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10 best hair curlers, tried and tested for salon-worthy hair at home

Whether for beachy waves or red-carpet-glam, these are the best hair curling tools for every style

Sabine Wiesel
Friday 19 May 2023 15:00 BST
<p>We were looking for long-lasting, professional curls that were speedy and easy to create</p>

We were looking for long-lasting, professional curls that were speedy and easy to create

Our Top Picks

If you’re on the hunt for a new set of hair curlers, you might be overwhelmed wiht the different curl styles to choose from and how to achieve your preferred look.

From this season’s must-have gentle and undone “French new wave” to the TikTok favourite mermaid S-shape, there are countless curl styles to choose from to suit every taste and hair type. And thanks to the latest generation of hair curlers, it’s even easier to get creative.

No longer do curlers come in one shape or size to fit all – there are endless choices on the virtual hair tool aisles depending on what kind of kink, coil or curl you’re after. And keeping one on stand-by will ensure you always have a commitment-free way of changing up your style.

Generally, if you’re going for a more traditional wand or tong, the smaller the barrel the tighter the curl. The ghd curve thin curling wand will give you the corkscrew curls of dreams, while the T3 curl ID creates more red-carpet-ready curls that ooze glamour.

For those that can’t get to grips with wrapping hair around these hair barrels, innovative tools like the Dyson airwrap or the BaByliss wave secret air that automatically do it for you by sucking the hair in shape may be a better investment.

And then there are the social media favourites, the oversized three-barrel hair wavers like the Beauty Works professional jumbo waver. These designs work differently, in that you clamp the hair just like an old-fashioned crimper, but instead of zigzags create mermaid-esque waves.

Once you’ve figured out what kind of curler you’re after, consider your hair type. Fine, fragile or over-processed strands will need variable temperature settings to dial down the heat so as not to damage strands while styling. While difficult to style hair types, like thicker or straight styles will need a high temperature so the curls stay in place.

We know it can be confusing finding the curler that’s going to best suit your hair’s wants and needs. So, in the name of beauty testing we’ve done it for you. Read on to find out which appliances we evaluated as being the best hair curlers on the market.

How we tested

To find the best hair curlers, we put the latest hot tools on trial. All were tested on freshly washed strands, protected with the same all-important heat protection spray. To make this winning line-up, the hair curler had to create long-lasting salon-worthy professional curls. However, they also had to be easy to master and speedy to create. They also had to heat up quickly, and have automatic shut off for peace of mind when not being used for varying periods of time.

The best hair curlers for 2024 are:

  • Best hair curler overall – Dyson special edition complete long airwrap: £479.99, Sephora.co.uk
  • Best ease of use – BaByliss wave secret air: £150, Next.co.uk
  • Best budget hair curler – Remington proluxe you adaptive styler: £74.99, Boots.com
  • Best for mermaid waves – Bellissima beach waves styler 2 in 1: £47.99, Very.co.uk
  • Best for corkscrew curls – ghd curve thin curling wand: £149, Johnlewis.com

Dyson special edition complete long airwrap

dyson limited edition airwrap styler best hair curlers
  • Best: Hair curler overall
  • Barrel width: 30mm and 40mm
  • Number of heat settings: Three
  • Cord length : 2.675m

This innovative hair styler still deserves the huge beauty buzz around it, with its game-changing tech, speedy results and the fact that it’s an all-in-one tool that will dry, smooth, straighten and curl. And its recent upgrade has made it even better, especially when it comes to curling.

This latest version comes with new and improved attachments that make curling even easier than before. The older model required you to change barrels depending on what direction you wanted the curl to go in, but now all you have to do is flick a switch – so there’s no barrel-changing required. Choose from 30mm or 40mm curling barrels to create loose, undone waves or more defined classic curls – the choice is yours.

Rather than relying on heat, this clever tool uses airflow to style strands, which also blows the hair around the barrel for you. It takes a little practice and then you’ll find it super straightforward to use, especially if you’ve found more traditional tongs too fiddly in the past.

With a volumising brush and two smoothing brushes to blow-dry your hair to perfection with too, this hair styler really is all you need and more. Its only downside is its mega price, but, when you break down what you get coupled with performance, this really is worth the investment. Plus, this limited edition comes with a few added extras.

  1. £479 from Dyson.co.uk
Prices may vary
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BaByliss wave secret air

BaByliss Wave Secret Air Waver best hair curlers
  • Best: For ease of use
  • Barrel width: N/A
  • Number of heat settings: Three
  • Cord length: 2.5m

This one should be top of the list for anyone that’s struggled to master curling techniques in the past – be it with straighteners or curling wands. It’s BaByliss’s newly released, next-generation automatic waver, and it does all the hard work for you. All you have to do to create beautiful loose spirals is place sections of hair between 3cm to 5 cm into the ceramic curl chamber and it will do the rest.

