The 14 Best Hair Straighteners of 2024, Tested

Table Of Content

• Flat Ironing
• The best hair straighteners for sleek, shiny lengths
• A budget flat iron
• CHI Lava Ceramic Hairstyling Iron
• Japanese Hair Straightening Los Angeles CA
• REVLON Salon Straightener Copper Smooth Flat Iron
• FHI Heat Platform Tourmaline Flat Iron

To weigh your hair-straightening options, read our break-down of each type below. If you have especially long, coarse or thick hair, consider investing in a straightener that can style at pace. This cordless straightener is brilliant for touching up your style on the go. Regardless of temperature, always ensure your hair is completely dry before styling, and use a heat protection spray.

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Flat Ironing

It’s definitely possible — when your hairstylist does it, it looks beautiful, right? It’s not all as easy as it seems, though, and a hairdryer alone won’t straighten your hair. You won’t have to treat your hair multiple times, because all along the length of the brush, the heat will remain the same. The plates on the BaByliss Pro Porcelain Ceramic Straightening Iron we tested didn’t touch, making it hard to straighten hair. The HSI Professional Ceramic Tourmaline Flat Iron is bulky and uncomfortable to hold. And all of the dials and buttons are located inside the straightener, dangerously close to the plates.

The best hair straighteners for sleek, shiny lengths

Consider nice-to-have features that will make styling your hair easier. Swivel cords and extra-long cords are a big perk to enhance ease of use as you work around your head. Whether achieved via a pre-season haircut or clever styling techniques, this shorter lengthened bob is one that we know is going to be big for summer 2024. Taking to the launch of her very own haircare brand, TypeBea, over the weekend Rita revealed a bouffant style of the cropped look that sits between ear and chin-length.

A budget flat iron

All of the irons we tested weighed less than a pound, and the difference between the lightest and heaviest straighteners was minimal (1 to 2 ounces). The GVP weighs 0.56 pound—it was one of the heaviest straighteners we tested, but it weighed only 0.12 pound more than the lightest straightener we tested. The GVP is still light enough to hold on a daily basis, and the iron’s other features, such as quality plates and a digital display, compensate for the added weight. The cord is 9 feet long, giving you plenty of space to plug it into an outlet that is located far away from a mirror. The straightener itself is 13 inches long, which we found to be the perfect length to wield while styling hair—and the plates are around 3.5 inches long, plenty sufficient to capture a good-size section of hair. The iron eliminates the guesswork by selecting a temperature based on your hair type, with options for fine, medium and coarse.

CHI Lava Ceramic Hairstyling Iron

This chic, high-tech tool is our pick for a curling, smoothing multi-purpose straightener. Halley's pro tip for getting straight lengths without compromising on volume? At Beauty Mag, all of our writers are passionate about skincare, makeup, haircare, and beauty. From lipstick experts to those who know everything about Korean face masks or how to tame frizzy locks, we’re here for all your beauty and style needs. No matter what your style is, we’ve got the tips, tricks, reviews, and tutorials to help you shine.

It can take 30 minutes to a few hours, depending on the density and length of your hair. The airflow does most of the work, while the ceramic plates come in at a lower than usual temperature, ensuring no damage. While you're limited when it comes to styling options – it wont curl or create waves – for anyone who simply wants a sleeker style in the mornings, it's quick, convenient and very clever. In these cases, you should expect to spend less, but be prepared to replace your hair straightener when the time comes. Hair straighteners equipped with tourmaline plates produce more negative than positive ions, which means less static.

To use this tool, you press the button on the inside of the smart styler, and it heats to 365 degrees. “This standard setting is the ‘sweet spot’ where the heat can break down the hair just enough to mold it into shape and fight frizz without burning it or causing damage,” says Henry. This Chi flat iron doesn’t have multiple temperature options, but it does have an under 30-second heat-up time and extra-long (over 10 feet) swivel cord that gives you extra reach while styling. Most importantly, it has gloriously smooth ceramic plates with beveled edges that make it a nimble tool for creating everything from pin-straight styles to polished curves at the ends of hair.

REVLON Salon Straightener Copper Smooth Flat Iron

Hair dyes, brushes, conditioners, shampoos, masks — been there, done that. Then there are curling irons, rollers, and finally, hair straighteners. If your hair is naturally curly or wavy, you probably dream of a sleek, perfectly straight hairstyle.

