Curling Iron

I have really really really straight hair that barely hold a curl. I have a good flat iron for doing tight, more formal looking curls and to give my bangs a slight curve, but I'm looking for an equally good curling iron for doing looser, 'beachier' looking curls/waves. I was messing around with the curling iron I currently have (some ancient Revlon iron), doing that wrapping-your-hair-around-the-barrel-without-using-the-clamp technique, and it worked... for like 30 seconds. Part of my issue with the Revlon one is that the temperature is by 'levels' (1-20), not degrees. This makes it hard to tell if I'm absolutely destroying my hair or if it's not nearly hot enough since '16' means nothing to me temperature wise.

Any suggestions on a good quality curling iron?

one, get a good heat protectant so you won't have to worry about frying your hair! two, there's lots of clamp-less curling irons available now! I bet if you were to head into a drugstore you could find one on the cheap. will see what I can find

I have a Tresemme heat protectant that works pretty well but at the same time, I don't feel like I can depend on a spray 100% hahaha
and thanks! :]