The Very Best Curling Irons

Temperature: 365 degrees | Plate material: Ceramic | Barrel size: One inch

The clear favorite among the hairstylists we polled for this story was a one-inch curling iron from GHD. Most mentioned how intuitive this iron is at minimizing hair damage — it heats up to exactly 365 degrees. “The material allows heat to distribute evenly, creating the perfect wave without damaging your hair,” Reavey says. (While 365 degrees is supposedly the optimal temperature for avoiding heat damage, those with very thick hair textures might want an iron that goes higher, which you can find below). It’s her top recommendation for people who curl their hair often, and other experts — including stylists Benjamin Muller and Nunzio Saviano — tend to agree. “The temperature is perfect, the hair never smokes or smells like burn, and the curl is perfect after four to five seconds from root to end — shiny and elastic,” says Saviano.

Temperature: 280–430 degrees | Plate material: 24-karat-gold plated | Barrel size:.375 inch, .75 inch, 1.25 inches, 1.5 inches, and two inches

Hairstylist Kendall Dorsey recommends the Hot Tools 24K Gold Curling Iron as an especially great pick for textured hair because it gets hot quickly (it takes only a few seconds to reach 430 degrees, he says) and maintains its temperature for the duration of styling. But it also has lower heat settings for other hair types and comes in a variety of barrel sizes (three-eighths of an inch, three-quarters of an inch, an inch and a quarter, an inch and a half, and two inches), so you’ll be able to find an option that matches your particular curl type and hair texture.

Temperature: 290–410 degrees | Plate material: Ceramic | Barrel size: 1.25 inches

When I first started curling my hair, I realized I lacked the coordination to clamp and curl at the same time. After a particularly harrowing incident in which I could smell (and see) my hair sizzling as I fought with the clamp on my mom’s curling iron, I thought about trying out a curling wand, but then a Beachwaver arrived from the brand in a gifted mailer at my door. It couldn’t be simpler to use: You clamp the ends of your hair, press a button on the handle that rotates the barrel for you, hold for a few seconds, and release the clamp. Then: Voilà, you’ve got a perfect curl every time. I’ve been using it for about four months, and as a truly hopeless novice, it was a complete game changer. I highly recommend it for any other struggling beginners out there.

Temperature: 250–430 degrees | Plate Material: Ceramic | Barrel size: 1.25 inches

Hairstylist Cassadi Currier loves hot tools with ionic technology because they help make hair super-shiny. She previously recommended a flat iron to us that uses negative ions to seal the hair’s cuticle, and this curling iron boasts the same technology, “which breaks down the water molecules into small particles so moisture can penetrate the hair, leaving you with silkier, shinier, more conditioned hair,” she says. All of Bio Ionic’s hot tools use this technology, but Currier likes this model specifically for its size. She loves the brand’s extra-long-barrel curling iron for hair extensions or those with naturally long hair because having the extra two inches “really helps for a quicker curl.” Mirjam Bayoumi, who runs her namesake salon, also likes this curling iron for its longer barrel, which makes the iron much easier to use on longer hair and work through lots of strands. One of Bayoumi’s pro tips is to wrap sections around the barrel and hold the curl for six seconds, all in one direction, for loose curls.

Temperature: Up to 450 degrees | Plate material: Titanium | Barrel size: 1.25 inches

If you have longer, thicker hair, chances are you need a curling iron with a slightly bigger barrel like this 1.25-inch BaBylissPro Nano Titanium. This one comes recommended by Dorsey, who likes that it goes all the way to 450 degrees and appreciates the ceramic barrel, which helps evenly distribute heat without damaging hair. “It also helps your hair glide through easily, so there isn’t breakage when you’re pulling your hair through to start a curl,” he adds.

Temperature: 260–410 degrees | Plate material: Ceramic | Barrel size: One inch, 1.25 inches, and 1.5 inches

If you aren’t sure what size curls you want to make or just like switching up your look, this T3 model will give you options. This set comes with three barrels — one inch, 1.25 inches, and 1.5 inches — and it has five adjustable heat settings that all create “defined and voluminous curls,” says Kadeisha Placide, the manager and lead stylist at Classic Beauty Studio. She says it won’t damage your hair and will even reduce frizz and create shine. She notes that the T3 is safe enough to use on a variety of textures, including natural hair, though she recommends only using it on pre-stretched or pre-smoothed hair, meaning hair that was blow-dried or flat-ironed beforehand. Hairstylist Monica Davis, who runs the blog MyStraightener, loves this T3 set for “the power of its guts and convertibility.” She appreciates how the iron comes with a control to avoid temperature drops. (If you prefer curling wands to clamp irons, T3 makes a similar interchangeable set — more on that below.)

Temperature: Up to 410 degrees | Plate material: Ceramic | Barrel size: One to 1.5 inches

If you don’t want to fuss with a traditional clamp-style curler, a few Strategist staffers are partial to this pink curling wand, which senior writer Lauren Ro says is the closest she has come to mimicking the natural waves of a digital perm. It has a tapered tip — the bottom of the barrel is 1.5 inches, and it narrows to an inch at the top — that creates a range of curls depending on how you wrap it. “Instead of fussing with getting your strands into the clip, as with a traditional curling iron,” all you have to do is “wrap your hair around the barrel of the wand, hold for a few seconds, then release it,” Ro explains.

Temperature: Up to 302 degrees | Plate material: N/A | Barrel size: 1.2 and 1.6 inches

The Airwrap styler is one of the few curling irons you can use (safely) while your hair is wet. Here’s how it works: Rather than curling hair with heat, the Airwrap uses high-speed airflow — you wrap the hair around the barrel, and jets of air create the curls. This month, Dyson released the newest model of the Airwrap, which uses the same airflow technology but with a slew of updated attachments. The biggest difference is the curling barrels: With the original model you had to swap the barrels out mid-style. Now you simply twist a knob to change the airflow from clockwise to counterclockwise. The pre-styling dryer for wet hair now also includes a flyaway attachment and the brushes for straightening and volumizing were also redesigned to achieve a smoother finish. According to editorial hairstylist Joey George, it lives up to the hype, and the best thing about it is that you’re able to create a full head of curls without any heat damage at all. After being gifted the AirWrap for Christmas and experimenting with it for a few months I also have this tip which I picked up on TikTok: after “catching” the hair on the barrel with the hot air and holding it for a few seconds, hit the cool air shot button for an equal amount of time to help set the curl before releasing. In addition to the regular Airwrap Complete, Dyson also released two kits designed specifically for long hair (which includes longer curling barrels) and one for curly/coily hair (which includes a wide-tooth comb attachment).