What’s Your Curl Type?

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As WIRED’s resident straightening iron specialist who has tested nearly 30 models for our guide to the Best Hair Straighteners, it probably goes without saying that I have naturally curly hair. Given my unwavering dedication to straightening it, it probably follows that I also have some associated trauma with my hair.

Today, in large part thanks to social media, people have unlimited access to chic, popular models and influencers with hair of all textures and styles. Even those with short hair have gotten into the curly spirit with the infamous Zoomer perms.

Back in the early ’90s, though, it was a different story. The big, curly manes of the ’80s had given way to sleek ...