We just tried the best hair straighteners to suit every hair type and budget—these 13 tick all the boxes
Keep scrolling for super-sleek hair
After a decent hair dryer, a pair of the best hair straighteners was probably the second hair tool that you ever invested in. They're a vital part of your hair arsenal if you want to create sleek styles. These days, the best hair straighteners on the market smooth in seconds, while also being kind to hair.
Straighteners nowadays are also seriously smart—with temperature control, specialist plates, and flyaway-fighting technology. Don't underestimate how important choosing your next pair of straighteners is.
Gone are the days of ironing your hair with a singular heat setting (and seeing the toll it takes on your strands). As technology has come on, so too have the tools (2023's best hair dryers included). While there's no doubt that the best ghd straighteners are still leading the way when it comes to straightening, there's a huge amount of new technology out there, too.
Luckily, the Marie Claire team has different hair types, lengths and favourite hairstyles, making us great testers. When we test the best hair straighteners, we all have different preferences. But our testing process is based on the five key straightener specs below. Keep scrolling for the key things to look for when finding the best hair straightener for you.
What we look for when testing the best hair straighteners
The best hair straightener for you depends on your hair type, hair length, and desired results, which is why we've tested what feels like every straightener out there to give you the best of the best. There are a few important specs to look out for when it comes to finding the right fit for you, though.
Width
Depending on the length of your hair, the width of the straighteners matters. The wider plates (approximately 5cm) suit longer hair better, and the thinner plates (less than 5cm) will work better on shorter hair. The wider plates also suit thicker hair types.
Plates
Syd Hayes, session stylist and Babyliss ambassador had this to say about the importance of plates: "There's a huge difference in straighteners and generally, this comes down to the quality of the plates and the coating on them. I’m always looking for a smooth glide."
What the plates are made from is important. The words to look out for are:
- Ceramic - You typically find that the less expensive straighteners have ceramic plates. They take a bit of time to heat up, but it is evenly distributed.
- Metal - Metal plates are the ones that get hot within seconds and tend to cost a little more money.
- Ceramic-coated - These are metal plates, coated in ceramic. The plates heat up really quickly and the heat is more evenly distributed. These tend to be the most expensive.
Heat settings
If you have really fine or thin hair, the idea of adding high temperatures to it seems mad. This is why the best hair straighteners now have a variable temperature setting.
"Don't overheat your hair," warns Hayes. "Heat settings are so important as everyone has different hair types and textures. So one setting for one person can be the complete wrong setting for another. The heat helps flatten the hair cuticle to make it look shiny, however too much heat can destroy our hair."
Ionic technology
So many women use straighteners to help smooth flyaways and unwanted frizz. Unwanted frizz is caused by too much positive charge on the hair, so much like with the best hair dryers, ionic technology aids your tools in smoothing.
Cord length
This is an obvious one. You either prefer a really, really long cord which means you can style standing up, wherever. Or you like a shorter cord that packs away neatly.
Which straighteners are best for my hair type?
We spoke to the experts all about which straighteners to get depending on your hair type. Keep on scrolling to see which style is best for you.
- Fine hair - Fine hair won't need as much heat, so it might be worth looking for straighteners with multiple heat settings so that you can select lower options. Michele Antiga from Gielly Green likes the ghd Mini Styler if your hair is on the shorter side thanks to the small plates.
- Thick hair - If you have thicker hair, Antiga recommends looking for straighteners with wider plates, such as the ghd Max or the Cloud Nine Wide Iron Pro.
- Curly hair - Hayes recommends finding a straightener that has incredible plates with a smooth glide and a controllable heat setting so you don’t completely kill your hair, such as the BaByliss Super Styler.
Best hair straighteners in 2023:
1. Remington Ceramic Hair Straightener
Remington Ceramic Hair Straightener
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
Whether you're not one for straightening that often or you just don't want to spend that much, Remington has plenty of super-affordable, and really decent, options on the market like this one that's under £30. You still want to be able to rely on your styler, even if you're not dropping the big bucks. Titanium combined with ionic properties helps to smooth and reduces heat damage—it's a win win.
2. T3 Singlepass X Wide Flat Iron
T3 Singlepass X Wide Flat Iron
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
This styler straightens even the most set-in-place kinks and curls with its wide, powerful plates and its advanced digital heating system that maintains heat consistently throughout use, creating silky-smooth styles. It boasts a microchip brain (yes, really!) that monitors the heat for accurate styling, ensuring a long-lasting finish. It features the latest tourmaline ceramic technology, and the wider plates significantly reduce styling time. It's an investment worth making.
