blowdry balm I’ve tried made my hair feel tacky. Then I clip my hair up in sections, run a brush through each section before using the tool, and go at it. (You don’t have to wait for it to heat up.) I have a lot of hair, but it takes me about 25-30 minutes? Whereas before it would’ve been 25 minutes with the hairdryer, then another 15 with a straightener or curling iron, or god, another freaking 30 with hot rollers. By then I’d be sweaty and my hair would start frizzing and the finished product would be nowhere near as nice as with this thing.
Several friends own this sucker, each with different hair – short, long, thin, thick, straight, curly. So far everyone loves it, to the point that I’m afraid it’s going to go milkshake duck on us at any minute. The reviews online are overwhelmingly positive, with a few one-stars that mention it stopping working after eight months. If that’s the case for mine, I think I’d rather have loved and lost.
You can get this for $35 at Target and unless it suddenly becomes sentient and racist, I don’t see you regretting this purchase.
Comments are closed.
Krissa
January 13, 2020 at 7:24 amLITERALLY reading this after stepping out of the shower, after doing my basic b*tch workout in the living room like a 21st-century Cathy and ABOUT to pull this sucker through my hair to leave the house in winter — short/fine/wavy over here and takes me a cool 9 minutes and zero Rachel Flip when I’m done, the magic is f*cking REAL.
Krissa
January 13, 2020 at 7:25 amOh and I think we have the same Source for these, it’s Heather isn’t it, she got the inspiration from Jen, and none of us are even making that mad MLM money off this, what a waste.
sarahbrown
January 13, 2020 at 7:35 amI heard about it from my friend Lily but I love that it’s everywhere!
sarahbrown
January 13, 2020 at 7:36 amIt’s insanely easy, right? And better than a professional blowout because sometimes they go crazy with product or do some weird retro styling.
Heather Hunter
January 13, 2020 at 7:39 am😂 sentient and racist. I guffawed hard enough to be concerned about peeing myself a little so thank you.
Christen
January 13, 2020 at 11:39 amI also bought this in a “will this replace by hair dryer-Drybar Brush Crush combo” moment of hope and I think I need to keep practicing. My hair is curly and straightens pretty easily but I feel like I can never get the top layer really smooth? I invested in some decent straightening products finally (R+Co’s Park Avenue, if you’re curious) so I’ll give it another whirl. Thanks for the reminder this is languishing in the cabinet in our guest bathroom.
sarahbrown
January 13, 2020 at 11:49 amI feel like with this versus the Amika tool (which looks very similar to the Drybar brush), I’m either choosing volume at the roots or sleek and laying flat. I personally will always want a bit of root boost over the sleek but that might just be my Southern upbringing!
Christen
January 13, 2020 at 12:21 pmOh I definitely like a bit of root boost, but I need to practice getting that part straight, too. That’s always the hardest part to straighten no matter what I use so maybe I need to make peace with that fact and realize it will always take more than two seconds.
Also, lol forever at the movies Drybar shows. You are spot on: these are strictly hangover or airplane movies.
Gleemonex
January 13, 2020 at 3:21 pmWell shit, I’m sold — even though my hair is apparently nothing like yours (it’s long, but straight …except for the patch in the back where it sort of … kinks annoyingly); I haaaaaaaaaaaaate the unkempt look of a total air-dry, but it takes for-goddamn-ever to blow dry, and THEN I gotta hit it with either the 2″ barrel curling iron or the fattest velvet hot rollers. I want smooth but voluminous. So I’m gonna try this. (BTW: also gonna start throwing “unless it becomes sentient and racist” around; if it gets back to you, lmk)
RLK
January 14, 2020 at 9:21 amI am sad to say this did NOT work for me- I tried Krissa’s after swimming at the gym (our locker are next to each other, too cute). My hair texture on the top half of my head is too coarse/frizzy for this to work- I need bigger guns like a curling iron or flatiron on high heat. Am starting to seriously consider the $400 Dyson hairdryer.
sarahbrown
January 15, 2020 at 10:48 amOh god that Dyson hairdryer is like the Cle de Peau concealer for me: I can’t even try it because I would hate myself for ever succumbing.
RLK
January 14, 2020 at 9:22 amAlso, how can I change my damn avatar here? I love my deceased cat (RIP Cleo, 2000-2010), but it’s time for an update.
sarahbrown
January 15, 2020 at 10:47 amI see a new photo! But also I’m rusty at this – I signed up for this new site and apparently had made a WP account under my name years ago so just went with it.
Erin
January 25, 2020 at 9:49 amI love this thing so much— this is what finally pushed me into the “I can confidently do my own hair” category. Something I don’t recommend, however, is briefly gripping it between your knees to turn it off. Sucker gets HOT, I had blisters. Knee blisters. From a hair thing.
Beth
February 6, 2020 at 10:15 amOk, first thing’s first: HELLO! In pre-historic internet days, we were Flickr/FB pals (I was Beth Boller, American in Britain, long story short – that went HAYWIRE and now I’m remarried and in Austin) and it’s lovely to see you writing again!
Secondly, goddamn it, I got the Conair InfinitiPRO version of this for Christmas, which comes with a paddle brush attachment and a round brush. I cannot use the round brush, due to fuzzy bristles that turn me into Roseanne Roseannadanna. This would have been the superior product.
sarahbrown
February 6, 2020 at 10:50 amBeth!! Hi, I remember you! So good to see your name again!
Beth
February 6, 2020 at 11:13 amGlad to see y’all are doing well! 100% here for this content.
Marla
February 8, 2020 at 8:56 amMy hair is super short – and thin – do you think this would work for me? The brush appears rather large. Also, welcome back!