6 best curling irons for creating and holding every kind of wave

Why we love it: It's no secret that in the vast world of hair tools, ghd reigns supreme. The brand's clever technology helps maintain the same 185°C temperature throughout the whole styling session, which eliminates the need to switch between heat settings. Why 185°C, you ask? The brand conducted intensive research to discover that this temperature is the optimum for hair styling, with hotter temperatures causing unnecessary hair damage, and cooler temperatures delivering disappointing results. It also uses ultra-zone technology, which guarantees consistent heat across the entire barrel for long-lasting results.

Featuring a 32mm barrel with a ceramic coating to make your curls beautifully shiny, this hair tool is also equipped with a sprung lever, which secures the very roots for maximum effect. Safety has also been carefully thought about - there's a protective cool tip for you to hold your tresses in place whilst you curl, and a stand to rest it on during styling, and auto shut off comes on after 30 minutes without use. It also makes a little noise to let you know it is on and ready to use (i.e, hot), and also makes another noise to let you know that you have turned it off correctly.

This hair essential is suitable for all hair types, from damaged hair, to fine hair, to thick hair, and anything in between, and always nails the perfect balance between ‘loose’ and ‘tight’ waves and curls. But which ever style you choose, you can guarantee that it will be glam.

After something else? Read our GHD Unplugged Cordless Styler review, our ghd Max Styler review, and shop the best Black Friday ghd deals.

Best for beach waves: Hershesons The Wand

• Barrel size: 25mm.
• Weight: 220g.
• Cord length: 35cm.
• Heat settings: From 80°C all the way up to 210°C.
• Tester: Denise Primbet, GLAMOUR's Beauty Contributor.

Why we love it: If you stan the Hershesons salon (like us) and adore beachy waves (like us) you'll want to add this to your haircare regimen. We sound confident, and we are. Why?

This cobalt blue tool is perfect for those soft, undone waves with tousled texture. It's also fabulous at creating big, bouncy curls and simple bends. Featuring an uber-lightweight 25mm ceramic-coated barrel, this curling wand is one of the most beginner-friendly hair tools we've tried, thanks to its intuitive design, an easily adjustable temperature control and a 360 degree swivel cord for flexible styling. Its motto is ‘making great hair easy’ after all, so the ease of use is up there with the best. A review also mentions that it's disability-friendly, which is brilliant too.

And if you've ever experienced the heartbreak of curls dropping, you don't need to worry about that here. The Wand has been created to make curls last, no matter how hard you work or play. It delivers 7 temperatures, starting from 80°C (ideal for fine, coloured hair), and you can flick through the temperatures on the LCD display until you reach the highest temperature of 210°C (perfect for full, thick hair).

It has a flexible, 35cm swivel cord that won’t pull, so you can use the tool in any direction, which is always handy, especially if you have a lot of hair. We also like the finger rest on the top for additional control and balance. And of course for that invaluable peace of mind, it turns off automatically after 60 minutes of no use, and displays the word ‘OFF’. You know, just to be clear.

Best for multi-tasking: Dyson Airwrap Multi-Styler

• Barrel size: 30mm and 40mm.
• Weight: 611g.
• Cord length: 2.7 metres.
• Heat settings: 3.
• Tester: Denise Primbet, GLAMOUR's Beauty Contributor.

Why we love it: Like the Supersonic — Dyson’s best-selling hair dryer—the Dyson Airwrap is expensive. But if you’re looking to invest in a tool that’s truly luxe and lives up to the hype, it’s a worthy pick. The Airwrap, the first of its kind, dries and styles simultaneously without burning your hair. To curl, you simply attach one of two included curling wands and dangle your hair over it. The tool sucks it all up, expertly wrapping your hair around the wand — no need to move your hand.

If you want a smoother, sleeker style, opt for the smoothing dryer of one of the three other included brush attachments. Yep, it comes with half of your local hair salon, including a diffuser, wide tooth comb, detangling comb, volumising brush, firming smoothing brush, and the dryer and flyaway smoother.

Working to dry, curl, style, smooth and set, this intelligent tool also features heat control that measures the temperature over 40 times a second, preventing heat damage and keeping your hair looking and feeling healthy.

Yes, it has an eye-popping price tag, but our editors have been big fans of the product ever since its launch (in 2018), and say it’s worth the splurge. “Not to be dramatic, but my life changed when I tried the first-generation Dyson Airwrap,” says Ariana Yaptangco, GLAMOUR US' Senior Beauty Editor. “At the time I had just gotten a fringe, and the interchangeable attachments made it so easy to switch according to my styling needs, delivering salon-level smoothness and blowouts in less than half the time.”

