Technology

Best Hair Straighteners

The best thing to do for your hair is to use heat styling sparingly, but if you just can’t give up your beloved hair straightener for days on end, make sure you pick the right product. Choosing a quality option can make all the difference, ensuring that you don’t need to make multiple passes over the hair and further increase the likelihood of damage, explains stylist Gina Rivera, founder of Phenix Salon Suites. Other important criteria? Controllable temperature settings and infrared technology, both of which will also go a long way toward keeping your strands in tip-top shape. Once you find the best flat iron or hair straightener for you, you’ll cut your routine in half and wind up with healthier hair. Here are our recommendations for the best hair straighteners for each hair type.

Best Hair Straighteners

GHD Gold Styler Professional Hair Straighteners

ghd gold® hair straightener | ghd® Official

GHD, a go-to favourite for many, lived up to its reputation in our blind tests. This lightweight straightener was the panel’s favourite and the highest scorer in this year’s line-up. The barrel is rounded to make creating curls and waves easier, and our testers had no trouble using it for a variety of styles. Testers loved how silky their hair felt after use and thought it looked healthier (that’s shinier, smoother and sleeker), too.

Remington PROluxe Ceramic Hair Straighteners

Remington Proluxe Hair Straightener | S9100 | Rose Gold | Ireland

Most testers found that one swipe was enough to produce satisfactory results. They liked that the temperature was clearly displayed on the LCD screen, too. There are nine heat settings, but testers favoured the Pro+ setting, which limits the temperature to 185C for effective styling without overheating hair. The panel agreed that their locks looked healthier afterwards, with more shine and a silky, smooth feel.

Lava Ceramic Hairstyling Iron

This speed-heating, power-smoothing CHI earned a rare perfect score with GH’s expert evaluators and was far and away our top-tested flat iron. In tests, it warmed up to 96% of max temp in 60 seconds, and ranked top at fully straightening hair and keeping it sleek and frizz-free all day. It also got perfect marks from testers for gliding smoothly through hair and being easy to use, all commenting on the “noticeable shine” in just one pass.

1” Flat Iron with Anti-Static Technology

Though we haven’t tested it in the Lab, with over 25,00 reviews on Amazon and an average 4.6 star rating, people are absolutely obsessed with this flat iron, and it has an astounding amount of great features for an under-$20 hair tool. Floating ceramic plates are coated with titanium for even heating and a silky smooth glide through the hair, and the temperature is adjustable up to 410ºF, so you can tweak it according to your hair type.

Platinum+ Straightener

ghd platinum+ hair straightener | ghd® Official Website

Ever since we discovered ghd’s way back in year 9, our tresses were transformed from straggly to pin-straight, and they’ve remained a staple ever since.

The platinum+ styler has a thick barrel when clamped together, which means it’s ideal for curling as the irons give a loose, bouncy ringlet…

Did I mention they’re the world’s first SMART styler? Yep, that means they can predict the temperature each part of your hair needs, and adjust accordingly (so you don’t end up burning your lengths).

L’Oréal Professionnel Steampod Steam Straightening Tool

While Rachel Green might forever be our inspiration, our hair can’t always take the damage that straightening can do.

That’s where these Steampod Straightener’s come in. The steam technology causes 78% less heat damage than a regular straightener, whilst still giving you the silk, sleek vibes you’re craving.

Cosmopolitan Soft Touch Hair Straightener

Cosmopolitan Cotton Candy Straightener | Smooth It Out | Digital Control |  Variable Temperature Up To 230°C: Amazon.co.uk: Beauty

These clever straighteners have plates infused with coconut oil (yes, really), which is supposed to give your hair a shinier finish. We love them because they have a variable heat control, which means you can adjust the temperature and prevent the irons from frazzling your locks. The floating plates and soft touch outer casing make straightening your hair a dream, plus (without sounding like too much of a cliché) they’re lilac and kinda cute.

Larger than most flat irons, the Remington Pro 2″ flatiron has two-inch plates to straighten more hair at a time. Speaking of time, it heats up in just 15 seconds and defrizzes hair significantly thanks to its built-in silk ceramic technology. Oh, it has an auto 60-minute shut off.