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18 Hair Stylists Pick Their Favorite Tool Ever

All the must-have irons, blowdryers and brushes.

Hair
18 Hair Stylists Pick Their Favorite Tool Ever

Has anyone else here been using the same straightener since you were ironing those two lone strands around your face in junior high? Yeah, us too. But after studying the massive arsenals of people like Orlando Pita backstage at DVF and Carolina Herrera, and getting ready for events with the likes of Jen Atkin and Ted Gibson, it became fairly obvious that our metallic blue Hot Tool 3000 just wasn’t going to cut it anymore. We mean, we figure we’ve reached the point in our lives when owning a blowdryer that takes less than 15 minutes to get the damp out of our hair (and wasn’t smuggled out of a hotel) only makes sense (adulthood, people!). So, as per usual, we enlisted the help of our Rolodex of hair stylists who give blow outs to the SJPs and Kendalls and Chrissys of the world what blowdryers, curling irons and brushes we should be stocking up on.



 

Jen Atkin

CEO/Founder, Mane Addicts

@jenatkinhair

CLIENTS INCLUDE: Chrissy Teigen, the Kardashians, Gwen Stefani, Jennifer Lopez, Reese Witherspoon, Diane Kruger

"[My favorite tool is the] GHD Eclipse Flat Iron—I wouldn’t be able to do my job without it! The bevels on the side make creating flat iron waves a cinch. I also love how small and lightweight the Dream Dry Blowdryers and Harry Josh Blowdryers are! They’re both super powerful so my blow dries end up being so much faster. And T3 Curling Irons—the ceramic plates heat up so fast!"


 

Serge Normant

Creator, Serge Normant Haircare & Salons

@sergenormant

CLIENTS INCLUDE: Julia Roberts, Margot Robbie, Sarah Jessica Parker, Amy Schumer

"A good blow dryer is a must! And a great curling Iron. The one-inch barrel is the one I use most. Harry Josh’s new curling iron, a marcel model, is amazing and easy to use. I am obsessed with it!"

 


 

Harry Josh

Creator of Harry Josh Pro Tools

@harryjoshhair

CLIENTS INCLUDE: Cindy Crawford, Gigi Hadid, Karlie Kloss, Gisele Bündchen, Lily Aldridge

"I love my tools—Harry Josh Pro Tools! I created them with a stylist and a consumer in mind—they’re easy enough for anyone to use but they have special parts that pro stylists really appreciate, like a cold-shot button on the dryer and extra long cords for flexible movement. I basically thought about all of the hurdles I’ve had in the past with tools that I’ve used and did some trouble-shooting. I have a curling iron coming in September, and I’m so excited to share it with everyone."

 


 

Kari Hill

Celebrity Colorist for L’Oreal Paris; colorist Mèche Salon

@karihillhair

CLIENTS INCLUDE: Taylor Schilling, Michelle Williams, Karlie Kloss

"One tool that I cannot live without and I use on every client is a Sheila Stott’s extension brush. Even though it was originally designed for extensions, it is the perfect detangling brush on wet or dry hair. It doesn’t break or snap the hair because it doesn’t have the little plastic balls on the end of the bristles like other more popular detangling brushes. I love my Sam Villa Light Professional Ionic Blow Dryer because it is feather light and the perfect, small size that accommodates a day’s worth of salon blow-drying. It is not only powerful, but the design and weight does not hurt my shoulder after extended use. Another tool that I depend on for every single highlight that I do is The Wet Clip for sectioning hair. They are amazing because they can hold a ton of hair or just a few strands without slipping. They are also perfect for at-home use when either coloring, blow-drying or just throwing your hair up into a bun."

 


 

Leanne Citrone

Co-owner of the Andy Lecompte Salon

@leannecitrone

"My favorite tools are Sheila Stotts Application wooden brush and her Removal plastic brushes."


 

Kristin Ess

Co-Founder, The Beauty Department

@kristin_ess

CLIENTS INCLUDE: Lauren Conrad, Halle Berry, Meghan Trainor

"My favorite tools would have to be the Elchim 2001 blow dryer because it's got the perfect ratio of wind and heat, and the Ghd Curve curling irons because they give the most relaxed wave with very little effort. It is one of the easiest curling irons I've ever used."

