While getting your nails done or splurging on a day pampered at your favourite local spa are always welcome, I’d argue there’s no better beauty appointment than a classic blow-dry. There’s just something about walking out of a salon with fluffy, flawless, and bouncy waves that makes you feel like you can take on the world. If that rings true for you, then you’ll also know that somehow emulating the professionals at home often doesn’t get the same desired results, no matter how hard you seem to try.
For me, I wouldn’t say I’m “unskilled” at the DIY blow-dry, more so, just incredibly lazy (anyone else?). I’ve mastered the art of the sleek bun, parted down the middle and set down with hairspray, which has served me well over lockdown, but now that our social calendars are beginning to fill, it’s time to start putting in a little bit more effort. But hey, I’m still me so I’ll be taking the shortcuts whenever I can find them, and I’m here to tell you—spoiler alert—I’ve found it in the form of Mermade Hair’s viral Blow-Dry Brush.
If you scroll social media half as much as I do, you’ll already know about Mermade Hair, the original brand behind the pretty-in-pink barrel waver that gives those perfectly tousled waves (with celebrity fans like Hailey Bieber swearing by its results). But this season, you’ll know that effortlessly bouncy and voluminous curls are having a major moment—think Cindy Crawford’s early ‘90s red carpet moments.
Below, I put the Mermade Hair Blow-Dry Brush to the test.
While you might have already seen the Mermade Hair barrel waver splashed across your IG, you might not have realised that the brand also offers up innovative products for all types of hairstyle needs, including hairdryers, curling wands and the “one hair tool you simply cannot live without”—the Blow-Dry Brush.
The tool, of course, comes in the brand’s signature pink finish, promising to deliver an “easy way to get a glossy, curvy, bouncy blowout in half the time.” Basically, the tool offers up salon-quality results that don’t require fiddling around with a brush, hairdryer and sections of your hair all tangled together. It comes in a unique oval shape with ionic technology for shine and protection, plus tangle-free bristles that work on all hair types and lengths.
When I first opened the Mermade Blow-Dry Brush, I have to say I was honestly pretty sceptical. You see, for someone with quite thick hair I’ve previously tried blow-dry brushes that promise to offer up that bouncy curl, but alas, have always left my strands more poofy than fluffy.
Thankfully, it looked easy enough to use and the instructions were straightforward and easy-to-follow, and if you’re more of a visual learner, there are countless videos created by the brand on how to use the product properly to get the exact look you’re after.
Mermade Hair suggests starting with clean, towel-dried hair, and notes to always apply a heat protectant over your strands to avoid damaging your strands. There are three heat settings to choose from—Hot, Gen and Cool—which all depend on the user’s hair type. I personally used hot to dry and style and finished off with a quick switch to cool to finish up.
The process of setting up was simple enough too, sectioning off the hair and starting from the bottom layer. I followed the Mermade Hair instructions pretty carefully, placing the oval brush near the root of my hair and brushing away from the head while gently rotating. For the pieces framing my face, I wrapped the hair around the barrel and held for a few seconds, making sure I got that signature blow-dry bounce around the front.
A quick note I found helpful is that if you’re looking for extra volume in the front of your hair, use the brush to curl upwards where your hair parts naturally above the forehead and let it fall, which creates a really nice and effortless finish.
Spritz with hairspray and voilà, all done!
Tip: You can use the blow-dry brush on dry hair to revive your mane or give it some bounce the following day.
As someone who doesn’t really like the process of blow-drying my hair on my own, I have to say the Mermade Hair Blow-Dry Brush genuinely surprised me. Not only was the process simple and quick, but it’s also the first time I’ve used a blow-dry alternative (not a hairdryer) to get these types of results.
Better yet, the results lasted me across the entire weekend just touching up with the brush when I needed/wanted to. I think for the first time in a long while, my curler has met its match.
This article was brought to you by Her Black Book for Mermade Hair.
Image Credits: @daniellepriano, @jacobmullerhair, @mermade.hair
