The 22 Best Hair Tools for Styling and Growth

Best Thermal Brush

If you want the look of a blowout but don’t necessarily want to use a hairdryer, this brush should be in your beauty cabinet. The barrel uses far infrared heat, which penetrates the hair shaft by heating strands from the inside out, and Amika boasts that it can dry hair in half the time compared to traditional tools. Toggle the Negative Ion Generator on for help with smoothing strands and adding shine without static—the results are silky-feeling. Our tester, who has long and thick hair, reported that this brush was incredibly easy to use and gave her a blown-out look that lasted through the springtime humidity in New York City. After getting accustomed to using it, she was able to get through all of her hair in approximately 20 minutes, cutting 10 minutes off her usual routine.

Best Multi-Styler With Heat

This innovative hair device has more capabilities than most, even in the new realm of Swiss-Army-Knife stylers. It’s a hair dryer, blowout brush, straightener, and curling iron—all in one. It has a dual-sided nozzle to blow dry and smooth frizz, thanks to targeted air flow, and for styling, you can use the round brush, curling iron, and flat iron attachments with either air or heat. Our tester reported that this tool dried her hair more quickly than others she had used, and that her hair felt like it had more body afterwards. Plus, she said, “The different styling additions are easy to remove and click into place.”

Best Straightener for Thick Hair

The one styling tool all ELLE editors agree on is the GHD Chronos, a motion-responsive straightener that can leave hair perfectly smooth in a single pass. The new Chronos Max has plates almost twice as wide as the original version—you can now straighten 4B hair to sleekness, without damage, in under 20 minutes. Our tester, who has thick, long hair that typically takes up to 30 minutes to straighten, said that it cut her straightening time nearly in half.

Best At-Home Blowout Tool

The GHD Duet Blowdryer can essentially make your hair look like it’s been professionally blow-dried every day. A combo hair dryer and styler, it uses GHD’s Heat-Air Xchange Technology, an aerodynamic system that converts energy from the air into heat, and evenly warms the barrel and bristles. To ensure you don’t experience heat damage, the temperature is automatically monitored 400 times per second and self-adjusts so it never gets too hot. Our tester has very thick hair and was worried at first that it wouldn’t be powerful enough. But she was pleasantly surprised by how fast it dried and styled her strands—she was able to do her whole head in under 30 minutes. The end result was a frizz-free blowout that looked expensive.

Best Volumizing Tool

Designed with rounded edges to create voluminous and full-bodied curls, this two-in-one blow dryer and styler removes any extra steps, transforming your wet hair to a styled blowout look in one fell swoop. Our tester noted that this brush was great at detangling, and also mentioned that the handle was easier to hold than smaller styling tools, which helped to give her more control. She also noticed that her long, thick hair didn’t tangle easily when using the device, which she attributes to its steady airflow. She even reported that this tool would be a suitable alternative to a flat iron, if you needed to smooth any flyaways in a rush.

Best Multi-Styler for Speed

A true multipurpose beauty tool that weighs just 1.5 pounds, this does triple duty as a blow dryer, curling iron, and thermal brush. With suction similar to the brand’s famed vacuums, this device offers a host of different attachments that can be swapped in to dry and style your hair in minutes. Our tester was awed by how it could do just about everything: “It worked fantastically as a blow dryer, delivered a sleek blowout, and also gave bouncy curls that lasted for a few days.”

Best Curling Iron

Trying to style long hair with a curling iron can be difficult, as a too-short barrel can leave you with lackluster curls and odd kinks. T3 aims to solve that with their SinglePass Curl X, which features an extra-long barrel (6.5 inches compared to the typical five-inch iron), nine different temperatures, and T3’s signature gloss-promoting ceramic barrel. Our tester with mid-back-length hair found that the iron made her hair smoother and shinier than any other she’s used. The ceramic barrel and the longer barrel length also curled her hair in less time, although she felt this curler was slightly heavier than shorter-length models.

