We can’t fight Mother Nature (openly, at least) but we can find ways to hack around styling fine hair. Scroll down for ways the best curling wand can give fine hair a good, solid set of curls that won’t deflate in a New York minute. Read on:

The Best Curling Wand for Getting Big, Sexy Curls on Fine Hair

1. Size—and shape—matter

The best curling wand for imparting a natural, sexy-looking curl usually comes in different shapes. Apart from being clipless (versus a curling iron, which has tongs that snap open and shut) and having several width options, curling wands can also come with bubbled, spiraled and tapered barrels. Depending on your desired look, these various barrel shapes result in totally different curls. For fine hair, a tapered or cone-shaped barrel can help give fuller-looking curls at the root and mid-length, and ringlets that thin out towards the end. This particular shape is better for thinner hair types, since tighter curls at the end take longer to stretch out, effectively giving a longer-lasting look.

2. Ceramic and Tourmaline Plates

Fine, thin hair is more prone to singeing on a hot iron when twirled incorrectly, so the best curling wand for these hair types does away with that variance altogether. Ceramic and tourmaline-coated curling wands help distribute heat more evenly throughout the barrel, eliminating dangerous “hot spots.” Tourmaline also heats up pretty quickly, shortening the amount of time you need to set the curl around a hot—and potentially damaging—barrel.

3. Curling Technique

The best curling wand won’t matter if technique is off. Luckily, a wand is perfect for giving volume, as its not impeded by a clamp—you don’t need to “flatten” or sandwich hair between two prongs. A quick trick for beginners not used to handling a hot wand: Twist your hair into a rope shape, then twirl it around your wand—the result is a bit of a natural curl with a boho feel. Once you get the proper hang of it, then graduate to wrapping hair flat around a wand, then releasing. Voilà, va-va-volumized waves! Want a visual? Check out our curling tutorial for sexy waves on short hair.

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