Best Hair Stylers

Types of Hair Stylers

Curling tongs

Also called curling irons, these styling appliances (pictured, above) are designed with a lever and a clamp, so you can securely place sections of hair inside the clamp to stop it unravelling. Since curls are wound tightly in their clamped position, they produce ringlet-style curls that are generally more tight and polished. If you prefer the ease of use that curling tongs offer, but prefer looser curls, you can opt for tongs with a larger barrel size.

Curling wands

Wands are designed with a cone-shaped heating element that tapers off at the end. To use them, you manually wrap a section of hair around the barrel. You can spread the hair section out over the length of the barrel with lots of gaps for a looser curl, or wind it up in a tight spiral for a more springy curl that looks more like ringlets.

Either way, keep a firm grip on the end of your hair section. If it's held too loose, you might accidentally let go, or the curl won't have any definition or body. When you're using a curling wand, your hand will be close to the heating element virtually at all times, so wear a heat-protecting glove.

Automatic curlers

These may appeal to you if you find using a curling wand or tong to create manual curls fiddly or stressful. An automatic curler will let you insert a section of hair into a designated part of the appliance, press a button, and wait while the machine does the work for you by crafting a curl. Often curl settings allow you to select how loose or tight the curl will end up.

Flat irons used for curling

Some straighteners are also purpose-built for curling, or adding volume in the form of waves or looser curls. These flat irons will have a rounded top, as well as a swivel cord, so you can twist them in accordance with the motion of the curl you’re creating.

Creating curls using a flat iron is trickier than using a styler specifically designed for curling. However, if you’re deft with your home hair appliances, or willing to learn, a curl-friendly flat iron may save you some cash as you’ll be buying one appliance, not two.

Hair dryer brushes

These are essentially round barrel bristle brushes that incorporate a heating element. They allow you to style your hair as it dries, to infuse a bit of volume. This basically saves you the hassle of juggling a hair dryer in one hand and a round styling brush in the other; incorporating two useful hair styling products into one appliance.

Some styling brushes, like the Hairstyla HSS200, also work as hair straighteners, which simultaneously straighten and smooth hair as you brush it.

All-in-one hair stylers

All-in-one hair stylers can perform a variety of hair styling functions. For example, the Dyson Airwrap can blow-dry, straighten, add waves or curl hair. Just keep in mind that the more functions a hair styler is equipped with, the more expensive it's likely to be.