Here's the sitch: You've allotted yourself exactly an hour to get ready. Ten minutes before go-time, as you're finishing up your last curl, you unravel the barrel only to find a dreaded crease. Ugh, why? Girl, we feel you. When it comes to traditional curling irons, sometimes it seems almost impossible to create a smooth, crease-free finish. Or, in this worst-case scenario, you realize you've made a mistake when you don't have enough time to correct it. Now, imagine there was a hot tool out there that could create the curls of your dreams without a single crease in sight. Well, it's time we introduce you to curling wands.
If you've never heard of a curling wand, you might be thinking of a stick that casts magical hair spells; and, well, you wouldn't be wrong. Seriously, as soon as you see the results of one of these game-changing hair tools, you'll never clamp and unclamp a curling iron again. But, as with all must-have hair tools, you'll quickly find that there are dozens to choose from. To help you narrow your search, we've rounded up the nine best curling wands to make all your #hairgoals come true.
Looking to achieve textured beachy curls? This ceramic curling wand creates the perfect loose waves for everyday hairstyles.
To use, wrap dry hair around the barrel until your whole head is textured with loose waves. From there, pair your end look with a few spritzes of salt spray (our favorite is the R + Co Sail Spray -- no crunch, just deliciously scented waves), scrunch from your ends up and you'll look like you just got back from a salty-aired day in the sand and sun.
Unlike many curling wands, this reverse-taper number features a skinny base followed by a wider end. This flip-flopped design allows you to create the perfect beach waves. As much as we love the design, our favorite part of this iron is that it has an automatic 60-minute safety shut-off, ensuring that you'll never have to panic mid-day wondering if you shut your hot tool off.
To use, point the tip of your tool downward and twirl a small section of hair from your roots down to your ends. To do this, hold the section by the ends while twirling it downwards. Hold around the barrel until your strands hold shape, at which point you can let go and fall in love with your seemingly fresh-off-the-beach 'do.
This particular tool features a small curling wand that tapers into a bulbous end, making it the perfect shape to add texture and movement to layered lengths and shorter styles — the narrower base reduces how much hair is shrunken into a curl.
To use, hold your curling wand with the wider end pointing downwards, wrap your hair until you love your end look.
Love the idea of a reverse-tapered curling iron but not ready to drop $100+ on a professional quality wand? We feel you. Sometimes it's best to master the basics before investing in a high-quality tool. But just because it's cheaper doesn't mean you can't still come out on top with a killer head of natural-looking curls.
To use, follow the same downward winding technique, et voila! Gorgeous, sleek hair-wand curls.
