- Vogue’s Favorite Curling Irons
- In This Story
- Best Overall: Hot Tools Professional 24K Gold Marcel Curling Iron
- Best for Tight Curls: BaBylissPRO Nano Titanium Spring Curling Iron
- Best Cordless: Harry Josh Pro Tools Cordless Curling Wand Bundle
- Best for a Silky Smooth Finish: T3 SinglePass Curl Professional Ceramic Curling Iron
- Best Splurge: Dyson Airwrap Styler
- Best Clamps: T3 Switch Kit Wave Trio
- Best Curling Iron for Long Hair: Bio Ionic Long Barrel Curling Iron
- Best for Multiple Hairstyles: NuMe Octowand 8-in-1 Curling Wand
- Best for Color-Treated Hair: GHD Curve Classic Curl Iron
- TikTok’s Favorite Curling Iron: Shark FlexStyle
- Best for Travel: Bed Head Curlipops Tourmaline Ceramic Spiral Styling Iron
- Best for Beginners: Beachwaver Co. Beachwaver PRO 1
- Best for Beach Waves: Mermade Pro Hair Waver
- Best for Short Hair: Conair Instant Heat 3/4-Inch Curling Iron
- What To Look For in a Curling Iron
Of all the hair tools on the market, choosing the best curling iron is just as important as learning to use one properly. While materials, temperature settings, and included attachments are all important considerations when making a decision, personal preference remains the guiding factor. Whether you’re after subtle waves, tight coils, or a glamorous bouncy blowout, there’s a perfect curling iron to help achieve your desired styling results.
Vogue’s Favorite Curling Irons
In This Story
Celebrity hairstylists Larry Sims and Erinn Courtney prefer traditional curling irons over wands or other tools, it’s worth exploring all the options available for your post-shampoo look. In fact, Courtney says that finding the most suitable iron is all about trial and error. To help inform your buy, we’ve tapped pro hairstylists to share the 14 best curling irons they’ve tested and use on the regular—plus a few reviewed and endorsed by Vogue editors.
Best Overall: Hot Tools Professional 24K Gold Marcel Curling Iron
- Why We Love It: “This one is a go-to because it always gets the job done and lasts forever,” says Courtney. “I’m sure I still have one from more than 10 years ago, and it works better now than it did when I first bought it.” Sims prefers this Hot Tools model, too: “I love Marcel irons because they allow me to create curls and texture with an effortless flip of the wrist. The barrel rotates easily while creating your desired finish.” If that’s not enough, pro stylist Sal Salcedo describes this as his “undisputed go-to iron.” He tells Vogue, “through the years, this brand has proven to be consistently reliable, providing me with the right heat I need to curl or wave multiple hairstyles without issues,” as well as speed and flow for perfect waves and curls.
- Temperature Settings: This curling iron heats up to 430 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Available Barrel Sizes: 0.375”, 0.5”, 0.625”, 0.75”, 1”, 1.25”, 1.5”
- Material: Gold surface barrel
- Best For: Waves or curls on a variety of hair types
Best for Tight Curls: BaBylissPRO Nano Titanium Spring Curling Iron
- Why We Love It: Celebrity hairstylist Nikkia Nelson also likes the BaBylissPRO curling irons, calling the temperature settings “phenomenal” in delivering an amazing curl. It’s made with a titanium barrel to heat the hair from within, creating everything from loose waves to tight curls.
- Temperature Settings: This curling iron heats from 250 to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Available Barrel Sizes: 0.75”, 1”, 1.25”, 1.5”
- Material: Titanium
- Best For: Everything from loose waves to tight curls
Best Cordless: Harry Josh Pro Tools Cordless Curling Wand Bundle
- Why We Love It: No outlet, no problem! Harry Josh’s cordless curling wand is powered by rechargeable lithium batteries (bye-bye, pesky tangled cords!) for seamless home or on-the-go use. Best of all, it heats up to its maximum temperature of 400 degrees Fahrenheit in just 60 seconds, with an even heat distribution powered by a tourmaline barrel.
