We were underwhelmed by the Revlon Perfect Heat which falls short of the best curling irons. The Revlon Perfect Heat can only ever reach the dizzying heights of mediocrity at the best of times, and often fells short of even that tepid goal.
It was relatively easy to use and created OK curls, but they just didn't hold up all that well over time. For the low price, it might still represent good value.. This won't be the last curling iron you’ll ever buy, but it works well enough until you can afford to shell out for a high end model. If you're on a budget, or if you only curl your hair once in a blue moon then the Revlon Perfect Heat will suffice.
For further hair styling content, also take a look at our guide to the best hair dryers for all hair types, as well as the best hair clippers for cutting your own hair at home. For extreme shaves, see our best electric head shavers guide.
Revlon Perfect Heat review: Design and features
If there are small children in your home, this curling iron is probably not the best option. The automatic shut-off seemed rather hit and miss when we tested it. Sometimes it turned itself off and sometimes we found it still on, even many hours later. This creates a safety hazard – someone could burn themselves on the still-hot barrel, or a bit of fabric or paper could make contact with the barrel and cause a fire. A safer curling iron and one that performed better in our curling tests is the John Frieda.
This hair curler has a dial rather than a digital display, which is disappointing, though not surprising, at this low price point. The dial was easier to read than its competitors’, but it lists levels instead of temperature, so there is no way of knowing exactly how hot the iron is. This matters less if you have thick hair, but for the fine-haired folks, it is nice to know the temperature so they don’t burn their hair.
The barrel has a triple ceramic coating, which is preferred by most experts because it protects against heat damage. There are 30 heat settings and the temperature difference between the highest and lowest heat settings is pretty drastic, so you can find a good setting whether you need high heat to curl thick hair in a hurry or a cooler temp for fine hair.
Should I buy the Revlon Perfect Heat?
The Revlon Perfect Heat Long Lasting Curls is a pretty average curling iron in most ways, but that is actually impressive considering its low price. It is competitive with some of the best curling irons, even though it’s flawed in many ways. You can’t tell the exact temperature the curler is set to, and its auto shut-off didn’t always work during our testing, which can be a safety issue.
The curls it creates are OK, though, and the barrel has a ceramic coating, which experts all agree is best for protecting your hair from heat damage. If your budget is modest and you don't curl your hair every day, this is a good choice.
