There’s a choice of two heat settings – 210ºC or 230ºC – and three timer settings, so you can choose the length of time you want to heat the hair. The Curl Secret emits a friendly beep when it’s time to release the hair. When positioned facing south, the rotating buttons are a little harder to navigate and you lose some of the lift and volume. You’ll also find your arms aching more because you’re holding them above your head. On the plus side, you get smoother curls as the hot air is blowing down the shaft. Since the FlexStyle uses air to wrap the hair around a barrel, it can style hair from damp or dry. The curls it creates are soft and bouncy – if perhaps not as shiny as those styled using the Airwrap – and the diffuser, concentrato,r and brush attachments mean the FlexStyle does more than simply curl the hair.

Key specs – Styling method: Nano-silver and ceramic barrel with curling motor; Heat settings: 6; Auto shutoff: Yes (60 mins); Cord length: n/a You can either use this brush as a standard hot brush, or you can use the rotating buttons to mimic the curl and smoothing action that hairdressers make look so easy. In reality, this takes a bit of practice but once you nail it, the finish is almost indistinguishable from what we get from the salon.Reduce frizz and stop static from occurring thanks to the tourmaline and ionic conditioning properties of the tool. There's also a ceramic coating which ensures the barrel glides through the hair leaving you with gorgeously smooth curls. Instant Curl technology As with all heat-styling products, automatic hair curlers offer a range of features for styling and protecting hair from excessive heat. Automatic hair curlers work by winding the hair around a heated barrel, so you don’t have to do the winding yourself. Most use some kind of mechanical motor to twist hair into place, while others use air pressure to wrap the hair. An automatic curler is a useful tool to have if you’re not confident in your own skills with a tong or wand, or if you have a sensory or mobility issue that makes winding your hair into place difficult. If you’re looking for a big and bouncy blow-dry; the kind you get at a salon, opt for the rounded bristle brush. You can use this attachment from wet to dry if you want maximum volume. This method is also great if you have thin and flat hair and want a style that will last all day. That said, we prefer to smooth and dry the hair to 80% with the paddle brush to smooth the hair before using the rounded brush to add volume at the roots, and bounce at the ends. Two rotation buttons are located below the top of this barrel, and sit above a slide switch that lets you control the Airstyler’s three heat settings – low, high and cool. Its 2.7m cord then extends from the bottom.

Key specs – Styling method: Hot air with Coandă effect hair wrapping; Heat settings: 3 (plus cool shot); Auto shutoff: n/a; Cord length: 2.44mReputable retailers always offer warranties or guarantees on their goods. These warranties can actually provide you with much more generous coverage than your statutory rights, so it’s important to know when you do or don’t have one. Sometimes you need to register with the retailer to be eligible, so it’s important to read the fine print.

Now we know the benefits, it’s time to go through what you can do to stay safe when purchasing over the internet. Take a good look at the retailer The biggest benefit to buying things online is the fact you don’t need to leave the home. Shopping can be a time-consuming and often exhausting process (for most of us). At busier times around the holidays, shopping can even be frustrating and a source of major stress. It saves you moneyThe Beauty Works styler heats up in 60 seconds, and comes with a glove, heatproof mat and handy carry pouch included in the box. Hair feels soft after styling, especially when curled on a medium heat, and while you won’t be able to achieve tight ringlets, the beachy waves it creates look fun and flirty and hold well for an evening. A pretty choice for a beach-babe look. Big brother to the already jumbo-sized Turbo Tong, the Turbo Tong X is the longest curling tong currently available in the UK. Extra-long at 20.5cm in length, the 32mm diameter is ideal for creating larger waves and curls. The ceramic-coated barrel heats up in 30 seconds and a precise temperature between 60ºC and 230ºC can be easily selected using the +/- buttons on the handle. The temperature display provides a readout and lights up blue, green or red to let you know the current heat of the tong as you style. If you’re using an air-based curler, simply hold the barrel next to the section of hair you wish to curl and let it wrap the hair into place, again keeping the tool itself still; then release once the curl is set.

For all three styles, we held the tong in place for around 10 seconds at a time but this will depend on your hair type, how well it holds curls and how damp it is. To help the curl stay in place, avoid brushing or touching it with the hands for the time it cools; if your hair really doesn’t hold curls well you can pin the ringlet in place while you move to the next section of hair. Finish with a firm-hold hairspray to keep your style in place. We’re all shopping online more than ever these days. In fact, 1.8 billion of us buy goods from across the globe via online retailers, and that number is expected to rise significantly in the coming years. Remington Ci606 Curl Revolution Automatic Hair Curler scored highly with 9.9/10 for price in our review.

Get Dyson Airwrap-style curls, waves, volume and shine at a fraction of the price

Of course, all of this is easier said than done. While the paddle brush and the hot brush were both intuitive to use, the hot tong took more practice. For all the manual control the Remington’s hinged clip gives, unless you grab the very ends of the hair and wrap them around the barrel first, you’re left with kinks at the bottom. These kinks become even more apparent if your hair is too wet. The easiest look to create with the Remington Airstyler is straight and sleek. To achieve this finish, run the paddle brush down and through your hair in sections until each is dry and smooth. If you want to add volume, you can place the brush at your roots and run it up the underside of your hair, before smoothing it out by running it down the outer side. During testing, we confirm the weight and dimensions of the curling tool, as well as any extras that are included in the box. We time how long the tool takes to heat up after switching on. We then note how long it takes to style a full head of hair, taking into account the hair length and texture that we are testing it on. We evaluate the overall ease of use of the curling tool, how it feels in the hand and the finish and feel of the hair after curling. Finally, we note how well the styles last over a typical day. When positioned facing north, with the hair and the hinged tong clip at the bottom, the hot air blows up the hair shaft which creates frizz and fuzz. However, it’s easier to control the rotating buttons when held in this more natural position. Plus it minimises arm movements and thus reduces how much your arms ache. You can even change the direction of the rotation, so you're left with multiple looks from this one tool. Curling it all one way will leave you with polished curls that are glam and luxe. Or change the directions of the curl as you work your way through the sections of your hair, for a more natural, undone look. Heat