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Top 6 Best Curling tongs of 2022

PriceRunner

We tested curling tongs, and name the Remington Colour Protect Tong as our best in test. This is a classic curling tong that gives great, lasting curls and has a helpful cool tip on the handle.

Top 9 Best Curling tongs of 2022

How we did the test

Our tests are independently conducted and reflect the test editor's honest and objective opinions. Selection of products and test results are in no way influenced by manufacturers, retailers or other internal or external parties.

We carry out our tests ourselves and test all products as they are intended to be used in reality. Our test of curling tongs was designed by professional hairdressers. The products were then used by people with different hair types and hair quality. In the test, we based our assessment of the products on the parameters below:

  • Results: What’s the hair like after the curling tong has been used? Can you make both large and small curls? How well do the curls last?

  • Heat and care: How quickly does the curling tong heat up and cool down? How hot does it get? Does it have several heating settings and if so is it easy to change between them? What does the hair feel like after use, and does the curling tong use any special technology to be kind on your hair?

  • Function and user-friendliness: How easy is it to use the curling tong? Is it heavy and what does it feel like to hold? What are the controls like and how long is the cable? Does the curling tong include any accessories?

The score is based on whether the curling tong is good value for money and is therefore an assessment of the overall experience in relation to the product’s price.

We have tested a selection of curling tongs. Compare prices for popular curling tongs on Pricerunner.

1. Dyson Airwrap – BEST PREMIUM CHOICE

Fantastically easy-to-use curling tong and styler for a very high price

Dyson Airwrap Complete

The Dyson Airwrap is actually much more than just a curling tong – it’s a hair styler. This means it's a heated tool that lets you do much more than create attractive curls.

But there’s no point ignoring the elephant in the room – we’d better talk about the price of the Airwrap straight away. It’s really expensive. This isn’t something you buy on the spur of the moment, but rather a tool you’re going to have to save up for.

The Dyson Airwrap uses hot air to attract the hair to the barrel of the tong. This is an unusual technique, and many influencers have made videos to show how to use it. But you should probably avoid these YouTube videos because a surprising number show the wrong technique. You should instead look at Dyson’s own instruction videos. Once you've learned how to use it, this is an incredibly simply tool.

test-locktang-dyson-airwrap

Your curls come out nice and bouncy and it’s not an exaggeration to say you can get professional results in just over five minutes. The styler is available with a range of different accessories. If you buy the fully equipped version, you get a hair dryer, curling tong, hot air brush and a smoothing brush. The only thing it’s actually lacking is a straightener, but using the brush you can actually get as smooth a hairdo as you could possibly want.

In terms of design, it’s really good. There’s minimal risk of burning yourself. It’s easy to change between the different heat settings and to the cold shot that sets the curls. It’s also very easy to change between the different accessories. The fact that the hair doesn’t have to be completely dry before styling feels like a great time saver too.

If you're willing to spend a huge amount on a styling tool, the Dyson Airwrap is a fantastic product. It’s fast, the noise level isn’t bad and the cold shot feature helps you efficiently set your hairstyle (but you’ll still need to use a fixing product for it to last throughout the day). In fact, it’s a pure pleasure to use the Airwrap. Styling your hair feels like an enjoyable process rather than a tedious chore.

If the Dyson Airwrap hadn’t been so hideously expensive, this fantastic styling tool would have got full marks in terms of score.

Easy to usefantastically attractive resultsmulti-functional
Unbelievably expensive

Price Comparison

Compare all prices
Dyson Logotype

Dyson Special edition Dyson Airwrap™ styler Complete Red/Nickel

£449.99
OnBuy.com Logotype

Dyson HS01 Long Barrel Airwrap Complete Hair Styler with Warranty

£528.95
OnBuy.com Logotype

Dyson Airwrap Complete Long Barrel Hair Styler

£589.99

2. BaByliss Deep Waves W2447E – BEST CRIMPER

Fun party hair in an instant with this easy-to-use curling tong

Babyliss Deep Waver W2447E

This may not be a waver that would be your first choice for a gala look. But if you're going for something more playful, or wavy party hair, a waver is an easy-to-use tool that gives instant gratification.

The BaByliss Deep Waves is a tool that’s reminiscent of a 1980s crimping iron. The difference is that instead of lots of small grooves to crimp the hair, this tool has three large waves. You don’t need to read a complicated manual to use this tong – you simply plug it in, allow it to warm up and make a start.

Just like with a crimping iron, you clamp small sections of the hair at a time between the heated tourmaline-ceramic plates. It doesn’t take many seconds before the hair is wavy. The result is a bit like if you’d slept with your hair in plaits – relaxed curls that brighten up your everyday hairdo.

test-locktang-babyliss.jpg

The cable is 2.5 m long and has a rotating attachment. A heated tool absolutely needs to have a rotating attachment if it’s going to be easy to use.

And just as with other heated tools, the durability of the curls depends on how you set them. It’s important to allow your curls to cool completely before you run your fingers or brush through your hair. You can also use the cold air setting on your hair dryer, but you should avoid the most powerful setting. A touch of fixing product will also help to keep your hair looking great.

