I Have the Thickest Hair on Earth, and This Tool Just Replaced My Salon Blowouts

Glossi 2-in-1 Hot Tool and Air Glosser

$180 at Shark

Pros

• Can cut drying time by more than half
• Smooths ends well
• Makes your hair shine
• Results are long-lasting (four to five days)
• Easy to use with little to no learning curve

Cons

• Straightening out roots can be inconsistent on curly or coily hair
• Best for sleek results rather than volume
• Doesn't fully replace other hot tools for different hairstyles

I have hair that reads like a resume -- long, thick and dense. So I've spent about half of my life finding ways to manage it and make caring for my hair more convenient. I've toggled between tools that promise to tame it with no success. And my two main struggles with hair dryers, especially hot air brushes, are that drying takes forever, and these brushes are often too bulky to reach your roots and straighten them.

When looking for the perfect hot air brush, I have a few requirements:

• Needs to dry my hair fast (the round brush and blow dryer method takes me around an hour)
• Can't be heavy 
• Must cause the least amount of damage to my hair
• Must smooth out my roots

In my journey to finding the perfect hot air brush, the Shark Glossi 2-in-1 hot tool and air glosser seemed to check all the boxes. So I tried it. Did it live up to the expectations? Here's what I found.

Shark Glossi key takeaways

• Dramatically cuts drying time for thick, long hair
• Delivers a silky, glossy finish that minimizes the need for a flat iron
• Root smoothing is strong, but not flawless, on dense, curly hair, especially in hard-to-reach places on the back of the head
• Results can last four to five days, contingent on hair type
• Pays for itself after three to four at-home blowouts compared to typical salon pricing

My first impression of the Shark Glossi

When I got it out of the box, I thought this device looked like a well-constructed toy. The teal blue color I chose makes it seem playful, and the hard shell material makes the product feel sturdy. 

When I first grabbed it, it wasn't as heavy as I thought it would be. Compared to the popular Revlon One-Step hot air brush, the Shark Glossi may seem only lighter by a hair (1.6 pounds vs 1.8 pounds), so the weight difference isn't noticeable when you first grab it. While that may seem like a small difference, in the beauty tech world, a 12% weight reduction is a significant engineering upgrade. And you definitely notice the difference when drying your hair. I didn't feel my arms get as tired as they do with other hot air brushes.

In terms of noise levels, I didn't find it to be as loud as the Revlon, but not as quiet as the Dyson Airwrap. I think the Glossi is suitable for most people, unless you're really sensitive to noise, in which case I suggest earplugs.

We did the math: The Glossi will save me $421 a year on blowouts

In all honesty, I have never run the numbers on how much I spend a year on blowouts, so learning I've spent over $600 the past year getting my hair done shocked me. A standard blowout in New York is typically around $50 (not including tip), and I get my hair done at least once a month. It's an expense that felt reasonable in the moment, until I realized that it really does add up over time.

The Shark Glossi retails for $179, and at $50 a blowout, the tool pays for itself after four uses. If you blow out your hair once a week, you get your return on investment in just one month. This doesn't account for how much your electric bill will go up after adding another tech device to the mix, but I can't say I've noticed any difference at all since blow-drying my hair at home. And I also don't have to spend money and time commuting to the hairdresser, so it's an all-around win for me.

What makes the math even more compelling is that the Glossi delivers a finish that replaces the reason I used to go to the salon in the first place -- that professional, shiny blowout look.

Glossi cut my hair drying time by 70%

I'll never forget the first day I used the Glossi. I always let my hair air dry a bit before using hot tools, since your hair is most fragile when wet, and letting it air-dry first minimizes damage. My hair was about 70% air-dried, and it took me 17 minutes from start to finish to achieve a salon-quality blowout. When I blow-dry my hair with a regular hair dryer and round brush, it usually takes me an hour, so when I looked at the clock at the end, I did a double-take.

Unlike traditional hot air brushes that use "scattered heat" technology to dry the hair, the Glossi uses heat-controlled ceramic plates paired with concentrated airflow. As you pass your hair through the brush, the plates act as a "presser" (similar to a flat iron), while the airflow wicks away moisture. The result is sleek, shiny hair. My ends looked polished, and my roots were straight for the most part (some small sections in hard-to-reach places on the back of my head were missed because of the size of the brush -- if you have straight to wavy roots, this won't be a problem). What impressed me most was the shine -- the kind I can only get after a wash and style at the salon and could never previously replicate at home.

Glossi performance after three months

After a few months using this hot air brush, it's become my go-to for quick, sleek blowouts. I find myself reaching for it when I want an extra-silky blowout, and it's fully replaced my hair dryer and flat iron combo. Besides the great results, the dramatic time-saving blow-drying of my hair is my main reason for continuing to use my Glossi.

I find that the shine lasts three to four days (if your hair can handle that much time between washes), and the ends stay smooth. One of my biggest issues with the Revlon airbrush is that it didn't straighten out my ends well, and it often left them burnt.

Now, it hasn't replaced all of my hot hair tools. I think this tool is best for that ultra-straight, shiny blowout. I haven't been able to achieve a bouncy blowout with this tool despite trying out different techniques.

Shark Glossi buying guide

While I absolutely love and use my Glossi frequently, there are a few things to consider before you buy. If you're on the fence, here are key factors to keep in mind.

Buy it if you:

• Want to reduce drying time
• Regularly pay for salon blowouts and want an at-home alternative
• Prefer a polished finish over bouncy volume
• Frequently use a dryer and flat iron combo, and want a device that does both
• Have thick or long hair

Skip if you:

• Primarily style your hair for volume or curls
• Are sensitive to noise during styling
• Want a single tool to replace all blow-drying and heat-styling needs (Shark Glam is best for that)
• Have very fine hair, as the tool can be too abrasive for it