The Pros And Cons Of Using An Automatic Beachwaver

If you've ever tried to replicate the luscious, bouncy locks of influencers and models using a curling iron, you know that the struggle is very real. Curling irons are supposed to give you a dreamy curled look, but reality can be a bit more complicated than that. Every time you burn your fingers or fail to get the curls flowing on the right side of your face, you realize that chances are, most of these models are having their hair done by a professional hairstylist rather than doing it on their own.

However, a curling iron has taken the internet by storm, and beauty vloggers on TikTok and YouTube are constantly raving about it. Yes, you guessed it: It's the Beachwaver automatic curling iron. So, what about this iron makes it so special?

The Beachwaver iron, invented by celebrity hairstylist Sarah Potempa, is a groundbreaking hair styling tool. The tool's innovation? It actually does the curling for you. In traditional curling irons, you clamp a strand of your hair and manually rotate it around the barrel, leave it for a few seconds while the heat works, and release the shaft while pulling it away from your head. The automatic Beachwaver, however, rotates on its own with the press of a button, making your hair styling routine easy-breezy. Before joining the hype, there are some pros and cons you should consider. 

The biggest asset of the Beachwaver is that it is super easy to use, even for beginners. In fact, in her YouTube video, beauty blogger Elly Brown says this iron is so easy to use that it's "a really good gift" for a pre-teen or teen "that's learning how to curl their hair." 

Unlike typical curling irons, the Beachwaver has a shorter clamp, which prevents hair from getting tangled (a painful mistake most rookies make). All you have to do is clamp the end of your strand and then choose which setting you want from the two buttons available — left or right — for the direction you want the curl to go. Ideally, you want to curl away from your head, so the buttons help you pick the right direction. Press the button, and the wand automatically rotates, so you don't have to twist and contort your arms in trying to get it just right.

Since minimal effort is required on your end, accidental burns are also prevented. The curling iron also has two different curling speed options, meaning you can hasten up the process if you are in a hurry. The home button on the handle returns the clamp to its original position, so you are set to work on the next hair strand. The beauty of this seamless process is its ability to consistently deliver uniform curls, which is helpful, as traditional curling irons can produce curls of varying shapes, sometimes leading to suboptimal outcomes. 

The Beachwaver can help you create perfectly stunning curls quickly and effortlessly, even if you are a beginner in the curling world. However, this fantastic hair styling tool can also give you different types of curls — bouncy or beachy — as showcased in a YouTube video by the inventor of the Beachwaver, Sarah Potempa.

Beach waves or bouncy curls? For a beachy wave, clamp your strand, "leaving the ends out," Potempa advises. Press the button that points away from your face. Let the barrel auto-rotate until it reaches a few inches away from your scalp. Open the clamp, and slowly remove the iron in a vertical downward movement. This will give smooth beach-like curls with "a more relaxed end," Potempa explains. This technique also works great for short hair, as seen in this TikTok video.

To get a bouncier wave, clamp your hair closer to the end, press the button to rotate the barrel, and slide the remaining strand in so that no ends are poking out of the clamp. As the Beachwaver rotates (remember it has to rotate away from your face), lift it and hold it up at an angle (think diagonally towards the floor), which will give you added volume. As you release the clamp and slide the iron diagonally away from your hair strand, you will see that the ends have a more bouncy feel and look.

Like most curling irons, the Beachwaver is not a one-size-fits-all model. As such, there are different Beachwaver curling irons tailored for different hair types. You will need to thoroughly research what style you want and what works best for your hair. This research is even more warranted, given the high price of even the simple Beachwaver model.

For instance, the cheapest Beachwaver model is priced at $99, followed by the next one priced at $119. However, being in the lowest range of the brand's prices does not mean that these two automatic curling irons are any less good; in fact, both models received 2023 Bella Magazine Beauty Awards.

Nevertheless, even though they are the cheapest Beachwaver automatic curling irons you can purchase, they are still quite pricey at around $100 — and the most expensive Beachwaver sells for about $250. The price may be a deterrent factor, especially since several other self-rotating curling irons are available online and in stores. For example, Amazon sells a Wavytalk rotating iron at half the price of the Beachwaver model, at $49.99.

Much like other curling irons, the Beachwaver automatic iron cannot give you different-sized curls. Each curling iron barrel has a specific size, and this dictates the size of the curls you'll create. For instance, the brand offers three different barrel sizes: .75 inches, 1 inch, and 1.25 inches.

The smaller .75-inch barrel will produce tight, defined curls, perfect for a more structured and formal look. On the other hand, the 1-inch barrel offers a versatile size for classic curls that suit various occasions. Moreover, depending on whether you choose to brush your hair at the end, you can have loose or more defined curls. Finally, the 1.25-inch barrel creates loose, beachy waves, perfect for a relaxed, carefree look, suitable for curling short hair and long hair.

Attempting to use the same curling iron for different-sized curls may not yield the desired results, as the barrel size plays a crucial role in determining the outcome of your hairstyle. So, if you do purchase one of the cheaper models, you will only be able to create specific-sized curls. However, Beachwaver does offer the option of purchasing a multi-barrel iron (to achieve any style), but this, too, is highly priced at $249.