The Best Curling Irons for People Who Can’t Curl Their Hair

Way too many guides on how to curl your hair begin with the painfully obvious, “Find the best curling iron for you.” Even if you’re a total beginner to curling your hair, that step is kind of a no-brainer. Having the right-size (and -shape) barrel makes a world of difference in the type of curl you’re looking for—as does how hot the iron gets, when you put on hairspray, and how you hold the iron. But let’s forget all that for a second and assume you (a) probably aren’t coming here for prom curls and (b) just want something easy to enhance whatever texture you’ve got—or boost what you don’t. 

We polled our staff to see who’s struggled to find an iron that’s both simple to use and will make a curl stay put, and sent them home with dozens to test. Here are the 15 best curling irons, wands, and hair-curling tools they swear by now, including two Beauty Award winners that rise above the rest.