Sorry for the rather uninspiring image – I’m not sure there’s a good way to pretty-up curling tongs, is there? I like these ones from the new John Frieda range, though – the barrel is just the right size to create loose curls (as the name suggests!). I do find that you have to hold the tong in place with the section of wound hair for quite a while to achieve a good curl, but that could be my hair failing to behave. There are 11 heat settings altogether, so lots of choice for those with fine, frizzy, thick, lank or generally problematic hair. The thicker your hair is, the higher you’ll probably need to go with the temperature, but start off low and work your way up – you don’t want to fry yourself!

The John Frieda Loose Curls Ionic Styling Tong is £29.99 from Boots here: http://tidd.ly/e4231af2