Mermade Infrared Thermal Brush review: We try viral hair tool
With reviews of this everyday item amassing millions of views on TikTok, we decided to see what all the hype was about.
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If you’re on the ‘hairtok’ side of TikTok, there’s a good chance you’ve stumbled across one of the many videos with millions of views showing off just how amazing a thermal brush is.
And if you’re a little confused, a thermal brush is a styling tool that should only be used on dry hair, combining the functions of a hairbrush and a heated styling tool.
After looking at all the options already on market, Mermade Hair founder Tara Simich decided to create one for those with long hair.
“Most of the thermal brushes on the market caused a lot of breakage and didn’t add any curl or shape to my long hair, so I was determined to re-engineer what we know as the Thermal Brush and make it half the price.”
Designed right here in Australia, the Mermade Infrared Thermal Brush is a product of Tara’s imagination.
And it’s proving to be popular, with the likes of Bec Judd giving it a stamp of approval - the influencer named it her “new favourite hair tool” over on Instagram. She added, “The curls are big and soft and smooth. The hair doesn’t get too hot. It’s like magic.”
So as a self-proclaimed lazy girl when it comes to my hair styling routine, I took it upon myself to give it a try - and the results were surprising.
MY REVIEW OF THE MERMADE THERMAL BRUSH
Mermade Infrared Thermal Brush, $103.20 (down from $129) at Mermade
Tried and Tested by Marina Tatas, news.com.au checkout Shopping Writer
The Mermade Infrared Thermal Brush is a heated round brush that delivers instant volume, shine and bounce to your hair.
The advanced infrared light beam works to reduce frizz and lock in moisture, while the flexible bristle are designed effortlessly glide through your hair without causing any tangles or knots.
It’s also interesting to note that the bristles don’t cover the entire round brush – Mermade have created bristle-free zones on purpose to allow more heat to penetrate through and really shape your locks.
The 32mm barrel is a great size for soft curls, and it’s made from high-grade ionic ceramic to really seal your hair cuticle and infuse moisture into your hair.
Before using it for the first time, I watched a few videos on thermal brushes but to be completely honest – I went into this completely blind.
I started with freshly washed hair – dried of course – brushed out my knots and turned on the hair tool, heating it up to 180 degrees Celcius.
Then I went in and sectioned my hair into small sections and placed the brush near my root and gently rotated to curl each individual piece. Handy tip, starting at the root also helped with some extra volume!
I was genuinely surprised by two things, one being how much I liked the end result. The curls were perfect – they were soft, bouncy and natural looking. And my hair looked super shiny and smooth.
I was also shocked by how quick it took – in the image below, it took me less than 10 minutes to style my whole head of thick, frizzy hair.
Now’s that a big win in my books, and it also meant I could cut down my morning hair routine in half – how good!
So was there anything I didn’t like? Well I found that my curls didn’t last all day, but I’m not a big fan of hairspray, so maybe if I used some, it would be a different story.
I also found that my hair would sometimes get caught, not in the bristle, but rather at the top and bottom of the hair tool. It wasn’t painful, but I found myself having to stop and keep picking up smaller pieces so this wouldn’t happen.
All in all, I really enjoyed using the new Mermade Infrared Thermal Brush and I can see myself reaching for this quite often.
I’ve tried hair tools from both Dyson and ghd, and I will say their quality and expert technology does justify the high price tags.
But unfortunately, we can’t all spend over $500 on a hair tool, and that’s totally okay.
For just $129, I think the Infrared Thermal Brush is an amazing budget-friendly pick that can still get you the look for less.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
WHO CAN USE A THERMAL BRUSH?
All hair types and lengths can enjoy the benefits of a thermal brush.
WHAT DOES A THERMAL BRUSH DO?
Think of a thermal brush as the best of both worlds – it smooths, shapes and curls your hair like a curling wand, but the bristles mimic a round brush, giving you volume and total bounce.
It’s not like a blow dry brush, as there is no air coming out.
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