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If your hair is really thick, you’ll spend a longer amount of time styling it. We also like that it works with wet hair (which flat irons do not), but you’ll achieve a faster and better effect if you dry your locks first. Some straightening brushes just don’t cut it when it comes to curly & thick hair, but not this one. From full-on curls to gentle waves, with enough time, you can straighten just about anything. With a wide range of temperatures, a round shape which makes it a decent curling iron, and a powerful range of styling capabilities, this flat iron impressed us through and through.

This step softens the hair and breaks down the protein bonds which will help your hair to become perfectly straight. Once the solution is applied, plastic wrap is placed over the hair. The solution process will take from minutes depending on your hair type and condition. A strand test will be done to determine if the process is complete. Also known as permanent re-bonding and thermal reconditioning, Japanese thermal straightening is similar to a relaxer; it breaks down and reshapes the bonds in hair to permanently remove curl and frizz.

“Any time there’s friction, there’s tugging and snagging and fatiguing of the hair,” said Trefor Evans. It’s capable of turning even a super-curly mane into a perfectly sleek & straight hairstyle in 20 minutes. You can use it with both thick and fine hair, normal hair & damaged hair.

(Read my in-depth review of the Chi straightener here.) Below are the best hair straightener winners from my long-term testing. You can also scroll down to learn more about the other flat irons I tested. All flat irons straighten and curl hair about the same, but the GVP Ceramic Titanium Digital Flat Iron stands out because it heats up quickly and is well-constructed enough to style hair without causing snags or dents. The GVP also includes features that are usually found on higher-end models, like a real-time digital display and accurate temperature, at a midrange price. The Grammy winner, who launched her luxury line in February, added that she’s really proud of the quality of her products. And, seated in various salon chairs through the tutorial, she took fans through washing, conditioning and styling her locks.

8 of the Best Hair Straightening Products to Try Right Now

Table Of Content

• ghd Platinum+ Professional Performance Styler
• Dyson Corrale Hair Straightener
• Achieve smooth and sleek hair.
• Best for Curling Hair: Drybar The Tress Press Digital Styling Iron
• Straightener Type
• Best for Professional Styling: GHD Platinum+ Styler

Hair straightening products, such as some popular serums and creams out in the market, make use of silicones, polymers, ceramides, and glycerin for hair to coat the hair shaft. Other products also use keratin proteins to reinforce the keratin naturally found in hair. Some straightening products can even use botanically derived oils for a more natural take on hair straightening. The plates have two different shapes and that plays into how you can use the hair straightener. We don’t recommend using titanium plates for very damaged hair, however. While this hair straightener has a number of safety measures in place, it’s still not the best choice if your hair needs some gentle care.

ghd Platinum+ Professional Performance Styler

The plates are made out of ceramic & tourmaline and are perfect for fine hair. This means it offers some protection, but also a really quick & strong heat up. The high density of the comb makes it suited for even ultra-fine hair.

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Dyson Corrale Hair Straightener

You’ll get a velvet bag to store the flat iron in, a glove to keep you safe from heat, and even a travel-sized argan oil hair treatment, which is great for the health of your hair. And speaking of travel, this straightener is dual voltage, so you can still use it when you travel abroad. Without a regular weekly wipe down, build-up from heat protectants and other styling products can impact the amount of heat that is transferred from the plates to your hair, dulling the heat's strength. Even with a high temperature, you’ll need to do more passes to get the same result. Before cleaning, ensure the iron is turned off and has completely cooled down. Then dip a damp cloth into a bit of rubbing alcohol and carefully wipe down the plates to remove any debris.

Achieve smooth and sleek hair.

One of the first decisions to make before purchasing a hair straightener is choosing which material will work well for your hair type—specifically, which will get your hair straight and cause the least amount of damage. “Ceramic, tourmaline and titanium are all good options for flat irons,” says Henry. “Typically, ceramic irons do not get as hot as metal irons,” she says. Not all hair types require the highest temps and most-effective straightening. This is why it’s good to pick up a hair straightener that offers adjustable heat settings. Cheap irons may only offer one, and that’s good enough if you don’t plan to use them every day.

With practice, you can figure out the ideal temperature for your hair and how to best maneuver the tool to create the style you want, but it’s best to take things low and slow at first. Revamp's smart digital hair straightener contains the widest range of heat settings. Running from 85 degrees to 235, there's a perfect intensity for everyone – especially those with fine or damaged hair that needs a gentler touch. In general, try to look for a hair straightener that has multiple heat settings. Your hair may vary from day-to-day; various things such as dye jobs or even going too long without a trim may call for a gentler heat setting. We blame frizz and flyaways on bad weather and high humidity, but sometimes it starts with what tool we’re using — and Drybar just came to the rescue with their new innovation.

