These are the 7 Hair Styling Tools Beauty Editors Can’t Live Without
From the hot comb used to keep a silk press intact to the Beyoncé of curling wands.
For many of us, the most essential products are the hair styling tools we use to achieve our favorite hair looks. These products boost our confidence by helping us achieve hairstyles we love—and we all have that one specific hair styling tool we can’t live without. No matter the circumstance, this one game-changing tool can never be left behind or forgotten.
Whether it be your favorite curling iron that gives you bouncy curls or the hot comb that slicks your hair back into an up-do, these tools help us achieve it all. However, there are so many on the market that we asked some of our favorite beauty editors to reveal a hair styling tool that they can’t live without. Here’s what these industry professionals had to say.
1. Asia Milia Ware, Editorial Assistant at Teen Vogue
“I tend to always have my hair in a protective style, and my favorite one is a weave. Lately, I’ve been leaving the front of my hair out, but to avoid heat damage, I use my favorite wand curler. Although I’ve never been big on curling irons, this one is simple to use and helps me achieve a nice messy curl look that’s voluminous and bouncy. Just one use and I have my desired look for weeks.”
2. Nandi Howard, Fashion Editor at Essence
“I feel like there is nothing better than a rat tooth comb. I wear my hair in natural styles and straight, so when it comes to parting and laying down my flyaways, this is perfect.”
3. Dianna Mazzone, Senior Beauty Editor at Allure
“The Dyson Airwrap is the Ferrari of hot tools—and it’s got the price tag to match. That said, the interchangeable heads make it so it can do the job of a dryer, smoothing hot brush, and curler. I’ve been using mine religiously for about a year, and—since it’s powered by air, not extreme heat—my hair is far healthier for it.”
4. Nerisha Penrose, Associate Editor at Elle
“I can’t remember what life was like before this detangling brush came into my life, and I don’t want to. Wash days have become much more manageable since I started detangling my hair with this brush (root to end, of course). Designed by Felicia Leatherwood, the hair magician responsible for all of Issa Rae’s natural styles on “Insecure,” the brush has flexible bristles that comb through my hair with ease without tearing out my strands. If it works for Issa, it works for me.”
5. Blake Newby, Freelance Writer
“As a girl who wears weaves 95% of the time, a great blow dryer is a must-have, especially when I don’t have access to a hooded dryer. As such, my Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer has become a staple of my routine. The many different attachments it has makes it easy for me to dry those hard to reach areas, both quickly and effectively, without excess heat. It also doesn’t damage the curl pattern of my natural hair in the process. Even better, it’s such a quiet blow dryer so I don’t feel like I’m waking up the whole house when I use it in the morning.”
6. Shelby Ying, Freelance Writer
“I can’t live without my hot comb. As someone who typically wears their hair straight, using a hot comb great way to keep a silk-press intact, especially after a workout. I typically just use it to smoothen out any edges before going back over my strands with a flat iron. While the one I have isn’t made anymore, this version from Andis is an updated model of the one I have and it has over nine thousand 4/5 star reviews on Amazon.”
7. Lindsey Metrus Malhado, Senior Editor at Byrdie
“You know that moment of complete awe when you try a new product and it surpasses every other product in its category? I experienced that same feeling when I first tried this curling iron: the Jordan, the Beyoncé, the GOAT of styling wands. It heats up to what’s said to be the ideal temperature (365 degrees) evenly throughout the barrel to perfectly curl and maintain the health of your hair. Within seconds of wrapping my hair around the iron, I have a beautiful wave or curl (depending on how I wrap it) that lasts all day long. I even curled my own hair on my wedding day with it—that’s how much I trust it.”
