Your social media feed might try to steer you towards a hot brush or multi-styler but, as most trained hairdressers will tell you, when it comes to creating long-lasting ringlets, waves and glossy locks, salon pros still reach for a classic hair curler or pair of straighteners.
As celebrity hairdresser Samantha Cusick puts it: “In professional settings like runway shows, shoots and red carpet styling, curlers are used to build volume, create structure and help hair hold its shape for longer.” Meanwhile, for us everyday folk at home, she dubs them “a simple way to switch up your look, whether that’s loose waves, polished curls or just a soft bend to make hair feel more styled and intentional”.
With so many brands and curler styles (think: tapered barrels, bubble wands and clamp tongs) to choose from, you’d be forgiven for giving up at the first hurdle. But that’s what I’m here for. After testing all manner of the industry’s biggest, most luxurious and affordable brands, I’ve rounded up the very best hair curlers for every thickness, length and budget. Scroll on to find your perfect match.
Read more: 7 best hair wavers to style your locks perfectly, tried and tested
The best hair curlers of 2026 are:
- Best overall – Hershesons the wand: £131.99, Amazon.co.uk
- Best budget pick – Babyliss curl and wave trio styler: £37.69, Amazon.co.uk
- Best wand – Mdlondon 4-in-1 right-angled curling wand: £86, Boots.com
- Best tong – T3 singlepass curl professional curling iron, 25mm: £159.99, Amazon.co.uk
How we tested
I spent several months putting the best hair curlers through their paces, including some that didn’t quite make the cut, so you’re seeing the best of the bunch. I styled each tool exclusively on freshly washed hair – the fluffy, hard-to-manage kind – to really test how well the curls would hold. Further down, you’ll find a full breakdown of my criteria, from heat-up time and ergonomics to hold, finish and value for money.
Read more: The best ghd straighteners for every hair style and type
Hershesons the wand
Best: hair curler overall
Type: Wand
Barrel length and width: L16cmcm x W2.5cm
Weight: 238g
Heat settings and max heat: Seven temperature options from 80 up to 220C
Cord length: 2.5m
Why we love it
- Beginner-friendly curling
- Barrel size suitable for long and short hair
- Curls last all day, even after brushing
- Heats up fast
Take note
- Easy to burn fingers on tong, might be worth buying a heat-proof glove
Hershesons’ the wand came highly recommended by IndyBest’s Daisy Lester and, as someone whose curls usually drop within the hour (especially with a wand), I’ll admit I had doubts.
However, it won me over almost immediately. Thanks to its ceramic barrel and slightly slimmer 2.5cm width (most are 3cm or more), it creates defined curls that genuinely last. The narrower shape means you can form tighter curls that hold their shape for hours, then brush them out into soft, old-Hollywood waves without everything falling flat – a small miracle in my book.
The long barrel is brilliant for styling larger sections, but it takes a little care. I’d recommend a heat-proof glove if you’re prone to the odd singed finger. And it’s worth playing with the temperature settings to suit your hair type. But once you’ve got the hang of it, this is easily one of the most reliable and impressive curlers money can buy.
Buy now £131.99, Amazon.co.uk
Babyliss curl and wave trio styler
Best: budget hair curler
Type: Wand with three barrels
Barrel length and width: Oval barrel – L14.3cm x W2.6cm, conical barrel – L14.3cm x W2.5-1.3cm, twisted barrel – 15.5cm x 2.5cm
Weight: 775g without barrels, approx. 975g with singular attachment
Heat settings and max heat: Two settings, 210C
Cord length: 2.5m
Why we love it
- Affordable
- Ceramic-coated barrels reduce snagging
- Easy to use
Take note
- Lower 180C temperature setting is still quite high for damaged or fine hair
In a world of Dyson airwraps and Shark flexstyles, BaByliss’s trio styler is a more budget-conscious option for anyone curious about interchangeable barrels. The set comes with three wands – an oval, a tapered conical, and a twisted ‘bubble’ barrel – that click into place and reach temperature (your choice of two settings: 180C and 210C) quickly.
As well as boasting a playful baby pink hue, the trio styler is coated in a silky ceramic that helps to prevent snagging. Though, this less-grippy design means layered hair can slip off a little more easily, so you might need to hold strands in place as you curl. Just make sure to use the included heat-proof glove, lest you end up with burnt fingers like me.
