The best curling iron for beach waves

When did finding the best curling wand get so damn confusing? There are countless styles of tongs out there and they all give different curls; from tightly defined ringlets to loose beachy waves. But how do you know which shape wand will work for you?

Well, I've tried to take some of the mystery out of curler shopping, by showing you exactly what each style of tong/wand/styler does to the hair (or my hair, to be more precise). Because I don't know about you, but when it comes to beauty I want need visuals. I want to see if the results are worth dropping all that hard earned cash on.

So, first things first, a bit of background info for you: I have long(ish) hair and it's kinda dry towards the ends thanks to a fading balayage. This means the mid-lengths and ends hold onto a curl really well, but the roots have a tendency to fall flat. For this experiment I tested each of the 15 curlers on freshly-washed hair, with just a misting of heat protector to prep.

Here's what happened...

1

BaByliss Curl Secret Auto Curler, £119

Shop now LookFantastic.com

Best curler for: beginners

Ok, I'm not going to lie, I was a tad skeptical of this automatic curl machine (surely it's easier to just use a wand, right?) Well, not necessarily. This snazzy machine 'sucks in' a strand of hair and rotates it around a heated core, it's then released into a perfectly formed ringlet. It takes a little while to get to grips with how it works, but once you figure it out it actually makes curling the hair really easy.

Temperature: There are two heat settings of 210°C and 230°C, and three timer settings which hold the hair in the curl chamber for different amounts of time, meaning you can tailor the settings to your hair type.

Staying power: The ringlets are pretty tight (although loosen out when brushed), so they stayed put all day.

2

DryBar The 3-Day Bender Digital 1-Inch Curling Iron, £129

Shop now Harrods.com, £129

Best curling tong for: A classic curl

This clever curler has a rotating clamp, which allows for extra movement when styling. The barrel itself features ionic technology designed to seal the cuticles of the hair, for less frizz and extra shine. It heats up quickly (within 60 seconds) and evenly, to give perfect-looking ribbon curls. There's also a 60-minute automatic safety shut-off - so you don't have to get 'the fear' on your daily commute that you forgot to turn it off.

Temperature: The high-tech curler has a customisable temperature dial that can go all the way up to 226°C.

Staying power: The 1-inch barrel has incredible staying power, just add a touch of hairspray and your waves should be in tact till your next wash.

3

Dyson AirWrap Multi-Styler, from £479.99

Shop now Dyson.co.uk

Best curling wand for: reducing heat damage

Dyson recently relaunched their famous AirWrap styler with newer (and fancier) tech. The new version comes with over six different attachments for straightening, smoothing, blow-drying, waving and curling. When it comes to the curling function, the AirWrap uses the Coanda effect to attract damp hair to the barrel, drying it into a loose ringlet.

Temperature: Dyson's genius heat control measures airflow temperature over 40 times a second, to ensure it stays under 150°C to prevent serious heat damage.

Staying power: Drying the curls into damp hair does give them a little extra staying power, but if you're prone to your strands falling flat after a few hours, it's worth misting some hairspray to set the style in place.

Check out our full video review, here.

4

Remington PROluxe You Adaptive Wand, £70

shop now Boots.com £70

Best curling tong for: Slippy hair that's hard to curl

What I LOVED about this curling wand (other than the flawless-looking wave it gave my hair), is the slightly grainy textured barrel. It grips onto hair, preventing strands from slipping down and ensuring an even, perfect-looking curl.

Temperature:There are nine temperature settings to choose from, ranging between 130°C up to 210°C. Or you can opt to use the wand's clever built in Intelligent StyleAdapt Technology, which learns about your hair and styling technique, and then automatically adjusts the barrel temperature, personalising it to you.

Staying power: One of the best I've tried, this clever curling wand kept my waves in tact all day long.

5

Beauty Works Flat Iron Wave Bar 25mm, £75

Shop now FeelUnique.com

Best curling tong for: long hair

Designed by celebrity-fave hair extensions brand, Beauty Works, this curling wand has one of the longest barrels I've ever seen (seriously). Made with long hair in mind, the XL wand ensures that heat is evenly distributed from root to tip.

