Once you power on your straightener, prep your hair while it heats up. Miranda says to section out your hair with a fine-tooth comb since it makes the whole process a lot easier. Straighten section by section, holding the hair taut so you get an even press that requires fewer passes. Miranda suggests finishing things off with a bit of hair spray (like this John Frieda Frizz Ease Firm Hold Hairspray) for flyaways and a little oil for the ends to seal the straightening (like this No. 7 Bonding Oil from Olaplex). A parting word? Morales says, “It is important to mention that [although] I like flat iron a lot, they [should be] used with caution and not every day” to avoid harming your hair.
With that, you’re ready to shop for the best straighteners and flat irons around. Whether you’re on a budget or can shell out the big bucks to invest in a high-quality gadget, we’ve rounded up the most cart-worthy picks ahead. Oh, and we divided our picks into sections—yep, just like your hair.
Our Top Hair Straightener Picks:
- Best Overall Hair Straightener: Remington S5500 1″ Anti-Static Flat Iron
- Best Budget Hair Straightener: KIPOZI Professional Styling Sense Anti Frizz Straightener
- Best Luxury Hair Straightener: Dyson Corrale
- Best Hair Straightener for Thick Frizzy Hair: MHU Professional Keratin Ion
- Most Popular Hair Straightener: HSI Professional Glider
Best Overall Hair Straightener
Want a tried-and-true straightener that won’t break the bank? Look no further. The Remington has over 27,000 five-star reviews on Amazon and is universally loved for its surprising power, sleek results, and quick heat settings. In addition to straightening like a pro, the tool’s curved edges allow for curling and waving for effortless-looking results.
Best Hair Straightener Under $50
If you aren’t sure which temperature is right for your curls, this hair straightener offers three options: “fragile,” “damaged,” and “healthy,” which range between 170 and 320ºF. If you have fragile curls and are afraid of causing unwanted damage, this is a safe bet.
Best Hair Straightener Under $100
When it comes to styling tools, you can’t go wrong with Chi — especially if you have fine-textured waves or curls that seem to attract static and frizz. With its ceramic plates that let you adjust for pressure and a turbo-heat setting of 392ºF, it lets you straighten, wave, or curl your hair with ease. Plus, Chi’s are known to last forever.
Best Hair Straightener Under $200
Morales loves the BaBylissPRO for precision styling and getting close to the scalp. She says it’s great for “frizz taming and super sleek results on top.” If you’re ever looking in the mirror and see a not-so-subtle halo of static hair around your head, this expert-backed pick will be right up your alley.
Best Hair Straightener with Ceramic Plates
Yes, the price tag is serious on this one, but this is no ordinary straightener. What GHD does so well is its innovative “predictive technology,” in which the floating ceramic plates actually recognize your hair thickness and how fast you’re styling and adjust accordingly, keeping the heat evenly distributed and your strands looking sleek. It’s also a quick-heat tool (we’re talking 20 seconds, flat!) that’s fixed at 356ºF, which the brand says is the optimal setting for styling.
Best Hair Straightener with Titanium Plates
Morales recommends the Izutech whether you’re straightening or curling your hair. She loves the versatile tool for its quick heating ability and the fact that it cranks up to 450ºF, making it ideal for all textures of hair. She notes that “the titanium plates conduct heat more evenly than any other types of plates, which is great for achieving even results from roots to the ends of your hair.”
Best Hair Straightener for Thick Frizzy Hair
If you have densely-packed curls, this under $50 flat iron should be on your radar. With the ideal 285–345ºF range for your hair type, its floating plates will smooth without snagging. Plus, the MHU heats up in just 30 seconds so you’ll be out the door in no time. And hello, auto shut-off after 60 minutes.
Most Versatile Hair Straightener
If you have hair that’s somewhere in the middle (not straight but not curly; not fine but not thick), then you’ll love this 3-In-One tool from Kristin Ess. It’s a multi-use tool that can deliver all sorts of results, including pin-straight hair, s-shaped waves, or flat iron barrel curls. It has titanium plates with four impressive heat settings (the highest reaches 440ºF) to work across all kinds of hair textures.
Best Hair Straightener for Travel
If you’re planning any trips in the near future, this will be a welcome companion. Small but mighty, the FARI comes in a sturdy travel bag that makes it easy to throw into your carry-on and has a maximum heat of 400ºF. So long, frantic searches for the local beauty store — just remember to bring an adapter!
Hairstylist Fave
Miranda’s fave hair straightener? The Elchim Nature’s Touch Flat Iron. She loves that “you can really control the temperature and it also leaves a silky shiny finish on all hair types!” Take note!
Best Smart Hair Straightener
Are you the resident gadget queen in your friend group? Do you want a little robot helping you achieve the sleekest strands of your life? If so, put the T3 Lucea on your holiday wishlist immediately. It’s a truly unique iron, with nine heat settings that can automatically adjust to your unique “profile,” which you set when you first use the tool. The settings are based on hair texture, length, color treatments, and how hot you want the iron to get. Another pro? The T3 Lucea has a “refresh mode” for second-day retouching that’s set at a lower temperature to minimize damage.
Best Luxury Hair Straightener
You may be familiar with the Dyson Airwrap — it went viral on TikTok thanks to its ability to add volume and bouncy curls to all hair types. But we’re letting you in on a little secret, the brand’s latest flat iron can also create beautiful curls — we’ve tested it out ourselves! It’s also cord-free and minimizes hair breakage up to 50%. Who wouldn’t want that?!
Best Budget Hair Straightener
This flat iron is a best seller on Amazon and has over 57,000 five-star ratings. It’s designed with high-quality ceramic plates that feature tourmaline crystal ions that help create a shinier and silky finish. The one-inch plate is also great for straightening bangs and targeting hard-to-reach areas at the back of the head.
Best Hair Straightener for Curly Hair
This iron has adjustable temperature settings from 140 to 450ºF — talk about heat! It’s also suitable for all hair types and features a unique combo of ceramic and tourmaline plates with nano hi-tech, helping to create beautiful silk presses and voluminous curls.
Best Hair Straightener on Sale
This Amazon Choice flat iron is crafted with a unique pulse technology that warms up the plates quickly and keeps them hot. You’ll also find an easy-to-read digital LCD screen that will show you 27 different heat settings. It has a nine-foot swivel cord and a rotating temperature dial at the end to make it easy to control the heat while styling. It’s also on sale for just $64! Run, don’t walk to catch this deal.
Best Hair Straightener for Shiny Hair
Okay, so this pick was love at first sight for us because just look at the color! But besides the light rosy hue, it also works wonders at creating sleek straight hairstyles. Its infrared heat technology helps to create the shine, while the floating plates work to get as close to the strands as possible, according to the brand.