For attractively playful hair, the BaByliss Deep Waves is a simple and easy-to-use tool. But you need to be careful not to burn yourself on the edges, which can come into contact with both the scalp and neck despite the heat protector.

Easy to usequick resultsplayful results
Easy to burn yourself

3. BaByliss Pro 180 Sublime Touch

Classic curling tong with a useful cool tip on the handle, produces great durable curls

Babyliss Pro 180 38mm C338E

The BaByliss Pro 180 Sublime touch is a classic curling tong that produces fantastic party curls. The clamp that holds the ends does a good job and the material on the heated surface offers the right amount of friction. This makes it easy to curl even really slippery hair. The top gives your fingers a good grip to wind up the hair.

The maximum temperature is 180 degrees, and we’d have preferred to see a digital display instead of a knob. The curling tong is available in four different diameters: 19-25-32-38 mm, so you can easily find a tong that will suit you. The cable is short, but overall this is a very good styling tong for a good price.

Nice and durable curlshelpful cool tip
Short cable

4. BaByliss Curl Styler Luxe

An innovative curling tong if you want to cool your curls to make them last

Babyliss Curl Styler Luxe C112E

BaByliss Curl Styler Luxe combines the technique of curling with a straightener with cool air technology. The result is a styler that’s fun and easy to use.

We’re often told how easy it is to curl our hair with a straightener, but this technique requires practice and patience. With BaByliss Curl Styler Luxe, you get a little help. While a straightener usually requires you to press to bring the plates together, with this styler you press to open the plates. This may not sound like a huge difference, but when it comes to keeping the strands of hair in place between the quartz-ceramic plates, it’s actually extremely helpful. It’s simply easier to move this curling tong in the way you need to achieve perfectly soft, loose curls.

Inbuilt air flow sets your style

BaByliss Curl Styler Luxe has inbuilt cool air technology. Cool air always helps to set hair during styling. Normally you need to use a hairdryer for this, but with BaByliss Curl Styler Luxe it happens automatically when styling. This also means that this curling tong makes a whirring sound similar to what you hear in a plane (although lower, of course).

This is a fun curling tong that styles your hair into really lovely curls. Depending on how skilled you are at curling your hair, it may take a few tries to master this technique. But practice makes perfect, and this is a styler that you enjoy using as it gives you beautiful curls so quickly.

The curling tong offers three heat settings: 160°C, 180°C and 200°C. But the cool air stream is always in play to instantly cool down the curls. So how much longer does the cool air make your curls last? A little longer, but we’d still recommend using hairspray to make them last even longer.

Simple techniqueeasy to useforms beautiful curls
Requires a little practice

5. Cloud 9 Wand

Attractively designed curling tong that produces great curls, automatic shut-off after 30 minutes

Cloud Nine The Waving Wand

The Cloud 9 Wand is an exclusive curling tong that comes in a luxurious box. The curls it produces are bouncy, beautiful and last. It’s easy to vary the size thanks to the conical shape.

Each product has an RFID marking allowing it to be identified as an authentic Cloud 9 item. The temperature can be controlled in three steps, from 126 to 187 degrees. When you’ve finished using it, you pop it down onto a protective kickstand, which is a clever safety detail only Cloud 9 seem to have thought of.

The tong is quite heavy so it becomes a bit of a strain to use it for a longer period. It includes a good glove so you don’t burn yourself. This is a good curling tong but the price is much too high.

Attractive designproduces good curlsgood cableautomatic shut-off after 30 minutes
Very heavyvery expensive

All about curling tongs

Today there are more models than ever, and it’s easy to find different heated tools for completely different looks. In our test we looked at cone-shaped wands, classic curling tongs and crimpers. These different tongs help you to create different hairstyles, and with a bit of imagination you can vary things almost endlessly using different curling techniques. Several of the curling tongs in the test are very cheap and effective. Many of the tongs are available in different sizes. We recommend a narrower tong for longer hair, as the curls always expand a bit.

Cone-shaped curling tong

A cone-shaped curling tong or curling wand is a new type of curling tool that produces bouncy, beautiful curls. The cone-shaped heated surface allows you to vary the size of the curls. This means you can create large, soft curls at lower temperatures or tighter curls at higher temperatures. A cone-shaped curling tong gives you bouncier curls because the hair strand is wound around the heated surface. Wands don’t have a clamp to keep the hair in place – you simply wind the hair around the wand. But you have to keep hold of the ends of the hair all the time. To begin with it can be tricky to wind hard enough so your hair doesn’t slide off the wand, but give it a few strands and you’ll get the hang of it.

Classic curling tong

The classic curling tong is still a really good product that’s developed a lot in recent years. Ceramic heated surfaces, more even temperatures and good clamps for the hair make it super easy to create attractive curls. Curling tongs come in many different sizes.

Wavers and crimpers

Compared to curling tongs, you use a different styling technique with a waver. Here you press each section of the hair step by step until all your hair is wavy. Our top tip for creating a great hairstyle is not to take too much hair in each section. Wavers have become popular again and now there are many more models than the standard 1980s crimping iron. This is also a great way to create volume and structure in your hair in preparation for an updo.

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