Go-To Hair Styling Tools?

[QueenMarceline]

I've been looking to upgrade and/or invest in some quality hot hair tools but have not purchased some of the basics in ages... leaving me feeling a bit out of the loop of where I should be looking. Particularly looking to replace my hair dryer ASAP and am open to replacing my hair straightener and finally investing in a proper curling iron (my current straightener is not great at creating curls). Some brands I've been looking at recently have been L'Ange and Babyliss Pro due to being spotlighted by ULTA. Would like to hear which, if any, of these brands those on the BIC currently own or has owned in the past? I'm looking to invest into some quality tools in the near future that I can ideally use and love for the next decade, I'm willing to pay a higher price if it ensures an overall higher performance or quality of the product. Please share, what is your go-to brand and tool for your hair styling needs? 🙂

(BabyBliss Pro Profesional High-Speed Dual Ionic Dryer)

[gonerogue]

@QueenMarceline 
I have the T3 Fearherweight hair dryer for my home and I’ve had it for roughly 5 years- maybe more. I love how quick it dries my hair and I have zero complaints. 
For traveling and for my bf’s house, I have the Dyson Dyson Airwrap™ Styler Complete Long  that I got back when it first came out. I used all the attachments the first few months I had it but didn’t care for the longevity of the styles compared to using hot tools so sadly I only use it to blow dry my hair now and the attachments go unused. I do not recommend my friends pick this up unless they are 100% convinced they will use it with attachments.

Straightener- I rarely straighten my hair but I have a T3 straightener that I also don’t recommend because of how hot it gets (only one standard setting) and it leaves my hair feeling crispy. I have a L’ange straightener that I did prefer back in the day when I straightened my hair and that was my go-to. And lastly I have a very old, cheap conair straightener that I use only for my bangs and I would kill to have several backups but it’s been discontinued for many, many years now 😂

Curler- my very first curler finally died in Vegas last week (awful timing) and it was a NuMe curling wand I got like…. 13 years ago. Not sure if NuMe is still around but anything that lasts that long is quality to me so definitely look into those if you can. I feel like I’ve seen them in Marshall’s before and they are super affordable. I have a T3 curling iron I never use and don’t care for (wow, I see a trend) because of the quality of the curls, 2 cheap conair curling wands in different sizes (both I love and use constantly) and a L’ange wand I definitely got at Ulta in the last 5-7 years that’s still going strong.

I guess by typing all this out I’ve come to the conclusion that cheaper works best for me personally as my cheap conair tools have proved to be irreplaceable while my expensive Dyson is being underutilized. Hope this was helpful! Let us know what you end up with 🙂

[QueenMarceline]

@gonerogue That's the same concern I have, my hair is a bit unruly as it is and I'm not sure how the Dyson attachments would perform. The versatility of the attachments is what draws me into wanting to try it in the first place, so the thought of it not working out would be very disappointing especially for the price point. Have friends who swear by it but they have hair that is extremely easy to style and holds well and that's unfortunately just not the category I fall into. 

The T3 series caught my attention a while ago when it dropped for the ULTA 21 Days, but I ended up passing on it back then, but the changing barrels look amazing and honestly their curlers look very intriguing. However, the straightener I'd definitely pass on with the one setting. I ended up purchasing the pictured Babyliss dryers during the ULTA sale and I also impulse bought the 1.25" vented straightener from them since I'm not very happy with the performance of my old CHI. So sorry to hear about your curler 😕 you're definitely right, not the best timing when you're out traveling. 

I definitely agree with you, had hot tools from Conair, L'Oreal, Revlon that would last forever and has amazing results for $20-$50, sadly it doesn't seem like they make the economically friendly tools as high quality as they previously were any more.

[gonerogue]

@QueenMarceline  Yeah that’s tough, how about something in the middle? Something like L’ange where it’s not cheap but also not Dyson-priced? The quality is great on my curling wand so I would say it’s comparable to that of the older hot tools we are used to using. You’re 100% correct on how they don’t make the cheap tools are sturdy as they used to. I guess because I still have some of my old tools, I never really thought about that but I haven’t had much luck with my newer, more expensive tools.

Also, I completely forgot about my hot brush tools! I actually really recommend you give one a shot if you’re able to. I have the Drybar The Double Shot Blow-Dryer Brush and it’s AMAZING at giving me blow outs that last ~3 days. Since I WFH I don’t do my hair much anymore but when I go into the office, I do like to use that tool for super easy blowouts in the morning. I also have the amika Hair Blow Dryer Brush 2.0 (mine is the older version so I guess it’s the OG one?) and I love that for some quick volume on both straight and curly hair styles. It’s a “nice to have” item, though, so if it came down to just needing one, I would 100% go with the Drybar brush as that gives me the same effect.

[QueenMarceline]

@gonerogue Definitely will look into some of the L'Ange curlers espeically since I think they'll be rolling back around during Black Friday the next upcoming week at ULTA. It's a bummer you didn't like yours from T3 that much because that seemed super interesting (the interchangeable barrels) but I guess not everything that glitters is gold, haha. 

