The original Revlon One-Step Volumizer has been our go-to styler for years. However, it has always come with a number of catches – it’s loud, it’s large, and it lacks versatility.
All of these catches have been addressed with the Revlon Volumizer Plus. What’s more, Revlon has even improved upon the features of the original One-Step Volumizer in ways we didn’t even realise we needed.
The Revlon Volumizer Plus is easier to use. It’s easier to store. It’s quieter. It creates even more volume with greater control and more shine. Its smaller brush brings a level of versatility that is rare with hot air stylers, and which can be used on both short and long styles to achieve a range of looks.
The price is a small catch, although we would say the Revlon Plus is good value for money for the time it saves and the finish it creates. Another small catch is the way the hair gets caught in the detachable brush. There isn’t really any excuse for the latter and it’s the only real con in a sea of pros.
If you’ve not used a hot air styler before, make the Revlon One-Step Volumizer Plus your first foray into the sector. If you have used one before, and even if you’ve used the original Revlon One-Step before, we’d go as far as to say this is the best hot air styler we’ve ever used.
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| Amazon | £69.99 |
| Revlon | £69.99 |
| Boots | £69.99 |
UPDATE: Before we dive into our Revlon Volumizer Plus review, we wanted to let you know that the dryer is finally available more widely across the UK.
Since its launch in June, you could only get hold of Revlon’s latest One-Step dryer direct from Revlon and stock levels were a little all over the place. Thankfully, though, it’s now finally available on Amazon!
What’s more, you can also buy it at Boots, if you want to get Advantage Card points at the same time, or you can pick it up from JustMyLook. Each site is selling it for the RRP of £69.99 (at the time of writing) but should any of them drop the price, we’ll flag it up to make sure you get the best deal.
We don’t want to give away any spoilers but the Revlon Volumiser Plus is a superb dryer and worth the money, if you can afford it!
Original Revlon One-Step Volumiser review continues below
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As you can read in our Revlon Pro Collection One-Step Dryer and Volumizer review, we’ve tested hundreds of hair dryers and nothing compares to the iconic hot brush. However, Revlon recently turned our head with the launch of a brand new, redesigned model – the Revlon One-Step Volumizer Plus.
Until the start of May, the Volumizer Plus was only available in the US. However, Revlon has since released it in a number of places including Amazon, Boots and JustMyLook.
We were one of the lucky few to get a hold of Revlon One-Step Volumizer Plus ahead of its UK pre-launch and we’ve been using it exclusively in recent months to see how it compares to the original, how it compares to the likes of the Dyson Supersonic and GHD Helios, and if it lives up to all the hype.
You can read our full Revlon One-Step Volumizer Plus review, or jump to your preferred section using the links in the box to the left.
FURTHER READING: How to get volume in hair
mamabella/Revlon The existing Revlon hot brush and air styler collection is pictured
The Revlon Plus, also known as the Revlon One-Step Volumizer Plus and the Revlon One-Step Volumizer Plus 2.0, has had a number of upgrades.
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In the chart below, we explain the differences between the Revlon One-Step 1.0 and the newer, Revlon One-Step Volumiser Plus 2.0.
 |
 |
|
|---|---|---|
| Revlon One-Step 1.0 | Revlon Volumizer Plus | |
| Barrel Size | 4.25 inches | 2.4 inches |
| Heat/Speed Settings | 3 | 4 |
| Detachable Design | No | Yes |
| Handle Size | Regular | Slim |
| Technology | Ionic + Ceramic Barrel | Ceramic + Titanium + Tourmaline |
| Bristle Type | Nylon Pin + Boar | Nylon Pin + Charcoal |
| Cord Length | 3m swivel cord | 3m swivel cord |
| Price | £62.99 | £69.99 |
As part of our Revlon One-Step Volumizer Plus review below, we explain more about its design, its performance, its ease of use as well as how it compares to rival air stylers.
Revlon The new features on the Revlon Volumizer Plus are shown
You can see from images of the Revlon Volumizer Plus that it’s smaller, thinner, and looks noticeably different from the original model. The original has pink accents on the sides; the new Revlon dryer is wrapped in black and red.
While the length of the Revlon Plus remains the same as on the original, the Revlon Plus has a smaller handle, a smaller barrel, a more compact filter, and a smaller brush attachment. All of this makes it easier to use, but it also makes it less chunky when trying to store it at home or pack it in a suitcase. This improved portability is bolstered by the fact the head on the Revlon Plus can be detached.
In order to accommodate this detachable design, the handle of the Revlon Volumizer Plus has a new sliding switch that isn’t seen on the original. To attach the brush, you need to insert and twist it into place.
This will automatically lock it in place. To remove the head, you slide the switch up to unlock the mechanism before twisting the brush in the opposite direction.
We’ve used hot air stylers in the past – namely the Hot Tools Volumiser – with a similar detachable design. On these rival models, changing or removing the barrel can feel awkward because of the wide size of the handle. It’s typically not comfortable to grip the large handle and slide the switch, all the while twisting a brush that is often hot to the touch yet Revlon has solved this. Its thinner handle is easier to manoeuvre and the slide-switch mechanism works seamlessly.
