I Tried Bed Head’s Curlipops Styling Wand and It Was the Best $30 I’ve Spent

We purchased Bed Head Curlipops 1-Inch Tourmaline Ceramic Styling Iron so our writer could put it to the test. Keep reading for our full product review.

I’ve never been a curling wand gal. I’ve always preferred an iron with a clamp for more control and versatility over the look I want to create, though I don’t create them for myself often. So when I had the opportunity to test the Bed Head Curlipops 1-Inch Tourmaline Ceramic Styling Iron, I wasn’t expecting it’d be my cup of tea. With no settings to choose from, this is a pretty straightforward tool. But instead of feeling limited by its functionality, I found it to be kind of empowering.

Keep reading for my honest review.

About My Hair: Long and deceivingly thick

I have long, wavy hair, that’s somehow deceivingly thicker than it looks. I like to make small tweaks to my hair regularly like smoothing little kinks around my hairline, using a conditioning mist or throwing on a headband, and wearing braids. Other than that, I keep my styling efforts pretty minimal. When the occasion strikes, I’ll give myself a nice blowout or a full head of curls, but more days than not, taming my natural waves a smidge with a few taps of the flat iron is usually enough for me. 

When it comes to any sort of beauty routine, I choose to have the most dedication to a solid yet minimal skincare regimen and I spend hardly any time at all on my makeup or hair. Funny enough, I chose a career in beauty as a professional hairstylist. I think because of my experiences on the job and all that I’ve learned from other amazing stylists throughout the years, I’ve never been a big wand fan, let alone an active user. When I’m at work, I choose my barrel sizes with clamps so they’re hot and ready to be used however needed, like a wand or not, because they’re simply more versatile. It seems more practical to use the most versatile tools I have when I’m at work. Given my own lack of personal styling efforts, most of my experience as a professional is a bit removed from the average user, which is why I’ve loved doing these reviews so much. 

Long story short, it turns out I’m extremely lazy when it comes to doing my own hair. Since I like to shower in the evenings and let my hair air-dry, my hair is always naturally textured, fully dry, and ready for any heat styling when I wake up the next day, though I rarely act on the opportunity.  I don’t like feeling “dolled up” when it requires effort. Something about it makes me feel like a phony like I’m pretending to be something that I’m not, so I typically opt-out and call it a day. 

How to Use: Take the comfortable approach

The first time I used it, I did what felt natural to me with disregard for the brand’s recommendations or suggested use. Though this tool comes with a glove, I felt knowledgeable and skilled enough to trust that I could do without it and avoid any burns. Plus, I find those gloves can sometimes create static against the hair and I wanted to avoid that especially since I wasn’t using any product. I plugged the iron in and turned it on, already relieved that it had a swivel cord, but disappointed there was no notification in sound or light to tell me when the iron was warmed up and ready. The iron automatically works its way up to 400 degrees with no temperature adjustment, so if you have fragile, thin, or damaged hair, I wouldn’t recommend this wand to you as a tool to consider for regular, daily use. 

I began curling on my left side, wrapping small sections of hair away from my face. I curled all the front pieces closest to my face starting around the eye line for a looser, natural look. I kept the direction away from the face until I got behind the ears and then I started alternating curl directions. I didn’t section my hair at all. I kept my approach very effortless and organic because those were the results I was looking for in my finished style. I held onto my ends with every wrap around the iron, leaving them out for more of that undone and imperfect, almost beachy, finish. Keeping the iron in a vertical position gives a more relaxed wave while holding the iron horizontally will give a bigger, bouncier finish. Knowing this, I held the iron vertically throughout my styling. I have the habit of moving the iron gently up and down around my section to help stretch the wave out, too. 

When I was finished, I went back through and added a couple of small wraps closer to the roots where I desired a little extra volume. A few minutes later when I was done curling and my ringlet waves had cooled down for a minute (allowing the hair to lock into its new shape), I raked my fingers through my hair and shook it out a little bit from side to side. Now, even though I don’t like getting “done up”, I loved these waves. And I think the approach to how I got them made all the difference. It didn’t require very much effort to get these waves, so I didn’t feel so glammed up that I was uncomfortable.

The waves held up all day long, in and out of the wind and snow, sustaining their shape and body amidst the layers of scarves and coats and beanies that I cycled through all day. They held up well. Once I slept on them, they were gone the next day. 

I tried one other way of using this wand, and that was based on a video tutorial I saw online from Bed Head. It was unusual to me, holding the iron upright instead of pointed downward and wrapping the hair around the iron from the bottom up. It all felt very backward to me and the curls I got were so wonky, I couldn’t follow through with their recommended method. My takeaway: Always do whatever method feels comfortable for you and I think that will translate into your finished look, feeling comfortable with your results. 

The Results: Effortlessly pleased

Here’s the thing: As a user, I finally understand the appeal of the curling wand, thanks to the Bed Head Curlipops 1-Inch Tourmaline Ceramic Styling Iron.

Using the Curlipops wand was extremely easy, once I got it out of its ridiculously difficult plastic packaging that made me feel like Larry David on an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm. One simple flip of the power button and 7 minutes later, my entire thick head of long hair was full of body and bounce. The tourmaline ceramic helped keep my hair looking shiny, soft, and frizz-free without the use of any products. Though it wasn’t majorly noticeable, I could totally tell. 

The Value: $30 well spent

Seeing as this is a 1-inch barrel, I know this wand has more versatility than just creating loose waves, simply based on its size. For those of you with longer hair, and preferably coarser hair that can handle the high auto-temperature, this wand can be used for a lot of classic glam looks.

Brushed-out Hollywood waves simply require wrapping the hair in the same direction all the way around the head and using a mixed bristle brush to comb through it all once the hair has cooled. Doing more structured looks, faux bobs, and updos on my clients, I’d also use a 1-inch iron as a wand, and I think if you have the right hair type for this auto-temp, you can get a lot of great use out of the Curlipops 1-inch Tourmaline Ceramic Styling Iron. It’s also worth noting if you travel often, this iron’s dual voltage is a total steal, making it ready to use anywhere in the world with an outlet converter. Plus, they offer a 2-year warranty! If you can get a warranty on a hair tool for under $50, I don’t think there’s too much to question—you should always say yes.

Similar Products: You've got options

NuMe Classic Curling Wand ($89): Ok, so here’s the thing: there’s a lot of give and take when choosing the right wand for you. You have to know how you want to use it, how often, and take your hair type into consideration. There are other wands on the market like the NuMe Classic Curling Wand for example which is roughly $20 more expensive, but it doesn’t have a cool tip. Cool tips are a necessary feature in my opinion if curling your hair on the reg is a new endeavor. Cool tips and gloves are great assets to look for if you’re a newbie to wand life, in which case, the Curlipops wand has you covered.

Kristin Ess Soft Wave Pivoting Wand ($60): If you’re planning to use this iron on a daily basis, your hair type and the state of your hair’s health are crucially important factors to consider. In this case, I think opting for a wand with temperature control is an important feature to search for, which the Curlipops wand doesn’t have. If you have color-treated hair, finer hair, or plan to use this iron to get waves daily, you might want to try another iron, like the Kristin Ess Soft Wave Pivoting Wand that has temperature control and also has the pivot feature, making those looser waves easier to achieve with its vertical iron adjustment. The Kristin Ess iron is about twice the price, but having something that caters to upholding your hair’s health and integrity for daily usage is a crucial feature in my opinion.