Good hair doesn’t come easy.
There’s always some level of finessing required to make good hair days a regular thing. Whether you’re fighting frizz with a hair dryer, searching for heatless methods or nourishing strands with bond-repairing haircare, keeping our crowning glory gleaming can feel like a full-time all of its own.
If you’re in the market for soft and sumptuous undulations in your hair, there’s one tool your kit bag simply can’t be without a good curling wand.
Also known as a curling iron or tongs, they’re the device you need in your armoury to create the perfect wave, whether you’re hankering for beachy boho waves or dream of rolling Hollywood waves, made iconic by red carpet attendees.
There are plenty of devices on the market, but determining which is best can be challenging. That’s where we come in.
We’ve put our heads together to come up with a list of the finest curling tongs to spend your money on. These machines are certified to impart the wonderful waves and curvaceous twirls that you’ve been dreaming of. Kinks? They’re a thing of the past.
Best curling wands at a glance
- Best for time-pressed curlers: ghd Curve Classic Wave Wand - £124, ghd
- Best for creating varied textures: Hershesons The Wand - £120, Hershesons
- Best for multi-use: Dyson Corrale Hair Straighteners - £399.99, John Lewis
- Best for 360 style: Beachwaver B1 Rotating Curling Iron - £130.94, Amazon
- Best for bargain buy: BaByliss Curling Wand Pro - £33.99, Amazon
- Best for heat-damage protection: Bio:Ionic NanoIonic MX 3-in-One Styling Iron - £78.51, Amazon
- Best for tight and long-lasting curls: Chopstick Cheeky Styler - £44.99, Amazon
- Best for A-list waves: T3 BodyWaver - £150, lookfantastic
- Best for versatile styling: Shark FlexStyle 5-in-1 Air Styler & Hair Dryer with Case - £300, Argos
- Best for sheer luxury: Dyson Airwrap Multi-Styler - £479.99, Currys
From BaByliss to Dyson, these are the best curling tongs in the game, shop our edit below.
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ghd Curve Classic Wave Wand
Best for: time-pressed curlers
This classic 38 - 26mm oval barrel-shaped wand creates long-lasting curls in seconds. The curling tong has a protective cool tip at its end, which enables you to hold your finger against it while you wrap hair, and there’s a built-in safety stand to allow it to cool down once you’re finished using it. And, on the rare occasions you forget to switch it off (we’ve all been there), sleep mode activates after 30 minutes of no use.
There’s enough cord length to help you manoeuvre around your whole head, leaving no section untouched.
With a seriously speedy heat-up time, you can have your whole head of hair curled in T-10 minutes. What could be better?
Buy now £124.00, ghd
Hershesons The Wand
Best for: creating varied textures and looks for lengths from bobs to long hair
My trusty old tongs are already retired a week after getting my hands on The Wand. They’re waiting in the cupboard just in case, but Hershesons’ new tool looks a lot slicker and more stylish on my dressing table. I’d go as far as to say it’s aesthetically my favourite on the market: that cobalt colour really does pop.
It’s also intuitive to use. The digital display, twist temperature gauge and 360 cord give it an edge. And even though it took me a while to contend with the fact the barrel isn’t tapered and therefore the curls are a bit more consistent in size through the hair length than I’m used to, I’m now on board with this and like how, as the brand says, it makes it easy to create loads of looks.
My only mild bugbear is the fact that the temperature shoots up in odd numbers, from 80 to 110. But this makes no difference to the finished look.
The speed factor is another huge draw. My hair is long, reaching my ribs and I could create any of my desired looks in around five minutes. It was also perfect for adding texture to natural curls if I had let my hair air dry the day before without the faux waves looking out of place.
I haven’t seen the product used on very thick, naturally straight hair, so can’t confirm if it can hold curls on this texture as well, but you can feel the heat working fast at the high settings, so it could be a good option with enough setting product. Perhaps the Wavemaker might be the more desirable tool in this instance.
Added kudos for the fact that the finger rest on the top gave me added control and prevented a rather embarrassing occasional beauty blunder: burning my forehead when I use tongs to smooth my baby hairs (I don’t use straighteners). I like the fact you can quickly direct short hair with the tool or smooth flyaways by running it down the hair shaft.