- Temperature Settings: Curls hair at temperatures up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Available Barrel Sizes: 1”
- Material: Nano silver and tourmaline
- Best For: Medium size curls or loose waves
Best for a Silky Smooth Finish: T3 SinglePass Curl Professional Ceramic Curling Iron
- Why We Love It: “Lately, I’ve been really loving the T3 SinglePass Curl,” says celebrity hairstylist Ashley Stewart, who notes it forms beautiful, luxurious curls. “It’s such a sleek and functional tool. I like how it doesn’t have a typical on/off button but [rather] a knob on the bottom. This is very convenient because with other tools, the button is most likely located in a spot where you can accidentally shut it off without knowing.” Similarly, hairstylist Kahh Spence relied on this curling iron to recreate Beyoncé’s nostalgic B’Day album updo.
- Temperature Settings: This curling iron utilizes a ceramic barrel and smart microchip technology to style hair across five heat settings.
- Available Barrel Sizes: 0.5”, 0.75”, 1”, 1.25”, 1.5”
- Material: Ceramic
- Best For: luxurious, silky curls
Best Splurge: Dyson Airwrap Styler
- Why We Love It: “I love the Dyson Airwrap Styler. It works like magic,” says Courtney. “It gives the bounciest curls and waves with so much body. I’ve never experienced heat damage using this iron.” The styler uses the brand’s airflow technology to attract and wrap the hair around the barrel to curl, wave, smooth, and dry without extreme heat—much like the coveted blow-dryer. The styler recently received a high-tech upgrade, with its next generation providing increased customization and enhanced results.
- Temperature Settings: This tool uses Coanda airflow to style hair while keeping temperatures under 302 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Best For: blow outs, smoothing hair, waves and drying hair
- Available Attachments: Three barrels for curls and waves, two round brushes, four paddle-like brushes, two drying attachments
Best Clamps: T3 Switch Kit Wave Trio
- Why We Love It: The T3 Switch trio is another model acclaimed by the industry’s top stylists. Celebrity hairstylist Nikkia Nelson says it glides through the hair with ease: “The T3 curler comes with three barrel sizes [for] different size curls, which is super important when you don’t want to carry around a bagful of curling irons”—a convenience that celebrity hairstylist Mideyah Parker agrees with. Even more, hairstylist Angie Perrantes, who specializes in natural hair, says that once she tried the T3, it was hard to use another curling iron brand because it heats up quickly and leaves hair silky smooth.
- Temperature Settings: This set features three ceramic barrels that use the brand’s Rapid HeatIQ technology across five heat settings.
- Available Barrel Sizes: This includes a 1” straight wand barrel, 1.5” clip, and 1.25”clip barrel.
- Material: Ceramic
- Best For: Smoothing hair and all types of curls
Best Curling Iron for Long Hair: Bio Ionic Long Barrel Curling Iron
- Why We Love It: Those with long hair should eagerly consider this Bio Ionic iron, which features a barrel two inches longer than traditional models. What’s more, this design can facilitate styling the back of your head too. Either way, this is designed to lock in moisture and create long-lasting curls sans crunchy texture.
- Temperature Settings: Heats up to temperatures from 250 to 430 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Available Sizes: 1”, 1.25”, 1.5”
- Material: Ceramic mineral complex
- Best For: All types of long-lasting curls
Best for Multiple Hairstyles: NuMe Octowand 8-in-1 Curling Wand
- Why We Love It: Courtney is also a fan of the NuMe Octowand “because it comes with eight different wand heads to achieve so many different styles. This one is cool when you want to include different styles of curls in one sitting.” Each of the wand attachments is made of tourmaline ceramic to help heat the hair evenly and reduce heat damage.
- Temperature Settings: Each of the included tourmaline barrels heat up to 170 to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Available Barrel Sizes: This features eight barrel attachments: two cone wands (19mm and 25mm), one pearl-shaped wand, one reverse cone, and four traditional wands (13mm, 19mm, 25mm, and 32mm).
- Material: Tourmaline
- Best For: Any type of curl or wave
Best for Color-Treated Hair: GHD Curve Classic Curl Iron
- Why We Love It: Those with color-treated hair should look to the GHD Classic Curl—a model designed to intensify hair color and create curls that last. The ceramic iron uses the brand’s Tri-zone technology which celebrity hairstylist Graham Nation says “makes the hair easy to manipulate without overheating the hair” and maintains it across the entire barrel. (Plus, no extreme heat!) This was also pro hairstylist Clayton Hawkins’s pick to create romantic Botticelli-inspired waves on Maddie Ziegler in their installment of Hairdos.
