Kate FergusonPaddle brushes are one version of the hairbrush that every woman must have in their styling arsenal. They’re great for quickly brushing through the hair as well as complete styling the hair when getting things nice and sleek is on the agenda. Thanks to their width, paddle brushes make brushing through hair simple and quick no matter how much or how many tangles might be involved.
Paddle brushes tend to be at least twice the width of other hairbrush styles if not more. It’s hard to beat their efficiency when it comes to blow-drying the hair, and with the proper paddle brushes it’s easy to achieve professional looking blowouts in the comfort of your own home.
What do I need to know about paddle brushes?
A few different things to consider when it comes to choosing a paddle brush include the material that it’s made out of, and what sort of hair type it works on. The different materials that a paddle brush is made with will affect its weight, and since they are already a bit larger than the average brush that is something to consider for ease of styling. You want the paddle brush to do its job, but you also want to be able to keep your grip on it while it goes to work.
For the most part paddle brushes seem to be a great option for medium to long hair. Hair that is short or thin often doesn’t get the same sort of boost the longer or thicker does, and it can be harder to spot treat with a large paddle brush. That being said, anyone with a lot of hair knows how important it is to find a brush that can actually speed up the styling process instead of slowing it down. With great paddle brushes the hair will actually look better post heat styling than it would have if a different style of hairbrush were used.
How can a paddle brush speed up the drying process?
A great paddle brush will be able to help the hair dry faster during the styling time because it creates added air flow that some other hair brushes do not. The shape of the paddle allows for more hair to be spread out and reached by the heat at once. Most traditional paddle brushes are solid and do not have vents in them, but we do have a couple options on the list that do. Some people find the vented paddle brushes can help to speed up their blow dry time, while others prefer the sturdy nature of the vent free brushes.
Choosing the right hair styling products to use with a paddle brush is going to be ideal as well. Since the intention for styling with a paddle brush is generally to get the hair smooth or straight, they pair well with oils or smoothing serums. If you apply oil to the hair for any kind of leave in or rinse out treatment, the paddle brush is a good way to evenly distribute the product throughout the hair. The more evenly distributed the product is, the better the desired outcome will be. Hair care is multifaceted and we want you to have access to the best options for treating the hair from start to finish, day in and day out.
Here are the top five paddle brushes to buy in 2021
Agave HEALING OIL Smooth and Shine Paddle Brush
The paddle brush from Agave has a wooden handle and back that is made from bamboo. For some people this is a plus since it is a more natural alternative to a plastic hairbrush. It is priced at $25 from Amazon and other retailers. The brush claims and delivers on smoothing, polishing, and detangling the hair. Women with thick or curly hair will do well with a brush like this since it can detangle even the tightest curls after a good night’s sleep without creating any additional frizz. In fact it might even be able to reduce the frizz.
Agave suggests that user of the paddle brush also use their oils to make the hairstyling process even more efficient. A few drops of their Agave Oil can be used for help with detangling dry hair, or a little more can be used to completely style wet hair from start to finish. Many people are drawn to the appeal of natural products as opposed to using harsh chemicals on their hair, and using oils to treat and style the hair is one great way to accomplish that.
Agave’s healing oils are lightweight and non greasy so they aren’t going to weigh down the hair as you style. The oil is made with the sugar of the agave plant, which is nourishing to the hair and extremely light. It can help increase the strength of the individual hair strands, as well as make the overall hair color appear more vibrant.
Pros:
- Good price
- Accessible brand
- Bamboo handle
Cons:
- Might be a bit wide for people with thin or little hair
ghd Paddle Brush
The ghd paddle brush is only $19 but works great. This version of the paddle brush us made with plastic as opposed to wood, and it comes in a sleek black color. The brush has a non-slip handle that makes it great for detangling. It’s nearly impossible to properly get out major tangles if every time you hit a snag the brush handle flies out of your hand and leaves the brush hanging in your hair. None of that nonsense with this paddle brush, you will be able to hold onto it for the duration of the hair dry.
