The Best Hair Straightener Reviews by Wirecutter

Table Of Content

• Best Hair Straighteners in 2024, Reviewed by Allure Editors
• Best Customizable: T3 Smooth ID Flatiron
• The ceramic hair straightener: Pros and cons
• Looks you can create with a simple hair straightener
• The best, worst and weirdest of Stagecoach Day 1 with Eric Church, Jelly Roll and more
• Hot Tools Radiant Blue Digital Flat Iron
• Meet the experts

It heats up in just over 60 seconds to a single heat setting of 380 degrees, which is hot enough to shape hair into super straight strands or perfectly imperfect flatiron waves. After decades of use, in 2022, a study in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute found a positive correlation between use of chemical hair straighteners and diagnoses of uterine cancer. People who used hair relaxers more than four times a year were more than twice as likely to develop uterine cancer as people who never used chemical straighteners. In 2023, a 25-year study was released that supported the connection between the use of chemical hair relaxers and uterine cancer. Winter is a great time to explore heat styles, be they flat-ironed looks or voluminous blowouts. Accordingly, you’re probably on the lookout for the next best hair straightener to take yours to the next level.

The 11 Best Flat Irons for Thick Hair - Who What Wear

The 11 Best Flat Irons for Thick Hair.

Posted: Fri, 29 Mar 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Best Hair Straighteners in 2024, Reviewed by Allure Editors

Wider plates are bulkier and increase the chances of accidentally clamping the same sections of hair multiple times, and the chance of warping, such that the plates don’t meet evenly across the whole surface. Plus, they’re not great for people with curly or textured hair, who need to focus on small sections of hair at a time, or people with short hair. Likewise, we aimed for straighteners with plates on the long side, but not so long the straightener wouldn’t be maneuverable. This tool was best for creating smooth, sleek styles, which it executed in just one to two passes.

Best Customizable: T3 Smooth ID Flatiron

Chemical hair relaxers contain ingredients that are known to be endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs). This can lead to a number of health risks, including reproductive cancers. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we love. For every hair type, budget, and preference (yeah, I really did that for you).

The ceramic hair straightener: Pros and cons

Improper use, like using a temperature too high for your hair type, can cause damage, according to our experts. “Hair is a fabric and, like any material, heat can deteriorate and break down the hair structure,” says Hill. The cuticle — the outer layer of a hair strand — can very easily become damaged by heat over 356 degrees Fahrenheit, experts told us. Damaging that cuticle layer will make your hair more porous, which means it will struggle to hold on to moisture, causing dryness and breakage. Jones-Muñoz calls this flat iron a “workhorse” and says he likes using it at his salon because of  its thick, durable plates.

The one negative I found with the SinglePass StyleMax, however, is that inputting your hair type or manually selecting a heat setting isn’t immediately intuitive and requires a small learning curve. The Chi Original Ceramic Hairstyling Iron is my top value pick because of its no-nonsense performance, versatility and ability to create sleek, silky hair with fewer passes. (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.

Looks you can create with a simple hair straightener

The benefit of cordless straighteners is that you don’t have to be bound by proximity to an outlet or a cumbersome cord that gets in the way while styling. But typically, the drawback to cordless flat irons is that they have limited usage time on one charge (for instance, the GHD version has only 20 minutes and the Dyson Corrale has 30 minutes). The Lunata Cordless Styler Pro is the exception, providing up to 60 minutes of styling time on one charge—and it can be used while charging, unlike the GHD. I have long hair that can take extra time to smooth, and I sometimes apply makeup in between styling my hair, so I appreciate the extended charge and not having to rush. The unique shape of the rounded-edge barrel allowed me to create straight styles, loose waves or curls easily, without creases. Other nice-to-have features include a 360-degree swivel cord and universal voltage to allow for international use.

The best, worst and weirdest of Stagecoach Day 1 with Eric Church, Jelly Roll and more

“Ceramic irons take longer to heat up and they heat the hair from the inside, [while] titanium heats up immediately and heats the hair on the surface,” explains Parker. “Straightening hair from the inside is better than heating the hair shaft.” According to her, which option you should choose is based on your hair type and desired look. “If your hair is soft, smooth, and easy to flat iron, use ceramic, but if you have more stubborn, coarse hair, use titanium.” Essentially, titanium plates will heat faster and require fewer passes to achieve that pin-straight look. The best hair straightener will depend on your hair's thickness, texture, length, and condition.

