Beautifully styled hair can make us feel like A-listers, but it doesn't have to come with a celebrity price tag. Our experts' favourite tried and tested styling tools will help you create natural-looking curls or waves in minutes — no salon trip required!
Whether you want beach-y waves or cascading curls, it’s time to arm yourself with a suitable styler for your hair type.
At a glance, here are the best curling wands, tongs and wavers, all tried and tested by the Good Housekeeping Institute, but read on for our detailed reviews below.
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Best for glamorous curls and waves
Dyson Airwrap Styler Complete
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What’s the difference between curling tongs, wands and hair wavers?
A curling tong is a styling tool with a straight barrel that opens and clamps your hair in place as you curl. Use it to create even curls or bouncy ringlets.
A curling wand has a straight, tapered or bubble (i.e. multiple bobbles in a row) barrel. Unlike a curling tong, it doesn’t open and clamp your hair. Instead, you wrap hair around the wand to style — use it to create everything from curls to waves.
A hair waver is a three-barrelled styling tool with a clamp that presses the hair into shape. Use it to create S-shaped waves known as mermaid or beach waves.
The best tools for your hair type
Fine hair: Limit your exposure to heat damage by using a curling wand with lower heat settings (less than 150C).
Thick hair: Look for a curling wand or tong with higher heat settings. You may need to ramp the temperature up to over 185C to lock in your style (but remember to use a good heat protection product).
Short hair: Curling can get fiddly and you don’t want to end up with burnt fingers. Use a curling tong to clamp the ends of short hair for easier styling.
Long hair: Look for a long, wide barrel so that you can curl more hair with each twist and style faster.
GHI tip: Whatever your hair type, always apply heat protection spray and ensure hair is completely dry before styling. Wet or damp hair is more fragile and prone to breakage.
How we test
We recruited over 100 testers to trial 21 curling tongs, wands and wavers. They told us how easy each tool was to use, how well it reached their roots and how pleased they were with their final style.
Each styler was also analysed for performance and heat-up time in the GHI lab, and we used a Bossa Nova Shuffle machine to assess how much frizz occurred when hair was subjected to humidity after using each tool, as well as how well the style held.
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Best curling wand
Remington PROluxe You Adaptive Wand
Score: 85/100
Our winning wand is a game-changer when it comes to personalising your curls. It features "StyleAdapt" technology, which claims to adapt the heat settings to suit your hair.
In the lab, the temperature settings proved to be extremely accurate, and all our testers were happy with how effortlessly it created perfect curls or waves. No one experienced any tangles, leaving almost everyone with healthier, shinier, frizz-free strands.
Key specifications
| Styler type | Curling wand |
|---|---|
| Number of heat settings | 9 |
| Barrel diameter | 19mm to 32mm |
Score: 83/100
If you struggle with your technique, let this self-rotating curler take the reins and create gorgeous, wavy hair for you. And with three different heat settings, you can decide just how intense you want your curl to be.
Beachwaver had beginners in mind when developing this tool, with our panel praising the self-rotating barrel for ease of use. One tester described it as a “godsend” for those with arthritis, MS, or limited mobility, as it eliminates the need to manually twist hair around the barrel. Most of our panellists were fans of the glittery design too – guaranteed to make a statement on your dressing table.
Key specifications
| Styler type | Curling tong |
|---|---|
| Number of heat settings | 3 |
| Barrel diameter | 1" |
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Score: 82/100
This stylish waver aims to give you crease-free waves in minutes. Although it may look intimidating, the non-slip handle and ergonomic design proved to be both comfortable and easy for our panel to use.
The beachy, frizz-free waves it created impressed our panel, while our lab test showed impressive long-lasting hold. The result? Bouncy, shiny waves, with one tester commenting on how quickly it styled their hair.
Key specifications
| Styler type | Waver |
|---|---|
| Number of heat settings | 16 |
| Barrel diameter | 18.5mm |
Score: 81/100
We all love that fresh-out-of-the-salon blow-dry look, but it often seems impossible to achieve in your own home. Until now. mdlondon’s most recent launch promises a hairdresser-approved ‘do.
