14 Best Curling Irons and Wands of 2024 for Every Hair Type

Table Of Content

• Best for Short Hair: Chi Spin n Curl Ceramic Rotating Curler
• Bed Head Rough Volume Digital Hair Curling Wand
• Best for Curly Hair: GHD Curl Thin Wand
• Best Oval Barrel Curling Wand: GHD Classic Wave Oval Curling Wand
• The Best Curling Irons for Creating and Holding Every Kind of Wave, According to Hairstylists
• The Best Curling Irons and Curling Wands of 2024

“I always recommend Mint Tools to my clients because I love the long barrels that these wands come with,” she explains. “They are perfect for long hair.” Mint Tool wands heat up to 430 degrees, making them perfect for those with a thick, coarse hair type. With adjustable temperature that goes all the way down to 160ºF, this wand is ideal for fragile, fine or damaged hair. Testers also loved that the digital display shows the temperature and type of hair it's suitable for and also reflects any changes in temperature during styling.

Best for Short Hair: Chi Spin n Curl Ceramic Rotating Curler

It has a range of different heat settings (from 280 degrees to 450 degrees), which gives you the ability to customize the temperature to your liking. This tool also heats up quickly and has an eight-foot professional swivel cord, so you can style your hair no matter where you are. While the gold barrel adds to the allure, it attracts build up, so you’ll need to clean it often to keep it in tip-top shape. Loose and dreamy beach waves might look effortless, but typically require a top notch hot tool — and a fair amount of elbow grease.

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Bed Head Rough Volume Digital Hair Curling Wand

Heat adjustments can also be beneficial depending on the style you’re going for. For instance, you can use higher temps to really cement a defined curl, but lower heat settings can be beneficial to create loose, natural looking waves. Simply point the wand barrel down while you wrap your hair around the beads, leave it for a few seconds and voila! I have very thick hair and it still only takes around 10 or 12 seconds to curl each section. Finish it off with a little hairspray and you’re good to go all day (or evening) long whether you’re heading to work, having a night out with friends, taking the kids to school or even traveling across the country. To ensure we thoroughly analyzed the performance of each device, we tested each curling iron across many metrics.

Best for Curly Hair: GHD Curl Thin Wand

If we could change one thing about this nearly perfect curling iron, it would be the awkward button placement. Our only gripe was that you have to hold and twist the barrel itself to remove it and swap it out for another. Happily, this set comes with a heat-resistant glove, so you can wear it if you’re planning on creating a style with a range of curl sizes.

Best Oval Barrel Curling Wand: GHD Classic Wave Oval Curling Wand

Its ergonomic design gave us a comfortable, confident grip for maximum styling control, concluding in a high 5/5 rating for ease of use. Thicker hair types loved the digital display, which allegedly reaches up to 450 degrees, though when we tested it with a meat thermometer, we never saw temps rise above 342 degrees. For some of us, simpler is better when it comes to technology—including when it comes to our hair tools. The BedHead's Curlipops Ceramic Wand is no exception with its straightforward design and no-fuss, easy-to-use mechanics of a single on/off button—you’re getting the features you pay for, here. Our testers gave it a collective 4/5 rating for curl hold, saying that with just a little extra time spent holding hair around the wand, a defined, bouncy curl was the result—and though it loosened up a bit with time, the shape remained intact. If you don’t want to spend a lot of money and you aren’t looking for anything fancy, this $30 option has got you covered.

BaBylissPRO Nano Titanium Curling Wand

We love that this wand can work for all hair types and textures, and appreciate that you can choose the different heat settings as well. One of the downsides with this pick is that it doesn’t come with a protective glove. You’ll need to be extra careful when curling your hair with this wand, and you might find that this one requires a bit of a learning curve to nail down. Not to mention, this product is lightweight, compact, and simple to operate.

The Best Curling Irons for Creating and Holding Every Kind of Wave, According to Hairstylists

If you’ve ever experienced the phenomenon of never achieving the same result twice with a curling iron, this tool should be on your radar — especially at such a wallet-friendly price. The Infinitipro consistently spat out shiny, glossy curls that lasted through the day and beyond, especially on thicker and more textured hair. In fact, we found that our curls lasted up to four days on our very curly hair — no touch-ups required. Experts say the two most important factors to consider when shopping for a curling wand are the barrel size and material. We asked hairstylists about the most important factors to consider when shopping for a curling wand, got some specific recommendations and gathered some highly rated curling wands.

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Different hair curlers do different things, so the kind of tool you need depends on what curl size or shape you want to achieve. The same wheel that spins to control the heat settings is also a button that has the instructions “push in for turbo heat” above it, but there is no additional information about what “turbo heat” actually means in the iron’s included leaflet. There was no audible or visual notification when the iron reached its temperature. These two attributes prompted more questions than answers in the setup stage.

One issue we found with this wand is that it’s a little bit on the shorter side, so if you have really long hair, you might not be able to curl your hair all the way up to your roots. One of the downsides of this curling wand is that you won’t really be able to curl your hair into tight ringlets or traditional curls—it’s meant to create Hollywood-like waves or subtle bends in your hair. It has three attachments that can be used interchangeably when attached to the product’s base — including two straight barrels (½-inch and 1¼-inches) and a 1½-inch clip barrel. Each can be used to achieve different kinds of curls, including undone, tousled, and loose waves. We always enlist a range of testers for any review, but hair-care products and tools are another story. While some can be used across different hair textures, lengths, curl patterns, thicknesses, colors (natural and unnatural), and concerns, many are created with specific consumers and their needs in mind.

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Both styling ability and curl hold ratings come in high with a 5/5 for our testers, so even if you aren’t new to the wand search, this Hot Tools wand option is sure to leave you with reliable results you’ll be raving about. “Whether it’s damp, clean, or day two hair, a light spray is good for all hair types,” notes Sherry. These heat-protectant products help to keep strands shielded from hot styling tools since too much heat exposure can cause hair to become dry, frizzy, and brittle. “Afterward, I like to comb hair out with a light oil or hair cream for extra moisture and shine,” adds Sherry. “Also, make sure to use the appropriate temperature for your hair type.” Stick around 300 degrees if you have thin hair, and go no higher than 400 degrees if you have thick hair to minimize heat damage.