3. Cloud Nine The Touch Iron
Cloud Nine The Touch Iron
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
The beauty of these straighteners is that they heat up in a moment. And we really do mean a moment. Simply click the plates together and off you go. Instant Heat as they call it. The plates are also infused with Tourmaline and Sericite, which help to heal the hair by sealing the hair's cuticle and locking in moisture. Making these the best hair straighteners for an everyday straightener user.
Looking for hair tools with sustainability credentials? Cloud Nine is partnering with Clean Hub, an enterprise that takes non-recyclable plastics and turns them into alternative fuels. By becoming a more responsible company when it comes to waste, the brand is set to prevent 1000kg of plastic from entering the ocean - a vital step in saving our seas.
4. Babyliss 9000 High Performance Cordless Hair Straightener
Babyliss 9000 High Performance Cordless Hair Straightener
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
We knew we weren't going to have to wait too long for cordless straighteners that deliver the same results as a corded option. I mean it's a no-brainer, right? There are a fair few on the market now, which means we can cart some of the best straighteners around with us in our handbags without fear of finding a plug. Good hair on the go. These Babyliss beauties are our favourite cord-free styler because they speedily charge up in three hours and you have 30 minutes of styling time to play with.
5. Dyson Corrale
Dyson Corrale
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
Speaking of cordless straighteners, the Corrale needs a mention. Much like Dyson's revolutionary Supersonic hairdryer and curling Airwrap, the forward-thinking technology brand has turned an everyday product and sprinkled fairy dust onto it. The Corrale straighteners have flexible plates that are slightly bendy so when you draw them over your hair, they're able to gather your hair and heat every strand in one go. Because of this, you're able to able to straighten faster and with less heat and as a result with less damage. Yes, they're pricey, but they're worth it.
Shannon Lawlor, Executive Beauty Editor says: "As someone with poker-straight hair, I swear by the Corrale for long-lasting curls that take mere minutes to execute. If you have curly hair and like to wear your hair straight, you'll be gobsmacked at how easy this styler makes things. My biggest gripe? Besides the price, it's also worth noting the battery makes the Corrale quite heavy."
6. ghd Mini Styler
ghd Mini Styler
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
The thinner plates on this styler make it ideal for shorter crops and fringes. It utilises the same technology as the ghd Original tool, just on teeny floating plates, which are designed so that shorter strands are easier to get to so that you don't end up with hair sticking out at an odd angle.
7. ghd Platinum+
ghd Platinum+
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
The world's first 'smart straightener' is almost too good to be true. Predictive technology assesses every section of your hair for its size, thickness and speed and adjusts the power accordingly. So regardless of whether you have slight waves or corkscrew curls, this powerful tool will adapt to your hair type. They're also incredible at creating beachy waves and curvaceous curls. In fact, there are many, many, many how-to videos online showing you exactly how to do it.
Adam Reed, founder of Adam Reed London and Arkive Hair and GHD Ambassador, thinks that the Platinum+ is the best GHD straightener. "I use the GHD Platinum+, as I believe that it offers the best results and is respectful to the hair. Win, win. GHD tools have a heat setting of 185 degrees, the optimum styling temperature for hair, so there is no compromise to the condition of the hair or the hair's colour. The shine and finish of the hair are second to none. I would absolutely use this tool even if I did not work with GHD."
8. KEEO Genius Smart-Glide Straightener
KEEO Genius Smart-Glide Straightener
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
One of the root causes of damaged hair is heat (alongside colouring and brushing), so the idea of applying heat to strands with excessive breakage seems mad, but we're super impressed with KEEO's hair straightener offering - so much so, we wrote an entire review on the KEEO Genius Smart-Glide Straightener which you can read for yourself.
Grace Lindsay, Ecommerce Writer says: "This hair tool claims to be the 'world's kindest hair straightener', promising less tension, less heat and hairstyles that last all day. The plates almost look like a hair crimper, which alarmed me, however after reading up about them, it turns out they are actually pretty clever.
These contoured plates have been designed with a patented precision air gap, which means that the straighteners don't clamp your hair as much as other designs, resulting in less tension on the hair and also less heat pressed into your locks."
9. Remington PROluxe You Adaptive Hair Straighteners
Remington PROluxe You Adaptive Hair Straighteners
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
Fine hair is a little bit like damaged hair, you want to ensure you are protecting it at all costs because it's not as robust as thicker hair. Firstly, you need to ensure you're styling your hair when it's completely dry, as it's at its most vulnerable when wet. The next most important thing is ensuring you don't use too high of a heat. Remington's PROluxe You Adaptive Hair Straighteners learn and adapt to your hair type to personalise the heat levels to your specific needs.