Use this tool on dry hair to create volume, tame flyaways and reduce frizz. How does it work? It’s all in the retractable bristles. They come in two sizes to ensure you capture every length of strand, smoothing down baby hairs and adding volume as close to the root as possible. They also release the hair, snag-free, for minimal damage.
Make waves using the range of five different heat settings – switch to the hottest one to curl and the coldest to set in place. One of our testers said it worked particularly well on their fringe, adding, “a really nice bouncy wave to frame my face”. Another praised how well it worked on fine hair, which can sometimes look a little flat without the right tools. You can choose from three different colourways, too – take your pick of khaki, blue or pale pink.
Key specifications
| Styler type | Wand |
|---|---|
| Number of heat settings | 5 |
| Barrel diameter | 33mm |
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Score: 81/100
You can expect bouncy, precise curls with this cleverly made curling tong. The L-shaped styler is designed to help deliver a neat curl easily and safely, with the help of a handy glove that comes in the set. The tong also has a keratin coating, which helps to protect your hair while styling. On top of this, there are multiple heat settings for you to choose from.
One tester said their resulting curls were “perfect, not too tight and fell nicely”. Another said it gave them lovely, bouncy locks. While some weren’t sure how to approach styling at first due to the tool’s unique shape, nearly all testers agreed it was effective at delivering the look they were after.
Product specifications
| Styler type | Barrel |
|---|---|
| Number of heat settings | Five temperature settings between 170-210°C |
| Barrel diameter | 13-38mm |
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Best curling wand for spirals
ghd Creative Curl Wand
Score: 81/100
This tapered wand is slightly more versatile than your average curler. Our testers loved how their hair wrapped effortlessly around the long barrel, making it ideal for styling longer hair quickly.
It created long-lasting and natural-looking curls and waves that held well during brushing and combing. The sleek design and simple on/off functionality also made it a top scorer on test.
Key specifications
| Styler type | Wand |
|---|---|
| Number of heat settings | 1 (185C) |
| Barrel diameter | 28mm to 23mm |
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Best curling tong for damaged hair
ghd Classic Curl Tong
Score: 79/100
This ghd styler can create healthy-looking curls that stay locked in place from dusk till dawn — music to the ears of anyone with hair that struggles to hold style.
Our testers were impressed with the lightweight tong, which created their desired look quickly and effectively. It’s easy to use on both long and short hair, with a medium-sized barrel that produces small to medium-sized curls. It has universal voltage for travelling anywhere in the world, too.
Key specifications
| Styler type | Tong |
|---|---|
| Number of heat settings | 1 (185C) |
| Barrel diameter | 26mm |
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Best for multiple types of curl
T3 Whirl Trio
Score: 76/100
This T3 styler comes with three attachments, a heat resistant glove and a travel bag. The barrels can be switched around to create anything from uniform spirals to full-bodied waves.
Our panel thought it felt high quality and it didn’t pull or snag at their hair during use. Everyone agreed it was particularly good at creating natural beachy waves and curls.
Key specifications
| Styler type | Wand |
|---|---|
| Number of heat settings | 5 (127C, 149C, 177C, 199C, 210C) |
| Barrel diameter | 32mm to 19mm, 25mm, 38mm |
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Best for glamorous curls and waves
Dyson Airwrap Styler Complete
Score: 76/100
Dyson’s innovative Airwrap styler claims to create whatever style you want, with minimum effort required. Our findings? Not only did it score almost full marks in our lab test for heat accuracy, but all our testers said it managed to create their desired style seamlessly. All found it not only quick but thorough too, as they didn’t need to go over each area more than once.
However, only a few found their style lasted all day and some said the controls were a bit tricky to use. It did boost shine for most of our panel though, with all experiencing gravity-defying bounce to ends.
Key specifications
| Styler type | Wand |
|---|---|
| Number of heat settings | 4 |
| Barrel diameter | 30 and 40mm |
Score: 75/100
This handle can be used with a choice of 12 interchangeable barrel attachments (sold separately) to create almost any conceivable curly hairstyle.
