Hiya, What’s Good writers Soph and Clara here!
Everyone's OBSESSED with big bouncy blowouts right now, with all the girlies channelling their inner Rachel Green from 'Friends'.
But with so many products out there promising to give the same results, we wanted to find out which ones actually deliver.
Before you splurge on a tool that swears it'll give you that perfect bounce, we've tested a couple of viral brushes on different hair types to see if they really work - so you don’t have to break the bank and deal with the dreaded buyer's remorse.
Whether you've got thick, medium-length natural curls like Clara or fine, long, and dead straight locks like Soph, we’ve tested both the Shark SmoothStyle and GHD Duet Blow Dry to see if they’re actually worth the dosh.
Shark SmoothStyle - $199.99
The Shark combines drying and styling in one tool, meaning you don’t have to rummage through a drawer of endless hair tools.
With a wet-to-dry mode blowdry and thermal? heated comb to finish the job, you’ll be thanking the hair Gods that you can get a two-in-one job to achieve your look.
Clara:
I’ve been in a long-term relationship with my Shark Flexstyler for a year after searching for a dupe of the Dyson Airwrap. As a huge fan of their products, the release of the Shark SmoothStyle got me HYPED.
After washing my hair, I got it 70% dry to avoid damage and used the blow brush function. This worked like MAGIC giving me the base for a luscious blow wave.
The game-changing element of this tool is the heated smoothing comb function which heats up and creates a built-in curler. It glided through my hair and created effortless curls that finished off the rest of my hair nicely.
Did it create tight curls and extreme volume? Not exactly. Did it produce a salon-quality blow wave? Not quite. But this tool is a lazy girl's dream when it comes to styling hair, especially if you may not be the most skilled (*cough*, like me…).
Soph:
Setting itself apart from all the other blow dry brushes out there with its promise of also being a styling tool, I tested the limits of what the SmoothStyle could create on my long, one-length mane.
Having not been blessed with the thickest of mops, I was hopeful to add some volume to my otherwise flat and lifeless locks.
After towel drying, applying some strong hold mousse, and studying a bunch of TikTok tutorials, I put the wet-to-dry feature to the test. My hair turned out super sleek - quite possibly the shiniest it’s ever looked. I got it 90% dry before diving into the twist techniques I spent hours analysing.
While it took a lot of trial and error, I found a foolproof way to add some shape and dimension to my dead straight strands.
The volume it created through the mid-lengths was quite impressive.
The best way that I found worked for my hair type was - and it sounds hectic, but bear with - placing the brush halfway up one side of my hair and twisting until it was all gathered in the brush. I continued twisting while slowly pulling the brush down so enough heat was on my hair for the style to last.
Even though you can't use the blowdry and heated prongs at the same time, it's great for refreshing your style on non-wash days without adding unnecessary heat to your hair.
GHD Duet Blow Dry - $645
GHD products have been a staple in both of our hair routines since 2011. And while we still love our OG hair straighteners, our eyes lit up at the chance to get our mitts on the new Duet Blow Dry brush to zhoosh up our dos.
After seeing HEAPS of hype from influencers such as Aussie kween Sopha Dopha, we were blown - literally - away by the results.
The Duet claims to give your hair 3x the volume while minimizing damage. With that massive price point in this cozzy livs crisis, if it talks the talk, it needs to walk the walk.
Clara:
My ethos regarding hair tools is that the easier they are to use, the better. I am completely sold if I can find a product that can give me a Victoria’s Secret blow wave with minimal effort.
After moussing my hair and putting it back in a slick pony, I got styling and was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to create effortless curls that added depth to my dull ponytail. My curls even lasted until the next day, which was a huge win!
The large brush at times got caught in my hair, so it’s important to make sure you’ve detangled and brushed out any kinks to avoid a crisis.
If you have thick hair like me, this product will most likely work perfectly on your hair.
Would I purchase the GHD Duet Blow Dry? Absolutely. Will I need to ask my boss for a pay rise first? Definitely.
Soph:
After my experience with the Shark Smoothstyle, I was pumped to try the thinner GHD brush, hoping it would deliver on its promise of 3X volume.
I did my usual prep, got my hair about 70% dry, and started working on that lift, pulling my hair upwards from the roots.
GHD says the temp is sensed 400 times per second to minimise heat damage, which was a relief after years of frying my hair with a straightener.
It gave some nice volume, but things went downhill fast when I got a bit too cocky.
WARNING: Don’t do what I did and start twisting the barrel too close to your roots or you’ll be a sobbing mess, calling mum to help pry your hair out of the thing for 20 minutes…
Once I recovered, I learned my lesson and stuck with a sleek, silky-smooth style that still looked natural.
Very cutesy, very demure.
Cutting down my post-shower routine has been quite the relief - detangled silky locks are just the bonus on top.
Any blow-dry brush you go for is gonna require a bit of patience, and - for some of them - serious savings. Still, they're pretty magical bits of kit once you've mastered them, so go forth and be bouncy!
