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A Versatile Top Pick
T3 Switch Kit Curl Trio
On a Budget
L’ange Hair Le Curl
Best for Long-Lasting Curls
GHD Curve Classic Curling Iron
Curls With No Heat Damage
Dyson Airwrap
It may seem that curling irons are all created relatively equal, but depending on what style you’re after, your hair type, skill level, and budget, they can vary wildly. What suits one person won’t suit another, and this can make choosing the best curling iron a minefield.
The size of the barrel, for example, can make a huge difference to the size of the curl and how defined it is. If you have long, thick hair, you’re going to want a styler that offers higher temperatures than someone with thin or fine hair. And if your hair is damaged or brittle, you’ll likely benefit from an iron that’s been infused with oils and proteins, or a styler that curls your hair with hot air rather than hot metal.
To help you navigate this tricky terrain, we’ve tested a range of curling irons, wands, tongs, and stylers for ease of use, how well they curl the hair, and how well the curls last. We also factor in if they have any safety features, and we recommend alternatives for different hair types for those curlers that serve more specific needs.
For more hair and beauty guides, check out Best Hair Dryers and Diffusers, Best Hair Straighteners and the Best Creams and Tools for Removing Hair.
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Photograph: T3
A Versatile Top Pick
T3 Switch Kit Curl Trio
Included in the wonderfully versatile T3 Switch Kit is the styler handle plus three attachments: a 0.5-inch barrel for tight, defined curls and for enhancing the texture of natural hair; a 1.25-inch barrel for soft, natural curls; and a 1.5-inch barrel for larger curls and waves, which comes with a clip to help keep hair in place. For my fine, shoulder-length hair, the 1.25-inch barrel gave the best results. Not only did it create natural-looking yet defined curls, they lasted for hours. The larger barrel created great-looking, large curls that fell almost immediately, with an end result more akin to bouncy waves. Finally, the curls of the smallest barrel were very tight but ideal for the short pieces of hair around my face.
Each of these attachments twists and locks into place with a small dial on the side. Swapping them in and out mid-styling can be tricky, because of how hot these attachments get, but once it’s cooled down, they’re just as easy to remove. Plus this detachable design makes the Switch Kit an easy appliance to store. There are nine heat settings—ranging from 260° to 410° Fahrenheit—though you can’t choose a specific heat. You need to cycle through the settings from 1 through 9 and experiment to find the one that suits your hair best. For me, setting 4 offered a good balance of styling, longevity, and shine. This will vary depending on your hair type and thickness, though—WIRED reviewer Medea Giordano (another Switch Kit fan) prefers setting 5 and the smallest barrel.
If you’re happy to play around, the T3 Switch Kit will reward you with consistently great results. We love its versatility, its ease of use, and the fact that styles can be dialed up or down to suit different hair types and occasions. This Switch Kit has a minor issue, in that the cooling tip is almost indistinguishable from the hot barrel, but it also comes with a heat glove to minimize your risk of burning.
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Photograph: L’ange
On a Budget
L’ange Hair Le Curl
The L’ange Hair Le Curl is simple but effective. It doesn’t come with many of the bells and whistles seen elsewhere on this list, but that’s what makes it so affordable and so easy to use. Simply switch it on, wait 30 seconds, and start curling. I tested the 32-mm (1.25-inch) version, and it worked well on my mid-length fine hair, creating large, loose curls that lasted for hours with very little effort or skill. It’s also available in a 25-mm (1-inch) model if you have shorter hair or want tighter curls or to enhance your natural texture.
There are some downsides to its cheaper price. First, it offers only one temperature setting of 410°, which is much hotter than I’d usually use on fine hair. This does make it great for longer, thicker hair types, though. Second, it doesn’t come with a cool tip and doesn’t ship with a heat glove. Given how hot this styler gets, I highly recommend buying a glove separately. Also avoid creating curls too close to your scalp to avoid burning the skin, as I found out the hard way.
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Photograph: GHD
Best for Long-Lasting Curls
GHD Curve Classic Curling Iron
GHD sells a range of curling wands and irons within its Curve range, and the best of the bunch, in my opinion, and one that will appeal to the most people, is the GHD Curve Classic Curling Iron—known as the Classic Curling Tong outside of the US.
Its 1-inch ceramic barrel is small enough for short styles, but large enough for creating curls in longer, thicker hair. It has a clamp and easy-to-use handle that keeps the hair in place as you twist the barrel, and its cool tip is larger than on other curlers I’ve tried. What’s more, this tip is tapered. That may not seem significant, but this shape helps you know exactly how close you are to the burning hot metal barrel when you’re concentrating on creating curls. If you place your fingers on the thin end, you know you’re further away. If you’re grabbing the thicker end, the risk of burning yourself is higher. This is particularly useful for beginners and people with visual impairment.
It can take a bit of getting used to, and I recommend practicing using the clamp and barrel when the curling iron is switched off. This can also help you learn the angles needed to create curls that go in different directions. Once I mastered this it became second nature, and it gave me the confidence to experiment with creating tighter curls or looser waves. What’s more, any style created using this iron lasted all day on my medium-length fine hair. The biggest downside is that you can’t adjust the temperature of this curling iron, which is the case with all GHD stylers. It’s locked at 365°.
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Photograph: Dyson
Curls With No Heat Damage
Dyson Airwrap
The Dyson Airwrap has won numerous awards, spawned countless dupes, and has more than 4.5 billion views on TikTok, because it offers much more versatility than a lot of hair stylers. It’s high price tag also likely has something to do with it.
The Airwrap is probably best known for its curling attachments, because they use what’s known as the Coanda effect. This effect pulls the hair toward the barrel and wraps it around automatically, almost hands-free, without any twisting or contouring your arms to get the curler in the best position. I say “almost” hands-free because you do need to hold sections of hair up to the barrel; you can’t just put it near your head and let the curler do the work. This process can take a bit of getting used to, and to get the best results you need to make sure your hair is about 70 percent dry. I also find that the curls don’t hold quite as well as with other curlers in this list. However, using hot air rather than hot metal is a gentler way to curl your hair and reduces the risk of getting burned. For the price of the Airwrap, you get two curling barrels (1.2 inch and 1.6 inch) as well as a soft smoothing brush, round volumizing brush, prestyling dryer, storage case, nonslip mat, and filter cleaning brush. All in a storage box. The Airwrap then offers four heat settings, three speeds, and a cold shot button to set whichever style you opt for.