The oval barrel was my favourite, delivering soft, loose waves rather than tight ringlets. The conical wand creates a more classic curl, while the twisted ‘bubble’ barrel is a touch gimmicky. When curling the back of your head (where you can’t see exactly what you’re doing) some strands naturally sit in the narrower dips and others around the wider sections, which can appear uneven. That said, there’s a certain charm to this undone, more natural finish.
My curls didn’t last as long as with some of the more premium tools I tested (Hershesons, for example), but considering the price, the results were more than reasonable. It’s a solid choice for styling newbies or anyone who curls their hair occasionally rather than every day.
Buy now £37.69, Amazon.co.uk
Mdlondon 4-in-1 right-angled curling wand
Best: hair curling wand
Type: Wand with four barrels
Barrel length and width: Four barrels are W1cm, W2.5cm, W3.2cm and W1.9-3.2cm, all L11cm
Weight: 170g
Heat settings and max heat: 14 settings, 80 up to 210C
Cord length: 3m
Why we love it
- Right-angled barrel fixing makes it easier to curl from the root and reduces arm ache
- Great value
- Excellent for shaping face-framing pieces
- Reverse conical attachment creates beautifully big, bouncy curls
Take note
- No rest on handle/barrel to lay down curler without included heat mat
I was first introduced to Mdlondon’s 4-in-1 curler in the salon chair, with founder Michael Douglas at the helm. Douglas is the stylist behind Davina McCall’s consistently glossy, camera-ready hair (and now her fiancé), so expectations were understandably high. As he worked the tool through my lengths, creating loose, undone waves, he explained the design in real time, from the sturdy lock mechanism that keeps each barrel securely in place to the cleverly engineered reverse conical wand.
It’s one thing watching a seasoned pro make it look effortless, it’s quite another attempting to replicate that finish in your own bathroom mirror. Naturally, I wanted to know whether the results would hold up once I was left to my own devices.
They did. The reverse conical barrel quickly became my favourite attachment. Unlike traditional wands that taper towards the tip, this design widens as you move down, creating a firmer curl at the root that relaxes into softer bounce through the lengths – a clever fix for the way long hair tends to drop at the crown first.
The right-angled shape also makes root work and face-framing pieces far easier to tackle, without contorting your arm. The result was voluminous, with glossy curls and impressive staying power. It’s a tool I’ve reached for regularly ever since.
Buy now £86, Boots.com
T3 singlepass curl professional curling iron, 25mm
Best: curling tong
Type: Tong with clamp
Barrel length and width: L13cm x W2.5cm
Weight: 383g
Heat settings and max heat: Five settings, 210C
Cord length: 2.7m
Why we love it
- Hair glides easily through clamp, even when closed
- Creates blow-dry bounce if you wrap the curls vertically (vs. at an angle) and brush through once set
- Cool-touch tip allows for better control
- Creates silky, non-brittle curls
Take note
- Harder to wrap hair at the base of the scalp without risking burns
The T3 singlepass tong has been the star of pro and enthusiast kits alike for close to half a decade. I went with the 25mm barrel, though there’s a 35mm option, too. For shorter hair, the narrower barrel is ideal because it lets you wrap each section a few extra times. The curls start off a little tighter than you might expect, but they soon relax into bouncy, long-lasting ringlets. Now that the rose gold obsession has died down, the metal accents might come across dated, but I’d say the white ceramic still errs on the side of chic.
Much like the Ghd soft curl tong below, the easiest way to use the T3 curler is to wrap the hair around the barrel like a wand, lower the clamp and gently pull and twist the section out. The ceramic is nice and slippery, so I like to work in sections – roots first, then mid-lengths, then ends. If your hair struggles to hold a curl, try rolling the barrel back down on itself before letting the ends slip out of the clamp. Wind it gently back towards the root (not so close that you catch your scalp), hold for a few seconds, then release. It’s a bit like the motion a hairdresser uses with a round brush and hairdryer, and it really helps the curl set.
The only real challenge is the nape of the neck because it’s awkward to manoeuvre around. It’s a tight spot and I’ve come close to clipping my skin a few times while adjusting the clamp, so the curls at the back can turn out slightly uneven at first. That said, it’s something that improves quickly with practice, and the payoff is well worth it.
