Since the introduction of the Dyson Airwrap in 2018, hot air brushes have been the most popular hair tool on the market. 

If you're not already well-acquainted, the hot brush is ideal for creating the kind of dreamy, voluminous hair that one might think is only achievable at the hands of a professional hairdresser. Why? Because the genius piece of tech combines the two tools required to achieve a truly epic blow out: a round brush and a hair dryer. 

Our only gripe is that most hot brush barrels are designed for long hair, which begs the question: what's the best hot air brush for short hair?

There's a lot to consider and it's not just about the size of the barrel. Can it smooth flyaways for example, or grab those tricky-to-grip, short baby hairs? 

So, with short hair in mind, we've taken the liberty of doing some research to find the top ranking hot air brushes that are up to the task.

Keep scrolling to discover what is the best hot air brush for short hair, you might be surprised...

2024's top 3 hot air brushes for short hair

Dyson Airwrap™ multi-styler​ and dryer Complete, $799, Dyson
Hot Tools Black Gold Blow Out Brush Small, $149, Hot Tools
Mermade Hair Interchangable Blow Dry Brush, $159, Mermade Hair

Dyson Airwrap™ multi-styler​ and dryer Complete
from $799 at Dyson

Okay, so you're probably not surprised to see that this product made it to the top of the list. The Dyson Airwrap is the Rolls Royce of hot air brushes after all. However, what you might not know is that Dyson created two variations of the Airwrap, one with a longer barrel intended for long hair and a shorter barrelled option (pictured) for short hair. Specifically, hair that's shorter than chest-length. It's equipped with six re-engineered attachments, including one round volumising brush head, a soft smoothing brush, a firm smoothing brush, a 30mm Airwrap barrel, a 40mm Airwrap barrel and a 2-in-1 Coanda smoothing dryer. It also boasts negative ion technology, which helps to reduce static and frizz during styling. Plus, it uses intelligent heat control to ensure it styles hair using air that is always cooler than 150°C, which minimises any potential heat damage to hair.

Key features:

Shorter barrel designed for shorter hair
Six re-engineered attachments (3 brush varieties, 2 Airwrap barrels, and a smoothing dryer)
Negative ion technology reduces static
Intelligent heat control minimises heat damage and ensures the tool never gets hotter than 150°C
Comes with a storage case
2 year warranty

Available at:

• $799 from Dyson
  
• $899 from Harvey Norman
• $949 from Adore Beauty

Hot Tools Black Gold Blow Out Brush Small
from $149 at Hot Tools

This smaller version of Hot Tools blow out brush was designed with short hair in mind. The detachable smaller barrel size makes it easier to style a sleek and shiny blown out bob, even when you're travelling (it can fit neatly into your suitcase when disassembled). It can also be used to smooth flyaways, style fringes or to create soft, loose waves and curls. This nifty hot tool has been designed to be used on wet or dry hair too, to minimise on styling time. The blow out brush base is also compatible with Hot Tools other attachment heads, which can be purchased separately. 

Key features:

Smaller brush barrel designed for short hair
Can be used to style fringes, smooth flyaways or to create soft waves
Can be used on wet or dry hair
Compatible with Hot Tool blow out brush attachment heads (sold separately)
1 year warranty

Available at:

• $149 from Hot Tools
  
• $149 from Adore Beauty
• usually $149 now $119.20 from Look Fantastic

Mermade Hair Interchangable Blow Dry Brush
from $159 at Mermade Hair

This three-headed monster of a hot air brush has everything you need to style your hair from the moment you step out of the shower. The interchangeable head design means you can blow dry your strands with the pre-styling dryer attachment, and then switch to either one of the round brush heads for styling your hair. The volume head (60mm) is an oval-shaped brush attachment that is designed to create the curve, bounce and movement synonymous with a traditional blow out, while the curling head (32mm) is a round, curling barrel brush attachment that can be used to create loose curls and waves. The best part? All of the heads are detachable, allowing for easy storage when you want to hit the road on your next vacation. 

Key features:

3 interchangeable  attachments (hair dryer, volumising oval brush and curling round brush)
Designed to be used on wet and dry hair
Attachments are detachable and travel-friendly
Can create multiple styles (blow out, waves and curls)
2 year warranty

Available at:

• $159 from Mermade Hair
  
• usually $159 now $126.95 from Oz Hair & Beauty
• $159 from Hairhouse
• $159 from Sephora

Shark FlexStyle Air Styling & Drying System
from $499.99 at Shark

Yes, the most infamous Dyson Airwrap dupe on the market made it on this list. The air styling tool is an excellent investment for people with short hair as it includes so many attachments, designed to cater to every possible hair type. It's equipped with a concentrated styling hair dryer nozzle, a curl defining diffuser head, a paddle brush, an oval brush and two curling barrels, which can all be stored neatly in it's accompanying storage case. Plus, the air styling tool's base can swivel from it's default wand setting to make styling those hard to reach spots easier. It boasts four temperature settings (low, medium, high heat and cool shot), three airflow settings and utilises anti-heat damage technology.

