The Best Hair Wavers

Bed Head Wave Artist Deep Hair Waver

Deep dive

This unique hair waver is designed to deliver deep, luscious waves that last.

Best Overall

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Loose, beachy waves never go out of style, and Bed Head’s Wave Artist makes it easier than ever to dive in. The extra-deep waver barrel produces sculpted waves with serious staying power. If you have steered clear of hair wavers for fear that they’d leave you with crunchy, crimped tresses, this unique design is for you. The waves it creates can add volume and lift to your locks for a naturally glamorous look. It features a 6′ swiveling cord that prevents tangling for a hassle-free hairstyling session and a plate-locking switch that makes for simple, streamlined storage.

Pros:

• Three heat settings up to 400 °F
• Indicator light and auto-shutoff feature
• Tourmaline ceramic coating on both barrel and clamp

Cons:

• Deep design works best on longer hair

Aleath Five-Barrel Curling Wand

High-five

This five-barrel beauty can take your mane from mundane to mermaid-worthy in a matter of minutes.

Runner Up

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This curling wand from Aleath might look intimidating, but it’s just as easy to use as any clamp-style waver. In fact, the five barrels can significantly reduce the time it takes to achieve a full head of beachy waves since you can style more hair at a time. But there’s no need to worry about the extra barrels weighing you down — the pure aluminum casings are super lightweight, making the iron exceptionally easy to use on yourself. We especially love this design for creating waves in shorter and medium-length hair that’s typically more challenging to curl.

Pros:

• Metal kickstand allows you to set it down without scorching your surfaces
• Barrels tipped with anti-scalding rubber heads
• Available in two barrel sizes

Cons:

• Temperature is only displayed in Celsius, so adjust accordingly

Bed Head A-Wave-We-Go Adjustable Hair Waver

A wealth of waves

This waver is perfect if you don't want to limit yourself to just one style.

Best Adjustable

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We don’t even know where to start when highlighting all of the fantastic things this waver offers. There are multiple heat settings for various hair types and a reference guide to ensure you’re using the correct one. You can adjust the barrels to create waves as tight or loose as you want. The ceramic coating aids in preventing frizz and helps keep your hair shiny. The adjuster on the top of the waver stays cool even on the hottest setting to make for easy maneuvering. What’s more, its dual voltage means that this can jet-set with you anywhere and still be a breeze to use. This waver is, in our opinion, the best of the best.

Pros:

• Includes a comprehensive user manual to help illustrate all the various styles this can create
• Easy to adjust the temperature even while styling without interrupting your routine

Cons:

• Does not have any mechanism to prop itself up to prevent damage to countertops, so you’ll want to use a heat-resistant mat

Revlon Three-Barrel Ceramic Jumbo Waver

Triple threat

This waver creates dramatic, voluminous waves, thanks to its three-barrel design and highly adjustable heat settings.

Best For Jumbo Waves

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Turn up the heat — and the volume — with Revlon’s super-sized triple-barrel hair waver. This baby is built to create voluptuous waves no matter your hair type. It features 30 heat settings to fit anyone’s needs, with a maximum of 420 ℉. The tourmaline ceramic covering on the curlers distributes heat evenly to help protect against damage and over-styling, and all three heads are equipped with a rubber tip so you won’t harm your scalp. And while this sizeable iron is heavier than some of its competitors, the 360° swivel cord means you won’t have twisting wires to contend with as you work.

Pros:

• Jumbo-sized barrels can style large sections of hair at a time
• Built-in locking ring for easy storage
• Adds volume without creating frizz

Cons:

• Heavier than many other options on the market, but larger size means that styling typically takes less time

Conair Double Ceramic Styling Waver

Double trouble

This waver adds an extra layer of heat protection.

Best Ceramic

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Styling your hair with heat is one of the most damaging things you can do to your ‘do. In recent years, manufacturers began to create ceramic-coated tools, which are extremely helpful in protecting hair against high heat levels. So Conair went one step further with this waver by covering the barrels in double the amount of ceramic content. This allows the product to deliver heat to your hair at a higher temperature while still protecting against harmful elements. The waver has thirty different heat settings and a “turbo” button that emits quick bursts of higher temperatures for stubborn or hard-to-reach areas.

Pros:

• The double-ceramic coating allows for heat to be distributed evenly
• Fantastic value from a trusted brand
• Has an auto-off option, so there’s no need to worry about forgetting to turn this off when you leave the house

Cons:

• Barrels are smaller than those on many other wavers

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it better to use a ceramic styling tool as opposed to titanium?

It depends on what kind of hair you’re dealing with. If your locks are thin or fine, using a ceramic waver is probably your best bet. It causes less damage, and the heating is usually quite uniform, so there is a low risk of accidentally applying too much heat to one portion of your hair. Ceramic tools are also better for color-treated hair, as the material locks in moisture that can be stripped by the chemicals in hair dye. Titanium, on the other hand, is much better suited for gals with thicker tresses. Those with more hair tend to require a longer amount of time to style, and titanium heats up so quickly that it can drastically cut down on your morning prep time.

Should I be applying any product before using tools at such a high temperature?

100% yes. Styling your hair with heat without any form of protection is essentially like going to the beach without sunscreen. By working a protectant into your routine, you’re taking the necessary steps to protect not only your hair itself but the roots and cuticles. There are tons of different products on the market for every hair type that can be used at various points in your regimen. There are leave-in conditioners to use in the shower, sprays, and serums that you apply on wet hair before styling, and even hair masks available to those who have already experienced prior damage.