Sold with the mermaid waver here, its simple twist and lock attachment system proved effortless on test. It created instant beachy waves that were silky and shiny. And our testers were impressed by how much volume it added to their hair, too.
Key specifications
| Styler type | Waver |
|---|---|
| Number of heat settings | 1 (185C) |
| Barrel diameter | 3 x 21 mm |
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Best mini curling waver
Mark Hill Pick 'n' Mix MINI Mermaid Waver Barrel
Score: 72/100
Another entry from Mark Hill’s 'Pick 'n' Mix' range, this more petite waver allows you to achieve whatever style you desire. The mini attachment is perfect for those wanting to create nostalgic crimped waves, or for those with shorter lengths. Buy with your choice of handle for simple styling.
Everyone said they didn’t have to wait long for the barrel to heat up and it left very little frizz behind. It sped up styling time and the tool was both lightweight and comfortable to hold, while one tester commented: "Considering the small size, a lot of hair fits into the waver.”
Key specifications
| Styler type | Waver |
|---|---|
| Number of heat settings | N/A |
| Barrel diameter | 16mm |
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Best for long or thick hair
Beauty Works Jumbo Waver 32mm
Score: 71/100
The extra-large barrels and 29 heat settings on this waver make it the perfect match for those with longer, thicker hair, or for anyone looking to create larger waves.
Testers found it easy to use, with no one experiencing any pesky snags. The larger-than-life waves it created went down a treat, and no frizz occurred in our lab test after styling, with many testers commenting on this too.
Key specifications
| Styler type | Waver |
|---|---|
| Number of heat settings | 29 |
| Barrel diameter | 32mm |
Florence Reeves-White
Senior Beauty Writer
Florence is our Senior Beauty Writer, specialising in expert-tested beauty and grooming reviews — from toothbrushes to the latest skincare launches. She’s committed to sharing recommendations for products that truly work and make people feel confident and healthy. Prior to this she was at Tropic Skincare, where she worked closely with biochemists in the lab, delving into the functions of each fresh, natural ingredient and conveying its efficacy to her audience in easy-to-digest terms.
With over five years’ experience in beauty and health journalism, Florence has written for ELLE, Women’s Fitness, Sister Magazine, National Geographic Traveller and many more, with a strong sustainability angle thread through much of her work.
When she isn’t packing for a trip away, working out, eating out or reading up on retinol serums, you’ll probably find her experimenting with her film camera and building her portfolio of portraits. Florence’s photography can be found at florencereeves-white.com, her Instagram is @florencereeveswhite and her twitter is @floreadsnwrites
Madeleine Evans
Lifestyle Writer
Madeleine is our Lifestyle Writer, specialising in expert-tested reviews and round-ups on the latest beauty Beauty and products. From skincare to protein powders, Maddie is committed to providing honest and helpful reviews to help guide readers to the best product for them. Maddie has a BA in English Literature and Language, which stemmed from her lifelong interest in reading and writing. She started her post graduate life at Hearst UK within a marketing capacity, which quickly turned into a desire to fulfil a writing career.
When she is not writing about the latest expert reviewed products, you can find her rifling through vintage shops or car boots, reading a print magazine, or capturing portraits on her film camera.
Tested byMaria Kumar
Beauty and Grooming Testing Manager
Maria is our Beauty and Grooming Testing Manager, and since joining in mid-2022, she has managed the testing for mutiple categories including scalp scrubs, collagen supplements and retinol serums. In addition to her master's degree in chemical engineering and a diploma in cosmetic science, she recently received her MBA from the London College of Fashion, focusing on case studies within the beauty industry. Prior to joining the company, she worked within the global technical team at the Estee Lauder Companies for over six years, collaborating with the chemists and engineers to launch luxury beauty products at scale and to quality. She has also worked as a formulation scientist within the pharmaceutical industry and takes this evidence based approach into all her product testing.
