Fashion

What Size Curling Iron Should You Buy?

by Sienna Fantozzi

March 31, 2016

Daniel Zuchnik/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

Buying a curling iron seems like the easiest of tasks, but it's not exactly fool-proof. There are so many different sizes, and even though it doesn't seem like a huge difference between 1/2 inch and 3/4 inch — the kind of curl you'll get is definitely different. If you're wondering what size curling iron you should buy, I'm going to break down exactly what each size does, so you can make sure you get the wave that you want.

It's a no brainer that for different types of curls, you're going to need different tools, but if you've never used varying size irons before, you may not be sure what's best for your hair. Trial and error always works, but having to spend money on multiple different hair tools definitely adds up, so it's probably a good idea to know exactly what each iron does before you decide which to invest in. Do you want beachy, undone waves? That's going to be a different size than full, voluminous curls. It's more than just the method you use to curl your hair (clamp vs. unclamp, for example), size definitely plays a huge factor in how your curls turn out.

If you want to learn what each size curling iron does, these tutorials will show you the kind of curls you can expect from each iron.