The online reviewers have spoken

Created by celebrity hair stylist Sarah Potempa, the Beachwaver is meant to make curling your hair easier. To use, section your hair and place the clamp toward your ends. Press one of the arrow buttons depending on which direction you want your curl to go and let the Beachwaver do the rest. As you push the button, the curling iron rotates itself to curl your hair at two different speed options. The home button brings the rod back to its starting point.
Unlike standard curling irons, the Beachwaver’s clamp is small and doesn’t leave kinks in your hair. The temperature ranges from 290 degrees Fahrenheit to 410 degrees and the barrel heats up in just 30 seconds. Don’t worry if you forget to turn the Beachwaver off; it has an automatic shut-off after 30 minutes. 
Many users have written rave reviews about the Beachwaver, with lots of people saying that the curling iron makes it exponentially easier to style their hair. 
Amazon reviewer Michelle Michaels writes:

“This is the best product I have ever purchased. With every cent. I was never able to curl my own hair, I always ended up with a dent in it from the clip or it would come out ugly. Now I curl my hair all the time, I used a YouTube tutorial the first couple times I tried it then got the hang of it really quickly.”

One common negative review is that some users have experienced their Beachwaver stop working within a year of owning it.
The Beachwaver S1 is a 1-inch iron, though other models in different sizes are available as well. This innovative iron will run you $129.

The Hot Tools Professional Marcel Iron is a go-to curling iron for professional hair stylists. Both Le and , founder and hair stylist for Just Hair Services in New York, use Hot Tools on their clients.
“For industry types this is good to get that perfect wave allowing you to place bends exactly where you want without having to stress your wrists,” Le said. While the Hot Tools Marcel Iron is typically used among professionals, you don’t have to be a pro to use it. Though some Amazon reviewers do suggest watching tutorials before using the iron as there is a learning curve.
The rotating mechanics of the iron allow you to create twists and curls without getting tangled up in the cord or experiencing any awkward positions with your arms. The Marcel handle is easier to access than traditional clamps because it runs the entire length of the iron’s grip. The handle is also detachable so the tool can be used both traditionally and as a wand. 
“It make styling super easy and quick,” Rhodes said.
This iron has a 24 karat gold barrel, which remains hot for longer and can sustain high, constant heat without being damaged. This will make the curling iron last longer than those made with ceramic or titanium.
The Hot Tools Professional 24K Gold Marcel Iron comes in three sizes: 1, 1.25, or 1.5 inch. The one-inch barrel costs $49.99 at Amazon.

Revlon’s Ball Wand gives you the option to create two different kinds of curls. Wrap your hair between the curves for natural-looking spirals or place it on top of the curves for big, loose waves. This curler might look like a sex toy, but trust us it is definitely not. 
The tourmaline ceramic barrel distributes even heat that seals your hair’s cuticle for all-day style. The wand heats up quickly and reaches up to 420 degrees while the iron’s sensors monitor the temperature to ensure optimal heat is being used on your hair.
This curling wand features a cool tip grip and comes with a heat-resistant glove for safe styling. 
Walmart reviewer PigletCheeks writes:

“This curler leaves so many waves that lasts days on my hair but takes some practice to get use to. Overall it’s a great product!!”

You can get the Revlon Ball Wand for $23.99 at Walmart.

The T3 Whirl Trio comes with three wand attachments —two straight and one tapered barrel. This gives you a range of styles to choose from whether you want mermaid waves or spiral curls or anything in between. 
This wand has five heat settings, reaching up to 410 degrees, to produce the perfect temperature for any hair type. The ceramic barrel self-regulates temperature to prevent over- or under-heating. It has an auto shut off after one hour, which means you won’t have to worry about leaving it plugged in. In addition to the interchangeable barrels that are included with the wand, T3 makes other attachments that you can purchase separately.  
Though this curling wand is pretty pricey, many reviewers say it’s worth it. The T3 Whirl Trio won Allure’s Best of Beauty Award in 2015, 2016, and 2017.
Nordstrom reviewer ilovehairtools writes: 

“This wand is amazing. It’s expensive, but the quality can’t be beat. Plus, you’re getting three different styles in one. They are so easy to use and I love the way it curls my hair. I hope to use this for a very long time!”

The T3 Whirl Trio seals your hair cuticles to create a shiny and smooth finished look. You can get the wand from Nordstrom for $250.