Best Hair Coloring Tool

Messy box dyes can stain your clothes and bathroom tiles and sometimes leave you with patchy and uneven results. But the L’Oreal Colorsonic makes coloring as easy as brushing your hair. Pop a color cartridge inside, and the device automatically mixes the color and developer. From there, the Colorsonic uses oscillating smart bristles to part hair and distribute the color, depositing the dye with each stroke. Suitable for all hair textures, the bristles glide through the hair and are even able to deposit color on hard-to-reach areas, like the back of the head, for full color application in five minutes. Our tester noted that this tool was by far the easiest and cleanest way to touch up her color in between appointments. She liked that the device automatically mixed the color, so there was no need for a plastic bowl and no noxious fumes.

Best Wavy Hair Tool

This tool aims to give you Olsen-style Jesus waves. Developed by hairstylist Joseph Maine, it has a double-barrel clamp that you press over your hair to get S-style (not bouncy) hair waves. S waves are typically difficult to achieve for non-professional hairstylists, and involve a combo of complicated hand maneuvers and a curling iron or a flatiron. But our tester was impressed by how easy this iron was to use, and how it delivered loose, easy waves in just a few minutes.

Best Small Hair Tool

Sometimes less is more. That’s definitely the case with the GHD Mini Flat Iron. The bite-sized version of the brand’s flat iron features 40 percent slimmer plates, which makes it ideal for shorter haircuts and precise styling. With two heat sensors that use GHD’s patented HD motion-responsive technology, it maintains a temperature of 365 degrees from root to tip for sleek and consistent results. The smaller size also makes this an easy on-the-go travel tool. Our tester noted that she liked how close she was able to get to her hairline to smooth flyaways. She appreciated the lightweight design and was even able to bring it with her to touch up her hair at the office before events.

Best Hair Dryer for Speed

Dyson’s newest tool is 20 percent lighter and 30 percent smaller than its forerunner, but dries hair just as quickly. Our tester, who has short, slightly wavy hair, said that it was capable of drying her hair in just five minutes. “If I don’t have the time or energy to also straighten my hair after, the flyaway attachment is enough to make my hair look smooth and sleek without too much extra effort,” she said.

Best Hair Dryer to Prevent Frizz

Lightweight and sleek, this blow-dryer weighs the same as a smartphone and has a thin tube for precise airflow. It utilizes what the brand calls Oxy-Active Technology, which infuses the hair with oxygen and negative ions to protect hair health and ward off frizz while it dries. The slim design allows for increased air speed without added energy, which means that this dryer is more efficient than most. Our tester confirmed that, after using, her hair was visibly sleeker and less frizzy than when she uses other blow dryers. “I honestly didn’t know what a difference a good hair dryer can make,” she said. “I have always used standard, drug store models and thought they were fine, but the difference this dryer makes has made a fancy hair dryer convert out of me!”

Best Compact Hair Dryer

Lightweight and compact, this blow dryer utilizes what the brand calls NeutraHeat technology to seal the hair’s cuticle, adding shine and quickly drying hair without damaging the strands. With 12 heat and speed settings and a patented design for quieter airflow, the dryer can be tailored to suit various hair needs. Our tester loved that this blow dryer could be folded up for travel and found it surprisingly powerful, despite its smaller size. Her hair is naturally wavy, fine, and frizzy, and the tool (when used with a round brush) gave her sleek, shiny, soft hair with minimal frizz. Her styling also lasted for three days.

Best Non-Damaging Hair Dryer

L’Oreal and ZUVI teamed up to create a hair dryer that doesn’t use thermal rods, which are damaging to the environment and can be harsh on hair. With its infrared light and wind technology, this dryer helps ensure that your hair dries without frizz. It’s so powerful that its wind speed gets up to 130 mph (equivalent to a category 4 hurricane). While our tester was skeptical of how a dryer this powerful would work on actual hair, she said that it dramatically cut down drying time and didn’t add any frizz at all. “Usually my hair takes 30 minutes to completely dry,” she said. “The Airlight dries it in 20.”