The flat iron bar creates cool S-shaped waves, as opposed to round ringlets. Whilst the ceramic coating ensures hair cuticles remain smooth and frizz-free.

Temperature: The clever wand has an adjustable temperature of 80-220°C, so can be dialled up or down to suit your hair type.

Staying Power: I was pleasantly surprised by how well these waves lasted. The narrow-shaped 'bar' gave curls a tighter set, meaning they lasted till my next hair wash.

Check out our full video review, here.

6

Beauty Works Summer Jumbo Waver, £74.99

Shop now FeelUnique.com

Best curling wand for: Relaxed mermaid waves

There's no denying that this bumpy wand looks a little bulky, but have faith, because it actually creates a really cool wave throughout the hair. The 32mm triple barrel design gives strands a loose mermaid wave, which ensures the hairstyle looks super-natural overall.

Temperature: The Jumbo Waver's temperature can be set between 80°C and 220C.

Staying power: The high heat of this wand ensured my waves stayed in tact for longer than usual. Be sure to load up on heat protection to avoid any excess damage.

7

ghd Curve Soft Curl Tong, £129

Shop now Feelunique.com, £129

Best curling tong for: A soft wave

This large-barrel curling tong has a ceramic coating that ensures waves look smooth and shiny. It's a 32mm width, so if you want loose yet polished-looking curls, it's worth investing in. Yes, it's expensive, but this curling tong has been designed with the 'user experience' in mind. It has a cool-touch tip so you can avoid burning those fingers, a super-long cord, and it automatically switches itself off if left unattended for 30mins or more - so you don't get that 'did I leave my tongs on?' fear, every morning on the way to work.

Temperature: Heating up to 185°C, it'll curl hair without damaging the strands.

Staying power: Looser waves have a tendency to drop out much faster than tighter curls, especially if - like me - your hair is pin-straight. That being said, my waves stayed in tact the whole day and evening (yes, I did load up on hairspray after styling). The following day my hair still had a slight bend and volume to it.

8

ghd Curve Creative Curl Wand, £129

Shop now Net-A-Porter, £129

Best curling wand for: Defined curls

The tapered barrel of this wand goes from 28mm to 23mm, meaning you get a looser voluminous curl at the top of your hair, and tighter, defined curls toward the ends. Similarly to the first ghd tong, the barrel has a ceramic coating, so hair stays smooth and frizz-free. Waves look clean and defined after curling, but you can opt for a dishevelled finish by running your fingers through the lengths and giving strands a blast with some texture spray. It also has a cool tip to help avoid burnt fingers and a 30 minute automatic off-switch for peace of mind.

Temperature: It heats up to 185°C, so it will curl hair without damaging the strands.

Staying power: Ah-mazing staying power. If your hair never holds a curl make sure you give this wand a try. Once curled my hair stayed wavy till I next washed it, with only a slight drop.

9

VO5 Wave Barrel Wand, £25

Shop now Missguided.co.uk, £25

Best curling tong for: On a budget

This waving wand gives an effortless bend to the hair that looks incredibly natural. If you want loose 'S' waves this oval-shaped wand is well worth checking out. At £25, it's pretty affordable for a curling tong, but still has a ceramic coated barrel for smooth styling. The base of the wand is designed to be interchangeable, so you can purchase different shaped barrels from VO5 (all of which can be clipped onto the base).

Temperature: It goes up to 210°C, so can be used on most hair types.

Staying power: These loose waves have a little less staying power than some of the others on this list, but if you use inch-wide strands and hairspray each section they'll stay in tact.

10

Amika High Tide Deep Waver, £90

Shop now Flannels.com, £90

Best curler for: natural-looking waves

The three large ceramic barrels (18.5mm each) of this tool ensures the hair is given a natural-looking wave. The chunky size of the curler means it can get through the hair quickly, taking only about 10mins to style all of the hair. Add a little spritz of hairspray and use a wide-tooth comb to loosen the waves even more and give a natural-looking finish.

