I put the ultra-popular Revlon One-Step to the test — here's how the hybrid blow dryer and round brush tool stacks up against the 38,000 reviews it has on Amazon

• The Revlon One-Step Hair Dryer and Volumizer has a cult following in the beauty world. It won an Allure Best of Beauty award and has received over 38,000 reviews on Amazon.
• I purchased the hybrid blow dryer/hair brush a few months ago to see what all the hype was about, and it's now my go-to hair tool.
• It saves me space, effort, and time, and it works surprisingly well for how affordable it is.
• It's available for preorder for $39 on Amazon, or you can buy it now from Target for $57.

A few months ago, I was on the hunt for a new hair tool to make styling easier for myself.

In my research, I kept coming across the Revlon One-Step Hair Dryer, an affordable hybrid blow dryer and round brush. I read about it in Facebook groups and Twitter threads, I kept hearing about it from my friends, I saw it won an Allure Best of Beauty award and noticed that it had 38,000+ reviews on Amazon. Everyone seemed to agree that it made styling hair quick and easy, so I decided to take a leap and buy it.

If you just want to know whether it works, the answer is yes. I love it, and I recommend it to anyone (I say this as someone who has tried Dyson's $400+ hair tools). If you have more questions or need more convincing, keep reading for my full review of what it's like to use.

What is the Revlon One-Step?

The Revlon One-Step Hair Dryer is a lightweight, all-in-one hair tool that dries your wet hair while simultaneously styling it. Hot air runs through openings between the brush bristles, giving you more control, and reducing the number of tools you need to hold at once.

The design uses two types of bristles to improve airflow and prevent tangling, and it comes with two heat settings and one cool setting. It also features ionic technology, which is commonly used in blow dryers to help minimize frizz and create a shiny finish.

I purchased it on Amazon in January of 2020 for $35.99, but the price has since gone up to as high as $59.99 (it's currently out of stock on Amazon, but you can find it at Target right now).

My review of the Revlon One-Step

At first, the tool takes some getting used to because it's so much lighter than your average blow dryer. It took me around 15 minutes to dry and style my medium-thick hair, which is about 10 minutes less than when I was using a regular blow dryer. It stayed styled for two or three days, which is the amount of time I let pass in between washing anyway.

The tool is as hot as your standard blow dryer, but since you're likely holding it closer to your roots, you have to be careful to not let the brush sit in your hair for too long. My sweet spot is to hold my hair in the brush, all the way at my root for 10 seconds. For thinner hair, I'd recommend starting with five seconds at a time to see what works for you.

Once we're able to leave our houses again, this tool will be great for traveling. I used to pack my blow-dryer and my straightener for trips, but the One-Step eliminates the need to pack so many extraneous tools.

How to use it

Start by lightly towel-drying your hair so it isn't sopping wet when you start using the Revlon One-Step. Put half your hair up and start with the bottom layer. Take a section of hair — similar to how you would with a traditional dryer — and brush through with the tool either under or over the piece of hair, depending on your desired outcome. (Brushing hair underneath will curl it inward, brushing hair over top the tool will give slight volume outward.)

Repeat the process with more layers of your hair. If you want added volume, hold the tool longer at the root of your hair, and add some dry shampoo or styling spray at the roots. Once done on your heat setting (either high or low), you can select the cool setting and brush through hair to give it an extra glossy shine.

The bottom line:

I've tried the famous Dyson hair tools that admittedly work well but cost $400+, and the Revlon One-Step rivals that of Dyson's comparable products at nearly a tenth of the price. This tool is cheap, but its results are enough to justify getting a new hair tool to adapt to. The ease of having just one product for drying and styling your hair is a complete game-changer for people like me who want to minimize their beauty and grooming steps.