Like everyone else on social media, I’m obsessed with Amika’s hair products. The Soulfood Mask is the perfect pick-me-up, especially after heavy dry shampoo or hairspray usage. The leave-in conditioner is one of my favorites for a smooth and shiny finish. Now, Amika’s Blowout Babe Thermal Brush has taken over my FYP with countless tutorials proclaiming it’s the ultimate hair tool to create voluminous blowouts. As someone who loves a glamorous hair moment, I had to try it to see if it could help me master the at-home blowout.
How to use the Amika Blowout Babe Thermal Brush:
The Blowout Babe Thermal Brush is pretty easy to use. Since this tool uses elements of a blow dryer brush and a curling iron, the technique is similar. I split my dry hair into small-to-medium-sized sections and then, section by section, run the brush through my hair (just like a regular hair brush) once or twice to tame any frizz and flyaways. Then, I take that same section and roll my hair away from my face, starting from the tip and going up towards my root (like using a curling wand or iron). I try to spread my hair along the entire thermal brush barrel so that each strand gets evenly heated.
After about 30 seconds to a minute, instead of brushing my hair out, I unravel it from the barrel so that the curl stays intact and voluminous. Because of the round brush-inspired design, your instinct will be to comb out your hair while releasing it...but don't. I like to use my fingers or a Velcro roller to pin it to preserve the curl and get it out of the way while I work on the rest of my hair.
Not gonna lie, I ran into minor difficulties while trying to style my bangs. I'm not a fan of an overly voluminous bang, but I do want a face-framing look, like a curtain bang. I used the thermal brush to add a subtle lift to my bangs and then rounded them outward for that swoop effect. Unless you want your bangs to form a true curl, you don't need to hold the thermal brush on your bangs for longer than 20 seconds (which is the mistake I made). It'll likely take some experimenting and practice to figure out your preferred bang styling method with this thermal brush.
The brush has a slider button with three settings: off, on (LED glows red), and Ion (LED glows green). The Ion setting activates the negative ion generator, which the brand claims will help enhance shine and smoothness. It's recommended to turn off the Ion setting if you want more volume and body.
Pros and cons of the Amika Blowout Babe Thermal Brush:
Pros
- Easy to use; simple no-fuss styling
- Travel-friendly
- Reduces frizz and flyaways
- Barrel is thin enough for medium to short hair lengths
Cons
- Can only be used on dry hair
- No adjustable heat settings
- Some reviewers claim it doesn't work well on thick or textured hair
Final thoughts:
After using Amika's Blowout Babe Thermal Brush several times, I finally get why it is worth the hype. It doesn't give a curling iron curl, nor does it curl at the ends like a blow dryer brush. This thermal brush creates an in-between curl that you only really experience during a salon blowout.
As someone who owns more hair tools than I care to admit, I catch myself reaching for the thermal brush the most when I want to DIY a bouncy blowout. The curls last until my next wash day, but I love using it to quickly touch up and add volume to my second or third-day hair too. I bring it with me on trips and to weddings, since it does not take up much packing space and it's super convenient for a polished look.
With the vast amount of hair tools and attachments out there, do you really need another? Well, that depends. If you have a multi-styler hair tool like the Dyson Airwrap or Shark Flexstyle, this thermal brush is redundant and unnecessary. Considering its $100 price point, it's only worth it if you use it often and don't already have a tool that can give you a similar effect. That said, if your go-to signature hairstyle is a bouncy blowout with bombshell curls, this is 100 percent the tool you need.
More Amika favorites from Team Cosmo:
Amika Superfruit Star Lightweight Hair Styling Oil
Sarah Maberry, fashion and luxury commerce editor, loves using the Superfruit Star Hair Oil daily. “It smells AMAZING and doesn't leave your hair feeling overly greasy, so it's perfect for a quick touch-up after a particularly windy morning commute (or overslept alarm),” she says. She also relies on the Midnight Mender for her dry ends, noting that “a little glob before my heatless curlers and my hair feels noticeably softer and more hydrated when I unwrap them in the morning.”
Samantha Jones, commerce editor, considers the Hydro Rush Shampoo and Conditioner combo a must-have. “I almost wish I’d never tried this shampoo and conditioner set, because now I’ll never be able to go back. The formula is sooo hydrating without weighing my 3C curls down or making my hair feel greasy, and just a tiny bit of the conditioner goes a long way,” she says.
Beauty editor Beth Gillette uses the Reset Cleansing Oil to “de-gunk” her roots. “It's basically the same principle as oil cleansing your face—it attracts all the oil and grime on your scalp and washes it away. Once or twice a month, I'll use this before shampoo and follow with a lightweight conditioner, and it helps make my hair super bouncy and shiny but never greasy,” she says.
Anvita Reddy (she/her) is a Commerce Editor at Hearst Magazines. She contributes commerce content across Hearst’s portfolio, including Elle, Harper's Baazar, Esquire, Good Housekeeping, Country Living, Cosmopolitan, House Beautiful, and more. She has over four years of experience in the commerce space, including writing detailed first-person product reviews, trend and best-of round-ups, deals and sales coverage, and more. Previously, she was an assistant editor for PS Shopping, covering beauty, home and kitchen, fashion, tech, travel, wellness, and lifestyle. In her free time, you can find her catching up on everything from reality TV to reruns of classic sitcoms, testing out viral beauty products, sharpening her cooking skills, working out, or traveling.
