While straightening hair requires patience and time, a good flat iron may expedite the process and produce sleek results without scorching your hair strands. I spent a year testing and reevaluating several variables, including maneuverability, performance, and temperature range, before deciding on the top six hair straighteners. Because of its superior straightening and smoothing capability, I deemed the T3 SinglePass StyleMax to be my best option overall.
Even the most unruly hair may be tamed with the greatest straighteners. The fundamental idea of a flat iron is still the same—two heated plates that clamp together to flatten, smooth, and shape hair—but modern models have many helpful extras and improved designs that make styling simpler, more efficient, and less harmful.
To prevent needless heat damage, for instance, there may be various temperature settings. To prevent any ‘Did I leave the straighteners on?’ moments when you leave the house, there may be an auto-off feature that activates after a certain amount of inactivity. For ultimate versatility, a few can even be used cordlessly, although you’ll have to spend more for that feature. Some are especially skilled at curling hair.
1.GHD Unplugged
GHD has been at the forefront of hair technology and trends since its original ceramic-plated hair straighteners were introduced in UK salons in 2001. GHD became the forerunners of the flat-iron styler trend, while many of us were still scorching our foreheads with steam-powered straighteners or even using clothing irons to get rid of curls and kinks.
After two decades and numerous conventional and limited-edition straighteners, GHD seemed to be straying from its most well-known goods. Lately, the company has been focusing on enhancing its selection of hair dryers, hot brushes, and curling tongs. That was before the GHD Unplugged was released, and it came out guns blazing.
The GHD Unplugged, as its name implies, is a portable styler that is the first in the whole GHD line—past and present—to operate solely on battery power. It is the most recent of six flat irons in the GHD family; the others are the GHD Original IV from 2007; the GHD Platinum Plus from 2018; the just re-released 2021 GHD Max; and the GHD Mini and GHD Gold from 2011. In addition, it is the priciest and smallest in the group.
The Unplugged is made to fit neatly into a handbag, providing a quick and easy solution to smooth hair in the event of a sudden downpour or to change up your look from day to night in the event of an unexpected date or night out after work. This compact design, as well as its flight-friendly battery and the fact it charges via standard USB-C, also lend itself very well to weekends away or overseas travel.
Because they are meant to be portable, most cordless straighteners are made to be lightweight and compact enough to fit into a purse. GHD Unplugged goes a bit farther than this. At 8.7 inches (22 cm) in length and 10.5 oz (300 g), it is remarkably small—much smaller than even the photographs would indicate.
Although we initially believed that the cordless straighteners’ small size would make them difficult to use or complicated, GHD seems to have struck a careful balance by making them both large enough to use and small enough to fit in a handbag or similar container.
Pros
Fantastic portability
Versatile styling options
Cons
Lower than average run time
2.Hot Tools Pro Signature Digital Straightener
In terms of hair care products, Hot Tools is a relative newbie, having debuted in the US about 30 years ago and expanding to the UK and Europe in the middle of 2021. Similar to GHD, the brand was first targeted at salons but has subsequently moved into the consumer market, offering a variety of hair care products such as hair dryers, hair straighteners, and substitutes for Dyson Airwrap.
The Hot Tools Pro Signature Digital Straightener has 2.5cm / 1-inch titanium plates. In the US, it is referred to as the Hot Tools Titanium 1 inch Digital Salon Flat Iron (this model does not contain gold-coated plates). Titanium plates heat hair from the outside in, as opposed to ceramic plates, which heat hair strands from the inside out using infrared technology. Thus, even though this straightener is lighter and more affordable than stylers with ceramic plates, it leaves the hair more vulnerable to heat damage. To guard against this, the use of a heat protection spray is a must with this model.
Hot Tools claims that the gold plating improves the straightener’s appearance. In order to produce consistent results, Hot Tools says that the hair styler’s “pulse technology” maintains the temperature of the plates throughout the styling process.
In our test, we discovered that the hair straightener was straightforward to work with and that it flowed through hair with ease. It was also lightweight enough to be handled with ease whether straightening or curling hair. Some features present on other units on the market, like a lock to hold plates together for simple storage, are absent from this model. However, we believe the Pro Signature Digital Straightener is worthwhile, particularly if money is tight, given the comparatively low cost.
Pros
Offers wide temperature range
Plates glided through hair easily
Cons
No audible alerts
3.Dyson Corrale
With the release of its Supersonic hair dryer in 2016, Dyson surprised the beauty industry and since then, the British company has become a market leader. The company currently offers five different versions of its Airwrap styling tool, two models of the Supersonic—one of the best hair dryers we’ve tested—as well as the Dyson Corrale, which is its first flat-iron-style straightener.
The term “flexing plates,” which the hair straighteners receive their name from, refers to the mechanism by which hair strands are gathered together. These plates have little flexing panels that distribute pressure evenly across the hair segment.
The Corrale’s sensors control the heat of these plates up to 100 times per second, which enables the straighteners to keep their temperature steady. According to Dyson, these features cut the amount of heat required to straighten hair in half and lessen the damage that heat styling does to hair. An audacious assertion.
A magnetic charger, a heat mat that doubles as a carry case, three temperature settings (165, 185, and 210 degrees), a cord-free design, a flight-safe mode, a safety latch that keeps the Corrale’s plates closed and out of harm’s way, and a 4.3-meter cable are among the other features. Everything for the astounding—though predictable—dyson.
