Either you’re finding out that your hair is textured or you’re perfecting your blowout game. There are many hair trends going on right now, but I find these two to be the most prominent trends in the last couple of years. Since I learned about my curls and how to take care of them back in 2004, I’ve been more drawn to the blowout trend. Everyone I saw, be it on Youtube or Instagram, was using round brushes from Olivia Garden. So I decided to pick the two most popular brush models and compare them.
NanoThermic vs Ceramic+Ion
The golden NanoThermic size 44mm (1 3/4”) brush from Olivia Garden seemed to be the more popular brush model that I saw people using. It’s slightly more expensive than the white/gray Ceramic+Ion brush and was harder to get my hands on in Sweden. The biggest difference between the golden one and the white brush is the bristles. The golden brush has wavy bristles for better grip and tension, as well as some sort of NanoThermic technology which has antibacterial properties. Besides that, the two brushes operate the same; being heat-resistant up to 230°C and a ceramic+ion barrel with tourmaline for even heat distribution and shiny smooth results.
I read that the longer your hair the bigger size brush you should get. However, a bigger circumference also means less of a curl. So I got the golden brush in the classic 44mm and the white in size 55mm (2 1/8″) to experiment with which works best on my length of hair. The bigger size barrel dries and smooths my hair faster than the smaller one. But left me with very little bend to the hair. While with the 44mm it was easier to create more of those blowout waves most of us wish for.
My Experience
I’ve only used round brushes to dry my bangs before. Rarely did I dare to use it to dry my whole hair from the collective fear of getting the brush stuck in my hair. Which, of course, happened at least one time. What I first liked about the Olivia Garden round brushes was the smooth top. Which would help to avoid hair from getting snagged. The border at the base looks also quite airtight for any snagging to occur. In my attempts to learn how to blow dry with a round brush I’ve definitely gotten my hair stuck with these brushes from Olivia Garden. However, it’s all about learning the technique of not gathering too much hair on the brush and not rolling it all the way to the scalp when your hair is long. I loved following @devinmartinee‘s tutorials.
I am highly impressed by the quality and results of both brushes! It’s truly worth paying a little extra when it comes to round brushes. I’ve been using them together with Kérastase thermique (review here) as these can get super hot, almost like a curling iron. Definitely don’t blow dry your hair with these brushes without heat protection and be careful to not lean the brush against your skin or neck.
As for which brush became my favorite, I’m leaning towards the white/gray Ceramic+Ion brush. It’s not because it’s bigger. But more that, despite it being a little cheaper than its sister model, I personally find it to look and feel of higher quality somehow. While the wavy bristles of the golden brush definitely help put more tension, it also seems to pull out more hair. But either one won’t disappoint if you’re looking to take your blowouts up a notch!