Key features:

Works on all hair types (curly, coily, straight, wavy, short or long hair)
Equipped with 6 attachment heads (hair dryer nozzle, curl diffuser, paddle brush, oval brush and two curling barrels)
Swivel arm base
Anti-heat damage technology
4 temperature settings
3 airflow settings
Comes with a storage case
2 year warranty

Available at:

• $499.99 from Shark
• usually $499 now $395 from MYER
• $499 from Sephora

VS Sassoon 7-in-1 Air Style Brilliance
from $134.95 at MYER

This isn't just a hot air brush, it's a 7-in-1 blow-dry tool. This multi-tasker comes with seven different attachments; you can dry, smooth, volumise, straighten, curl and more. There's a concentrated hair drying attachment, a firm-bristled, blow-dry paddle brush, a conical curling wand, a hair straightening attachment, a 64mm oval-shaped brush attachment with detangling bristles, a soft-bristled, 8mm, round-shaped thermal brush and 20mm round-shaped brush with soft nylon bristles. Regardless of your hair length or hair texture, this air styling tool can take care of it all. The heat styler also has two heat settings: high for thicker hair, low for fine hair, plus, a cool shot setting to set your style. While, ionic technology helps to reduce static and frizz for a smooth, shiny finish.

Key features:

7 interchangeable attachments (hair dryer, paddle brush, oval brush, 8mm round brush, 20mm round brush, curling wand, hair straightener)
3 heat settings
Ionic technology reduces static and frizz
Ceramic technology for a smooth, shiny finish
Comes with a storage case
3 year warranty

Available at:

• usually $169.95 now $134.95 from MYER
• $134 from Bing Lee
• $169 from The Good Guys

Bondi Boost Blowout Brush 51mm with detachable head
from $100 at Bondi Boost

Bondi Boost recently launched this smaller 51mm version of their best-selling oval-shaped, blow out brush specifically for styling shorter hair. The hot air brush has detangling dual bristles and 360° airflow vents that help to minimise styling time when you're drying damp hair. There are also three heat and speed settings to choose from and ionic technology helps to smooth frizz and static. The best bit? Bondi Boost offers a five year warranty on all of their hair styling tools.

Key features:

51mm oval brush designed for short hair
Detangling dual bristles
360° airflow vents dry hair faster
3 head/speed settings
Ionic technology smooths frizz and static
5 year warranty

Available at:

• $100 from Bondi Boost
• usually $99 now $74.25 from Look Fantastic
• usually $99 now $74.25 from RY

Curious Grace Interchangeable Hot Air Brush
from $139.95 at Hairhouse

With dual-barreled interchangeable brush heads, this hot air brush makes styling your short tresses a serious breeze. Whether you’re looking to create curls or volume, these brush heads are here to get the job done. Even though your tresses may be short, the tangles can still be mighty. So, the tangle-free bristle design allows you to simply style away without fear of a major tangle occurring.

Key features:
Perfect for use on dry or damp hair 
2 interchangeable barrels (oval and round)
Heat resistant handle and cool-touch tip
360 degree swivel cord 
2 year warranty

Available at:

• $139.95 from Hairhouse

Halo X1 Hair Straightening Hot Brush
from $139.95 at Hairhouse

This paddle brush-style hot brush is perfect for styling your short strands into a sleek style. The detangling bristles allow for the brush to help with freeing hair from knots while leaving behind ultimate sleekness in their wake. Created with advanced ionic technology, this hot brush from Halo works to seal in your mane’s moisture while adding in a shimmering boost of shine.

Key features:
Detangling bristles 
Advanced conditioning ionic technology
Moisture sealing technology 
Auto-off feature after 60 minutes of inactivity 
2 year warranty 

Available at:

• $139.95 from Hairhouse

Which hot air brush is best for short hair?

The best hot air brush for short hair is one with a smaller barrel or brush attachment that allows you to create a flattering blow out, wave or curl in the hair. A larger brush attachment can be used to roughly smooth hair but it will be harder to style short hair with. A smaller brush attachment can also be used to style fringes or for detail styling like smoothing baby hairs. Finding a hot air brush that also has some kind of ceramic smoothing or anti-static ionic technology can be helpful as it will reduce the likelihood of your hairstyle looking 'unfinished' at those hard to reach places, smoothing frizz in areas like your hair parting, around the face and the nape of the neck. 

After a hair straightener that you can use on short hair or to style your fringe? Here, 5 mini-but-mighty straighteners for every hair type.

Main image credit: @glencocoforhair