Fall hair is tricky. If you live anywhere with lingering summer humidity– say, Orlando, you can easily become overly ambitious with styling. How can one be overly ambitious with their hair? Easy, a lack of hair spray, inadequate prevention of frizz, and unrealistic expectations. I’ve been experimenting with all sorts of tools to find the perfect fall waves, and I think I finally found my winner in the Beachwaver Co. Beachwaver S1. It has a 4.4 star rating on Ulta Beauty, and it’s really stinkin’ cool. Keep reading for my full Beachwaver Curling Iron review!

Jumping right in– I’m hesitant to call the Beachwaver curling iron a curling iron, since “rotator” is a more accurate term. Its rotating curling mechanism is a 5.5″ rod with a temperature range of 290-410 degrees. My hair has an aversion holding pretty curls, so I use the full blast 410 degree setting to make sure it doesn’t fall as soon as I step into Florida’s temperamental humidity.

To use the Beachwaver S1, start with clean, dry hair. For no-fuss body, I use Tresemme Expert Selection Get Sleek Blow Dry Balm and Tresemme Expert Selection Shaping Gel Cream to give hold and protect hair against damaging heat. They also helps detangle and smooth your hair, eliminate frizz, and protect against humidity with long-lasting, non-crispy-looking results… for under $10.

Once your hair is dry and tamed, heat up the Beachwaver S1 to its desired intensity and partition your hair horizontally into two parts.

Begin curling the bottom section of hair. With an arrow button and a fast/slow speed switch, the Beachwaver S1 literally curls your hair for you. Use the small clamp to hold each section of hair in place, preventing kinks and having to wrap/hold by hand. The key for a more undone (ie. fall) look is to leave 1.5″ of the ends out of the clamp to create a looser and straighter end to the wave.

Not that it happened to me or anything, but be prepared to completely botch the first few attempts and allot a trial run or two to get the hang of it.

If you mess up or decide you don’t like your technique mid-curl, the Beachwaver S1 has a home button, which gives you the ability to reset the clamp at the start position. You always control the rotation; the curling iron just does the work for you.

When you’re done with the bottom half, repeat with the remaining sections of hair. Lock curls in place with your favorite strong hold hair spray. I alternate between drybar Money Maker Flexible Hold Hairspray and Tresemme TRES Two Extra Hold Hair Spray.

Allow the curls to cool, then gently run your fingers through your hair to create the perfect fall waves.

Pretty cool, right? What I like best about this tool is that it doesn’t lock your hair up into a chamber to apply heat. If you freak yourself out or feel your hair pulling excessively, you can just release the clamp and start over. Plus, the Beachwaver S1‘s price point is comparable to equivalent-level CHI and drybar styling tools.

There’s also a slightly more expensive Beachwaver for $199 which has an extra long barrel, digital temperature control, and a 4.8 star rating on Ulta Beauty. If anyone has given it a try, let me know how you like(d) it!

PS- If you liked this post, check out my drybar 3-Day Bender curling iron review here!