BaByliss Hydro-Fusion 4-in-1 Hair Dryer Brush review: Versatile and effective

Electrical beauty giant BaByliss launched its Hydro-Fusion styling range in 2021, comprising a hairdryer and hot-air styling brush. Delivering BaByliss’s patented Advanced Plasma technology, the combination of negatively charged ions to break up the water molecules in your hair, and positive ions to distribute moisture through the hair, promise to leave locks looking shiny and feeling hydrated. This 4-in-1 hot-air brush is the latest product in the Hydro-Fusion range, and comes with a set of four interchangeable attachments for effortless blow-drying for a glossy finish.

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BaByliss Hydro-Fusion 4-in-1 Hair Dryer Brush review: What do you get in the box?

Open the box and you’ll see the main body of the Hydro-Fusion 4-in-1, which looks like the handle of a hairbrush with a single switch on the side. The tool comes with a quick-drying attachment to rough-dry hair before styling; a paddle brush for drying hair straight; an oval-shaped ceramic barrel for a more voluminous blow-dry; plus a smoothing brush to reduce frizz and flyaways. The paddle brush and the smoothing brush are plastic, while the oval brush is ceramic for smooth and friction-free heat styling, with longer bristles to lift hair and add volume as you style.

The brush itself features a 1000W motor, which is powerful enough to air-dry damp hair quickly. In addition, there’s a 2.5m swivel cable that makes it easy to move the tool around when styling. There are two temperature settings plus a cool setting, the latter to seal the cuticle and set the style when finished, and all are easily selected using a single sliding switch that can be found at the top of the tool. A blue indicator light shows when the Advanced Plasma ionic technology is in action.

Like other products in the Hydro-Fusion range, the 4-in-1 brush is available in just one colour option – a pleasant ice-blue colour that will suit most home decors.

BaByliss Hydro-Fusion 4-in-1 Hair Dryer Brush review: What’s the competition?

The Hydro-Fusion 4-in-1’s closest competition is the very popular Revlon One-Step (£63), a ceramic paddle hot brush with ionic technology. The oval paddle on BaByliss’s tool functions in a very similar way to that of Revlon, allowing the hair to be pulled smooth along the flat part of the oval and curled around the shorter edges. The main difference is that BaByliss offers interchangeable attachment heads, where the One-Step is a fixed tool with one oval-shaped brush.

The 4-in-1 is also something of a successor (or companion product) to BaByliss’s own Hydro-Fusion Air Styler (£60), a rotating hot air brush that delivers a shiny and healthy finish to big-hair-style blowouts. Both products are easy to use and create shiny, frizz-free styles in minutes. Again, the difference is that the Air Styler has just one rotating round brush, whereas the 4-in-1 offers greater versatility with its choice of oval and flat paddle heads.

BaByliss Hydro-Fusion 4-in-1 Hair Dryer Brush review: What’s it like to use?

The Hydro-Fusion 4-in-1 is super-simple to use. Select your chosen attachment and click it into place; to switch between attachments, simply squeeze the two buttons at the top of the brush handle to release the brush head and swap it out for your preferred option. The dryer and brush attachments click solidly into place and feel secure on the tool.

Choose your heat setting using the single switch located at the top of the tool; this feels easy and intuitive. Similar to any heat-styling tool, the higher heat setting is suitable for thicker and more textured hair; fine hair will prefer the lower heat setting to reduce the risk of heat damage and breakage. If you’re styling from wet, rough-dry the hair first using the drying attachment. The styling attachments can be used on damp or dry hair.

For a salon-style blowout, use the ceramic oval brush. Pass the hair over the longer side of the oval to smooth the lengths, and then flip the end over the shorter side to create a bouncy curl. The oval head of the 4-in-1 brush is slightly smaller than that of the full-size Revlon Salon One-Step, making it easier to reach the roots when styling.

For a straight and sleek finish, use the straightening brush as you would a hot paddle brush, passing the brush from roots to ends. Finish with the smoothing brush to banish frizz and tuck away any flyaway ends.

The 4-in-1 brush is light in the hand and easy to manoeuvre. If there’s a downside it’s that the tool feels slightly plasticky in use, rather than completely robust. In tests, our shoulder-length, curly hair took less than 10 minutes to style from dry, and felt very soft and silky after styling. The tool is fantastically easy to use – simply click on your attachment, flick the switch and go – and results were maintained well throughout the day.

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BaByliss Hydro-Fusion 4-in-1 Hair Dryer Brush review: Verdict

A very worthy addition to the Hydro-Fusion range, and a serious competitor to Revlon’s celebrated Salon One-Step, the interchangeable heads on the 4-in-1 brush offer versatile styling options, while the Advanced Plasma technology dries hair quickly and with soft, glossy, healthy-looking results.

Quicker than blow drying with a separate brush, and cheaper than a visit to a salon, the BaByliss 4-in-1 brush is highly recommended if you want to achieve a bouncy blow-out in the comfort of your own home.