I promise I'm not exaggerating when I say, I've reviewed hundreds of curling tongs and wands throughout my career as a beauty journalist. From budget-friendly brands that we all grew up with - I'm looking at you Toni & Guy, to high-end, super-sleek options like ghd. Oh, and of course, ultra-clever techy tools from the likes of Dyson and Cloud 9. I've curled my hair more times that I can count - and thankfully (for my poor strands), I've been lucky enough to have the Cosmopolitan beauty cupboard close by, to keep my stash of heat protection sprays topped up.
With the years I've spent swirling and spiralling my hair with different curlers, I can safely say that I've never - until now - come across a curling tong that's almost as affordable as my Boots meal deal... Yup, Superdrug have gone to a whole new level of budget-friendly by producing a curling tong that costs just £4.99.
(I'll give you a minute to let that sink in.)
It's fair to say, the beauty team and I were pretty dubious of a hair tool that costs less than a fiver, so we decided to put it to the test.
According to Superdrug, the Ceramic Curling Tong has been designed for "creating smooth, shiny, tumbling curls and waves". Sounds pretty good, huh? It features a 25mm ceramic heated barrel, a swivel cord and two heat settings (170 and 200 degrees).
So, what did we actually think of it? Well, there are pros and cons...
Pros
- The price is absurdly affordable. If you're looking for a curling tong to use every now and then (so don't want to invest loads of cash), this could be for you.
- The ceramic barrel helps ensure curls looks smooth and free of frizz or static.
- There are two heat settings to choose from (170 and 200 degrees), so can be tailored to work on both thicker and finer hair types - to avoid excessive heat damage.
Cons
- The barrel is a little short, so works best for shorter and mid-length hair as opposed to longer hair.
- The design and packaging is very basic, with no frills.
- There is a power light, but no temperature indicator/dial.
Be sure to watch our beauty team's full review above, and make sure you subscribe to our Beauty Lab series for more hair tool reviews.
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Victoria Jowett is an award-winning journalist and the former Beauty Director at Cosmopolitan UK. She was named one of PPA’s 30 Under 30 for her work in beauty journalism and oversees the skincare, hair, makeup and fragrance content across all of Cosmopolitan’s platforms. She's worked in the beauty industry for over 13 years (and tested 1000s of products), making her an expert when it comes to recommending beauty brands that truly work. Having started her career working weekends on a makeup counter, Victoria began interning at the likes of AnOther and IDOL magazine, before landing her first Beauty Writer job at weekly fashion magazine, LOOK. Joining Cosmopolitan in 2016, Victoria has always remained a beauty fanatic and has been lucky enough to interview everyone from Britney Spears to Kourtney Kardashian about their beauty routines. Follow her on LinkedIn.