This brush is nice for styling the hair into a sleek and straight shape during blow-drying. The brand ghd suggests that users dry their hair 80 percent with their hair dryer before continuing the use of the brush while drying. One reason for this is that it is sort of a waste of time to try and style the hair while it is still wet. Another is that you can save some time with a normal blow dry. Once you hit the 80 percent dry mark however, bringing in the brush to dry sections of hair is going to create a great smoothness and sleekness minus any of the static. Using the paddle brush for the remaining 20 percent of the hair dry is also going to make that portion go more quickly than it would have if you were using a different type of hair brush during that process.
Pros:
- Great for medium to long hair
- Non-slip handle
Cons:
- Not the best option for short hair
Aveda Wooden Paddle Brush
Aveda’s wooden paddle brush is similarly priced to the other wooden paddle brush we mentioned at $27. The brush does not snag or tangle the hair, which means that it is great at untangling both wet and dry hair. The better a brush is at detangling the hair, the less stress there is to the hair shafts as well as the scalp. Brushing the hair might only take a few minutes each day, but after days on end it can start to have a negative effect if it’s causing extra stress on the head. This is why choosing the right hairbrush can not only make the hair look better in the moment of styling, but also down the line as well.
Some customer reviews about the brush have pointed out that the brush is easy to hold onto which is key when you’re trying to get in there and brush things out. Aveda’s version of the paddle brush is considered salon quality, and it has extended bristles, which increase its effectiveness over some non-salon quality paddle brushes.
Aveda also sells hair styling products, so they have some suggestions when it comes to that. Being a long standing and trusted hair care brand, you can be sure that their suggestions are safe and sound no matter what your hair type is. Their Smooth Infusion Style Prep Smoother is a best seller thanks to its ability to prevent frizz for up to 12 hours after application. The smoothing quality of the product also increases the speed of brush styling time. It’s $25.
Pros:
- Trusted brand
- Good grip
Cons:
- On the higher end of the paddle brush price scale
Tangle Teezer Full Paddle
The Tangle Teezer full paddle is known as a blow dry styling tool. The brush looks and works a bit differently than the other paddle brushes that we’ve mentioned. The design of this brush and its teeth makes blow-drying the hair incredibly easy and free of tension. It does not tug the hair at all and it allows for the space that the hair needs to flow through the brush while still having plenty of space for the air to go through as well. This helps to speed up the hair drying process. Less time spent blowing heat the head means less damage done to the hair.
The bristles on this brush are made from a thick plastic and are a bit stiffer, which is an intentional design so that they grip onto the hair and hold it suspended in place as you work your blow dyer through the hair. This might seem counter intuitive since it would seem like the thicker bristles would make it harder to get the tangles out of the hair, but however they managed to make all of that work, they certainly did. The design is intentional for creating an above average drying experience, and it manages to do so time and time again.
Drying the hair with the use of this styling brush can make the hair look sleek or voluminous depending on what sort of style you’re going for. It works most effectively on medium to long hair, especially if the hair is thick. It generally costs $35.
Pros:
- Creates a quick drying time
- The bristles might feel like a scalp massage
Cons:
- More expensive than the other options.
- Some people find this paddle brush a bit heavier than other wooden options
Verb Blow Dry Brush
Verb’s blow dry brush is one of the more highly vented options out there. It’s around the same size as the other paddle brushes on the list, but in this case there is going to be a lot of airflow going on. The more air that can flow towards the hair during a blow dry styling, the quicker the drying process will be. For people with thick or long hair that can be a huge consideration. Shaving a few minutes off the drying time regularly can meet more time to sleep in each morning, or more time to do whatever else you might be doing.
Since the brush is made with plastic and has so much venting it is going to be the lightest brush on the list. This might not matter to some people, but for those who find the heavier wooden brushes to be a bit unwieldy during styling then this can be a huge plus. This brush still delivers in the department of detangling and adding shine even without using a smoothing product at the same time. Added bonus: this brush is only $16.
Verb also sells some great styling products. They have a restorative hair oil called Ghost Oil that can smooth frizz as well as prevent the fading or changing of hair colors as they fade. The oil is made with the moringa plant which is known for its health benefits, and it’s free of junk like Parabens, Sulfates, and Phthalates
Pros:
- Very inexpensive
- Lightweight
Cons:
- Simple
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