Tag: spring

A few times a year, Sephora discounts nearly its entire stock, and that includes some of our favorite hair straighteners, blow dryers, and hot brushes. The caveat? You need to be a Sephora Beauty Insider, which is free to join, and the percentage off the sale price is based on which membership tier you fall into. Some brands aren’t included in the sale, like MAC and The Ordinary, and there are some limitations, like how you can buy only one Dyson and one Shark product.

Be sure to enter code YAYSAVE at checkout or mention it in-store. All the prices listed here are 20 percent off for the Rouge portion of the sale. We’ll update it when the next tier discounts start. Here are the details on the various tiers:

• Insider members: This is the base tier, which doesn’t require you to spend any money. You’ll get 10 percent off from April 9 through 15.
• VIB members: This is anyone who spends $350 in a year. You’ll get 15 percent off from April 9 through 15.
• Rouge members: If you spend at least $1,000 per year, you’ll get 20 percent off from April 5 to 15. This means you also get first access to the sale.

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Flat Iron Deals

Read our full guide on hair straighteners for more options and price points.

Dyson Airstrait

Photograph: Dyson

Dyson has mastered air manipulation, and WIRED writer Brenda Stolyar loved the Airstrait (8/10, WIRED Recommends), saying it halved the time she spends on her hair routine. Instead of hot plates, the Airstrait uses air flow to dry and straighten hair in one go—you can lock the plates closed and use it as just a hair dryer, but it shines in its straightening abilities. You may need to play around with it to see whether it works best on wet or damp hair, which will vary depending on your hair type. It’s also available in a really cute limited-edition rose-gold color.

T3 makes great hair tools, and this flat iron is among them. It uses what T3 calls HeatID Technology to set temperature based on hair texture, length, and whether it’s color-treated. Refresh Mode lets you touch up already straightened hair at a lower temperature based on the previous settings. It’s a small but mighty feature.

I’ve been testing this flat iron for the past few weeks, and it’s become one of my favorite straighteners. It’s a classic that I somehow had never tried before, but it seriously straightens my course curls quickly. There are five heat settings, but the buttons are right where my hands want to rest, so I often accidentally change the temperature.

GHD Platinum+ Styler Flat Iron

Photograph: Amazon

You’ll either love or hate this iron from popular tool brand GHD. There’s no heat control, so it’s always at 365 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s great for some hair types—it straightened one writer’s hair in one pass—and prevents people from needlessly frying their locks, but courser or curlier hair might be a struggle.

Like Dyson’s Airstrait, the GHD Duet uses air to dry and smooth hair, and some hair types will get pin-straight styles from just this step. But if you need more help to straighten it, you’ll still need to turn on the hot plates once your hair is totally dry. That means it might take a little longer than the Dyson, but it also cuts out having to have two tools.

Hair Dryer Deals

See our guide to the Best Hair Dryers and Diffusers for more dryers and accessories.

Drybar Buttercup Blow-Dryer

Photograph: DryBar

WIRED contributor Victoria Woollaston-Webber says this is one of the best dryers she has tried, quickly getting her hair dry and shiny without burning her scalp. But the buttons are exactly where you want your hand to go, so you may end up changing the settings while styling.

The Dyson Supersonic is a solid hair dryer with accessories like a wide-tooth comb and flyaway smoother. It may even cut your drying time down. But no one needs to spend $400 on a dryer unless you really won’t miss the money. Like the Airstrait, it’s also available in a pretty rose color.

Photograph: Sephora

The version for curly and coily hair is discounted to the same price. This model took a bit longer to dry my hair than the brand’s HyperAir, but it worked and takes up less room. Its RapidGloss Finisher attachment did the impossible and actually tamed some of my frizz.

We haven’t tested this dryer, but it’s included here because we typically love and trust T3 tools. I tried the Aireluxe, which was super light and worked well but was lacking a diffuser. This one looks nearly identical but is more compact and has the diffuser I missed, plus other attachments. If you need something light, it may be worth a try.

Curling Iron Deals

Nothing here catch your eye? See all our favorite curling irons across budgets.

T3 Switch Kit Wave Trio Interchangeable Curling Iron

Photograph: T3

T3’s Switch Kit tops of list of best curling irons. It’s one handle with three barrels for achieving different styles. This one comes with half-inch and 1.25-inch wands and a 1.5-inch clip barrel. If you don’t need something as small as the half-inch, the Wave Trio swaps it out for a 1-inch wand.

We have cheaper wand recommendations, but we like the SinglePass because its tapered barrel goes from 0.75 inch to 1.3 inches. It gives long hair nice beachy waves and allows you to make smaller curls around your face.

If you’re a GHD fan, you’ll like this curling iron with a 1-inch barrel that works for short and long hair. It uses a clamp, which takes some getting used to if you primarily use wands, but our writer suggests testing it out while it’s off so you can become accustomed to the movement. It also has a cool tip that’s larger than others we’ve tried, so you can safely control the tool without singeing your fingers.

Blow-Dry Brush and Multi-Tool Deals

Shark FlexStyle Multi-Styler

Photograph: Shark

If you’ve been eyeing the Dyson Airwrap but can’t fathom spending the money, you simply don’t have to. Shark’s FlexStyle (9/10, WIRED Recommends) is nearly identical, letting you dry your hair, blow it out, or curl it. The Airwrap barrels attracted hair a little better, but for the money saved, it was manageable. The curly and coily hair bundle comes with a diffuser.

Want to stick with Dyson instead of the Shark? This set comes with the new barrel that can create curls in both directions instead of the need for two—it’s the bigger one for longer hair. It also has other curl tools like a comb and diffuser. There are other bundles and accessories available, including the long barrel without the curly tools and a regular set in rose gold and blue and orange.

I have too much hair to figure out how to efficiently use a blow-dry brush, but people love them. This one comes from a brand we like and has both a paddle brush and round brush attachment for whatever style you’re trying to achieve.

GHD Rise Thermal Hot Brush

Photograph: GHD

This hot brush made our list of best curling irons because even though it’s meant to lift your roots for volume, it made effortless waves and tight curls, too. Like other GHD products, its only setting is 365 degrees.

You’ve probably seen Revlon’s blow-dry brush all over social media. The newest version is great for a fraction of this price, but our tester found that the Double Shot gave her smoother, straighter hair. It just required a little bit more work given the smaller air-flow openings.