We tried the best curling irons and wands for a bombshell look on any budget

Whichever way you curl or twirl it, your hair gives serious props to the heat tools that help produce Victoria’s Secret model-like bounce.I’ve been curling my hair since middle school, back when I thought crunchy spiral curls and glitter gel were the height of sophistication.Since then, I’ve rotated through every tool imaginable — hair straighteners that double as curlers, wand curling iron experiments, even those early contraptions that claimed to be foolproof but mostly just singed my bangs.Now that I test beauty products for a living, I’ve turned this lifelong obsession into a full-blown mission: finding the best curling iron for every hair type, length, and skill level.Over the years, curling tools have evolved from simple hot sticks to high-tech devices that practically style your hair for you.

If you’ve ever dreamed of letting an automatic curling iron do the heavy lifting, or if the futuristic twirl of a rotating curling iron intrigues you, trust me — I’ve tried them all.Some feel like magic, others like medieval torture devices, but each one brings something unique to the table in the quest for perfect curls.Of course, not all hair is created equal, and anyone with a bob or lob knows the struggle of finding a curling iron for short hair that doesn’t leave dents or droopy ends.

Meanwhile, my long-haired friends swear by a long barrel curling iron for creating those big, cascading waves that look effortless but definitely aren’t.Choosing between different curling iron sizes can feel like its own beauty science, and I’ve spent more time than I’d like to admit testing which barrel does what.Then there are the specialty tools — some brilliant, some bonkers.

A curling iron brush can deliver bouncy, polished volume if you know what you’re doing, and a cordless curling iron feels like freedom if you’re forever tangling yourself in cords (guilty).Jet-setters will appreciate a dual voltage curling iron, because nothing kills a vacatio...