Best Hair Curlers: 10 Ranked, and Where the Specs Disagree

It sits first because of two numbers: 10,555 ratings at 4.5, and a number one position in Amazon's Curling Tongs chart. The spec sheet gives a 32mm barrel, a 210°C maximum and 240 V mains power. What it does not give is a weight you would call light — 488 g is more than the 32mm ghd Curve at 363 g.

In practice, this is an automatic rotating hair curler: the barrel draws the hair in, an anti-tangle sensor stops the rotation if the section is misaligned, and a timed curl function tells you when to release. The ceramic barrel is listed as 32mm, the longest here alongside the Wavytalk and the ghd. The bullet list adds "600M ionic technology"; the spec sheet does not repeat that figure.

However, if you like to control the wrap yourself, this is not the tool. There are no numbered heat steps, only a 210°C maximum, and at £76.49 it is the second-priciest item in this group of ten, behind only the £159 ghd. Anyone with a weak grip or a long styling session will notice the 488 g.

Second, and awkwardly for the Plus model above it, this is the more-reviewed of the two TYMOs: 17,104 ratings at 4.4 against 10,555 at 4.5. It also costs £49.99 against £76.49. It ranks 372nd in Beauty overall and first in Hair Curling Wands.

The 1-inch barrel — roughly 25mm — is narrower than the Plus's 32mm, so the curl comes out tighter. One-click auto-rotation does the wrapping; a 360° anti-scald shell and a reversing anti-tangle mechanism are claimed in the bullets. The spec sheet confirms a 210°C maximum, 416 g and mains power.

Worth noting: this is a curling wand whose listing leans hard on claims the spec sheet never backs — waves "lasting 72 hours", a coating "twice as smooth as traditional ceramic", 500 million negative ions. None of those three appears anywhere in the specifications. As a result, if you want loose, big-barrel waves rather than defined ones, the 1-inch barrel is the wrong shape.

This is the highest-rated item here — 4.6 from 7,522 ratings — and it costs £27.99, roughly a sixth of the ghd. The barrel tapers from 13mm to 25mm, and the five heat settings run from 150°C to 210°C. At 286 g it is lighter than every other corded tong in this group.

In use, a tapered curling wand is a different technique from a fixed barrel: wrap near the thin end for a tight curl, near the thick end for a soft wave, or vary it along one section. The ceramic coating, insulated tip and automatic shut-off are on the spec sheet; the heat glove and mat come in the box. BaByliss claims a 30-second heat-up, which is a bullet claim rather than a spec sheet figure.

That said, there is no 32mm barrel here, so this is not the tool for big, loose curls. The five settings are numbered, not digital, and £27.99 buys a wand rather than a tong with a clamp — if you need a clamp to hold the section while it cools, look at the Wahl or the ghd instead.

The price is the headline: £159, against £27.99 for the BaByliss tapered wand and £28 for the BaByliss Titanium. It carries 1,338 ratings at 4.4, and ranks 18,419th in Beauty, 41st in Curling Tongs. Meanwhile the £14.99 Wahl tong sits 2nd in that same chart.

The engineering is a fixed 185°C held by ghd's ultra-zone system, on a 32mm barrel with a spring lever and a protective cool tip. The body weighs 363 g. The spec sheet lists a 30-minute auto sleep, swivel cord, universal voltage and a styling glove; the model number is CLT322.

Even so, check exactly which ghd you are buying. ghd's other 32mm tong, the Chronos Curve, is listed at 820 g at the same 185°C and the same barrel size — a 457 g difference between two hair curling tongs that look identical on paper. Crucially, there are no temperature settings here at all: 185°C is the only figure. If your hair is fine or coloured and you want to start cooler, this is not the tong for that.

Five attachments for £39.99, with 8,945 ratings at 4.4 and a 210°C maximum. The set covers a 25mm bubble barrel, a 13mm barrel, a 13-25mm tapered barrel, a 32mm barrel and a 35mm thermal brush. That range is why it appears here rather than a single-barrel wand.

The 5 in 1 curling wand set shares one handle, so the barrels clip on and off; the handle is heat-resistant rubber, and there is an insulated tip plus a glove. Heating is PTC and ceramic, which the listing says is for smooth, shiny results. The brush attachment is the piece that does the blowout look.

The catch is in the small print. The bullet says "Dual voltage curling iron (100-240V AC), for Trips Around the World"; the spec sheet's Input Voltage field reads "100 Volts (AC)". Those two lines cannot both be right, so check before you pack it. At 1.16 kg it is also the heaviest item in this top ten — fine on a dressing table, awkward in a suitcase.

The only cordless item here, and the lightest at 143 g. It runs on a gas energy cell for up to 4 hours, reaches 200°C and costs £23.45. It holds 4.5 from 3,106 ratings.

The barrel is 19mm and ceramic-coated, with a brush sleeve that clips on for root volume. A protective heat shield is included for storage, and the guarantee runs to three years. Because there is no cord, it is the one here you can use away from a socket — no voltage question at all.

However, the spec sheet lists one temperature: 200°C. There are no lower settings. That matters, because the same listing's hair-care note says fine, bleached or coloured hair should use "the lower heat settings" — advice this ceramic curling tong cannot follow. At 19mm it is also the second-tightest barrel in this group, after the 16mm TRESemme.

A 32mm titanium barrel for £28, with six digital settings from 160°C to 210°C. The rating is 4.2 from 1,106 — the lowest score in this top ten. It ranks 3rd in Curling Tongs and sits seventh here because of that score, and because the barrel is long: 37.9 cm, the longest listed.

The titanium coating is polished for a smooth glide, and the extra length is aimed at the best curling tongs for long hair — one wrap covers more section. The spec sheet adds a 2.5 m swivel cord, an integrated heat rest and a 60-minute auto shut-off; a heat-resistant mat is in the box.

That said, 474 g plus a 37.9 cm barrel is a lot of tool to hold above your head for twenty minutes. On short hair, a 32mm barrel is wasted — you will not get a full wrap. And the 45-second heat-up comes from the bullet, not the spec sheet.

£14.99, a 25mm ceramic barrel, 4.3 from 2,321 ratings, and a number two rank in Amazon's Curling Tongs chart. Nothing else here gets that many ratings for that little money.

There is one temperature: 200°C, with no steps and no dial. The ceramic coating is there to spread heat evenly rather than to create hot spots; the cool-touch tip, barrel clamp and 2.5 m swivel cord are the practical parts. A hanging loop lets it cool without touching a surface, which is a small thing most of the others here solve with a mat or a stand.

Either way, be honest about your hair. 200°C with no adjustment is a lot for fine, bleached or coloured hair, and there is no way to turn it down. At 549 g it is also heavier than the ghd Curve and the BaByliss Ceramic Wand.

The cheapest item here at £11.99, with 5,802 ratings at 4.3. The barrel is 16mm, the tightest in this group. And this is the listing the opening of this article rests on: the title and the spec sheet both say 185°C, and a bullet in the same listing says 180°C.

Multi-voltage is listed for worldwide use, and a firm-bristle brush clips onto the tong for volume. There is a fold-out safety stand, a heat-ready indicator and a 360° swivel cord. It is the obvious hair curler for short hair and for fine to medium lengths, because a 16mm barrel can wrap a short section that a 32mm barrel simply cannot.

Even the weight fields disagree: the unit count reads "420.0 gram" while the item weight reads 294 g. In short, buy this for tight, defined curls and for travel, not for waves. There are no numbered heat settings, only a single maximum, and 16mm on long hair will give you a lot of small curls rather than a few large ones.