6 best curlers for short hair - chosen by our expert beauty team

The best curlers for short hair can be tapered wands, jumbo-sized barrels, or anything in between. To help you find The One, we've rounded up the top curlers that cater to shorter styles, as rated by us.

The best curling tools can do it all—creating loose beachy waves as well as tight ringlet curls without causing too much heat damage, thanks to the latest tech advancements. But curlers for short hairstyles need to work that bit harder—gripping on and gliding through shorter sections of hair to create curls that not only look good, but will stay put, too.

To filter out the best from the rest, we put the top-rated tools through their paces—testing them on performance, usability, design and staying power. Ghd’s Curve Creative Curl Wand came out top with its tapered design that creates a whole variety of curly hairstyles. For beginners, we recommend Electric Head Jog's Boho Styler that features a unique 'bubble' design and if you fancy a splurge, T3's Whirl Trio is a worthy investment.

The best curlers for short hair, tested by our beauty team

Reviewed by: Emma Stoddart

As with all best ghd straighteners, the ghd Creative Curl Wand gets top marks for design and versatility. The sleek tapered barrel can create countless styles on short hair—from loose wavy hairstyles to bouncy curls. “Tapered wands will give you different curl size options in one product,” confirms Jason Collier, A-list hairstylist and Bblonde brand educator. To create tight curls, wrap short hair around the end of the barrel. And for a beachy, undone style, I found that the base of the barrel works best.

Styles aside, the high-tech tool boasts something called ceramic tri-zone technology which ensures that the hair is exposed to the optimum styling temperature (185°C) at all times. Oh, and to reach said optimum temperature, it takes just 25 seconds. In fact, from start to finish, I found that the entire styling process took no longer than 10-minutes. A big tick!

I also love the protective cool tip that allows for more control when curling—this is extremely useful for styling short hair. And while there’s no variable temperature control, I found that these curlers quickly deliver impressive curls on shorter styles that lasted throughout the day.

See the full review here

Reviewed by: Rebecca Fearn

As a curling tong novice, I found this easy to use from the get-go. It's a straight wand rather than a more complicated tong with a lever or clip, which I much preferred, as the method of simply wrapping hair around the barrel is much easier to get to grips with.

I also love how light it is, as it made it really easy and comfortable to style with. I did have to hold it on my hair longer than I usually do with other tools (around 10 seconds on medium setting), but not hugely so. And the pivoting wire was also slightly annoying as the bottom of the handle kept spinning around, but these very small factors are by no means deal breakers.

The tool created pretty, medium-loose curls that were perfect for me, as I prefer a beachy wave. I added a little texture spray for a slightly looser style, but I loved the overall effect that the tool created.

Reviewed by: Rebecca Fearn

If you want something cheap and cheerful that still gets the job, this is your pick. While there are no high-tech features (there's just one switch that turns the curler on and allows you to choose one of three heat settings), this tool gave me gorgeous, defined curls on the very first go and was easy to use - even for a beginner like me.

While the tool uses "Advanced Heat Tech" to maintains optimum temperature during use, I couldn’t seem to find any other key features that helped to maintain the health of hair (such as a coated barrel, for example). However, I was able to style effectively in about 10 seconds, so I didn't have to hold the heat on my hair for too long.

Creating smooth, glossy and defined "mid-sized" curls that were easy to comb out into loose waves with a little product, this tool is surprisingly versatile and really gives you great results for its very humble price.

Reviewed by: Emma Stoddart

Always on-the-go? This travel-friendly, cordless curler is a great pick for frequent flyers as it takes up less suitcase space and provides 40-minutes of wireless use at maximum temperature. To recharge, simply plug it in for three hours.

If your hair is around shoulder-length, the 25mm barrel design is perfect for creating loose curls. If, however, you have a shorter bob hairstyle or crop, I recommend opting for a smaller tool that’s between 19mm—24mm—otherwise you’ll struggle to wrap the length of your hair around the barrel to create curls.

Super easy to use, I found that the curlers heat up quickly and I like the fact you can choose from three temperatures to suit your hair type. As well as the curlers, you get a mat, case and heat protective glove included. The only negative I can think of is that this tool is slightly heavier than others I've tried which might result in a little arm ache.

Reviewed by: Rebecca Fearn

Not only am I smitten with the design of this very stylish wand, I was also pretty impressed with the results too. Styling at 150°C and holding hair around the tool for 10 seconds, I didn’t see much of a difference, but with hair held it a little tighter to the wand, it's a dream. Using this takes some time getting used to, so it's probably not the best for beginners, but once you master it, you're left with gorgeous loose, tousled, beachy waves that I just loved.

I’d recommend using it on clean hair with minimal product, as this is when I saw the most-effective results, and a little texture spray can go a long way in finishing the beachy look. However, if you're looking for slightly tighter curls, this might not be the one for you.