The DryBar brush looks amazing, might be a silly question but can you use it on wet hair? I currently have something that looks similar (cheap brand, not sure what exactly to be honest) but it's less of a blow dry brush and more of a curler-brush shaped type of tool. It cannot be used on wet hair and despite saying it's suitable for damp hair the only time I tried, it made me too nervous to fully go through with the job. Will definitely be looking more into that DryBar blow dryer brush 🙂

[missjeanie]

@QueenMarceline I was always fairly happy with my Hot Tools curling irons for years.  I would buy each iron for about 40$ at Ulta originally then at TJMaxx the last couple of times.  I use a curling iron on my hair probably 5 days a week on average and each time the irons would last me about 3 years before needing replacing.  I found that these worked well enough for me, so I also used their hair drier up until last year.  I received the Drybar Baby Buttercup Blow-Dryer from BIC last winter and it was a big wow for me with how fast it dried my hair.  I found I had good control over the direction of the flow of air, the dryer was also light enough to do my waist length hair without my arms burning and minimizing fly aways.  I'm not someone who can round brush my hair with a dryer in hand so I tend to rough dry it then work with a certain direction and a paddle brush.  I've since moved to using a Dyson Dyson Airwrap™ Styler Complete Long and use the dryer attachment to rough dry my hair a bit before using the Airwrap to curl my ends.  I've used the smaller diameter a few times to try and extend my curls, as the larger diameter barrel tends create curls that fall on me half way through the day.  I don't use any product on my hair day to day, and if I do use product, then the curls will last a full day, however not overnight or for three days like some of the ads suggest.  

I do love my Air Wrap and would suggest it to anyone as a great tool, especially with the dryer attachment. as it can be a one and done tool for me, the dryer works almost just as fast as a full on hair dryer.  Hope some of this helps!

[QueenMarceline]

@missjeanie Thank you for your response and some great information 🙂 I love the idea of the Dyson AirWrap but I'm very nervous how it would ultimately perform and/or hold up on my hair type. Maybe I could try using one from a friend at some point in the future before taking the plunge and ultimately weigh out if it's worth the price point for hair. I used to own a curling iron (not sure what kind or what happened to it, but it was certainly not fancy) about 3-ish years ago it somehow got legs and walked away 🤣 I transferred to doing my curls with a straightener but it never quite looked as good as the curler, however it did a "good enough" job. Enough that I forgot about the curler for a while but would love to actually replace that soon. 

I ended up caving last minute and taking advantage of the early Black Friday ULTA sales, the additional $20 off coupon and rewards point to snag a new dryer + vented straightener from Babyliss. Fingers crossed they work well, I'm most excited to try out the dryer since the one I'm convinced the one I own currently is a borderline fire hazard. 👀🤣

[missjeanie]

@QueenMarceline Oh I'm excited to hear how the new ones work out for you!  I feel like hair tools were something I always let get way too run down before replacing.  An Airwrap is a big investment would be great if you can test drive one first, but honestly... while I do love mine, I still question spending that much on it.  I've tried to do curls with a flat iron a few times... never could get the hang of it, so I'm very jealous you could use one for curls so much. 

[makeitup305]

@QueenMarceline I rarely do my hair but I cashed in all my Ulta points for a Dyson Dyson Airwrap™ Styler Complete Long . I never would have paid full price for it. It does have a bit of a learning curve and I consider it more of a blow dry styler rather than a curling iron. The only way I can get curls to stick is to mousse up my hair and pin it while it cools. If you are able to use a round brush and a blow dryer at once, I don’t think it’s worth it. I actually just ordered the L’Ange Le Grande Duo since it was on sale at Ulta. I can try it and report back. I also had the T3 Twirl Convertible 1.25” Interchangeable Clip Curling Iron but I sucked at doing curls and getting a decent result (user error 100%) so I can’t vouch for it but it seems to be good quality and might be a good option. I have the Drybar The Brush Crush Heated Straightening Brush 

[QueenMarceline]

@makeitup305 Thanks so much for this great info 🙂 Totally agree about the Dyson, if anything I'd use my points but I'd want to give it a try first since I'm not sure about the return policy when it comes to points at ULTA. I snoozed on the L'Ange (thought it would be going on for a little longer) but I did end up grabbing a couple goodies last minute from Babyliss (combo of points, the ongoing sale and $20 off coupons). Hoping they end up good and if I don't like them I'll give them to my mom since she's in the market herself for some hot tools in the near future. I saw the T3 a few years back at ULTA when they had all separate ends you can buy for it, it seems (at least over at ULTA) that they don't sell them individually any more. Kind of regret I didn't spring for it then 😕 

Would still love to hear your thoughts on the L'Ange Le Grande Duo once it arrives! 🙂

[makeitup305]

@QueenMarceline L'Ange is always on sale somewhere. It was even cheaper on their website but I figured at least at Ulta it might be easier to return if I'm incompetent with it lol I'll report back back. I hope the Babyliss work out for you!

[QueenMarceline]

@makeitup305 Hahah you're absolutely right, seems like it's on sale again this morning after the Early Black Friday deals ended.

[CorgiMommy]

@QueenMarceline I really love my Drybar Buttercup Blow-Dryer .  Light weight and fast plus lots of volume (I have thin fine hair)

[QueenMarceline]

@CorgiMommy Thank you so much 🙂

[SportyGirly125]

@QueenMarceline I use HAI hair straightner recommended to me by my Aunt who is a hair stylist and it's under $100.  I also use ghd Platinum+ Styler - 1" Flat Iron Black 

For curling iron and blow dryer I use SEDU clipliss curling iron 1 " and SEDU Revolution blow dryer.  I also won a Dyson blow dryer.

The only Babybliss I own is a mini travel flat iron and it wasn't that great.  I also have Drybar Buttercup Blow-Dryer and it's not a fav either.

[QueenMarceline]

@SportyGirly125 Thank you so much for your awesome and thorough response. I'll be sure to look into all of these. I've been eyeing the Dyson for a while but I'm not going to lie I've been a bit nervous due to my hair texture (knew a couple of people it didn't work out for and know tons who swear by it) I'll probably eventually take the plunge or get it with some points. 

I was actually just eyeing the GHD line on the site, seems like it's extremely well reviewed. 🙂

[SportyGirly125]

@QueenMarceline @The GHD is great if you want to flat iron or create curls/waves in your hair. I got it on sale from Nordstrom a couple years ago.