Buy now £159.99, Amazon.co.uk
Beachwaver hair curler
Best: hair curler for beginners
Type: Hybrid wand/tong
Barrel length and width: L14cm x W2.5cm
Weight: 600g
Heat settings and max heat: 150C, 180C, 210C
Cord length: 2.4m
Why we love it
- Barrel rotation speeds up process and minimises burn risk
- Reduced-size clamp prevents tangles
- User-friendly first curler
Take note
- Not enough barrel length for long hair
- Can leave clamp imprint
I’d heard a lot about the Beachwaver over the years, so I was keen to see what the hype was about. Its standout feature? A clever two-way rotating function that tackles the all-too-familiar struggle of curling-induced neck strain and bicep ache. The process is simple: clip the end of your hair into the short clamp, press the left or right button to rotate the barrel toward or away from your face, and hold while the strand wraps itself around the wand. After a few seconds – depending on your hair’s thickness – release the clamp and a neat ringlet should fall from the barrel.
The process was as fuss-free as promised and I’d highly recommend it to beginners. Though, there are a few tips worth noting. First, the Beachwaver performs best with small sections of hair, creating consistent curls with clumps around 1cm in diameter. You’ll also want to insert your hair into the clamp at a 45-degree angle to avoid imprints and, lastly, while the wand works brilliantly on short to shoulder-length hair, it might struggle with longer lengths.
My hair was left somewhere between a beachy wave (true to its branding) and a soft ringlet. With a bit of practice and more precise sectioning, you could easily dial the look up or down to suit either style.
Buy now £74.97, Currys.co.uk
Ghd chronos curve conical wand
Best: hair curler for short hair
Type: Tong with clamp
Barrel length and width: L14.8cm x W2.8-2.3cm
Weight: 806g
Heat settings and max heat: One setting, 185C
Cord length: 2.7m
Why we love it
- Anodised coating ensures friction-free styling and a glossy finish
- Non-spherical, tapered barrel creates more movement and less uniform results
- Heats up in 25 seconds
- Great for beginners
Take note
- Not everyone will like how uneven the curls are
Much like the Beachwaver above, Ghd’s conical wand is refreshingly straightforward to use. Take a small section (around 1cm), wrap it from the wider base down towards the tapered tip and hold. On my uncoloured, medium-thickness hair, 10 seconds was plenty to set the curl; those with finer, damaged or colour-treated strands could easily need less.
The slightly oval barrel gives the curls a more relaxed, imperfect finish that works particularly well on shorter styles. The tapered end also means you can even add texture to ultra short styles (e.g. chin-length bobs), wrapping those fiddly fringe pieces with ease.
By the end of the day, my curls had softened into loose, feathered waves, but they never dropped out completely (despite the wind and a fair amount of absent-minded hair twirling). It’s not the tool for ultra-polished, prom-style ringlets, but for effortless texture and modern waves – especially on shorter hair – it’s hard to beat.
Buy now £188.99, Johnlewis.com
Ghd curve soft curl tong
Best: hair curler for waves
Type: Tong with clamp
Barrel length and width: L10.6cm x W3.2cm
Weight: 360g
Heat settings and max heat: One setting, 185C
Cord length: 3m
Why we love it
- Results are big and bouncy
- Relatively quick once you get the hang of it
- Ceramic coating leaves hair soft and prevents crispness
Take note
- Curls drop to loose wave
- Hard to get to grips with
- Can leave clamp mark if not careful
Ghd’s soft curl tong has long been a salon staple and, since its launch in 2014, it’s earned a permanent place in my own styling routine. There’s a slight learning curve with this device, and a quick scroll on YouTube or TikTok will reveal the pros demonstrating a particular wrap-and-glide technique that can look a little intricate at first. If you’ve ever watched and thought, “Wait, what?” – same. But once it clicks, it’s a breeze.
After more than a decade of using it, I’ve found the simplest method is to wrap a section of hair around the barrel and lightly squeeze the lever so the clamp lifts just a touch. Then gently pull and twist the hair through, almost like rolling a rolling pin up and away from your face. It sounds fiddly written down, but in practice it becomes second nature.
There may be more straightforward curlers out there, but for big, soft waves with plenty of volume and that slightly undone, effortless finish, this one delivers every time. An added bonus: by leaving the ends out of the clamp, you’re less likely to overheat the more fragile tips.