The product is £120 which is around three-quarters of the price of similar high-end curling tools on the market, so the value for money for the look, feel and results is fantastic. All in all: the dream for curl and wave lovers. They’re easy to create and stay put as promised — and you don’t even need a deft hand.
Buy now £120.00, Hershesons
Dyson Corrale Hair Straighteners
Best for: multi-use
While it may be a splurge, here is a double-whammy that works wonders as a straightener and a curler for both smooth and sleek, and curly and textured. With three precise heat settings - 165°C, 185°C, and 210°C - there’s a temperature for each and every hair type, and with the Corrale’s flexing copper plates, more hair is swept up by the straightener, meaning less heat and less damage.
Buy now £300.00, John Lewis
Beachwaver B1 UK Rotating Curling Iron
Best for: 360 style
Curling tongs may give you a look that's total glamour, but often the machine itself is not. Stand back and make way for Beachwaver, a set of tools in bold and beautiful colours that are made to turn heads. The curling irons come in cute colourways, from a pink to purple ombre, pink glitter handles, rose print and leopard print.
This tong not only offers three heat settings (top temp of 210 degrees) and a swivel cord that stretches eight feet, but with the flick of a switch, the barrel rotates too, making it even easier to create the hair of your dreams.
Buy now £130.94, Amazon
BaByliss Curling Wand Pro
Best for: bargain buy
Don’t be deterred by its purse-friendly price tag for this bargain-friendly curler is a seriously wonderful waver. The BaByliss Curling Wand Pro heats up to 210°C in just 30 seconds and comes clamp-free to allow for extra flowy tousles.
With a 25mm barrel, that at its thinnest point is just 13mm, the size and bounce of your curls can be decided by you. Beach bum waves, here you come!
Buy now £34.62, Amazon
Chopstick Cheeky Styler
Best for: tight and long-lasting curls
Featuring a titanium barrel and a millennial pink handle, the Chopstick Styler is a go-to for corkscrew curls. With its 10mm barrel, it’s the only one of its kind to promise to sweat-proof the mermaid curls it helps you to twirl.
Buy now £44.99, lookfantastic
T3 BodyWaver
Best for: A-list waves
Not only does the BodyWaver look slick in its white and rose gold design, but the 45mm barrel is also perfect for creating big and bouncing curls - the sort you see on a Hollywood red carpet. Boasting a five-temperature scale to help with different hair textures, the BodyWaver will leave your hair sumptuously curvaceous.
Buy now £150.00, lookfantastic
Shark Beauty FlexStyle Air Styling & Drying System
Best for: versatile styling
Hot on the heels of its Dyson competitor, Shark Beauty has unveiled the FlexStyle Air Styling & Drying System with interchangeable accessories so with just one tool, you can curl, straighten, volumise, smooth and define locks.
Saving you space and fuss, you can use it as a hairdryer and with just a twist, it becomes the styler, all while ensuring it is protecting strands from heat damage. There’s a paddle brush with smoothing bristles for poker-straight tresses, an oval brush to amp up the bounce and multiple curling accessories depending on the wave you are trying to achieve.
Buy now £300.00, Argos
Dyson Airwrap Multi-Styler
Best for: sheer luxury
This cult classic tool needs no introduction, but its new redesign does. This is the next-generation Dyson Airwrap that’s just launched with an array of new attachments that make this the ultimate multi-styling hot brush for every hair type, want and need using their state-of-the-art advanced minimal heat damage tech.
The wide selection of soft and firm, small and large brush heads allow you to create the best possible hot brush for your strands - plus, there’s a wide-tooth comb attachment for curly and coily hair types. It’s also worth noting the Airwrap barrels now allow you to create clockwise and anticlockwise curls with one barrel making for easier and faster styling time.
If you already have the Airwrap Styler don’t worry, you don’t have to buy a new one to benefit from these attachments, you can upgrade to the full new set for £149.99. Dyson’s styler is a pricey investment, but if you’re looking for a do-it-all tool it’s hard to beat.
Buy now £479.99, Currys