Straightener Type

Our journalists combine independent research with (occasionally) over-the-top testing so you can make quick and confident buying decisions. Whether it’s finding great products or discovering helpful advice, we’ll help you get it right (the first time). The buttons are color-coded and are located on the outside of the plates. This placement seems logical, but some brands put their buttons on the inside of the straightener, making it easier to accidentally burn a finger. Chiara (she/her) is a reviews analyst in the Beauty, Health and Sustainability Lab at the Good Housekeeping Institute, where she conducts hands-on testing of health and beauty products.

Best for Professional Styling: GHD Platinum+ Styler

Taylor also likes to dip a cotton swab into rubbing alcohol to really get into the iron’s edges and crevices. Ceramic material also slides through hair seamlessly without pulling on strands. Just be sure to watch how often you’re ironing the same section of hair, says Taylor, since these plates tend to heat up quickly and can disrupt your hair’s integrity when it lingers on hair or you’ve done one too many passes. This hair straightener did fall short for us with the temperature adjusting.

Dove Style+Care Smooth and Shine Heat Protection Spray

In general, it’s probably best not to go with the absolute cheapest option unless you have no choice. You’ll find that other than lacking some settings, these hair straighteners are simply prone to breaking down. However, if you only plan to use them occasionally, you may be satisfied with a cheap model. You can use a hairdryer to straighten wavy or frizzy hair if you use the right type of brush, such as a round brush. This method definitely offers a lot of freedom in terms of what you want your hairdo to look like. It does take a fair bit of work, however, and going from super curly to ultra-straight is really hard to do.

Material

However, straightening hair brushes exist now too, and there’s always the old “hairdryer and a round brush” method that works for many hairstyles. All of these factors affect the type of hair straightener you want to choose. Set your sights on a flatiron with ceramic plates, says Lacy Redway, Unilever stylist and celebrity hair artist. The floating plates are more versatile than the standard, static plates on many other irons—they compress just the right amount of hair to create smooth and straight styles or a subtle curve at my ends. This model’s beveled edges also allowed me to masterfully create waves or curls. One downside of this model is that while most of Chi’s other irons have an automatic shut-off, this one does not.

She said that she blow-dries her hair on medium heat using a Dyson Airwrap attachment, flat irons it and uses “an old-school pressing comb” to straighten her curly hair. Wide plates are ideal for those with curly, thick hair as they glide through larger sections, cutting down styling time. We’ve included ceramic-coated plates and a steam straightener in our edit, both of which will help to protect afro hair (4A-4C curl type). Ionic technology is the latest tech to keep hair looking sleek and smooth. And for creating those loose, beachy curls and waves, look for a plate that's wrapped in curved casing, as this will allow for a smooth shape without kinks.

The GVP Ceramic Titanium Digital Flat Iron’s temperature range is as wide as that of the competition, and its plates are big enough to grab a strand of hair without being too big to maneuver. It heats up as quickly and is about as light as the rest of the straighteners we tried, and the casing never snagged our hair. The 9-foot-long cord means you won’t have to lurk near a power outlet, and its auto-shutoff feature keeps your home and belongings safe. The casing is solid black, and the design is simple and straightforward, but it doesn’t look or feel cheap.

We tested the straighteners on three friends’ hair to see how they worked on different hair textures. For example, in the Lab, we take temperature readings of each iron's plate surface at its hottest setting, to measure how quickly it heats up and maintains its temperature. We also measure the outer surfaces of each iron to ensure that it doesn't get too hot to the touch.

This is a 2-in-1 that will answer most of your styling needs in just one product. While thick hair will take a long time to style, normal hair is very easy to manage. We’ve got you covered — and will help make sure this next step in your hair journey is a great one. In this guide, we will talk about the best hair straighteners & all the things you need to know about them. With Cabott's help, along with two other celebrity stylists, we tested 25 of the most popular hair straighteners currently available in search of the very best. I tested dozens of hair straighteners and found the top models to be from Chi and GHD.

At half a pound, it was among the lightest straighteners we tested (the lightest was Rusk’s Deepshine, at 0.44 pound). The Rusk W8less was one of the easiest flat irons to hold for long periods of time. Stylist Tippi Shorter has seen people with curly hair straighten their curls into oblivion, leaving behind permanently straight frizzy hair. “Once it has been straightened from too much heat, it’s hard to bring it back,” she said.

When we wanted to use it as a traditional iron, we just turned it off and used one of the six heat settings. The Rusk W8less has a manual dial that goes to 450 degrees Fahrenheit, the same max temperature as on the GVP. Besides the temperature dial and the on/off switch, there are no other buttons on this flat iron.