This Next-Gen Curling Iron Cut My Styling Time Down to 15 Minutes

Although I’m a beauty and lifestyle writer, my beauty routines have always been pretty basic, especially when it comes to haircare. I have way too much hair, and it’s pretty curly, so it takes forever to style it. Most times, it pains me to heat style it because it can take up to two hours if my hair isn’t already dry. Even when it is dry, though, it takes at least 45 minutes to add beach waves or straighten it—or at least it did until I got my hands on the new T3 Curl Wrap ($200).

Because of the innovative self-rotating wand, I’m able to create an amazing beach wave look for myself in 15 minutes flat. I remember running to my roommate after using it for the first time and saying, “You need to come see this curling iron I got. It’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

And sure, I can admit that I’m prone to the dramatic and make a lot of exaggerations. However, for journalistic purposes, I try to curb that as much as possible. I mean, my job is to honestly tell readers whether or not a product is worth their hard-earned cash. After testing this product for two weeks, using it every other day, I can confidently say that the T3 Curl Wrap is absolutely worth $200. And a hairstylist, Amania Shawn, with more than 15 years of experience, agrees. I chatted with her to see what she thinks of the tool and get her tips for how to best use it.

T3, Curl Wrap 1.25" Automatic Rotating Curling Iron with Long Barrel — $200.00

• Significantly cuts down on your styling time
• Safer to use without burning yourself
• Nine different heat settings
• Extremely chic design
• Equipped with a home button that resets the barrel to its original location
• Automatically turns off after an hour of no usage

• Only features two time settings
• The curls are more like beach waves

What happened when I tried the T3 Curl Wrap

I can’t say enough good things about this auto-rotating curling iron. It cut down on my styling time, which made it easier for me to do my hair. And since my hair was done, shiny, and wavy, I felt a stronger air of confidence. That’s the kind of thing that money can’t buy. But, if it could, $200 wouldn’t be a steep price at all.

From a functional perspective, there’s also a lot to love about the T3 Curl Wrap. For instance, it has nine different heat settings that allow you to adjust the heat to whatever works best for your hair type. Additionally, there’s a cool safety feature that shuts down your tool if you haven’t used it after an hour.

It is rare for me to give an absolutely glowing review to a product. I’ve reviewed sex toys, sneakers and weighted running leggings. With every single product review, I’ve been able to find a downside—and it usually is very apparent to me after a few uses. The T3 Curl Wrap’s cons were a little harder to find. And, as you can see from the pros and cons list in the section before this, there’s really not that much that I found wrong with the Curl Wrap.

I loved that this is an exceptionally easy tool to use at home. “This product is unique because anyone can use this iron, whether they’re a professional or a beginner,” says Shawn. Obviously, a hair pro would be able to figure out the tool pretty easily. On the other hand, a newbie (like myself) may have a harder time using this—especially in the beginning.

Since the curling barrel can rotate toward you or away from you, I found that it was initially a little tricky to know exactly where I was going with it. Once I realized that the curling iron will rotate to the right if you push the button to the right (and to the left if you push it to the left), it was easy as cake to get my curls the way that I wanted them.

Marlene Gonzalez, a hairstylist at Nine Zero One Salon in Los Angeles, adds that this is the best tool for at home use. “The size of the curler is perfect for those natural-looking waves because of the way it alternates directions,” she says. “Not only that, but you also get a beep and slight vibration to let you know the hair is ready to be released.”

You can set that timer to five seconds or eight seconds using the button on the back of the curling iron. Also on the back is a speed selector, which allows you to determine how fast you want your curls to wrap around the curling iron. The bottom button on the back of the curling iron provides sensory feedback, which gives gentle sounds and vibrations.

On the front of the tool, you can press a home button to reset the barrel, choose the direction for it to rotate, determine your heat setting, and turn the iron on and off.

Hairstylists main tips for using the T3 Curl Wrap

As with any other heat styling tools, the most important thing you can do is use a good heat protectant, says Shawn, who recommends the Guy Tang MyDefender ($28) as a heat protector.

When you’re ready to start actually styling your hair, she suggests “sectioning your hair off and starting from the ends of your hair. T3 will do the rest when you push the auto twist switch.”

To familiarize yourself with the way the T3 Curl Wrap works, Gonzales recommends using it without heat a few times to practice the twirls and twists. I can vouch for that, as I wish I would’ve done that initially. Overall, though, this is one of the most revolutionary products I’ve ever tried, and I’m extremely excited to keep using it.