It's impossible to find a tool that curls short and long hair equally well, but MD London Curl is the one exception
I think Michael Douglas' versatile curler is a work of genius - and a certain famous face agrees
Good things have been happening with hair tools recently. Pleasing things. Where traditionally we were sold one device to perform one function - dry your hair, or straighten it - we're now in a boom time for stylers with options.
In the race to create beauty tech that out-techs them all, our needs are being prioritised, which feels like a nod to our finances (I'm sure you've noticed the best hair dryers et al are no small investment) and need to experiment. That's before we get into how tricky it is to find curlers for short hair, with standard barrel sizes suited to longer lengths.
All packaged up, this looks like quite the contraption, but I promise the secret sauce is straightforwardness. That hair dryer-like shape makes so much sense. Your arm is at a comfy angle for curling, even at the back, with no awkward elbow-crooking or hand-clawing. This wrangle-free experience also makes accidental burns feel less of a possibility, but there's a natty glove included for a belt and braces approach.
It's light, a looker, and runs in 10-degree increments from 80 to 210°C, meaning fast results for thick hair types and no frazzle for fine ones. The four barrels lock in place with a satisfying click of a dial for either very curly-curls (10mm), Hollywood style (25mm), big and bouncy (32mm) or, with the reverse conical barrel, a cool, imperfect tousle.
I've used MD London Curl for over a year now, and honestly couldn't be without its versatility and ease of use. So, it gratified me to spot beauty expert and presenter Amanda Lamb singing the praises of this tool in a recent instagram reel, and demonstrating how well it works on her shoulder-grazing (thus far shorter than my own) hair, using the largest 32mm to create super loose and natural-looking waves.
Of course, this all depends on the length of your hair. The number of times your strands can wrap around each barrel dictates the look. More wraps = tighter curl. So while I would use the 32mm for bouncing curls and 10mm for springy corkscrews, that smaller barrel would create a looser curl on someone with a very short crop or little bends on very short layers.
My hair styled by (l) the reverse conical barrel and (r) 32mm barrel
Credit where it's due; an unignorably successful British styler kicked off the surge in multi-use hair tools, as proven by the many Dyson Airwrap alternatives. I admire the Airwrap's damage-free styling using 'owt but air, but I'll stick my neck out and say the direct heat of a wand creates curls and waves with superior staying power, particularly in fine hair.
The multi-styler revolution was slower to hit curling wands. And because I'm professionally compelled to try as many of them as possible, there's a drawer in my bedroom that's a hellscape of ever-so-slightly different curlers and attendant tangled wires. As someone who identifies as the 'not-hoardery one' in their relationship, this is basically my Mrs Rochester in the attic.
After years of avoiding committing to just one (what if it doesn't suit my next haircut? And where's the joy in wearing one 'do forever?) I found the MD London Curl, and never looked back. That's the beauty of this tool: choose your own hair adventure. It'll adapt to wherever you and your 'do want to go next.