Two cutting-edge innovations that Dyson is well known for are the effectiveness of its batteries and the efficiency of its motors, which are present in all of its fans, dryers, and vacuums. The former gives both the Supersonic and Airwrap a competitive advantage, and the cordless Corrale wants to differentiate itself by utilizing the latter.
The Corrale is extremely adaptable due to its cordless design and four-cell Lithium ion battery power source. It will definitely become a definite favorite at festivals and on getaway weekends once we’re permitted to leave our houses once more. Not simply in terms of where you may use it inside or outside the house, it’s a game-changer. The cordless straighteners allow you to easily maneuver them around your head and style your hair with few limitations.
Pros
High performance and protection
Fast styling speeds
Cons
Heavy and unattractive
4.Panasonic EH-HS99
With over 80 years of experience in the hair care industry, Panasonic has a wide range of hair styling appliances that rival those of more recent entrants like GHD and Dyson. Panasonic’s mid-range hair care appliances, which are more reasonably priced than those of its rivals and include hair dryers and straighteners, strike the ideal mix of price and technology to allow you to style your hair however you choose while keeping it in good condition.
Using “nanoe” technology, the Panasonic EH-HS99 straighteners absorb moisture from the air and use it to charge ions that are applied to the hair to reduce frizz and add shine. The Panasonic EH-NA65 hair dryer, which similarly has the matte black and rose gold finish, is similar to the hair straighteners in that similar shine-boosting technology.
The hair straighteners have two ceramic plates that are 1. inch / 2.5 cm wide and 3.75 inches / 9.5 cm long. They heat up quickly, making it easy to instantly straighten a whole head of hair. Because of the tapered head, you may start straightening or curling your hair almost all the way to the root, and the variety of heat settings allow you to style all hair types, even fine hair, which is more sensitive to heat damage and needs lower temperatures.
Though they weigh only 9.9 oz / 280g, which is reasonably lightweight, the Panasonic EH-HS99 feel a touch bulkier than other hair straighteners on the market. Their measurements are 15.5 x 6 x 8.5 inches / 39.4 x 15.3 x 21.6cm (h x w x d). The matte black finish with rose gold accents doesn’t look as premium as some pairs we’ve tested, and when the plates of the hair straighteners are pressed together, they make a hollow clattering sound.
This variant has two ceramic plates that are one inch (2.5 cm) wide and three quarters of an inch (9.5 cm) long. There are five temperature settings on the hair styling tool: 302ºF / 150ºC to 446ºF / 230ºC. The temperature increase and decrease buttons are situated above the power button, which is situated on the inside edge of the hair straighteners on the right paddle.
The desired temperature is shown by five LEDs that flash yellow as the hair straighteners heat up and turn solid once the temperature is attained. The LEDs are located across from these controls. When the straighteners are turned on, the solid blue LED above it lights up. Nevertheless, there is no audible signal on this equipment to let you know when it has achieved temperature.
Pros
Quick to heat up
Leaves hair shiny
Cons
Bulkier than many hair straighteners
5.Revlon Pro Collection Salon Straight Copper Smooth Extra Long
After its 1931 debut, Revlon has a lengthy history in the beauty industry and is best recognized for its skincare and cosmetics lines. To compete with Dyson’s Airwrap in providing an all-in-one tool for drying and styling hair, Revlon also provides a wide selection of hair-care appliances, such as hair dryers and air stylers.
The top-of-the-line hair straightener from Revlon, the Pro Collection Salon Straight Copper Smooth Extra Long Styler, has ceramic plates that are longer than usual, making it easier to style hair across the back of your head. In the US, it is referred to as the Revlon Salon Straight Copper Smooth 1 inch Flat Iron, and it has a temperature range of 90 C / 195 F to 235 C455 F and it will even store the last-used temperature in its memory so you don’t have to constantly adjust the styler.
The lengthier plates produce a sleek, nearly metallic hair care tool that is long and thin. In comparison to some of the stylers we tried, these straighteners have a more upscale appearance and feel thanks to subtle yet fashionable features like an LCD panel and chrome accents. A lock also makes sure that the plates stay clamped together while the straighteners are being stored.
The Revlon Pro Collection Salon Straight Copper Smooth Extra Long Styler heated up incredibly quickly during our test; it took only 32 seconds to reach its maximum temperature. If the lowest temperature was chosen, this decreased to a mere 27 seconds. The LCD monitor allows you to view the temperature; when the hair straighteners heat up, it flashes before turning solid.
It was not too difficult to straighten and curl shoulder-length fine hair with the styler. The hair straighteners’ squared-off tip prevented us from getting as near to the roots as we would have wanted, but the plates still went through hair with ease. But because the styler was longer, it was much easier to reach the back of our heads, and a single pass was enough to get a smooth piece of hair.
Pros
Offers wide temperature range
Cons
Shorter than usual cable
How we test hair straighteners
We evaluate hair straighteners based on how quickly they heat up, how well they smooth tresses, and how shiny and frizz-free our hair comes out after using them.
We also used the flat irons to gently wave our hair while observing how simple it was to control and how well-balanced and comfortable it was to use. We also took into account the length of the connection, the variety of temperature settings available, and practical features like auto shut-off capabilities, latches to keep the plates together while storing, and, in the case of cordless solutions, the battery’s lifespan and recharge time.