No matter how long or thick your hair is, the curl chamber is large enough to automatically suck in strands and wrap it around once you close the handles together, so there’s no awkward wrapping involved. You’ll then hear four beeps which tell you to release the wave as a blast of cool air sets it in place. And it cleverly has wave direction buttons, so you can choose which way you’d like your curl to face.

It took us a few sections to master, but you literally can’t go wrong as it has built-in sensors that detect if the hair isn’t placed correctly. We couldn’t believe how quickly we could style our locks and how well the carefree curls stayed in place all day.

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Remington proluxe you adaptive styler

remington pro luxe best hair curlers
  • Best: Budget hair curler
  • Barrel width: 19-32mm (conical-shaped)
  • Nine: Number of heat settings
  • Cord length: 3m

You can trust Remington for purse-friendly hair tools that perform. The brand has several top-notch hair curlers that don’t break the bank, including this one, our favourite yet, from the brand’s latest adaptive styling range. It uses tech that adapts to your hair and styling needs to give you the best temperature for optimum results. But you can also go manual if you like to be in control with one of its nine temperatures which range from 130C to 210C.

Its ceramic coating has an anti-slip texture that grips the hair making it easy to wrap around the conical-shaped barrel for natural-looking uneven curls that stay in shape all day long. We found you can also play around and create tighter spirals at its narrower point at the top of the wand and looser waves at its bottom. A top choice for getting creative with.

  1. £49 from Boots.com
Prices may vary
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Bellissima beach waves styler 2 in 1

bellissima beach waves styler best hair curlers
  • Best: For mermaid waves
  • Barrel width: 16mm
  • Number of heat settings: Three
  • Cord length: 3m

Bellissima is an Italian electrical hair tools brand that’s new to the UK. And in its range of hair tools is this clever hair waver that creates S-shaped crimps that even Ariel would be proud of. What sets this tool apart is you can rotate the plate, so you can choose between narrow or wide waves to suit your style and hair type. It works just like a crimping iron, where you work down sections of hair overlapping to get an even result.

It couldn’t be easier to use, and works fast – you only need to hold it in place for five seconds per set. You’ll then be left with wavy crimped beachy kinks that can’t be imitated by traditional hair curlers. We were also impressed with how tousled our strands looked on second-day hair to add to the effect.

  1. £49 from Amazon.co.uk
Prices may vary
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ghd curve thin curling wand

ghd curve wand best hair curlers
  • Best: For corkscrew curls
  • Barrel width: 14mm
  • Number of heat settings: One
  • Cord length : 2.7m

For tight and defined spirals, the thinnest barrel in the ghd collection should be your go-to. It uses the same heat tech as the rest of the first-rate curlers in the line-up – a consistent and moderate 185C, so you can trust they won’t damage or burn your precious strands.

The skinny 14mm wand allows you to create super tight corkscrew curls with major Eighties perm vibes. Simply use thin sections of hair wrapped closely around the wand using the heat-resistant glove to prevent burning your hand. You’ll be surprised at how speedy this look is to create, as you only need to hold sections in place for a few seconds.

And this isn’t a one-curl wand. We found with a little practice you can create voluminous ringlets using larger sections of hair spread out across the barrel, as well as brushed waves for a more relaxed look. You can expect them to last too as our tester’s curls looked just as fresh the next day.

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Beauty Works professional jumbo waver

best hair curlers beauty works
  • Best: For loose waves
  • Barrel width: 32mm triple
  • Number of heat settings : From 80C - 220C
  • Cord length : Not specified

You may be familiar with the popular Beauty Works waver that creates dreamy mermaid S-shaped kinks, but this is the jumbo version that creates bigger, bouncier beach waves. It works the same way, using the crimping-style method of working down sections of hair. Simply decide how far up you’d like the curl to start and clamp sections working down the stands. Hold it in place for up to 10 seconds, the longer it’s clamped the more defined the texture will look, and voila.

Don’t be put off by its bulkiness as it isn’t heavy. Its design is what makes it so quick and simple to use, so much so we even found ourselves effortlessly fitting it into busy morning routines. Brush through with a wide-tooth comb to loosen or spritz with hairspray to hold a smooth uniform effect, we love to do both.

