Are you still looking for the right choice to style your hair? Fortunately, there are various hair styling tools on the market that can be used to create curls at home. You can easily become skilled in styling your own hair, and look every day like you have just left the salon. You just need to choose the ideal tool for your hair length, hair type and the hairstyle you want to achieve. We can help you choose between a tapered vs straight curling wand. Both curling wands are excellent styling tools for creating curls, but which of the two is better for you?
The differences are minimal but important, and this article will examine the benefits and drawbacks of straight and tapered curling wands in order to help you choose the perfect one.
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Tapered Vs Straight Curling Wand
Curling equipment used to be very simple – there wasn’t much choice available other than a conventional straight barrel. Nowadays, we have a ton of choices, but choosing between tapered and straight curling wands can be tricky. The majority of more recent curling wands now have a smooth ceramic covering, making them much simpler to use and clean than the older models we all used to know and love. You’ve come to the perfect place if you’re not sure which of these is the best hair styling tool for you.
Tapered Curling Wand

The tapered curling wand, sometimes referred to as a conical wand, has a larger base and a narrower tip. The barrel’s design is highly flexible for using a single curler to make both large and small curls. By wrapping your hair closely at the base or by using the narrow tip to create tighter, more precisely defined curls, you can achieve thick, voluminous curls. This tapered wand is ideal for people with short hair because of how close to the roots it can get and how much volume it can add. However, you can also use this tapered barrel for mid-length hair to long hair.
The main advantage is in the technique you use, which depends on your hair length and the style you want. If you are using this barrel in a regular way, by wrapping your hair from the base of the barrel to the bottom, you will get curls that are looser at the top and tighter at the bottom. If you want to “bring your hair to life” because you want some volume, this type of curling wand is perfect for you. Depending on your hair type, length and the volume you want to add, you can choose between many different sizes available on the market.
You should look for a quality curling wand with a conical barrel if your hair won’t keep a curl or if it becomes flat by mid-morning.
Straight Curling Wand

The straight curling wand has been on the market for a long time, and you can find them with a built-in clip or without. This type of curler works well to produce regular, homogeneous hair curls, unlike the tapered curling wand. The curls will be the same from the top to the bottom, so you will not be able to achieve many different hairstyles with this one. A straight curling wand has the benefit of a constant barrel diameter, meaning that, unlike with other wands, you are less likely to wrap your hair around the curling wand in the incorrect position.
There are various sizes of straight curling wands. Which one you choose will depend on the type of curls you want to have.
- A half-inch curling wand is the smallest size. This is used to create extremely tight curls. This curling wand size is intended for curling very short hair above the shoulder length, such as a pixie or short bob.
- The one-inch curling barrel is ideal for creating classic curls. Shoulder-length to medium-length hair is recommended for this size of curling barrel.
- A quarter of an inch is effective on all hair lengths, particularly shoulder-length and long hair. It generates a gorgeous curl in straight hair, but it also creates fantastic loose curls or beachy waves, which everyone wants.
- Curling wands with a two-inch barrel would not be suitable for short hair unless you only wanted to add a tiny bend to the bottom of your hair. You could potentially get some great curls depending on how long your hair is, but because the barrel is so large, it will largely generate body waves.
If you want your hairstyle to be shiny and flawless, the straight curling wand is definitely the best choice for you.
Reverse Tapered Curling Wand
Do you prefer to create diverse curly hairstyles using several curling barrels with varied shapes? If you are obsessed with those beachy waves, which you can see all over Instagram, check this style out and prepare to glow. It turns out that a vintage hair tool with a fresh aesthetic is the key to achieving the desired look.
When you want big, loose waves, using a regular curling wand can result in uncomfortable ringlet curls, which is the exact opposite of what you want. What makes the difference is that the base of a reverse tapered curling wand is small, while the top gets larger. By using a reverse tapered curling wand, you can make curly hairstyles with enormous waves at the ends and little curls on top, so your hair will have much more volume at the bottom. If you have long hair, medium or thick hair can easily be transformed.
Curling Barrels By Types

When purchasing a curling iron, there are several factors to take into account, such as material (ceramic or titanium) and type (barrel or wand). Although a lot of what you need to take into account relies on your hair length and structure, as well as the sort of curl you want, the reality is that it’s rather simple to comprehend if you know the fundamentals. The barrel is the most crucial and biggest part of the curling tool. It heats up, and the right amount of heat makes curling hair simpler. It is the component that functions the best. See our curling iron reviews as well.
Cylindrical Curling Barrel With Built-In Clip
The truth is, these old-fashioned curling irons are great hair styling tools not just for creating uniform curls, but even for loose curls, known as beach waves. If you are experienced with creating curls, this cylindrical barrel will be the best hair styling tool for you. Depending on the size you choose, it is possible to create either large curls or smaller, tighter curls. Because of the built-in clip, they are pretty much as easy to use as the tapered barrel, even if you are a beginner.
Straight Cylindrical Barrel

The straight cylindrical barrel, like the one with a built-in clip, may be one of the oldest hair stylers for uniform curls. The only difference between them is in the clip, which makes it easier to use with one hand. However, even if you purchase a cylindrical barrel without a clip, after a couple of times it will make no difference. Practice will make you a pro, and your curls will be perfectly shiny and glowy. With this type of styler, you can make beautiful large curls if you choose the one with a larger barrel, or you can make perfect tight curls if you want better defined and longer-lasting uniform curls. The main advantage of this curler is that it can be used for different hair lengths. Whether you have short or long hair, it doesn’t matter, you will end up with a great hairstyle for any occasion.
Tapered Barrel
If you are looking for a curling wand to create different-sized curls from the top to the bottom, make sure that you get a tapered barrel. With this styler, you will get the desired look of not all the curls being the same, but still perfectly defined – a little bit looser at the top and tighter as you get to the end.
Instead of the ribbon curls you receive from a curling iron, a slender, tapered curling wand will create various hairstyles at home. The look you can achieve is completely natural. A narrow, tapered curling wand works best for harmonizing relaxed parts of hair with naturally curly hair since the curl is so firmly formed. This makes it a fantastic tool for someone who wants to mimic natural curls. If you work in little bits, you can make it. No matter if you have short or long hair, this hairstyle is a good idea.
See our list of the best curling wands and our interchangeable curling wand reviews next.
Conclusion
We hope that this article has helped you choose between a tapered vs straight curling wand for your style requirements. Both of them give you many possibilities for creating different hairstyles. The best option will depend on your hair length, texture and style, as well as the look you want to create. We did our best to show you all the characteristics of each of these tools, so you can easily decide what type of curling wand you need. When looking for the greatest hair styling tool in the future, keep these considerations in mind.