Best for soft curls: Shark FlexStyle 5-in-1 Air Styler & Hair Dryer

• Barrel size: 24mm.
• Weight: Just under 700g.
• Cord length: 2.4 metres.
• Heat settings: 4, including Cool Shot.
• Tester: Emily Whitwam, GLAMOUR's Associate Social Media Manager.

Why we love it: Looking to achieve salon-level soft curls from the comfort of your own home? Say no more. The Shark FlexStyle device has garnered itself a reputation as one of the most sought-after hair tools around, and with good reason. Something between a hair dryer and a styling wand, this versatile essential helps to create soft curls with its auto-wrap curling barrels, which wraps, curls and sets your hair in seconds without you having to lift a finger.

With 5 ways to style (curl, straighten, volumise, smooth, and define) and with no heat damage (heat is measured 1,000 times a second), this device is perfect for all hair types, delivering more shine and smoothness, and less frizz and pesky flyaways.

Compact and lightweight, it rotates between a hair dryer and a styling wand with a single twist, and comes with 4 other attachments and a storage case to make travelling easy. There's a paddle brush, which is perfect for achieving silky smooth strands, and an oval brush, which effortlessly detangles whilst adding body and movement. There's also a diffuser, crafted with extendable prongs to lift the roots and define your curls, and a styling concentrator for speedy drying.

Best for long hair: Beauty Works Professional Styler

• Barrel size: 32mm.
• Weight: 600g.
• Cord length: 3 metres.
• Heat settings: From 80°C all the way up to 210°C.
• Tester: Samantha Reynolds, PA to Acting Executive Editor at GLAMOUR.

Why we love it: Whether you're after retro curls, softer waves or a tighter curl situation, the Beauty Works Professional Styler is a solid option for those of us with longer hair or hair extensions, thanks to its extra-long styling barrel. Coated in ceramic, the 32mm barrel will help enhance shine, seal the hair cuticle and reduce the appearance of frizz, delivering a long-lasting result.

You can also alternate between 80°C all the way up to 210°C during styling, which will help to add more dimension and texture to your layers. Beauty Works recommends using 80°C - 150°C for very fine and fragile hair, 150°C - 170°C for fine, coloured, highlighted hair and extensions, 170°C - 180°C for normal, healthy hair, 180°C - 190°C for natural, curly and wavy hair, and 190°C - 220°C for thick, coarse hair. It also heats up within 60 seconds, and comes with a carry case (that's not heat-resistant, btw), a built-in stand, a heat-resistant mat, and a protective glove.

With its longer length ensuring even the very ends of your hair are heated and curled, the brand advises to begin by taking a section of hair at eyebrow height, wrapping it around the barrel, away from your face. (The larger the section of hair, the looser the curl). Hold it in place for a couple of seconds, then continue curling, alternating in opposite directions.

• Barrel size: 38mm – 26mm.
• Weight: 740g.
• Cord length: Professional length swivel cable.
• Heat settings: 1: Maintains the optimal 185°C temperature throughout.
• Tester: Jenifer Calle, GLAMOUR US' Senior Commerce Editor.

Why we love it: This is a great option for natural, undone waves, adding volume without sacrificing length. We love that this has an optional spring clamp and a shut-off feature that kicks in after 30 minutes of non-use - no more worrying that you left your curling iron plugged in.

Bringing the salon to you (ghd is used by hairdressers and celebrity hair stylists alike), this ceramic curling iron heats up almost immediately (a mere 25 seconds), which is perfect if you're in a rush, and is said to create curls in just 5-8 seconds. It's incredibly lightweight, making it ideal for travel, too, and has universal voltage, so you can use it anywhere in the world. Designed to create deep waves with plenty of movement, this hardworking tool features an advanced ceramic coating specially for smoothing, with a safety-first cool tip and safety stand.

“This iron, which comes at the recommendation of dozens of celebrity stylists, was a 10-out-of-10 experience for me,” says GLAMOUR contributor Meg Adams. “It’s straightforward to use, delivers even heat, and has a cool and touchable tip so you’re less likely to burn your fingers.” In evaluation, the results were impressive, too. “After I styled with the spring clamp, my hair was so shiny and perfect that a girl stopped me on the subway to ask about my style,” says Adams. “When I used the iron as a wand without the clamp the results were — unbelievably — even greater. I loved the unfinished quality about the voluminous curls.”