These smart straighteners will read your hair's temperature more than 2500 times per styling session, so if your hair is finer in certain areas, it'll pick up on that too. While these straighteners are obviously perfect for fine hair, their adaptive technology makes them great for thicker and curlier hair types too - as they'll tailor the heat setting to their owner's specific needs. Obsessed.
10. L'Oréal Professionel Steampod 3
L'Oréal Professionel Steampod 3
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
If your hair is particularly brittle from over-styling or regular colouring, L'Oréal Professionnel's revolutionary straighteners that use steam to smooth strands are the best hair straighteners for dry hair. They cause 78% less damage than your typical heated plate straighteners, making them a great option for those with tightly curled and coiled hair.
11. ghd Max Hair Straightener
ghd Max Hair Straightener
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
With all of the iconic ghd technology and 70% wider plates, the ghd Max is the ideal styler for thick hair. It cuts down styling time by half (depending on hair length). The best thing about these is that they're just the same as the beloved Platinum+ - they have a rounded design, which means they can be used for sleek and straight looks or loose waves and curls. They're also pretty nifty on long and curly hair.
12. Revamp Progloss Touch Digital Ceramic Straightener ST-1000
Revamp Progloss Touch Digital Ceramic Straightener ST-1000
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
Those with curly hair know that your hair is constantly calling out for moisture. A happy curl is a hydrated curl. So when straightening curls, you don't want to forget about that key point. This is what makes these straighteners so perfect. The plates are infused with keratin, argan and coconut oils for the smoothest look possible. There are also 32 heat settings, so you're able to move between 80°C and 235°C to find the best heat to straighten your coils.
13. ghd Unplugged Cordless Styler
ghd Unplugged Cordless Styler
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
The thing that sets this styler apart from other cordless straighteners is its size. It's really small and nimble, which makes it perfect for travel. It can be charged up in a car, on your laptop or in the mains. And it's been approved safe for travelling with you in the cabin on a plane. With full power, you have 20 minutes of styling time. It really is like taking your favourite pair of ghd stylers wherever you go.
How to straighten your hair like a pro
In the past, ok in the 90s, when all we wanted was poker-straight hair, we used to grab our straighteners, clamp them over our strands, as firmly as possible, and drag them from root to tip, without a care or thought. Thankfully, those days are over, but there are still ways of improving our technique.
"A common mistake with straightening is going over the same piece of hair multiple times," warns Larry King - hairstylist extraordinaire and founder of Larry King Haircare. The trouble with this he says, "is one side of the hair straightens better and easier than the other. This causes irreversible heat damage and breakage usually on one side more than the other. Invest in good tools that maintain the condition of your hair too."
King also explains that to achieve the best results it's all about identifying your hair type, the look you're trying to achieve and finding the appropriate tool to suit. Once you know that you'll know to get the most from the settings on your straighteners. "There are multiple different ways to straighten thick vs thin & long vs short hair," he says. He recommends a high-intensity heat for thicker hair: "With thick hair, you want to aim to take the density out, but with finer hair you just need to gently take the curl out, so lower the temperature for thinner hair."
"If you want a straight, sleek look, while maintaining some volume, use a lower temperature. This will take out the curl but maintain the volume. If you wanted it sleeker and flatter, taking out the density, then you want a medium temperature, around 165°C - 185°C. If you go too hot on a straightener you find you then can’t change the look. So will struggle to add volume or curls later on."
If you like ironed-out styles, the best hair straighteners are absolutely essential to your beauty arsenal. Along with one of the best hair serums, the perfect pair of irons will make your hair super sleek in a matter of minutes.
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Katie Thomas is the Senior Beauty Editor at Marie Claire UK. With over 10 years of experience on women's luxury lifestyle titles, she covers everything from the best beauty looks from the red carpet and stand out trends from the catwalk, to colonic irrigation and to the best mascaras on the market. She started her career on fashion desks across the industry - from The Telegraph to Brides - but found her calling in the Tatler beauty department. From there she moved to Instyle, before joining the Marie Claire digital team in 2018. She’s made it her own personal mission to find the best concealer in the world to cover her tenacious dark circles. She’s obsessed with skincare that makes her skin bouncy and glowy, low-maintenance hair that doesn’t require brushing and a cracking good manicure. Oh and she wears more jewellery than the Queen.
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