Philips curling iron: Ideal but not on my wavelength
13/5/2026
Translation: machine translated
Shakira mane or Renaissance wig? The Philips WavePro Styler 9000 made a clear decision - but unfortunately not in favour of my preferred option.
On the way to perfect curls, I leave no stone unturned. So I was all the more pleased when Philips sent me the WavePro Styler 9000 to test. The curling iron is the successor to the StyleCare Prestige Auto Curler, which is quite popular with Galaxus customers and in the Community.
The WavePro Styler 9000 is the first curling iron from Philips.
This is the WavePro Styler 9000
The curling iron looks elegant. At first glance, the plastic housing and the ceramic heating rod appear unbreakable. And although the WavePro Styler 9000 weighs just under half a kilogram, it doesn't feel strenuous 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 work with. «SenseIQ» is designed to put less strain on the hair by defining the time and temperature. The slider is located below the temperature display. It determines whether my waves should turn to the left or right. I use the second control on the back to set the diameter of the curling iron and control how defined the curls are.
Before I twist my hair into curls, I comb out any tangles thoroughly and spray them with heat protection. I heat up the WavePro Styler 9000 to 210 degrees and wait until the signal lights up.
It doesn't work at the first attempt ...
.. and I also fail at the second attempt because I put too thick strands on the curling iron. It devours the hair unchecked and tangles it. I'm overwhelmed, but luckily the built-in emergency stop function immediately recognises when something goes wrong. The curling iron beeps, switches off and prevents my hair from burning. A grey cloud rises, but the strand survives.
On the third attempt, it works. I hold the curling iron close to my head with the opening facing away from me and place a thin strand in it. As soon as I press the start button, the strand wraps around the curling iron until most of the hair is on the ceramic heating rod. I have now turned the temperature down to 170 degrees. The heat shapes the strands for as long as I hold the button down.
After a few seconds, the signal tone tells me that I can remove the curl. To do this, I simply pull the curling iron down and away from the strand. Zack! I'm already holding my first cone curl in my fingers.
I continue to work my way down from the top of my hairline. It takes a little practice to get into the flow, but it works better with every attempt. I leave one strand on the curling iron for too long, but luckily the Heat Wave switches off soon enough before it smells too much like burnt hair. Sometimes the warning system intervenes too early and switches off even though there is no problem. I don't find that tragic. Better this way than the other way round.
In addition, I didn't burn myself once during the test - neither on my fingers nor on my head. I have had worse experiences with straighteners and open curling irons.
Turn curls to the right or left?
The instructions say that the different modes (left, right or alternating rotation) result in different hairstyles. So for the comparison on the left side of my head, I consistently twist all the strands to the left with the smallest diameter. On the right half, I work with the widest diameter and the function that alternates between left and right twisted curls. After an hour, I'm done with both sides - and am moderately satisfied with the results.
On the left-hand side, I can at least recognise curls and volume, while most of the strands on the right-hand side remain straight. My hair texture therefore influences which curl twist works best. That's why I take another run-up and twist the strands on the left half to the right and on the right side to the left. The result looks similar.
The hairstyle sits and sits
I can walk around for the rest of the day with this semi-satisfactory hairstyle, because once the curls are in place, they stay. And although the heat probably puts a strain on the hair, the curls don't feel damaged. Neither frizz nor brittle ends, but shiny cone curls that last for hours without hairspray. In fact, the dream of a curling iron hairstyle.
Despite this: I miss the Chruseli effect
After I pull the curls apart a little, I like the hairstyle better. But the result doesn't quite meet my expectations. The WavePro Styler 9000 can't fulfil two important criteria for me. Firstly, I still get wide curls even with the smallest diameter - which doesn't suit me - and secondly, they start far away from the scalp as if the curling iron is designed in such a way. So the result looks like a Renaissance wig on me, not a natural Shakira mane. A matter of taste. The look probably works better with graduated hairstyles.
I'm sticking to my heatless curl routine for now and continuing to look for methods for 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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