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Carolina Malis

Contributing writer for Style by SCMP, specialising in beauty, wellness and lifestyle


The curling iron used to be one of the least glamorous objects in the bathroom. You plugged it in, hoped the barrel was hot enough, burned two fingers in the process, and more or less accepted whatever came out. Now it has a learning curve, a TikTok following, and in some cases, a waiting list. The tools themselves have changed, and so has the conversation around them.
Hair health has become as consuming a conversation as skincare, and that’s changed what people expect from their tools. Everyone wants soft waves or romantic curls, but nobody wants to pay for them with six months of breakage. That anxiety has reshaped what brands are building and what consumers are actually asking for, turning a category that once competed mostly on price and barrel size into something worth paying attention to.

The current market is almost unrecognisably bigger than it was a decade ago. Traditional curling irons and wands are still very much in play, but they sit alongside air-based multi-stylers, rotating barrels and auto-curlers that do most of the work and the thinking for you. Tools like the Dyson Airwrap and Shark’s FlexStyle brought a different approach into the mainstream, using airflow rather than direct heat to style, which raised the bar for what the whole category was expected to deliver.
In a way, that bar had been set pretty low for a long time: older irons ran at fixed, often very high temperatures with no way to regulate them, and the barrels, usually plain metal, distributed heat unevenly, which is where the hotspots and the breakage came from. The shift to ceramic coatings, adjustable heat settings and eventually digital temperature control changed what a curling iron could actually do. And the category kept going from there – with viral automatic rotating curlers, like the Tymo CurlPro Automatic Hair Curler, where you feed the hair in, the barrel does the rotating and nobody burns their neck.

All of which makes the category exciting but also a little confusing to shop, especially once the terminology starts. Along with all these new tools came a whole new vocabulary – with terms like ionic, infrared, ceramic and titanium – which can feel like a lot when you’re just trying to figure out what to buy. Luke Hersheson, legendary hairstylist and CEO of Hershesons, explains that while these terms do have real functions, they’re often overused, and what actually matters is how they’re applied in the tool itself.
“Ceramic plates distribute heat evenly, which helps avoid hotspots. They’re generally gentler, making them a good option for finer or more delicate hair,” he says, while titanium – the material used in Hershesons’ recently launched The Great Iron – heats quickly and holds temperature consistently, reducing friction and improving glide. “Ionic technology helps reduce static and frizz by neutralising positive charges in the hair,” Hersheson adds, though he’s clear that none of these features matter as much as the basics. “What actually makes the biggest difference is consistent heat, smooth glide and needing fewer passes.”

And even within those materials, quality varies more than the label lets on. “Not all ceramics are the same,” says Julie Chung, co-founder of luxury hair tools brand T3. “How these materials are applied, meaning the production processes, or even the quality of the materials, make a big difference.”
T3 has sourced its proprietary ceramic blend from the same supplier in Korea for 20 years, a commitment Chung describes as “uncompromising even at significant cost and effort”. The questions she asks when developing new tools follow the same logic: “Are we solving a problem that matters to the modern-day woman? Will our solution compromise hair health? Will it work quickly and effortlessly?”

But another part of the damage conversation is linked to what happens during use. “The biggest mistake is going over the same section again and again,” explains Hersheson. “Multiple passes create repeated heat exposure, which dries the hair out and weakens it over time.”
Technique plays into it too. “Moving too slowly, clamping too tightly, or pausing midsection can create hotspots and unnecessary strain,” he adds, and starting on hair that isn’t fully dry means uneven results, which most people compensate for by adding more heat and more passes.

Defaulting to the highest heat setting may feel like the best bet, but consistent, controlled heat typically delivers better results with less stress on the hair. “Of course, heat protectant is a must,” Chung says, “but what matters even more is the quality of the tools you’re using and the materials they’re made of.” T3’s SinglePass Curl range is built around exactly that idea, with a smart microchip that keeps heat consistent across every pass.
The question of which tool to actually buy becomes easier to answer if you start with what you’re actually trying to achieve. For most people, that comes down to barrel size: smaller barrels produce tighter ringlets and coils, while larger ones give you the kind of loose, bouncy waves that read effortless. That’s also why interchangeable tools have become such a popular answer, since they let you shift between results without owning a separate iron for each one. The Dyson Airwrap does this with its range of curling attachments, as does Hershesons’ Multi-Tasker and T3’s Switch Kit, which come with multiple barrel sizes on a single base.

For those after a more traditional single-barrel format, popular options like the GHD Chronos Curve and Cloud Nine Luxury Contouring Original Iron are solid choices, both offering modern heat performance in a classic format, with Cloud Nine going lower on temperature than most for those with finer or more fragile hair.
Whatever you land on, the good news is that the tools available now are genuinely better than they’ve ever been. A category that once asked very little of itself has spent the last decade becoming one that takes hair health as seriously as the skincare shelf does, and the wide range of options available reflects that.


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Today’s curling tools combine improved heat control, gentler materials and innovative styling technology to create waves and curls with less risk of damage. Photo: Handout

Mark Hill curling wand. Photo: Handout

Dyson Airwrap multi-styler. Photo: Handout

Shark FlexStyle air multi-styler and drying system. Photo: Handout

T3 SinglePass Curl X curling iron with nine heat settings. Photo: Handout

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Dyson, Shark, GHD, T3 and Hershesons are changing the game with smarter, gentler ways to create waves and curls at home


Dyson, Shark, GHD, T3 and Hershesons are changing the game with smarter, gentler ways to create waves and curls at home.


How to choose the best curling tool for your hair, from wands to air stylers

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Dyson, Shark, GHD, T3 and Hershesons are changing the game with smarter, gentler ways to create waves and curls at home

Dyson, Shark, GHD, T3 and Hershesons are changing the game with smarter, gentler ways to create waves and curls at home