Similarly to the Beachwaver, the CHI Air Spin N Curl does most of the heavy lifting for you. Unlike the Beachwaver, all the action takes place inside the device. The tool feeds your hair into its center and around an inner ceramic barrel. 
With the CHI, you start at the top of your head where you want the curl to begin rather than at your ends. Slip a piece of your hair into the curling iron’s opening and press the button that correlates to the direction you want your curl to face and that’s all you have to do. The spinning barrel automatically wraps your hair and holds it for an amount of time that you set, then you simply release your hair and it comes out as a bouncy spiral.
The CHI Air Spin N Curl is best if you have longer hair. Because it’s not able to get as close to the scalp, the tool needs some length to grab onto. There’s also limited space inside the instrument, so if you have really thick hair, you’ll have to split it into smaller sections. 
If the thought of letting a spinning barrel essential suck up your hair terrifies you, no worries. The CHI has a safety feature to prevent tangles. If your hair starts to wrap weirdly, the tool automatically stops and allows you to pull your hair out.
This curling iron is designed to reduce frizz and boost shine. Because your hair is heated evenly, you should experience less damage to your ends. The CHI Air Spin N Curl is available at Best Buy for $99.99.

The Paul Mitchell Neuro Angle Rod Curling Iron bends into four different positions at angles from 90 to 180 degrees, so you’ll never have to strain your arm to reap the benefits of this curling iron. 
In seconds, this curling iron heats up to 450 degrees, but is adjustable for hair types that require lower heat. The titanium barrel gets extremely hot while still protecting hair from damage, which is good for thick hair. The extra long 1-inch barrel lets you create both loose and tight curls. 
Neuro is a branch of John Paul Mitchell Systems, an established brand within the beauty community, so you can trust that your hair is in good hands. 
Paul Mitchell reviewer MC writes:

“This is an amazing tool. It makes curling extremely easy and it took me no time at all to curl my long (waist length) hair. It has become my favorite styling tool after just one use.”

The Neuro Angle Rod Curling Iron is $134.99 at Amazon and comes with a free 1.5-ounce bottle of Neuro Protect HeatCTRL Iron Hairspray.

Take control of your waves with the Bed Head A Wave We Go hair tool. The adjustable waver allows you to set the style of waves you want. Choose from tight, defined, loose, or tousled looks. The middle piece of the tool moves in and out depending on the style you’re going for. For a more crimped look, you’ll want to bring the piece to its innermost setting. Push it to its max for big, loose waves.
The barrel heats up to 400 degrees and has an automatic shut-off feature. You can set the heat to multiple temperatures and the waver’s instant heat recovery will make sure you get consistent results.
Styling with a waver might take longer than with a curling iron because you have to hit every inch of your hair individually rather than wrapping larger portions of it around a hot iron. This kind of styling tool creates different types of waves that a curling iron cannot. Your hair will boast kinky waves rather than looped or spiraled ones. The tool works on most hair lengths and types.
Amazon reviewer writes:

“I know there’s still a small amount of a strange stigma around using a crimper ‘wave’ heated-hair tool. I think some people automatically think 80s/90s crazy crimped teased wild hair or depending on age, it’s come-back in the 2000s. BUT, this tool is most definitely NOT that! It doesn’t give that tight wave that is the ‘crimp’ but more of a relaxed wave in comparison.”

The Bed Head A Wave We Go is available at Amazon for $35.82.

Large barrels are ideal to get big, soft curls. The ghd Curve Soft has a 1.25-inch rod that creates voluminous, Hollywood-style curls. (Worth noting though that these results will not be the same for all hair types.) This type of iron is best for thick, long hair but other hair lengths and types will still get volume and a soft wave.
The Curve Soft’s barrel is loaded with sensors that make sure the heat stays at a consistent 365 degrees — a temperature that, according to ghd, is ideal for styling. 
Le recommends this iron to her clients because it gets hot enough, but not too hot to damage the hair. She said the spring clip is easy to work with and the heat-protected tip of the iron helps prevent burning the user.
This iron will help you look like you just got a blowout at a salon, but that kind of style does not come cheap. The ghd Curve Soft iron costs $199.99 at Amazon. 

Dual ceramic heaters allow the Drybar 3-Day Bender to create even, steady heat within 60 seconds. Its infrared technology heats hair from the inside out to help maintain your hair’s health and shine. The curling iron also prevents frizz. The 3-Day Bender heats up to 440 degrees and the digital temperature control allows for custom styling on all hair types. 
This iron was designed to be used by stylists at Drybar shops across the U.S. It’s professional-grade, but easy enough for the average consumer to use. The 3-Day Bender’s handle rotates and the clamp is designed to hold your hair in place while styling, although some reviewers reported it being too loose to properly secure their hair.
A 1-inch barrel equips you to create an array of styles with your hair. You can get tight spiral curls or brush them out to create loose waves. For safety, this curling iron shuts off after 60 minutes.
Nordstrom Rack reviewer Meg19 writes:

“This is truly the best curling iron I’ve ever had. The barrel rotates which makes it super easy to use. I have very fine hair so being able to adjust the heat is key for me. It is perfect for soft waves or tight curls. Definitely recommend!!”

