Philips curling tongs: Ideal, but not quite my cup of tea
13-5-2026
Translation: machine translated
Shakira-style hair or a Renaissance wig? The Philips WavePro Styler 9000 has made its choice clear – though, unfortunately, it didn’t go for my preferred option.
I’ll try anything to achieve the perfect head of curls. So I was all the more delighted when Philips sent me the WavePro Styler 9000 to test. This curling iron is the successor to the StyleCare Prestige Auto Curlers, which is quite popular amongst Galaxus customers and within the Community.
This is the WavePro Styler 9000
The curling iron looks elegant. At first glance, the plastic casing and ceramic heating element appear to be shatterproof. And although the WavePro Styler 9000 weighs just under half a kilogram, it doesn’t feel tiring to hold.
With three temperature settings – 170, 190 and 210 degrees – as well as a gentler ‘ «’ SenseIQ» mode, I can control how much heat I want to use. «SenseIQ» is designed to minimise damage to the hair through precisely controlled time and temperature settings. The slider is located below the temperature display. It determines whether my waves should curl to the left or right. Using the second control on the back, I adjust the diameter of the curling iron and thereby control how defined the curls will be.
Before I curl my hair, I thoroughly comb out any tangles and spray it with heat protection. I heat the WavePro Styler 9000 to 210 degrees and wait until the indicator light comes on.
It doesn’t work the first time round …
… and I fail the second time too, because I’m putting strands that are too thick onto the curling iron. It just gobbles up the hair unchecked and tangles it up. I’m left feeling overwhelmed, but luckily the built-in emergency stop function detects immediately when something goes wrong. The curling iron beeps, switches off and prevents my hair from burning. A little wisp of grey smoke does rise, but the strand survives.
It works on the third attempt. To do this, I hold the curling iron close to my head, with the opening facing away from me, and place a thin strand of hair inside. As soon as I press the start button, the strand winds round the curling iron until most of the hair is resting on the ceramic heating element. I’ve now turned the temperature down to 170 degrees. The heat shapes the strand as long as I keep the button pressed.
After a few seconds, the beep tells me I can remove the curl. To do this, I simply pull the curling iron downwards and away from the strand. Snap! And there I am, holding my first spiral curl between my fingers.
I work my way down, starting from the top of my hairline. It takes a bit of practice to get into the swing of things, but it gets better with every attempt. I leave one strand on the curling iron for too long, but fortunately the Heat Wave switches off early enough before it starts to smell too strongly of burnt hair. Sometimes the warning system kicks in too early and switches off, even though there’s no problem. I don’t find that a big deal. Better that way than the other round.
What’s more, I didn’t burn myself once during the test – neither on my fingers nor on my head. I’ve had worse experiences with straighteners and open-ended curling tongs.
Should I twist the curls to the right or left?
The instructions say that the different modes (left, right or alternating twist) produce different hairstyles. So, for the sake of comparison, on the left side of my head I consistently curl all the strands to the left using the smallest barrel. On the right-hand side, I use the widest barrel and the function that alternates between left- and right-twisted curls. After an hour, I’ve finished both sides – and I’m moderately satisfied with the results.
On the left-hand side, I can at least make out curls and volume, whilst most of the strands on the right-hand side remain straight. So my hair texture influences which curl direction works best. That’s why I give it another go, curling the strands on the left-hand side to the right and those on the right-hand side to the left. The result looks similar.
The hairstyle holds and holds
I’ll have to walk around with this semi-satisfactory hairstyle for the rest of the day, because once the curls have set, they stay put. And although the heat is probably taking its toll on my hair, the curls don’t feel damaged. No frizz or split ends, just shiny, tight curls that last for hours without hairspray. It’s actually the dream curl-styler result.
Still, I’m missing that ‘Chruseli’ effect
After pulling the curls apart a little, I like the style better. But the result doesn’t quite live up to my expectations. The WavePro Styler 9000 fails to meet two criteria that are important to me. Firstly, even with the smallest barrel size, I still end up with wide curls – which don’t suit me – and secondly, due to the curling iron’s design, they start far away from the scalp. So on me, the result looks like a Renaissance wig, not a natural Shakira mane. A matter of taste. The look probably works better with layered hairstyles.
For now, I’ll stick to my heat-free curling routine and keep looking for methods that give natural results.
In a nutshell
A curling iron that may wrap others around its finger - but unfortunately not me
The sophisticated safety function of the Philips WavePro Styler 9000 impressed me: the emergency stop function recognises problems immediately and switches the appliance off in good time before the hair becomes charred. The resulting curls last all day, even without hairspray. Ideal for wedding hairstyles or friends of big waves.
Unfortunately, it does not fulfil my most important criteria. The smallest diameter still creates wide curls, which also start far from the scalp. I miss the natural look. The look might work better on longer hair with fewer layers, but it simply doesn't suit me.
If you want uncomplicated, long-lasting waves with little practice and without the risk of burning, the WavePro Styler 9000 is a good choice. If you're looking for tight, natural curls right at the roots, it's better to look elsewhere.
Pro
- Four temperature levels
- Slider for left, right or mixed curls
- Slider for curl intensity
- No burns as if you had thought through the
- Safety function
- Easy to operate with a little practice
Contra
- Smallest diameter still makes very wide curls
- Curl base quite far down
Header image: Stefanie Lechthaler
Painting the walls just before handing over the flat? Making your own kimchi? Soldering a broken raclette oven? There's nothing you can't do yourself. Well, perhaps sometimes, but I'll definitely give it a try.
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