Curly, voluminous hair is forever having a moment, but with a serious 80s comeback hitting the runways and the natural hair movement well in its stride, curly hair is back in a big way.

Saying that, for those of us not blessed with natural Carrie Bradshaw-esque locks, perfectly curly hair can be pretty hard to achieve.

Never fear, the ELLE beauty team are here (as always) to help. From the best curling wands, to heated rollers and beyond, we've tested them all so you don't have to.

The Best Hair Rollers

hair curling tools
Russel Chant

Rollers have come a long way since those spongy little pink numbers. These heat up in seconds (pop them into the pod and when the 'heat ready dot' on top of the roller turns from red to white it's ready to use) and come in three varying sizes so you can create a range of different curls for a more natural, modern finish (or a big bouncy blowdry if that's your thing).

'Rollers are good at being kind to the hair and are great at creating height and volume', says TONI&GUY Creative Director Cos Sakkas.

Impressive results and a pretty reasonable price tag.

BaByliss Thermo-Ceramic Rollers: £60 SHOP NOW

Which hair curling tongs are the best?

If you're not au fait with working a million noodle-esque rollers, or it all feels just a little too Coronation Street for your more modern curls, you need to get your hands on a tong.

'Find the right sized wand to suit your natural curl and length and always make sure the curl has completely cooled down before dressing out for a longer lasting hold,' says Sakkas.

      The question is, which ones are the best?

      The Best Curling Tongs

      The ELLE Favourite Curling Tong

      The GHD curve wand is a favourite in the ELLE Beauty Cupboardpinterest

      The ghd Creative Curl Wand is an all-time favourite in the ELLE Beauty Cupboard. This wand's tapered conical shape and squared off edges deliver loose easy waves, every time. Not a dodgy bridesmaid corkscrew curl in sight and seriously easy to use.

      ghd Creative Curl Wand: £149 SHOP NOW

      The Best Curling Tong For Disco Curls

      After several seasons making waves on the catwalk, 1980s perm-style curls (Note: the real life perm has also had an overhaul) have filtered down to the high street. This ultra-thin chopstick-style curling wand creates properly tight, disco curls, or curl and then brush out for a glossy old Hollywood set of waves.

      ghd Curve Thin Curl Wand: £149 SHOP NOW

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      The Best Hair Curlers If You Like Options...

      hair curling tools
      Astonleigh Studio

      The width of the end compared to the base on this conical wand means you can really play around and experiment with shapes. For tighter curls use the tip, for bigger ones go for the base, and for waves wrap hair around from base to tip.

      Either way, a tapered wand means you'll avoid that weird uniform corkscrew curl that feels more Bo Peep than Beyoncé.

      BaByliss Pro Titanium Expression Large Conical Wand: £65 SHOP NOW

      The Most Reliable Hair Curling Tongs

      hair curling tools
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      If you prefer a more traditional tong with a clamp then these are up there with some of the best. Powered by Digital T3 SinglePass technology, the consistent temperature ensures you only have to use the tong once on each curl which means less heat damage and less frazzled curls. Find us a celebrity hairstylist that doesn't use a T3 tong on their A-list clients and we'll eat our Prada bucket hats.

      T3 Singlepass Curl 32mm Professional Curling Iron: £112.45 SHOP NOW

      The Best Curling Tongs For Loose Curls And Natural Waves

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      It might look like a daunting mix between a garden fork and a crimping iron, but this genius wave-making hair tong works a treat at delivering natural-looking waves, rather than super tight curls.

      Think mermaid hair but without the sea water/XXL hair extensions/upkeep. Simply clamp a section of hair for a few seconds, release, and easy breezy uniform horizontal waves are now yours.

      Amika High Tide Deep Waver: £115 SHOP NOW

      The Best Hair Curler For Thick Hair

      Product, Purple, Pink, Stationery, Magenta, Computer accessory, Carmine, Violet, Writing implement, Maroon, pinterest

      The lazy girl's dream curling tool – so quick, so easy.

      Section off a small piece of hair (this is key as going too big could mean your hair getting stuck), place it in position and watch it disappear into the device (don't panic, that's supposed to happen).