Titanium is a strong, durable metal best suited for professional salon use on coarse thick, curly and coily hair. These plates typically heat up the quickest and more evenly distribute heat compared to ceramic plates, which allows for fewer passes over the hair, a smoother finish and better results than a ceramic iron, says Foster. However, titanium can cause the most damage to your hair, so you should avoid these if you have fine or damaged hair, according to Hill. If you want a flat iron that will last you a long time, consider this option, which comes recommended by NBC Select editor Lindsay Schneider. “I’ve been straightening my hair since I was 10 and have only ever used two straighteners, including this one that I’ve owned for five years now,” she says.

Meet the experts

We’re testing our current picks against a new group of hair straighteners. We’re testing flat irons from BaBylissPro, GHD, and Paul Mitchell, mini flat irons from Amika and BaBylissPro, and straightening brushes from Amika, Dafni, and Tymo, as well as hot combs from Andis and Gold N Hot. We’re also considering low- and no-heat straightening tools, such as Annie’s Classic Foam Rollers, Caruso’s Molecular Steam Hairsetter, and Remington’s Condition Hair Setter.

And it still works quickly, with only one to two passes needed per section. I use this straightener when I want pin-straight, smooth hair; I reach for it a couple of times a month. Its extra-long swivel cord and overall compact size make it easy to straighten hair in hard-to-reach places like the crown of my head or at the nape of my neck. I’ve also noticed how many hairstylists I’ve seen opt to use Chi models, specifically this one.

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. When I began working on the Best Hair Straighteners story, I sought out expert advice from Henry and Erin Bryant, master stylist and creative director of Whip Salon. I then tested 14 popular hair straighteners to separate the wheat from the chaff, or in this case, the must-haves from the mehs and just-oks. The Chi Original Ceramic Hairstyling Iron received top marks for its smoothing and straightening power and speed despite having a comparatively lower price tag than other high-performing models. Out of 14 extensively tested hair straighteners, this no-nonsense Chi model proved to be a standout for its ability to completely transform hair from coily and frizzy to silky and polished—fast. Specifically, it’s a winner because of its all-purpose plate size, even heat and frizz-fighting capabilities.

I assessed how many passes each flat iron required to make my hair straight, smooth, shiny and free of frizz. I also checked how long the effects lasted, looking for frizz after 6 and 12 hours. Over a year later and this Chi straightener remains a powerful, easy-to-maneuver workhorse. The single heat setting easily reshapes my hair from unkempt to sleek and silky.

We spoke with Trefor Evans, the director of research at TRI Princeton, a hair testing and consulting firm; cosmetic chemist Perry Romanowski; and stylist Tippi Shorter, Aveda’s global artistic director for textured hair. We read research papers on heat damage, blog posts about hair destroyed by hair straighteners, plus hundreds of customer reviews of various flat irons. You’re putting your hair in between two super-hot plates, and if it’s not a good iron, you’re likely going over and over the same piece of hair to flatten it. This can all lead to dryness, split ends, dullness (especially if your hair is color-treated), flyaways, and hair breakage. Hair tools take up significant space in your bathroom, so when it comes to flat irons it’s helpful to have one that’s hardworking and can multitask.

I also checked how long the effects lasted, looking for any signs of uneven waviness or frizz after both six and 12 hours. “Tourmaline plates are a step above the ceramic plates when hair type and texture are medium with loose waves and nominal frizz,” says Hill. Tourmaline provides a barrier to excessive heat and, as with most modern heating tools, you can adjust the temperature settings to fit the majority of hair types and textures.

“Any time there’s friction, there’s tugging and snagging and fatiguing of the hair,” said Trefor Evans. For this piece, I tapped experts like Nicole Henry, senior colorist at Warren Tricomi Salon, and Erin Bryant, master stylist and creative director of Whip Salon for what to look for in a hair straightener. “You’re going to want to find one that sets itself apart with features that will make your life easier,” says Bryant. “Maybe you’ll look for one that heats up quickly or is durable, but my favorite flat iron feature has to be a tool that has ceramic-coated plates.

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. 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. Ceramic flat irons are excellent at straightening, smoothing, and adding shine at lower temps—but they can also take longer to heat up.