You can get the Drybar 3-Day Bender for $135 at Nordstrom Rack.

If you can’t afford to dish out $200 for the Good Hair Days Curve Soft iron, Le says the BaBylissPRO has the same great qualities but at a more affordable price point. “This one also gets hot fast and has a smooth glide that won’t snap the hair,” she says.
The BaBylissPRO Nano Titanium Spring Curling Iron comes in three different sizes, so you can choose based on the style you want for your hair. The handle rotates to help ease your styling process and prevent awkward arm positions.
You have the option of 50 heat settings going up to 450 degrees. The turbo button instantly boosts the heat to its highest setting. The iron utilizes infrared technology to heat your hair from within, minimizing damage. However, because it can get so hot, you might want to use heat protectant spray before styling with this iron.
This iron is slick, so it doesn’t work perfectly with all hair. Some reviewers with fine or thin hair reported their hair slipping out of the iron’s clamp resulting in troubles with achieving a desired curl. However, reviewers with thick hair wrote that the heat and the smoothness of the barrel worked perfectly for their hard-to-curl hair.
You can get it for $49.95 at Amazon.

Three interchangeable barrels on this wand provide you with the option to create spiral curls or flowing waves. The Revlon 2-in-1 Barrel Wand doesn’t have a clamp, so you can rest easy knowing you won’t have any unwanted kinks in your hair. 
If you were sold on everything about the T3 Whirl Trio wand except its price, the Revlon is a more affordable option. This wand comes with two interchangeable barrels — a straight 1-inch rod and a tapered cone-shaped barrel. These sizes lend better to creating smaller curls and waves. 
Both barrels are coated in tourmaline ceramic to distribute heat evenly and seal the hair cuticle for all-day shine and hold. Choose from 30 heat settings that go up to 420 degrees. This wand is equipped with cool tips and comes with a heat resistant glove to help prevent burns.
Amazon reviewer Ourcade writes:

“This product does exactly what it says! I have fine, thin hair, and even on the lowest setting, it curled hair within 8 seconds! I’m sure if i put it on a higher setting, it would be even faster! The heat glove really works. Now, my hair doesn’t curl very easily. But the ceramic technology really penetrates my hair and makes the curls last for hours and hours.”

Get the Revlon 2-in-1 Barrel Wand for $28.96 at Walmart.

If you’ve watched TV in the last decade, you’ve likely seen an InStyler infomercial. This tool is able to straighten or curl your hair while adding volume and smoothing your strands. Unlike the original InStyler, the Max has two-way rotation, so you’re able to control the direction of your curls.
InStyler MAX’s brush smooths your hair while the rotating iron adds your desired texture. The tool is versatile enough for any hair type and its four different heat settings work with any hair whether it’s thick, thin, long, short, straight, or curly.
Because there are so many parts to this iron, some reviewers have said that the InStyler pulled their hair during some uses. So be aware of the moving parts when operating the curling iron. There is a bit of a learning curve when first using the InStyler.
Amazon reviewer anonymous79 writes:

“I have a lot of medium to thick hair with wavy/frizzy texture. There is no such thing as a 5 min. hair styling for me, just the amount of hair I have requires time. I hoped this tool would help make styling easier, and I’m happy to say it does make curling my hair go faster. Because of the brush and spinning action the heat touches/brushes through all of my strands of hair, so I don’t need to hold it in the heat very long for it to curl. It also smoothes my hair into a shiny finish.”

The InStyler MAX is available in two sizes starting at $78.99 at Amazon.

The Dyson Airwrap has been the center of a ton of buzz in the beauty world, and rightfully so. This innovative curler uses hot air instead of a hot surface to create styles. The Coanda effect attracts hair to the Dyson’s barrel then wraps it into a coil for you. The coolest thing about this device is that you don’t have to fiddle with getting your locks to hold in place: the Airwrap does most of the work for you.
There are three different stylers to choose from. The Airwrap Complete includes eight attachments: Two 1.2-inch barrels, two 1.6-inch barrels, a firm smoothing brush, a soft smoothing brush, a round volumizing brush, and a pre-styling dryer. The dryer is essentially an attachment that turns the iron into the Dyson Supersonic hair dryer. 
Because this tool uses air to create curls, you can style your hair while it is still damp and let the Airwrap dry it while it curls. Intelligent heat control technology measures airflow temperature more than 40 times per second, ensuring that it never reaches more than 302 degrees. (This prevents excessive heat damage.)
The Dyson Airwrap is so popular that it’s been sold out everywhere for months, but it’s such an incredible product that we still had to include it. If you can’t wait to purchase until it’s back in stock, you can turn to third-party sellers, but note that the prices have been inflated because of the demand. MSRP for the Dyson Airwrap Complete is $549, but it’s available at Amazon for $902.89. (Yikes.)