£20 styling tool for short hair leaves my bob salon-worthy in just half an hour
When I decided to cut my hair from relatively long - mid-back kind of length - to a short bob, I was flummoxed by how on earth to style my locks. It had been well over a two decades since my hair had been this length and handling it was positively alien to me because it didn't do what I expected it to do - bounce up in a gorgeous heap of curls every day. Instead, most days - when I couldn't be bothered to do my Only Curls hair routine complete with creme, gel and my Curlsmith diffuser or straighten my hair with my trusty GHDs - I looked far from the French chic style I wanted and was more reminiscent of Lord Farquard from Shrek. It was not a good look.
Thankfully, I was steered in the direction of a £20 drying styling tool by Remington - the Blow Dry & Style 400W Airstyler, which is available on Very or Amazon for £19.99 - that has cut my styling time in half and leaves my hair red carpet ready in under 30 minutes - from sopping wet to dry (but still shiny, healthy and soft) - which is perfect when I'm in a rush or on the go.
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Having had luscious long curls for the majority of my life (up until about three years ago when I went blonde and my curls vanished for a while - read more on that here), I'd been lucky enough to not want or need any heat styling tools bar my trusty hairdryer and straighteners (when I wanted a more sleek vibe) for a finished look. But with my new shorter style, it was a whole other world and trying out this Blow Dry & Style 400W Airstyler has given me a little bit of confidence back when it comes to perfecting my hair - plus it's super easy to use.
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The tool comes with two easily detachable attachments (Eve Rowlands)
I loved how much volume it gave my short hair (Eve Rowlands)The product comes with two interchangeable attachments which are specially designed to gently shape and style short hair - a 19mm brush and a 25mm soft bristle brush. The first is used to help give your hair shape and volume, while the second is more of a sprucing brush to add volume and lift the hair at the roots - it's also great for helping to create looser, more relaxed curls quickly without your hair getting all tangled.
My go to is the 19mm because it creates gorgeous, glamorous curls that won't just fall to a slight wave the second you walk outside - although the 25mm is great for giving my french bangs a bit of a boost.
Before, my hair is sopping wet and a bit lifeless - not to mention me, fresh-faced (Eve Rowlands)
During the process - look at those ringlets! (Eve Rowlands)The first time I used the device, I was honestly shocked at how quickly it turned my damp, freshly washed hair into luxurious, dry salon worthy curls - and without too much heat damage because the double whammy heat cocktail is cut down from two (hairdryer and curler) to one. Sectioning my hair into two layers - top and bottom - I used the 19mm attachment and set the two heat settings to the highest level.
Because the tool is relatively thin, it was easy to wrap my lower layers around the barrel which meant that instead of achieving a flicked out finish, I had a lovely little ringlet in as little as three minutes. After following this pattern, making sure to twist the barrel away from my head, I was ready in about thirty minutes, which is record timing for me - even with it short because my thick hair tends to retain water.
For my fringe, I tried out the bristle brush to add some volume and a loose curl - I didn't want a Victorian-style face frame - which it did gorgeously. What I like about this product is, alongside it transforming my frizzy hair into a sleek, smooth and glam do, it doesn't get too hot when it's in use, even with the higher heat setting. I can manipulate the hair when it's in use and my hands won't feel like they're on fire mid-routine.
And the end result had my friends complimenting my new do that wasn't quite as wild as my natural curls and not as tame as my straightened look. It was chic, voluminous and made me feel pretty nice.
Now, I will admit that I ran into a few hurdles as I dried/styled my hair - because the barrel is thin, despite my hair being relatively short I still found myself in a bit of an arm-wrestle with it to prize and detangle a number of strands of my hair from the tool, which was met with a series of 'OUCH's and 'AGHs'. But that could have just been my lack of experience using such a product and it didn't ruin the experience. It just showed me I need a bit more practice because the end product was gorgeously bouncy curls that, with a bit of hairspray, didn't let a sprinkling of rain drag them down for hours on end.
This is my hair after being caught in the rain - curls are still there after a mad dash to the car! (Eve Rowlands)
After several hours, the curls have dropped - but only slightly! (Eve Rowlands)Aside from the slight tangling issues, the device is incredibly simply to use. The on-off button is the same as the heat adjustment button and changing the attachments couldn't be easier - just twist the nozzle off at the top and hit the 'eject' button on the size and it pops off. Click the other one in place and pop the nozzle back on. Sorted.
The swivel cord design also means you can move freely without getting the cord (not hair) tangled as you style and it's got a little hang up loop that enables you to conveniently store the airstyler on a hook to ensure your space remains tidy and is easy to reach for when you need it.
While many people reach for their £399.99 Dyson Airwrap, £75 BaByliss Air Style 1000 (although they're currently on sale at Lookfantastic for £50) or Bellisima's 6-in-1 Ceramic Hot Air Styler (£79.99) to style their more often than not longer locks into the perfect blowout - our writer Bethan Shufflebotham, who has lusciously long hair, tested several out earlier this year to see which was best - the Remington Blow & Dry Caring Air Styler Hot Brush is the perfect solution for styling shorter hair that's in need of a glow-up in a short amount of time. Get them from Very here or Amazon here for £19.99.
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