Hair Tools That Make Styling Easy — No Skill Required

I’ve tried every iteration and size of this iconic curling iron, and they all deliver, but the Pro 1.25-inch barrel remains my favorite. It has a digital temperature display so you can choose (and see) how hot the iron gets and adjust for your hair type. My first one lasted ten years.I also have the B1, which has fewer bells and whistles and comes at a lower price point, but it still delivers great results.

To use it, take a section of hair, clamp it at the bottom (the beveled-edge clamp means no kink at the ends), press the button, and the hair wraps around the wand. My curls are tight when I first release them, but I let them cool and then lightly brush through for voluminous waves or break them up with my fingers for more piece-y, beachy waves.

My tween asked for this tool for Christmas, and it became the inspiration for this story. I was amazed that all she had to do was slip a section of hair through the slit at the top, press a button, and the hair wrapped around the inside chamber. It beeps when it’s done, unraveling perfect curls.

Her hair always looks so good when she uses it, so I gave it a whirl. It really is as easy as she makes it look. (My daughter’s hair is much longer than mine, and it all fits in the barrel.) Once I brushed through my curls, I had bouncy, Old Hollywood–like waves that lasted all day.

We’ve all seenblow-dry brushesby now. They help you get smooth, sleek hair in less time. But this one stood out to me because of its teardrop-shaped attachment, which lets you get even closer to the root than you can with a round or oval brush for maximum lift.

It’s a great tool for people like me who have straight, fine hair and want a voluminous blowout rather than a super-sleek one. Other perks: It has charcoal-activated bristles to reduce frizz and static, triple ceramic coating to distribute heat evenly and minimize damage, and four heat settings. The tool didn’t get dangerously hot like some other inexpensive blow-dryer brushes I’ve tried.

I don’t associatehair ironswith volume — and I rarely use them for this reason. So the name of this iron immediately got my attention. It’s not a traditional flat iron; it’s more like a crimper that you use to crimp the underlayer of your hair and create hidden pockets of volume.

It heats up fast (and has a digital temperature display) and crimps hair in one second. Clip up the top layer of hair (it comes with clips), clamp and release, repeating down the length of the hair. Then unclip the top layer of hair and brush lightly to smooth or tousle with your fingers. The result is impressive volume that I can typically achieve only with a salon visit. I feel as if I’ve unlocked a cheat code for big hair.

I air-dry my hair a lot of the time. My hair type doesn’t get frizzy, but sometimes it does dry wonky — wavy in some spots and straight in others. Thermal brushes, which are meant to be used on dry hair, are the best for quickly making it look as though I’ve spent time blow-drying.

This one has blue-light technology (despite its name, it’s not UV light) to help hair retain moisture. It’s made with tourmaline ceramic to reduce heat damage and has a temperature display. With just a few brush strokes, my hair is smooth and bouncy. No one would ever know I air-dried.