Our take on Conair’s affordable round straightening brush that can curl your strands
Conair Instant Heat Hot Brush
Model Name/ Number: BC84GNR
Price: 20$
For Which Hair Type: Fine To Medium Hair, Short To Medium Hair
What We Like: Affordable, Creates Curls
What We Don’t Like: Not Durable, Doesn’t Heat Up Very Well
Rating: 4.0/5.0
Straightening brushes are gentle tools that create a natural look rather than super sleek results. Conair chose to come up with a round straightening brush rather than paddle and they chose to make this tool extremely affordable, as low as 20$. This straightening brush, with its 1.25 round barrel, can actually create curls and waves. Of course, it’s not the sturdiest material in the market but its low price makes up for it. Below we share our experiences with “Conair Instant Heat Hot Brush ”. If you’re curious about the competition, check out the article about Best Hair Straightening Brush Reviews.
Table of Contents
- Shape And Size
- Bristles
- Heat And Variable Settings
- Performance And Durability
- Ergonomics
- Price and Guarantee
- Competition
Shape And Size
With its slim and round shaped barrel, Conair Styling Brush introduces curls to the straightening session. The heated plates are the smallest on our list with 0.7” width and 4.13” length. These numbers combined with the fact that it’s not paddle-shaped with a slim-sized barrel (1.25”) sacrifices the ability to boost volume but it will create more polished and put-together curls and the results will satisfy you, especially if you have straight hair. While this tool is efficient for fine to medium hair, it can’t really tame thick or long hair with its slim size and it can take forever to reach any result. So, if you have unruly or long hair you may want to consider a stronger and larger tool such as ghd Glide (has a large-sized paddle brush) for good volume or CHI Amplitude (reaches higher levels of heat) for a more effective and fast blow out.
While the 1.25 size is already quite slim, Conair offers an even slimmer size(0.75”) for the wants who desire very tight and intricate curls.
Bristles
Conair Instant Heat, is not a great detangler and you will highly benefit from detangling your hair in advance if you want to use this tool. Its detangler bristles are quite slim with 0.06” and they’re as short as 0.25”. Like most round-shaped straightening brushes, it doesn’t have strong detangling capacities and if a good detangler is your priority, you will be much better off with a paddle-shaped brush with specialized bristles such as GHD Glide. Conair Instant Heat doesn’t have heated bristles, it heats up only with the heated plates. This provides a very gentle session, suitable for fine to medium hair that is easy to style or straight hair which doesn’t need straightening in advance.
Heat And Variable Settings
Getting to high temperatures is not Conair Instant Heat’s strong suit. It can only go up to 280°F, which is by far the lowest on our list. The closest to this maximum temperature is Tymo Ring Plus with 350°F, which is much higher. So, if you want to tame your thick hair, this tool is definitely not suitable for you. There are much more efficient options in the market such as Chi Amplitude (390°F) which is also round shaped and Drybar The Brush Crush (420°F). While it has 25 Heat Levels to choose from, they all remain too gentle for unruly strands. But if you have fine hair, we really recommend it as it’s a very safe yet effective option.
While the handle’s temperature remains as low as 83°F (which is a very safe number for hands), the cool tip temperature goes up to 121°F. This number can be too hot for fragile hands or if you use it for long periods of time.
Like most straightening brushes, it comes with a 60 minutes auto shut-off option that puts the mind at ease and provides a safer session.
Performance And Durability
Conair Instant Heat is a very affordable tool and like any budget product, it sacrifices on material quality. It provides a smooth session but the handle is not very sturdy and it may not last you for long years. If you’re looking for a more durable option, brands such as Chi or Drybar The Brush Crush will satisfy your needs with their outstanding quality.
Ergonomics
Conair, with a weight of only 4.8 oz, is as light as it can possibly get when it comes to straightening brushes. So light that the closest second on our list is almost double with 8.1 oz (Babylisspro Nano Titanium Ionic Thermal Paddle Brush).
While its lightweight comes with the cost of sturdiness, it also brings the advantage of being easy to carry. The handle’s diameter is 3”, which also the smallest on our list. This tool is for you if you appreciate a compact product.
It also has dual voltage, which also makes it travel-friendly. It has a small cord with only 61” which is the smallest size in the market. This may be a problem for the ones who don’t have a plug next to their mirror.
That said, it comes with a small design issue; the hair gets tangled in the corners if it gets stuck. So, it’s important to make sure to keep the hair in the middle part throughout the session.
Price and Guarantee
Conair Instant Heat is our favorite budget straightening brush of 2023 and for good reason. It’s highly affordable with only $20 and for this price, it delivers very satisfying results. It does sacrifice on durability but it can create smooth waves and provide a highly efficient session. Another option which is less affordable but more durable is Chi, which also comes with a round-shaped barrel for a price of $58.
It has a limited 2-year guarantee which is the standard number among straightening brushes.
Competition
Conair Instant Heat stands out among the straightening brushes with its affordable price and round-shaped slim barrel that can create curls. CHI Amplitude Heated Round Brush shares most of these features but has a more luxury feel. While being more expensive, it also differs by having better quality material and reaching higher levels of heat for thicker strands.
Tymo Ring Plus is another popular straightening brush that is loved by many for its high efficiency, and instead of curling the hair like Conair, it’s known for its straightening qualities. If you want a straightening brush with great straightening capacity, Tymo Ring Plus is a value-for-money alternative which provides smooth and shiny results.
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