- Temperature Settings: This iron offers a pre-set styling temperature of 365 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Available Barrel Sizes: 1”
- Material: Ceramic-coated iron
- Best For: All types of curls and waves for dyed hair
TikTok’s Favorite Curling Iron: Shark FlexStyle
- Why We Love It: This versatile hair dryer comes with five different attachments that can straighten, wave, dry, or curl hair, plus the base itself bends for easier styling. One round brush, one paddle brush, a concentrator nozzle, and two curling barrels are included in this kit; the curling barrel is the attachment most sought after and trending on TikTok as it uses a tried-and-true airflow technology that attracts individual hairs to the barrel wrapping around to curl hair in seconds. Pro tip: Hold the “cold shot” button for 10 seconds to set the curl and reduce frizz. It’s a solid pick for anyone keen to try its more expensive counterpart but hesitant on splurging on the technology.
- Temperature Settings: 4 heat settings and 3 airflow settings
- Available Barrel Sizes: 1.25”
- Best For: All hair styles – curls, volume, blowout, waves, hair drying and more
Best for Travel: Bed Head Curlipops Tourmaline Ceramic Spiral Styling Iron
- Why We Love It: The unique spiral barrel on Bed Head’s model sets it apart from other curling irons on the market. Achieving enviable, defined coils is as simple as wrapping your hair around the 1” wand. Pro tip: Curl while pointing the barrel downward to get the look.
- Temperature Settings: This tool uses tourmaline ceramic technology that styles hair at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Available Barrel Sizes: 1”
- Material: tourmaline ceramic
- Best For: Defined, tight curls
Best for Beginners: Beachwaver Co. Beachwaver PRO 1
- Why We Love It: Invented by celebrity hairstylist Sarah Potempa, the Beachwaver is a rotating curling wand that’s particularly simple to use—especially for a novice. The tourmaline-infused, extra-long barrel can rotate to the left or right for glam waves, defined curls, and everything in between.
- Temperature Settings: Reaches temperatures from 310 to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Available Barrel Sizes: 1”
- Material: Tourmaline infused, ceramic barrel
- Best For: Everything from waves to defined curls
Best for Beach Waves: Mermade Pro Hair Waver
- Why We Love It: The bouncy waves of your dreams are achievable thanks to Mermade’s triple barrel hair waver, which can curlefine to coarse hair types in seconds. Begin by clamping at the root and work your way down the hair shaft in one-to-two-inch sections, holding each for just a few seconds, to achieve the look. Best of all, the universal voltage ensures you can plug in anywhere, no matter where your travels take you next.
- Temperature Settings: Reaches temperatures up to 360 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Material: Ionic ceramic
- Best For: Medium to long hair; Beach waves on all hair types
Best for Short Hair: Conair Instant Heat 3/4-Inch Curling Iron
- Why We Love It: It wasn’t until I chopped my waist-length hair to a slick bob that I realized my old curling iron wouldn’t do the trick anymore. I learned the hard way that the shorter the hair, the smaller the curling iron needs to be—it seems so obvious, yet I never considered it thanks to years of mermaid-length hair. After testing a few out, I’ve come to the conclusion that a 3/4-inch barrel is perfect to style the ends at the back of my bob for a bouncy blowout look.
- Temperature Settings: This curler features 25 heat settings, reaching up to 360 degrees Fahrenheit
- Material: Chromium, nickel, copper and steel
- Best For: Short hair; tight curls for medium to long hair lengths
What To Look For in a Curling Iron
There’s a lot to know about curling wands; after all, they’ve been around for centuries (yes, you read that correctly!), and there’s so much variety. No curling iron is one-size-fits all—literally. When shopping for the best curling iron, experts agree on common categories to find the right fit for your hair: heat protecting technologies, barrel materials, barrel size, and temperature. Celebrity hairstylist Larry Sims also shares guidance on choosing the right model for you: “To sum it up, go for a ceramic curler if you have hair that holds a curl easily or is fine and prone to damage. A titanium curling iron is better for coarse, thick, or curly hair.”
Material and Heat-protecting technology
According to Rogerio Cavalcante, stylist and owner of The Second Floor Salon in New York, the distinction between various materials lies in their response to heat. “What makes a great curling iron is heat-protecting technology, so that the hair isn’t burned or damaged, [as well as] ergonomic control so that it’s comfortable and practical for the user,” explains celebrity hairstylist Erinn Courtney, adding that high enough temperatures are key too to curl thicker, coarser hair types. Depending on the material a curling iron barrel is made from, different barrel types boast their own set of benefits.