What Size Curling Iron or Straightener To Buy

When curling your hair, there’s a careful balance that must be achieved. If you underdo it, your locks look limp. If you overdo it, you wind up with a frizzy perm nightmare. The same can be said of straightening your hair. Your curls can either be flattened beautifully into sleek, straight locks or mangled into a tangled, wavy mess.

While getting the desired results with a styling iron does come down to technique, the barrel size of these hot styling tools is also important. Here’s when you should use these variously sized hair straighteners and curlers. 

½-Inch

The smallest barrel available is half an inch. With its compact size, these tools are good for curling hair into shapely, sturdy ringlets.

¾-Inch

The next step up is a barrel size that measures a ¾ inch. You can tighten up your curls a bit with a curler, or, with a straightener, loosen up those waves. 

One-Inch

The sizing standard for heating tools is generally a one-inch barrel. You can get your hair stick-straight or leave just a hint of waviness with the 1” Classic Rebellion Curling Iron. You can curl hair as tightly or loosely as you want. This is a great barrel size if you prefer changing up your day-to-day style. 

1 ½-Inch

Somewhat bigger than the one-inch barrel above, that extra half an inch works hard to create volume. Experts suggest teasing the roots with a styling tool, like the 1.5” Classic Rebellion Curling Iron, holding for just a few seconds. Your roots will look curvy and lively instead of flat and dull.

Two-Inch

The biggest barrel size available for styling tools is two inches. If you want to achieve some seriously noticeable results, like larger-than-life curls, this is the curling iron you should reach for. A hair straightener with a barrel this big can give your straight hair some volume and lift.