Reviewed by: Emma Stoddart

If it’s highly defined, tight curls that you’re after—turn your head to the latest ghd tool to join the curve collection. Featuring a super slim 14mm barrel, this magic wand creates bouncy spiral curls on all hair types and lengths—including super short hairstyles.

I found it extremely easy to use—simply wrap a small section of hair around the barrel and hold it in place for a few seconds (note that the barrel features a cool tip) before releasing. Following Collier’s advice above, we found that alternating directions led to a more natural-looking, tousled finish.

As with other ghd tools, this curling wand reaches a safe-to-hair (yet effective) temperature of 185°C that’s consistent across the entire wand thanks to the brand’s single-zone technology. What this means is that you get perfectly even curls. Additional features include a built-in safety stand, automatic sleep mode (after 60-minutes without use), and a long swivel cord. Because I curled in small sections, it’s worth noting that styling takes a little longer with this tool—but the results last for hours.

Our expert panel

Reviewed by

Reviewed by

Emma Stoddart

Emma has worked in the beauty industry for eight years for some of the UK’s top women’s titles, including Net-A-Porter, Stylist and Grazia. During that time she has tested hundreds of beauty products and tools, and kept up-to-date with all the latest innovations in beauty tech.

Emma has contributed to woman&home since 2020, and has reviewed dozens of beauty tech tools for the brand.

Reviewed by

Reviewed by

Rebecca Fearn

Rebecca (best known as Becky) has over a decade worth of experience in the industry and has worked for major brands including Glamour UK, Eliza, Bustle and Space NK, where she stayed on top of every new beauty release and tested and compared everything there was to test.

As a short hair wearer, Becky has reviewed numerous different hair tools for woman&home, from tongs to dryers to straighteners.

Expert advice from

Expert advice from

Jason Collier

Jason is an award-winning hairstylist who has worked with extensive celebrity clientele throughout his years in the industry.

He has advised woman&home on how best to curl short hair, what to look for when choosing a curler for short hair and his favourite tools to use on his clients.

How we tested the best curlers for short hair

To provide a truly comprehensive guide to the best tools on the market, we tested dozens of tools across various price points. Our experts tested each tool several times to comprehensively assess all of the features and each tester used the tools across different points of their hair wash cycle. During the testing process, we took each of the below factors into account when making our assessments.

• Design
• Size and weight
• Heat options
• Tech features
• Cord length
• Ease of styling
• If the tool came with a case
• What curl types we were able to create
• How long the curls lasted
• Price

How to find the best curlers for short hair

With so many shapes and sizes to choose from, Jason Collier, A-list hairstylist and Bblonde brand educator takes us through the key factors to consider before making an investment.

• Barrel size: “The first thing you need to consider when choosing the best curlers for short hair is barrel size. Too big, and you won’t be able to wrap your hair around it. But, if you go straight for the smallest size, you’ll be limited to creating tight curls.” Collier recommends a barrel between 19mm–24mm.
• Wand vs tong: Curlers tend to fall into one of two categories, a wand or a tong/iron with a clip, and picking between these two is key in learning how to curl your hair with a curling iron. “If your hair has enough length to be wrapped around a wand—this is a good tool for natural-looking, undone curls. For very short hair, this is more difficult, so a tong with a clasp is better for control.”
• Adjustable heat: “One of the main challenges of curling short hair is the fact that heat damage is harder to hide,” says Collier. He recommends a heat protection spray as well as tool that boasts several heat settings that will cater to different hair types and textures.

How to use the best curlers for short hair

Want to learn how to curl hair with the best curlers for short hair? Follow Collier’s expert step-by-step guide below. His first tip? “Hair is best curled when it hasn’t just been freshly washed, so try using curlers the day after washday—this will help the curls to hold better.” Noted!

• Step 1: “It’s essential to prep the hair with a heat protectant as heat damage is more apparent on short hair vs long hair.”
• Step 2: “Take a hot barrel curler and wrap 1—1.5-inch strands of your hair around it, before letting hair loose after a few seconds.”
• Step 3: “Keep curling in sections, working from the top down. Don’t stress if they’re slightly uneven as the more dishevelled they are, the more modern it will look. For natural-looking waves, leave out the very ends of your hair.”
• Step 4: “Next, apply your favourite texture spray for extra hold and to add definition. I recommend the Jerome Russell Bstyled Wave & Salt Spray, £6.99.”
• Step 5: “Flip your head forward, shake your curls, and run your fingers through them to loosen up the curl pattern.”
• Step 6: “Work a pea-sized amount of hair oil, or serum through curled hair to diminish frizz and add an injection of moisture.”

woman&home thanks Jason Collier, A-list hairstylist and Bblonde brand educator, for his time and expertise.