The Revlon Volumizer plus comes with an extra heat setting compared to the original, offering Low, Medium, High and Cool versus Low, High and Cool seen on its predecessor.
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mamabella | mamabella The switch that is used to remove the detachable brush attachment is shown
The smaller design of the Revlon Volumizer Plus doesn’t just lend itself well to travelling or storage; it also makes it much easier to use. The handle is easier to grip and move around your head, but the smaller barrel makes it even easier to get close to the roots and add show-stopping volume. Especially if your hair is on the shorter side.
We have fine, mid-length hair and while the original Revlon One-Step Dryer does a great job of giving us a bouncy blow-dry, it lacks wider versatility. With the Revlon Plus, it’s not only a doddle to boost the volume at the roots, but you can use the smaller brush to create waves, curls and flicks in a way you couldn’t with the original.
To get the maximum amount of volume, we rough-dry all of our hair using either the brush or a standard hair dryer before placing the Revlon Plus against our roots. We then pull the hair up and forward. We focus on getting the volume in the roots first, before concentrating on the mid-lengths and ends, once we know how the hair is falling.
If you want to add waves or curls, you simply twist the Revlon Plus through the hair as you reach the ends. All without having to wrestle with a blow-dry brush and separate dryer; without any really blow-drying skill or technique; and without the need to add further heat tools to the mix.
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mamabella | mamabella The results of the GHD Helios and original Revlon One-Step Volumizer are shown
One of the best things about any hot air styler is just how fast they can take you from wet hair to bouncy blow-dry.
The reason we rough-dry our hair before using the Revlon brush is to just remove as much water as possible. We’ve found this increases the amount of volume we can achieve and makes the whole process faster overall. However, this is an optional step. In our tests, the Revlon Plus dries and styles the hair in mere minutes – an average of just three minutes and two seconds. This is an incredible speed.
You can spend longer on the overall finish, if you want to make certain sections smoother or add curls and waves, but it’s not necessary.
The combination of the charcoal brushes and the ceramic-titanium-tourmaline barrel on the Revlon Volumizer Plus makes a significant difference to how this brush moves through the hair, as well as the level of shine you get. Both in a hugely positive way. The Revlon Plus seemingly grips your hair more effectively. This allows you more control over the direction and styling of your hair.
mamabella | mamabella The Revlon Plus handle and detachable brush are shown
Instead of having to run the brush over hair sections multiple times, the Revlon Volumizer Plus barrel adds smoothness and shine after a single pass. Even on sections of hair at the front of our head that are notoriously frizzy, break more easily and tend to have a mind of their own.
You can see in the image above, taken on Mother’s Day with our son, that our blonde hair looks smooth and full. There is even an element of shine which is difficult to achieve on blonde hair, given the way light bounces off it. This is all the work of the Revlon Plus. The only styling products used were the GHD Heat Defence Spray ahead of use, and a spritz of hairspray to tame any flyaways.
We didn’t have to reach for our straighteners, oils or serums to tame what can be a frizzy finish when dried using traditional dryers.
Our biggest complaint, however, is how often our hair got caught in the space where the detachable brush attaches to the handle. It happened on every use and was, at times, painful. It also caused the hair that got caught to snap which, when you’re dealing with hair damage and trying to grow your locks, can prove frustrating.
That said, over the course of our Revlon One-Step Volumizer review period, our hair felt softer and appeared stronger overall so this is a minor catch that is outweighed by the fact the Revlon Plus halves heat damage generally.
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mamabella | mamabella The Revlon Volumizer Plus fixes many of the flaws seen in its predecessor
The original Revlon One-Step Volumizer has been our go-to styler for years. We miss it when we don’t use it and in terms of speed and finish, it’s impressed us time and again. However, it has also always come with a number of catches. These are that the styler is loud, it’s large, and it lacks versatility. In this way, the original Revlon One-Step Volumizer is best suited to longer hair.
All of these catches have been addressed and fixed with the Revlon Volumizer Plus. What’s more, Revlon has even improved upon the features of the original One-Step Volumizer in ways we didn’t even realise we needed.
The Revlon Volumizer Plus is easier to use. It’s easier to store. It’s quieter. It creates even more volume with greater control and more shine. Its smaller brush brings a level of versatility that is rare with hot air stylers, and which can be used on both short and long styles to achieve a range of looks.
The price is a small catch, although we would say the Revlon Plus is good value for money for the time it saves and the finish it creates. Another small catch is the way the hair gets caught in the detachable brush. There isn’t really any excuse for the latter and it’s the only real con in a sea of pros.
In the US, the Revlon One-Step range currently has a score of 4.6 out of 5 from a staggering 279,000+ ratings and we can see why. If you’ve not used a hot air styler before, make the Revlon One-Step Volumizer Plus your first foray into the sector.
If you have used one before, and even if you’ve used the original Revlon One-Step before, we’d go as far as to say this is the best hot air styler we’ve ever used. So will be worth the upgrade. It will also likely be the reason why this styler runs the risk of selling out very fast!
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Victoria is founder and editor-in-chief of mamabella, freelance journalist and Mum. She has a passion for empowering people to feel beautiful whatever their age, size, skin type and budget
