Kolekce: Thermal Brushes

A thermal brush doesn’t plug in, which surprises a lot of people shopping for one. The barrel is ceramic, and it picks up heat from your blow dryer and holds onto it. Each section of hair gets heat from the dryer on the outside and from the barrel on the inside, so it dries into the shape of the brush.

That’s what turns a regular blow-dry into a blowout: smoother lengths, a bend at the ends, and lift at the root.

Thermal Brush or Heated Brush

A heated brush has its own heating element and a cord. A thermal brush relies on your dryer, which means you control how much heat goes in by how long you point the nozzle at it.

Heated brushes are one-handed and quicker to learn. Thermal brushes give you more control over the finish and work with the dryer you already own. Both of ours are thermal.

Medium or Large Barrel

The Terracotta Volumizing Thermal Round Brush is the medium, and the Haze Blue Volumizing Thermal Round Brush is the large. If your hair falls past your shoulders and you only want one, go large. A small barrel on long hair means twice the sections and a curlier result than most people are after.

How to Blow-Dry With a Thermal Brush

Rough-dry your hair with the dryer alone until it’s about 80 percent dry. Working with a brush on soaking hair takes forever and gets you nothing extra. Mist a heat protectant through first.

Take a section no wider than the barrel. Set the brush underneath it at the root, then point the dryer nozzle down along the section in the direction you’re pulling. Move the brush and dryer down together, slowly, keeping a little tension on the hair.

At the ends, roll the section around the barrel, hit it with heat for a few seconds, then let it sit on the brush while it cools before you unroll it. Hair sets as it cools, so this pause is where the shape actually comes from.

For more lift, pull the root sections straight up toward the ceiling instead of back. For sleek and straight, keep the tension steady and skip the roll at the ends.

Bundles

The Heat Protectant + Thermal Round Brush Bundle puts the two things you need for every blowout in one order. The Founder’s Favorites Bundle includes the thermal round brush along with a leave-in, heat protectant, shower cap, towel wrap and hair perfumes.

Keeping the Barrel Clean

Hair wraps around a round brush faster than any other kind, and product builds up on the ceramic between the bristles. A coated barrel holds heat less evenly. Pull the hair out after each use and give it a proper clean every few weeks with a brush cleaner.

If you’d rather skip the dryer entirely, heatless curling sets and hair rollers get you a similar shape overnight or while you get ready.

Thermal Brush FAQs

What’s the difference between a thermal brush and a round brush?

A thermal brush is a type of round brush. What sets it apart is the barrel: ceramic that holds heat, where a standard round brush is usually plastic or wood.

Does a thermal brush heat up on its own?

No. It takes heat from your blow dryer and holds it in the ceramic barrel while you work.

Which size is better for short hair?

The medium barrel. Hair needs to wrap at least partway around the barrel to take a shape, and short hair won’t reach around the large one.

Do I need a heat protectant?

Any time a dryer is involved, yes. A heat protectant goes on damp hair before you start.