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8 curling wands that make styling short hair an absolute breeze

Short hair, don't care

By Tiarne Blackwell

Content Producer / May 16 2024

Curling hair isn’t just for long locks. When it comes to hair styling, having a shorter mane can actually be a huge blessing. With the right tools and techniques, you can create a myriad of styles that are bound to turn heads. And what better way to spice up your cropped locks than with some gorgeous curls?

But what kind of curling wand is best for short hair? The good news is, you can pretty much use any quality tool. You just need to make sure the barrel is on the smaller side so you can easily wrap your hair all the way around it. In most cases, anything 25mm and under will do the trick. However, size also depends on the kind of texture you want to achieve, so opt for more on the 25mm size if you want loose texture and bounce, and go even smaller for extra texture and tighter curls.

Now, onto the fun part. Here are some of our recommendations for the best curling wands for short hair. Whether you're looking for sultry waves or bouncy curls, these quality tools are easy to use, versatile and won't damage your hair if they're used properly. Word of warning though: you'll probably be mistaken for a celebrity when you leave the house.

2024's Top 3 Short Hair Curling Wands

Mermade Hair Style Wand, $169, Mermade Hair
Dyson Airwrap Multi-Styler, $849, Sephora
CLOUD NINE The Curling Wand, $249, Sephora

Mermade Hair Style Wand

From $169 at Mermade Hair

With three detachable heads for every hair type, this style wand is one of the most versatile hair tools out there. Its mission is to take your hair game to the next level, thanks to its ability to create coveted curls, big bouncy curls and beachy waves. Each attachment is made with ionic ceramic, so your tresses are protected from unnecessary heat damage, while your curls are long-lasting and super shiny.

Key features:

Includes heat protective mat and glove
Three interchangeable heads (including crimping waver)
Two year warranty

Available at:

$126.75 (usually $169) from Mermade Hair
$135.20 (usually $169) from Myer
$135.20 (usually $169) from Adore Beauty

Dyson Airwrap Multi-Styler

From $849 at Sephora

Surely you're aware of the hype surrounding this absolute beast. It comes with multiple attachments, and basically sucks your hair around the barrel using hot air instead of extreme heat. It can also curl, straighten and dry faster than you can scramble to find each of these individual tools in your house. So how does it go curling short hair? Well, the Dyson Airwrap Multi-Styler is specially engineered for short to medium-length hair. In fact, if your hair's longer than chest-length, you need to move on to the Dyson Airwrap Multi-Styler Complete Long.

Key features:

Six interchangeable heads
Lightweight design
Negative ions reduce frizz and static

Available at:

$849 from Sephora
$849 from Myer
$849 from Adore Beauty

CLOUD NINE The Curling Wand

From $249 at Sephora

When you can't have a live-in hair stylist (unfair, we know), CLOUD NINE is the next best thing. With a black ceramic barrel, variable temperature controls and a generously long swivel cord, this iron has everything you need to create seriously good curls and waves. It heats quickly, adds shine and generally wants the best for you (just like us). For shorter hair, CLOUD NINE recommends parting your locks into three to four sections. Starting at the bottom section, hold the wand one to two centimetres away from the scalp and wrap a small section of hair around the wand. Continue this method for each section until, voila, hot girl hair.

Key features:

Lower, less damaging heat levels
Mineral infused barrel
360 degree swivel cord

Available at:

$249 from Sephora
$249 from Adore Beauty
$199.20 (usually $249) from Oz Hair and Beauty

ghd Curve Creative Curl Wand

From $280 at Sephora

With help from GHD, you'll soon be adding curls and waves to your short hair style repertoire. The Curve Creative Curl Wand, in particular, ticks all our boxes. Its tapered wand crafts fiercely flirtatious curls that’ll keep moving all day and night, without the need for touch ups. To get the most out of your look, we recommend prepping your locks with the ghd curl hold spray as well.

Key features:

Rapid 25 second heat up time
Ultra-zone predictive heat technology
Ergonomically designed

Available at:

$224 (usually $280) from Sephora
$210 (usually $280) from Adore Beauty
$280 from Oz Hair and Beauty

Hot Tools 24K Gold Curling Iron

From $125 at Adore Beauty

A favourite among hair stylists and beauty editors alike, this baby has earned its status for its range of barrel sizes, adjustable heat settings and so much more. The gold coating helps even out heat distribution for perfectly symmetrical curls, while the multiple barrel sizes can create curls of every size on all hair lengths.

Key features:

13 variable temperature settings
24K gold creates even heat
Built-in safety stand

Available at:

$100 (usually $125) from Adore Beauty
$95.20 (usually $119) from Oz Hair and Beauty
$100 (usually $125) from SSS Hair

Conair Instant Heat Curling Iron

From $58.79 at Amazon Australia

This salon-quality iron has heaps of advanced features for superior results. Designed with Multi-Layer Technology, the barrel distributes heat evenly for beautiful curls that last. Smart Technology keeps barrel heat stabilised to eliminate hot spots, while Turbo Heat delivers an extra burst of heat for fast results. Its 25 heat settings also include the right one for any hair type.

Key features:

25 heat settings with a turbo burst
Cool-touch tip
30 second heat up

Available at:

$58.79 from Amazon Australia

VS Sassoon 19mm Hair Curler

From $21.99 at Priceline

Forget struggling to wrap your short hair around a traditionally-sized curling wand barrel. This skinny 19mm ceramic hair curler is the perfect short hair companion to create defined and bouncy curls. It's equipped with 60-second heat-up and 30 heat settings, which allow you to customise your hair styling session based on your hair type.

Key features:

10 heat settings
Ceramic heat technology
LED light indicator

Available at:

$21.99 from Priceline
$29.95 from Amazon Australia
$29.95 from Shaver Shop

Halo X3 Titanium 3 Piece Hair Curler

From $149.95 at Hairhouse

Even though your strands are short, that doesn’t mean you need to stick to the teeny tiny curling wands. Like they say ‘variety is the spice of life’, so shake up your locks on the day to day without having to invest in multiple styling tools. With three interchangeable barrels this curling wand from Halo allows you to go from tight curls to beachy waves all while shine-inducing technology works to support your strands and deliver enviable frizz-free styles.

Key features:

Titanium technology
Adjustable temperatures from 140-200 degrees
Three varying sized interchangeable barrels

Available at:

$149.95 from Hairhouse

Main image credit: @Getty

If you don't have short hair, you might find something more suitable in our roundup of regular curling irons.

Tiarne Blackwell

Tiarne is BEAUTYcrew's Content Producer. Between crafting narratives about all things beauty, you might catch her indulging in an endless stream of TikTok videos and obsessing over her dog. Her words have also appeared across other mastheads such as Better Homes & Gardens, New Idea, Now To Love, Bounty Parents and more.