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Turbo Tong X hair curler

best hair curlers turbo tong x
  • Best: For long hair and extensions
  • Barrel width: 32mm
  • Number of heat settings : Variable from 60C to 220C
  • Cord length : 3m

If you need an extra-long barrel for your long locks, then look no further as this 32mm curler was made with you in mind. With standard tools being too short to curl sections in one, this size ensures hair can be tonged in one go. Not only does it save time, but it means the same strands don’t get subjected to heat damage having to go over it again.

It heats up in just 30 seconds, even though it’s a larger barrel and it has a variable temperature control – making it a good choice for fragile strands that need the heat dialled down too. We created effortless free-flowing curls by pointing the tool downwards and wrapping sections around the barrel in around 15 minutes. For a softer look, brush them out and they loosen for glam old-school waves. Either way, they last all day and night.

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L’Oréal Professional steampod 4

best hair curlers
  • Best: For thick hair types
  • Barrel width: N/A
  • Number of heat settings: Three
  • Cord length: 2.5m

This latest-edition steampod is much more than just a straightener, as it creates waves and curls like a dream too. If you’re not familiar with the tech behind it, it does things a little differently. It uses an integrated mini water tank to steam hair which promises to cause less damage than conventional tools.

We’ve created smooth, poker-straight styles and red-carpet-ready bouncy curls with it, as the new rounder design, teamed with new wider floating ceramic plates coated in aluminium it makes light work of any style. The speedy results are what makes this stand out from the crowd, even if you have thick, tougher-to-style hair you’ll be impressed with how effortlessly this glides through strands. And we found styles last well throughout the day too, be they straight or curly.

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Beachwaver B1 rotating curling iron

best hair curlers beachwaver
  • Best: For beachy waves
  • Barrel width: 1in
  • Number of heat settings: Three
  • Cord length : 2.4m

Just landed on British soil from across the Atlantic, this may look like your average curling iron, but it’s so much more. Founded by US celebrity hairstylist Sarah Potempa, whose clients include the likes of Camilla Cabello and Bella Hadid, this is a self-rotating wand and it comes in a range of fun designs.

To create long-lasting, frizz-free bouncy curls, all you have to do is clip the end in place and press for it to rotate and wrap the hair around the wand. It’s faff-free, so ideal for beginners, but professionals will love its speediness. We like to set in place with a spritz of hairspray for more glamorous Old-Hollywood waves that last all day or brush-through for more beachy vibes that last until wash day.

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T3 curl ID

best hair curlers
  • Best: For classic curls
  • Barrel width: 32mm
  • Nine: Number of heat settings
  • Cord length : 2.74m

With smart tech and a touch interface, this hair tool feels like the future in our hands. Simply input your hair type and texture and it customises the heat for the best temperature to create beautiful, bouncy, damage-free curls that last for days.

This iron is on the larger side with a one and a quarter inch wide barrel perfect for mid-length to longer styles. It has a clamp that we found makes styling much easier to control. Simply secure the end of your hair section in place for easy wind-up. However, you can still use it as a wand wrapping hair around the barrel, if you’re used to that technique.

You’ll quickly master cascading curls that, most impressively, last until they’re washed out. A model that we’re very impressed with.

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Hair curler FAQs

Is it bad to curl your hair a lot?

As much as we love curling our locks, heat styling is generally viewed as something of an enemy to hair health, but how bad is it?

While using a curling iron can very easily lead to breakage and damage, tools have come a long way and many either maintain a steady temperature of 185C – the ideal maximum temperature – or give you the option to adjust the temperature to best suit your hair type.

To prevent damage, it’s also vital that you use heat protection, which adds a barrier between the tool and your strands to seal in moisture and fight frizz.

How to choose the best hair curler for you

Different tongs will produce different styles so it’s best to know what kind of curl you want to create before buying. Some are better for beach waves, for example, while others may work better for statement ringlets.

You may also want to consider your hair type when choosing which hair curlers to go for. If you regularly dye or bleach your hair, opt for a pair that use a lower temperature, as this will minimise damage.

A lower temperature can also be a better option if you will be using the tongs to style your hair regularly or have fine hair, for the same reason. Alternatively, if you have thick hair, tongs with a higher temperature may hold your curls for longer.

The verdict: Hair curlers

Our best buy goes to the latest Dyson airwrap that has made hair curling even easier now that you don’t have to change barrels to change curl direction. The only negative is its price point, but for those that style regularly, it’s an investment worth making.

If it’s more beachy waves you’re after, the Beauty Works jumbo waver is suitable for beginners and professionals alike with its super easy-to-use design and speedy result

For more tried and tested hair tools, read our guide to the best cordless hair straighteners

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