      Here, in the 'ceramic curl chamber', it'll be heated from all angles before releasing a curl. We found it to work best with sleek, straight hair or to tame coarse unruly hair into perfect curls.

      Babyliss Curl Secret: £120 SHOP NOW


      ELLE Lab Tested

      In the ELLE beauty lab, our experts put the top curling tongs, wands and wavers to the test, asking over 100 people to try them out. Here are the tools they think are worth adding to your basket...

      How we test

      We asked over 100 people to trial 18 curling tongs, wands and wavers.

      They noted how easy each tool was to use, how well it reached their roots and how satisfied they were with the finished results.

      Our expert testers also analysed each styler in the ELLE lab, judging it on how quickly it heated up and overall performance. Using a Bossa Nova Shuffle machine, they noted how much frizz occurred after styling when subjected to humidity, as well as how effectively each tool held curls.

      ELLE Lab: Best Curling Tools, Tongs And Wands
      Best curling tong
      Classic Curl Tong
      ghd Classic Curl Tong
      Now 20% Off
      £119 at Amazon£149 at sephora.co.uk£149 at John Lewis
      Credit: .

      It’s no surprise that our go-to hair tool brand, ghd, snagged the winning prize (but didn’t snag strands, thankfully).

      Testers loved the healthy look it added to curls, which stayed perfectly in place until nighttime. It was lightweight too – no arm aches to see here – and was not only quick but effective at creating their desired curls.

      It proved to work on both long and short hair, and the universal voltage is super handy for travel.

      Key specifications
      Styler type: Tong
      Number of heat settings: 1
      Barrel diameter: 26mm

      Best for full-bodied curls
      Airwrap™ styler Complete
      Dyson Airwrap™ styler Complete
      Credit: .

      Dyson’s iconic Airwrap does what it says on the tin and manages to collect sections of hair around the barrel, to provide you with some XL volume.

      All of our testers found it easily created the curls they were after in just one stroke – with no tangles in sight – and scored almost full marks in our lab test when it came to heat accuracy.

      Although some found their styles dropped throughout the day, and it did take some time to get the technique down, it did leave 80% with shinier-looking hair and wowed our testers with how bouncy their curls were.

      Key specifications
      Styler type: Wand
      Number of heat settings: 4
      Barrel diameter: 30 and 40mm

      Best for variety of curls
      Whirl Trio

      Why buy multiple heat tools when you can get this three-in-one wand that comes with interchangeable barrels to achieve big bold curls or tight ringlets – anything that keeps our bathroom clutter to a minimum is a winner in our books.

      Our panel loved the luxe feel to this one, which proved particularly impressive at creating effortless beachy waves. The barrel is totally smooth so avoided any snags, and our testers found their style lasted well after brushing or combing through.

      Key specifications
      Styler type: Wand
      Number of heat settings: 5 (127C, 149C, 177C, 199C, 210C)
      Barrel diameter: 32mm to 19mm, 25mm, 38mm

      Best smart curling wand
      PROluxe You Adaptive Styler
      Remington PROluxe You Adaptive Styler
      Now 33% Off

      This top-performing wand is about as hi-tech as hair tools come, featuring 'StyleAdapt' technology that adapts the heat to suit your hair type. One less decision to make in the morning? Sign us up.

      It hit every temperature accurately in our lab test and easily created beautiful curls and glossy waves without snagging or tangling. It left most testers with shinier, healthier hair that stayed looking bouncy and frizz-free until bedtime.

      Key specifications
      Styler type: Curling wand
      Number of heat settings: 9
      Barrel diameter: 19mm to 32mm

      Best waver
      High Tide Deep Waver
      AMIKA High Tide Deep Waver

      If you're loving the revival of old school Hollywood waves, this premium tool will give you a salon-standard style in minutes.

      Its non-slip handle and ergonomic design delighted our testers, and their beachy waves didn't drop all day. Many praised this waver for how simple it felt to use and how evenly it styled, with no frizzing whatsoever.

      Key specifications
      Styler type: Waver
      Number of heat settings: 16
      Barrel diameter: 18.5mm