 


 

Adrian Clark

@adrian_clark

CLIENTS INCLUDE: Allison Williams, Leigh Lezark, Lily Cole

"My favorite tool is the large Tigi 100% pure boar bristle round brush for straight, smooth blow outs."

 


 

Bridget Brager

@bridgetbragerhair

CLIENTS INCLUDE: January Jones, Kate Bosworth, Rachel McAdams, Banks

"My T3 Feather Light Hair Dryer is my favorite because I can do just about anything with it: it takes hair from wet to dry; it helps me smooth and straighten hair; it makes curls and waves... It's the 'does it all' of tools. I also think a good blowdryer is something every woman should invest in."

 


 

Dayaruci

@dayaruci

CLIENTS INCLUDE: Michelle Williams, Charlize Therron, Karlie Kloss, Cara Delevingne, Joan Smalls

"[My favorite tool is the] Mason Pearson brush—I personally use the Junior in dark ruby colour. I like the shape of the brush in the hand and the quality of the bristle feels very nice when brushing hair and avoids static electricity on the hair. It's a good quality brush and easy to wash with warm water and soap."

 


 

Owen Gould

@owengould

CLIENTS INCLUDE: Olivia Wilde, Kate Hudson, Jessica Alba

"I love my teasing combs. They help me with clean partings and for volume they can't be beat."

 


 

Tracey Cunningham

Creative Consultant for Color, Redken; Owner, Mèche Salon

@traceycunningham1

CLIENTS INCLUDE: Khloe Kardashian, Chrissy Teigen, Martha Hunt, Riley Keough, Emma Stone

"I love a great hair dryer—the Kardashian dryer just now on the market is great."

 


 

Mara Roszak

Celebrity Hair Stylist, L’Oreal Paris

@mararoszak

 

CLIENTS INCLUDE: Kate Mara, Diane Kruger, Cara Delevingne, Mila Kunis, Emma Stone, Carey Mulligan

"GHD curling irons are the perfect temperature to hold curl and are aesthetically pleasing. I also love Parlux and Harry Josh blowdryers; both are powerful and truly make blow drying hair easy."

 


 

Ted Gibson

Owner, Ted Gibson Salon

@tedgibsonbeauty

CLIENTS INCLUDE: Lake Bell, Gal Gadot, Brie Larson, Lupita Nyong’o

"I love the Mason Pearson brush dual bristle with nylon for detailing and the boar brush for smoothing."

 


 

Ashley Streicher

Co-owner, Striiike Beauty Studio

@streicherhair

CLIENTS INCLUDE: Emily Blunt, Lily James, Kiernan Shipka, Maia Mitchell

"I love Ibiza boar bristle brushes. They are the best brushes out there and they are the most user friendly and gentle on the hair."

 


 

Rob Talty

@robsalty

CLIENTS INCLUDE: Jaime King, Teresa Palmer

"My favorite hair tool is the Harry Josh Pro Tools 2000 Pro Dryer. It’s compact, powerful and high-tech, yet simple. It dries hair very quickly, and I love the option of using ionic if I want to create smoother hairstyles."

 


 

Christian Marc

@christianmarc

CLIENTS INCLUDE: Olivia Munn, Emmy Rossum

"The Mason Pearson brush is a must-have. I also love the Hot Tools Marcel Curling Irons in any size. I can’t go to a job without them. And the YS Park Teaser Tail Comb is amazing."

 


 

Michael Long

@michaellonghair

CLIENTS INCLUDE: Teresa Palmer, Mary Elizabeth Winstead

"Hair pins. Way more effective than bobby pins when it comes to holding hair in place. The key to using them effectively is all in the wrist. Start at an angle and place them with a trajectory that resembles a fishhook. This should place a little tension on the hair and hold it securely in place."

 


 

Jamal Hammadi

Founder, Hammadi Beauty

@jamalhammadi

CLIENTS INCLUDE: Shailene Woodley, Juliette Lewis, Melanie Griffith

"My favorite tools are the FHI Ionic Irons."

 

Oh, and we also made these hair stylists tell us about their favorite conditioning treatments and their favorite products of all time. Your haircare arsenal has never looked better.

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