Buy now £159, Johnlewis.com
Beauty Works professional styler
Best: hair curler for long hair
Type: Wand
Barrel length and width: L18.5cm x W3.2cm
Weight: 953g
Heat settings and max heat: Precise degree control, up to 220C
Cord length: 3m
Why we love it
- Option to tailor heat to suit hair texture (lower for fine, higher for coarse)
- Extra length barrel accommodates long hair
- Extra length barrel accommodates long hair
- Includes glove, heat mat and carry case
- Result is a lived-in, tousled wave
Take note
- Doesn’t work well with short hair
- Heat doesn’t effectively penetrate large sections of hair
- Heat penetrates through included glove
The Beauty Works Styler is a solid pick for those with a mid-range budget. While the styler is out of stock at the moment, this kit is available and contains the styler, as well as sectioning clips and a styling brush. The design of the styler pictured is an updated version of the one I tested, but, far more importantly, the settings and coating remains the same.
On paper, it offers plenty: precise temperature control (degree-by-degree from 80C to 220C), a longer-than-average barrel and a gloss-boosting ceramic coating. It also comes with thoughtful extras – a heat-protective glove, mat and carry case – to help keep things tidy and burn-free.
In practice, it had a few minor hiccups. The heat does transfer through the glove at higher settings (I tested at 180C), which feels counterintuitive. Then again, replacing the glove is easy enough and costs just a few pounds online.
The brand recommends smaller sections for tight curls and larger ones for looser waves. I used medium sections (1-2cm in diameter) and got mixed results: some pieces curled into soft waves, others into more subtle flicks. Though, my shoulder-length hair only wrapped around the barrel twice, so it's understandable that the curl pattern was looser.
After about 15 minutes of styling, the result was feathery and tousled, and added just the right amount of interest to my locks.
Buy now £92, Lookfantastic.com
Your questions about hair curlers answered
What is the best hair curler?
After months of testing, there was one curler that stood out from the rest and that was Hershesons’ the wand. In my experience, wand stylers have always been the more user-friendly pick, but I’ve often struggled to get my curls to hold when using them. However, this one is an exception to that rule. The long barrel is versatile for all lengths, while the numerous heat settings allow you to tailor the temperature to suit your hair’s thickness, damage (if any) and general ability to hold a curl. I’ve used it numerous times since my first test and been wowed by the results with each subsequent use.
Mdlondon’s right-angled curling wand was a close second with its four attachments and nifty reverse conical barrel, while T3’s singlepass tong was amazing for a more bouncy, blow dry-esque finish. As for the hair enthusiasts on a budget, Babyliss’ trio styler makes an excellent introduction to curling and looks cute as a button while doing so.
How I tested hair curlers
As with all IndyBest reviews, I test against a clear set of criteria, so every tool earns its place on performance, not promises. To separate the wheat from the chaff, here’s what I assessed:
How do you use hair curlers?
If using a more traditional clamp curler, Samantha Cusick (stylist to YouTube’s Zoe Sugg, Broadway’s Kristen Chenoweth and more) explains: “Use the clamp lightly to guide the hair around the barrel, then loosen it slightly so the hair wraps smoothly.” Though, she caveats, “They do take a bit more practice. A common mistake is clamping the ends and rolling straight up to the root. The ends of the hair curl much faster than the mid lengths and roots, so this can overheat the most fragile part of the hair and leave clamp lines.”
For those who’d prefer to use a curling wand, Cusick suggests: “Simply wrap the hair around the barrel, leaving the ends out if you want a softer, modern curl.”
How to curl short hair
“Wrap small sections away from the face and leave the ends out for a modern finish,” advises Cusick. She adds: “You don’t need to curl every piece either. Adding texture just through the top and front sections can make short hair look fuller and more styled without feeling overdone.”
Can you curl hair with a straightener?
“Yes, and it’s one of my favourite ways to curl hair,” Cusick tells me. She instructs: “Gently rotate the styler as you glide it down the hair rather than clamping and stopping. It takes a little practice, but once you get it, it’s one of the most versatile tools you can own.”
Why you can trust IndyBest reviews:
As a senior shopping writer at IndyBest, Lucy Smith has heaps of experience using, learning and writing about hair styling tools. Not only has she had her hair styled by a sweep of celeb-loved industry professionals (Michael Douglas and Jordanna Cobella, to name a few), but she’s interviewed a number of leading trichologists about all the science involving healthy hair. What’s more, Lucy is familiar with all the latest and greatest hair brands, having covered the best hair dryers, the Dyson airwrap co-anda 2x and the best hair brushes. With that in mind, when the opportunity to track down the best hair curlers presented itself, Lucy was just the person for the job.
Looking for more recommendations? Here’s our pick of the best hair straighteners, tested by a beauty writer
