Fashion and Beauty 7th March 2022 by Stellar Magazine

Frizz Fighters: Which Hair Tool Comes Up Top?

Heated tools are all the rage, but who is the one to trump all, wonders Rebecca Keane.


Blame it on lockdown ennui or the strive for hair perfection because all the hairdressers closed (remember that dark, dark time?) but DIY hair tools suddenly had a boost like never before. Yes, most of us owned a GHD since our teenage disco days or a random Babyliss hairdryer that just about did the job but 2021 seemed to be the year of achieving that perfect coiff at home.

Hot brushes, rotating barrels… The beauty of technology meant that nearly any hairstyle could be achieved in our own gaff with a little time and determination.

But which is truly the best at beating the bush on your bonce? We’re on it!

Revlon Onestep

My best lockdown buy. Once upon a time, every influencer recommended this as the best tool for a curly blower and even a tight arse such as mé féin was sucked in. But I was pleasantly surprised!

The giant head on this brush means you can truly get the best, biggest heated roller esque curls in minutes and the part at the top of the brush is heat resistant so you can use your other hand to twist the brush to your heart’s content. But the frizz test? It’s close but not close enough.

You really need to section your hair into the tiniest sections to try to get the frizz down which takes a bit of time. But still, a meaty 6/10

Dyson Supersonic

Surely the most stylish hairdryer of all time, the highly sought after Supersonic now comes with a flyaway attachment (which attaches to the model should you already possess one) which is brilliant news for Ireland’s answer to Mia Thermopolis.

This dryer works super quick through thick hair and the flyaway catcher is a dream for smoothing down even the most stubborn of hair. Is it a little bit spenny, of course, but this is a hairdryer for life! 7/10

L’Oreal Steampod 

Aside from the malevolent hissing noise out of this you’d hear when someone’s speaking Parseltongue in Harry Potter, the Steampod comes up trumps for me. It really is a loud noise!

Adding the water to the tiny vial which clips into the straightener is handy and a full dial of water would easily see you through two or three stylings, perhaps more as I’ve enough hair to rival Hagrid himself these days.

Hair was safely frizz-free for days after using this, a triumph that some hairdressers have yet to even achieve. Seriously impressed 9/10

Instyler MAX Prime 

A brand with quite the cult Instagram following, the Instyler is the best of the best according to editor Vicki (who always has J-Lo-esque locks, seriously). But for a newbie like me?

The clickety-clack of changing the direction of the silver barrel was a little too much stimulation for me. It’s unusual to have something move your hair as you use it, but the shine the Prime gives is like nothing I’ve ever seen!

Instyler is an Irish brand so if you’re looking to start shopping local this new year, they have something for everyone. 5/10

GHD Platinum+ Professional Styler

The days of a crusty old black hair tool smeared in God only knows what are long gone as the Platinum GHD is a thing of rare beauty – you’d nearly not want to even use it! While the GHD cuts and glides through the hair in no time at all, the smoothness just doesn’t last.

Some may argue that you need to apply heat to wet hair to really rid the frizz but the Steampod totally teased out my frizzies even after a day in the rain, wind and cold. If you’re looking to protect your hair, this GHD does have a cool feature in that it reads each section of your hair and styling speed and responds by delivering the optimum temperature of 185ºC more effectively, giving ultimate styling results.

Heat is monitored over 250 times per second thanks to infinity sensors throughout the plates. So if you’ve used tools in the past and weren’t impressed with the damage, this bad boy is for you. 6/10

Words by STELLAR Deputy Editor Rebecca Keane

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