Temperature: The dial ranges from 50 to 198°C, allowing it to give either a loose or defined pleat to the hair.

Staying power: Unlike traditional ringlets, mermaid waves tend to have much longer staying power, these stayed in tact for days.

11

T3 Whirl Trio Interchangable Styling Wand, £240

Shop now Net-a-Porter.com, £240

Best curling wand for: Versatility

This has three interchangeable wands that can be attached to the base, a tapered cone, a large barrel, and a medium-sized barrel (that I used for the picture). It gave my hair soft, fluffy waves that could be styled with a spritz of sea salt spray for a beachy effect, or brushed out, to create old-school hollywood waves.

Temperature: There are 5 heat settings that go up to 210°C, making it suitable for all hair types.

Staying power: The softness of the waves means they look in-cred-ible, but it also means they don't have quite as much staying power - load up on hairspray to avoid any drop.

12

Mark Hill Pick N Mix Handle + Ellipse Barrel Waver, £29.98

Shop Now Boots.com, £29.98

Best curling wand for: Polished-looking curls

For under £30 I wasn't expecting too much out of this waver, but I'm happy to admit I was 10000% wrong. The weird-shaped barrel gives a beautiful soft wave to the hair, the wider middle means that the mid-lengths have a soft curl, whilst the ends pull in a little tighter.

Temperature: Whilst the wand gives a dreamy wave, you don't get any fancy thrills. There's an on/off switch to activate the heat, but no temperature dial, so you get what you're given when it comes to heat.

Staying power: Saying that, I loved the finished look, and my soft waves stayed for most of the day.

13

Remington Curl Revolution Curling Tong, £47.78

Shop now Amazon.co.uk, £47.78

Best curling tong for: Beachy waves

It takes a little while to get the hang of this styler, but once you do, it delivers b-e-a-u-tiful waves. You have to take a 1-2 inch wide section of hair and pass it through the plates to begin, then you press a button and the barrel begins to rotate. As it turns, the strand of hair is pulled through the plates and twisted, creating a soft curl. Essentially, it curls hair in the same way as you can with straighteners, but the rotating barrel makes it easy for the clumsy of us to cheat smooth, well-rounded waves.

Temperature: The adjustable temp dial has five settings that go up to 230°C, so be sure to use a heat protection spray.

Staying power: This gave me beachy, Victoria's Secret-style waves that lasted two days.

14

Cloud Nine The Waving Wand, £119

Shop now Amazon, £119

Best curling wand for: A faux blow-dry

If you love the look of a bouncy blow-dry but have no idea how to recreate the look at home, you need this waving wand in your life. The barrel is huge, at 36mm it's one of the fattest I've found, which means rather than giving hair a curl, it simply gives a soft 'S' bend to the sections. After styling, hair appears fuller and there's a thickness through the mid-lengths and ends.

Temperature: The temp control means you can adjust between high, medium and low heat, or opt for the automatic temperature setting.

Staying power: It's dependant on your hair type. The subtle wave lasted only a couple of hours in my fine, straight hair (even with a lot of hairspray). But a colleague with naturally thick, curly hair, used the wand and her waves stayed put all day.

15

Lee Stafford Chopstick Styler Curling Tong, £20

Shop now Amazon.co.uk, £20

Best curling wand for: A corkscrew curl

If you're craving fluffy, corkscrew curls, this one's a winner. It heats up incredibly quickly and the skinny, rectangular barrel curls each section of hair in a mere seconds. So the process isn't as time-consuming as I thought it would be.

Temperature: It heats up to 200°C, so will curl hair fast. Plus, there's a cool tip to make styling burn-free.

Staying power: There was a slight drop in bounce at the roots after a day, but these curls will stay put till your next hair wash.

Victoria Jowett Digital Beauty Director Victoria Jowett is the Beauty Director at Cosmopolitan UK overseeing all the skincare, hair, makeup and fragrance content across print, digital and video.

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