Babyliss 2775U Big Hair Hot Air Styler June 2012
Will the Big Hair put you in a spin?
Many hands make light work, so the saying goes - and in the case of attempting to recreate a salon-style blow dry at home, never was a truer phrase uttered. The Babyliss 2775U Big Hair is designed to put you in control of styling while drying - but does it work? Read on for our first look review.
When blow drying your hair, hairdressers have the benefit of using both hands – one to hold the hairdryer and the other to artfully turn and flip a hair brush. But even the most dexterous of us can come unstuck when attempting to similarly set about our own locks to turn a brush while drying in order to lift at the root, curl under ends or make soft waves.
The Babyliss Big Hair has a rotating brush that can be turned on, off and reversed at the flick of a switch
Rotating barrel air brush
The Babyliss Big Hair (£45) attempts to solve this problem by merging the heat drying of a hairdryer with a hairbrush, leaving you a hand free to guide your hair and the styler.
The basic concept of a hair brush that’s also a hairdryer is not a new one - air-styling brushes have been around a while. But the Babyliss goes one step further by throwing a rotating brush barrel into the mix.
It is controlled using a switch on the shaft that rotates the barrel clockwise or anti-clockwise, and a second button to turn the 700W dryer on or off. It has a large 50mm rotating ceramic barrel with soft bristles, ionic technology for a frizz-free finish, two heat settings plus a cool air function.
The idea is that you can turn the brush and switch the air on and off without having to move it away from your head to see what you are doing or contort your wrist. It’s not a replacement for a conventional hairdryer though, as your hair needs to be nearly dry before you use it.
We asked two triallists to have a go at using the Big Hair, one with short hair and one with long hair, to give us their first impressions.
The styler's barrel has a button for turning the airflow on and off, and switches to rotate the brush clockwise or anti-clockwise
Tricky to use on long hair
Our long haired triallist found it tricky to use. ‘I didn’t find it particularly easy to add volume at the roots, even after a bit of practice. The styler is prone to getting a little bit stuck – though the reversible rotate setting makes it easy to get out.
'The main problem for me was that the brush seemed too effective at sweeping in more and more hair as it turns, so while I got lift, I didn’t have much control and the finish was a little messy and uneven. It’s much bigger than a hairbrush, so I couldn’t get that close to my scalp and needed to carefully apply it to small sections, which takes longer.
‘It was better at curling under ends, but again I had to try hard to make sure it didn’t sweep in too much and that my hand was correctly angled to get an even finish. It’s a good idea, but it wasn’t as quick and easy as using straightening irons are for curling hair under.
‘If you’ve got time to spend sectioning your hair and doing each bit individually from tip to root, this could give a good volumised lift, especially for those with curlier or unruly locks. But in the mornings I just don’t have the time to persevere with it when I find straightening irons do such a good job of adding shape.'
It's a clever idea - but our long and short-haired triallists were divided over whether they'd buy one
Great on short hair
Our short-haired triallist fared much better, quickly and easily using it to give her above-the-shoulder bob shape and turn the ends under.
‘Because it twists round by itself, the Big Hair keeps the hair under control and you can use your spare hand as a guide to keep your hair on the brush. With a hairbrush and hairdryer, you don’t have so much control, your hair blows around and the angle you need to hold the brush at means you can’t turn it the full circle as needed.
‘I couldn’t get the large barrel very near my scalp, but I’m not looking for extreme root lift anyway. I’ve tried a couple of different gadgets for styling and drying my bob, but none have been as fast and effective as this one – I’d definitely buy one.’
Our verdict on the Babyliss 2775U Big Hair Hot Air Styler
Overall our triallists thought the Big Hair was a great idea that’s well designed. Our triallist with shorter, thicker hair found it better than our longer haired triallist.
It definitely works, so if you frequently find yourself wishing you had a third hand or the arms of a contortionist to get your hairbrush, hairdryer and hair under control, this one is worth a try.
It’s available widely on the high street and online, priced at £45.
Pros: great for curling under ends, particularly on shorter hair, three-year guarantee
Cons: can get tangled, takes a while to get to grips with, large barrel doesn’t can’t get very near your roots, trickier to use on longer, finer hair
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