We all know that curling our strands is not a simple action. It requires considering so many aspects as everyone have different hair types and styling needs.
The best two tool in the market to achieve the perfect curls is curling iron and curling wand. They both seem to be highly efficient in the matter. But when it comes to which one to choose, it can get a bit complicated.
But don’t you worry, we cover every single detail that may affect your decision and you should make the perfect decision after reading this post.
What’s The Difference?
While they both are tools dedicated for curling the strands, they have significant differences.
The biggest distinction between curling irons and curling wands is the holding clasp.
While the curling wand is a cylinder-shaped tool with no extra attachments, curling iron comes with a holding clasp that holds the hair against the tool. This clasp allows you to create a fine finish and uniform curls.
Curling wand, on the other hand, intentionally leaves the clasp out, which creates a more natural looking hair.
So, people often go for the wand if they want to achieve beach waves and prefer the iron for more perfect-looking results. You may like: Best Curling Irons for Beachy Waves
But clasp is not the only difference between the two. There are many less obvious distinctions, and we’re here to explain all.
Holding Clasp
While most differences between the two are subtle, holding clasp is the most visible and in-your-face difference between the two.
The clasp on the curling iron holds the hair and keeps it attached against the tool, allowing a more intense contact between the tool and your strands.
The curling wand on the other hand, leaves this attachment out and makes you use your hand instead to hold your hair close to the tool. The clasp allows you to style your hair in a more detailed manner and creates a fine finish. The wand, leaves the clasp out on purpose, to allow more natural-looking results.
Heat And Variable Settings
As we all know, different hair types need different temperatures to get the most out of the tool and avoid heat damage. Both of these tools have the capacity to reach up till similar temperatures, around 450F, which is best for thick and unruly strands. While there are more high-heated curling irons than wands in the market, but it’s possible to find a powerful wand that would fit your hair type.
Most curling irons come with variable heat settings which allow you to find the perfect temperature for your needs. While curling wands used to keep it simpler and came with less heat settings or sometimes even none, nowadays the manufacturers add this very useful feature to their products.
Shape
These tools come in many different shapes.
- The traditional curling iron has a clamp that hold the end in place. It’s also called spring curling iron and its clamp automatically closes and manually opens. They’re the easiest to use.
- The marcel curling iron: still has a clamp but it’s manually controlled, unlike the spring Iron. It’s more popular among professionals and harder to master.
- The Waver: This type of curling iron has two or three barrels and creates s-shaped waves. It’s very easy to use but may make the hair look a bit too bumpy.
- Tapered barrel curling wand has conical barrel shape that has a wider base and narrower tip. This helps you to create more natural-looking curls with varying diameters compared to the uniform curls produced by a spring curling iron.
- Straight barrel curling wand, leaves out the clamp for flawless waves. It has a barrel that is cylinder-shaped and creates undone ends for a much more natural and relaxed look compared to a tapered wand.
- Automatic curling iron: Some tools offer extraordinary barrel qualities, such as the ones that turn automatically or the ones that sucks the hair in to create spirals automatically.
- Interchangeable Curling Irons: This means that the tool comes in different size or shape attachments that you can choose from, making it extra versatile. Some tools even have two sizes within a single barrel that you can twist and exchange.
Size
Diameters of both of these tools vary from 3/8” to 2” and they all create different type of curls.
1” barrel is the most versatile size in the market and is the most convenient to buy if you can’t decide. But if you have more specific styling needs and want to achieve the perfect curls, you can go for a smaller or larger size.
You may also like: Curling Iron Size Guide
Long Lasting Results
When it comes to keeping your style longer, curling irons are superior to curling wands.
They create uniform curls the last long. Wands, on the other hand, create a more natural-looking look but the results may not last as long.
Ease Of Use
Both of these devices are pretty simple to use, the main difference is that the curling iron curls hair so that it spirals downward, while a curling wand spirals your hair upward.
With the curling wand, you may need to use a heat-protectant glove to avoid burning your hand. You also use both of your hands with the wand while with the curling iron, the clamp does the job for you.
So in our opinion, the curling wand is a bit more complicated to use and get used to, but still quite straightforward.
Speed
Speed depends on many factors including heat and material, strength of your device, as well as how skilful you are.
But if we put all these aside, we can say that the wand is designed in a way to achieve your desired results quicker. Curling iron, on the other hand, may take longer as it’s aiming for a more perfect and uniform look.
Pros And Cons In A Nutshell
Curling Iron
Pros: It creates uniform curls, fine, detailed finishes. It’s more versatile as it can also be used as a wand, as well as straighten the hair if the clasp is long enough. Its results are more long-lasting.
Cons: It’s more likely to damage the hair with the heat getting too close to the hair. The results can look a bit too perfect and less natural. It takes longer time to style the hair as it requires focus on each section.
Curling Wand
Pros: It’s faster as it requires less precision while styling. It creates natural-looking, undone waves and natural curls. There’s no risk of dents while styling, which can be an issue with a curling iron. You can also just style certain parts of your hair which adds to its natural-looking quality.
Cons: It’s more challenging to master and more likely to burn your hands in the process. It’s less versatile as it can only achieve one style.
Final Verdict
- If you want round locks that are uniform and tight, a spring curling iron with a clamp is what you need. If you want beach waves and s-shaped curls, on the other hand, that look casual rather than perfect, a curling wand is your tool.
- If you want more long-lasting results, a curling iron will satisfy you much more.
- If you’re a beginner and want to stay on the safe side, wand is much easier to use and less likely to damage your strands.
- If you have very long strands, a spring iron should be your go-to tool. Long hair is heavy, weight naturally loosens tight curls into larger waves, and the beach waves that the wand creates will most likely very quickly disappear completely.