Best Hair Dryer for Curly Hair

Developed with curls and coils in mind, this lightweight dryer is said to release negatively charged ions that break down water molecules to quickly dry hair. Expect bouncy volume and smooth strands. Our tester really enjoyed the shape of the diffuser attachment, noting that it gathered a good amount of hair which cut down on drying time. She also said that the diffuser attachment felt gentler on her hair and scalp compared to conventional attachments.

Best Hair Steamer

This steamer opens up your hair cuticles, allowing products like conditioners and masks, which nourish strands and prevent damage, to be absorbed more deeply. The dewy steam is also warm and soothing itself, melting away tangles and knots. Our tester reported that it helped her low-porosity hair retain moisture, and her hair felt softer and more manageable.

Best Innovative Hair Dryer

With innovative, air suction technology, this device draws your hair inside of it, stretching and smoothing each strand with minimal tension and stress. This is particularly ideal for curly and coily hair that can be difficult to blow dry. With seven different tension settings and internal heat sensors for even distribution, it helps prevent heat damage and is equipped to quickly dry all hair types and even protective styles, like braids and twists. “I liked that there was minimal tension on my scalp,” said our tester, who has 4a/4b coils. “I’m used to a lot of pulling with blow-dry brushes, and my scalp has grown pretty sensitive because of it, so this is a great alternative.” She noted that it got her hair straight, even on the coolest setting.

Best Curling Iron for Curly Hair

Every curl and coil is unique. The Curlsmith team gets that, which is why they created the Curl Reviving Wand that comes with four interchangeable ceramic attachments that can be combined for different looks: For example, two twisted barrels give you the perfect spiral curls; a thin barrel creates tighter coils; and one curved, tapered barrel results in loose waves with tight curls at the ends. With 13 heat settings, the wand is suitable for all hair types. Our tester noted that the hardest part about using the wand was trying to decide between the endless options at her fingertips. She particularly liked the variety of heat control settings that allowed her to define her texture and easily refresh her hair.

Best Diffuser for Curly Hair

This hair dryer, specially formulated for curly hair, is the first on the market to combine a diffuser and a hair dryer to create a two-in-one hourglass-shaped tool, without any extra attachments. Other special features include an extra-large diffuser bowl for the longest, thickest curls; ionic technology to reduce frizz; and a temperature control system that measures heat 50 times per second, to ensure that it never gets too hot. Our tester, who naturally has 4b/4c tight coils, loved that it was made specifically with curly hair in mind, and not as an afterthought. “I can tell, because it’s much easier to hold and maneuver around my head. It’s lightweight and made my curls look smooth, frizz-free, and bouncy.”

Best Portable LED Device for Hair Growth

How can something so compact be so powerful? This tiny at-home device’s LED lights help stimulate hair growth, and the scalp massage feels great, too. Our tester found that using this tool was as easy as brushing your hair, and she was shedding less after using the scalp massager. “I haven’t had to charge it since I first opened it three weeks ago,” she added.

Best Microcurrent Hair Growth Device

This smart hairbrush combines red light therapy, microcurrent technology, massage, and heat to reinvigorate the scalp. There’s a serum-filled pod inside, so as you comb through your roots, the “bristles” release stimulating ingredients like green tea extract, vitamin B, and caffeine to encourage new growth. Use it on clean hair after showering. Our tester found that the device was easy to use, the gentle massage felt relaxing, and that her hair appeared shinier and had less breakage. “My hair is glossy, and I’ve had less shedding,” she said.

Best Hair Growth Helmet

This hair growth helmet might look like something out of a sci-fi movie, but its technology checks out. Made with 120 red light bulbs for full-head coverage, this 10-minute treatment helps improve hair thickness and hair growth. Our tester found that this helmet was easy to use, and over the course of six weeks, she noticed that some areas of her hair started to look thicker and less sparse. “There’s improvement in the appearance of my hairline,” she said, noting that she plans to keep the mask in her routine.