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Revlon One-Step Volumizer Plus: What the Reviews Say About the Upgrade

The published consensus on Revlon's One-Step Volumizer Plus hot air brush: faster styling, a smarter barrel, and who should skip it. Sources cited.

By Shop Llama · July 23, 2026 · 2 min read

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The original Revlon One-Step Volumizer is one of the most reviewed beauty tools on the internet, the pink brush-dryer that taught a generation to skip the round brush juggling act. The One-Step Volumizer Plus is Revlon’s answer to every complaint about it: smaller head, better bristles, less heat exposure, and a handle that no longer feels like a hair dryer taped to a brush.

The original built its reputation as an affordable alternative to salon blowouts, and the upgraded model keeps that positioning; check the current price on Amazon.

The short version

The Plus swaps the original’s oversized 4.25 inch oval head for a 2.4 inch barrel wrapped in charcoal-infused bristles with a ceramic titanium tourmaline coating. It adds a fourth heat setting, including a cool shot for locking styles in, and the head detaches for storage, which fixes the original’s biggest practical annoyance: it never fit in a drawer.

The published reviews agree the changes are not cosmetic. Mamabella clocked a full style in about three minutes with more grip and fewer passes than the original, and Reviewed’s tester got sleeker, shinier results from the same routine. This is still a hot air brush, not a flat iron: the finish is volume and bounce, not glass-straight.

Who it is for

The consensus profile is specific. If your hair is fine to medium and short to shoulder length, this is the category leader at its price, and the gentler heat settings matter because fine hair is exactly what the original’s single scorching temperature punished. If your hair is very thick, coarse or past your shoulder blades, the smaller barrel and moderate heat work against you, and reviewers point that profile toward hotter, larger tools instead.

The flaws worth knowing before you click: a couple of testers caught strands in the seam where the detachable head meets the handle, frizz control is decent rather than dramatic, and the cord is on the short side if your outlet sits far from the mirror.

The bottom line

The Plus fixes the original’s storage, weight and heat complaints. For anyone new to hot air brushes or replacing a worn original, that is the whole argument; check the current price on Amazon.

What reviewers say

Mamabella's testing found the Plus a significant upgrade over the original One-Step, crediting the smaller 2.4 inch barrel, charcoal-infused bristles and ceramic titanium tourmaline coating for a roughly three minute styling time with noticeably more shine and fewer passes.
Reviewed's tester highlighted the improved weight distribution and the detachable head, reporting shinier, sleeker results than the original, while finding some of Revlon's marketing claims, like the 40% longer motor life, vague and hard to evaluate.
The BeautiLab's review maps who it suits best: fine to medium hair from short to shoulder length gets the volume and bounce; coarse, very thick or extra long hair is better served by hotter, larger tools.
Practical criticisms recur across reviews: Mamabella saw hair occasionally catch where the detachable head meets the handle, and The BeautiLab flagged moderate frizz control and a shorter cord than some competitors.
On the upgrade question, Reviewed lands on a pragmatic take: buy the Plus if you are new to hot air brushes or replacing a worn original, but a working original One-Step does not need to be retired for this.

Paraphrased from the published reviews cited below; read them in full for each outlet's own verdict.

The product