A hair styling aid, in particular for curling hair, is described. The hair styling aid includes a handle and a housing connected to the handle, the housing having: guide means for receiving a length of hair to be styled, the guide means being provided by an aperture in the housing through which the length of hair is admitted into the housing in use; a rotatable element in the housing, rotatable relative to the guide means; a motor for rotating the rotatable element in a clockwise direction or in an anticlockwise direction; and an elongate member around which, in use, the length of hair is wound by the rotatable element; wherein the rotatable element has two hair-pushing surfaces, one of the hair-pushing surfaces being oriented for pushing hair when the element is rotated clockwise and the other of the hair-pushing surfaces being oriented for pushing hair when the element is rotated anticlockwise in use.