9 Best Hair Straighteners and Flatirons, According to Our Testers
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The word flatiron alone may bring back memories of fried, damaged hair, snagged strands, and burned ears, but today’s best hair straighteners get the job done. In fact, they often go above and beyond—some operate on air alone, while others can double as a hair dryer or curling iron.
I've been straightening my very long, wavy hair with a flatiron for more years than I'd like to admit (more than 20!), and I've seen it all. From the wide-plated clamp that more closely resembled a clothing iron that I used in my teens to the ceramic smart options available today, there's no doubt in my mind the newest hair straighteners work better than ever.
To help you find a high-quality hair straightener that’ll deliver sleek, shiny strands, we tapped hair stylists to find out what matters when shopping for the hair tool. We also tapped our expert editorial team—a group with different hair types and concerns—to find out what flatirons they use and love. Then we put more than a dozen to the test on both long and short hair, evaluating each for ease of use, heat setting features, and overall performance.
The best hair straighteners, at a glance
- Best Overall: Amika The Confidante, $150
- Best Value: Conair Double Ceramic Flat Iron, $20
- Best for Curly Hair: T3 SinglePass StyleMax Flat Iron, $150
- Best for Thick Hair: GHD Platinum+ Styler, $202
- Best for Fine Hair: Dyson Airstrait, $499
- Best for Frizzy Hair: CHI Original 1-Inch Ceramic Hairstyling Iron, $70
- Best for Coarse Hair: Hot Tools Pro Artist Flat Iron, $76
- Best for Curling Hair: Drybar The Tress Press Digital Styling Iron, $169
- Best Portable: BaBylissPRO Nano Titanium Mini Flat Iron Hair Straightener, $35
FAQs
Best Overall: Amika The Confidante
- What we love: Easy-to-read digital display; high-temperature settings; curved edges allow for curling
- What could improve: Hair occasionally snags
- Plate material: Ceramic
- Size: 1 inch
- Temperature: Adjustable up to 450°F
- Auto-shutoff: 60 minutes
- Cord: 9 feet
This hair straightener has floating plates that adjust to tension, so hair—even the curliest types—glides exceptionally well through the styling tool. We also like the easy-to-read digital display, which allows you to see which temperature you’re working with, up to an impressive 450°F, which is ideal for coils.
“I’ve been using this hair straightener for years,” says Glamour contributor Brigitt Earley, who was first attracted to it because of it’s dual-voltage when she was traveling. “I have very thick and wavy long hair, but I have no trouble with this straightening iron. In fact, most times, my hair goes pin-straight in a single pass.” She also notes that it also does a great job of curling hair, thanks to the rounded edges, making it highly versatile.
Best for Frizzy Hair: CHI Original 1-Inch Ceramic Hairstyling Iron
CHI Original 1-Inch Ceramic Hairstyling Iron
- What we love: Fast-heating; long cord, customizable temperature
- What could improve: Doesn’t get as hot as some others
- Plate material: Ceramic
- Plate size: 1 inch
- Temperature: 392°F
- Auto-shutoff: 60 minutes
- Cord: 11 feet
The CHI Original 1-Inch Ceramic Hairstyling Iron is an enduring classic that retails for well under $100, making it one of the best overall values on our list. It’s a perennial bestseller because of how functional it is, too. The powerful hot tool heats up in just one minute, has an 11-foot charging cord (longer than many of its competitors), and has an adjustable temperature up to 392°F—hot enough for those with wavy or curly hair.
“My hair is so frizzy that even after a blowout, it tends to be unruly by day two,” says Macaela MacKenzie, a Glamour contributor who put this straightener to the test. “I used the Chi on second-day hair and was impressed—my hair was smoother without falling flat, and my ends felt silky and full.”
Best for Curly Hair: T3 SinglePass StyleMax Flat Iron
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- What we love: Smart temperature selection; very smooth 1-inch plates; straightens in a single pass
- What could improve: Shorter power cord
- Plate material: Ceramic
- Plate size: 1 inch
- Temperature: Nine settings up to 410°F
- Auto-shutoff: 60 minutes
- Cord: 7.9 feet
When you straighten your hair, you want the process to be as straightforward as possible and the result as sleek as possible. Of course, you also want to minimize any damage to your strands. T3’s Single Pass StyleMax delivers on all fronts, thanks to a unique technology that customizes the styling process for you—no fiddling with different temperatures. You simply select your hair texture and styling goals via buttons on the flatiron, then get to work—the iron will heat to one of nine temperatures selected for you.
“This is one of the better hair straighteners I’ve tried, and believe me, there have been dozens,” says Earley. “I had a little trouble with the settings at first, but never looked back once I figured it out. The plates glide so effortlessly over my hair, whether I’m straightening or using the tool to add loose curls. Best of all, it almost always gets the job done in one pass.”
Best Value: Conair Double Ceramic Flat Iron
- What we love: Budget-friendly; heats up to 410°F; lightweight
- What could improve: Short cord; no automatic shut-off
- Plate material: Ceramic
- Size: 1 inch
- Temperature: Five settings up to 410°F
- Auto-shutoff: No
- Cord: 5 feet
It’s hard to believe you can score a straightener for just $25, let alone a good one, but Conair proves it's possible with their double ceramic flat iron. It’s ultra-lightweight, has ceramic plates, and heats up to 410°F, so it’s suitable for all hair types. Heat settings aren’t quite as vast as some other more sophisticated models, but you can still select from five different options.
Our testers were impressed, especially given the price point. “I have thick, wavy hair, and this flat iron leaves my hair surprisingly smooth and frizz-free,” said one tester. “Sometimes I need more than one pass, but overall this tool offers one of the best values around. I just wish the cord was a bit longer and that it had an automatic shut-off feature.”
Best for Thick Hair: GHD Platinum+ Styler
- What we love: Fast-heating; easy to use; predictive technology; faster auto-shutoff
- What could improve: Can’t adjust the temperature to your liking
- Plate material: Ceramic
- Plate size: 1 inch
- Temperature: One setting (365°F)
- Auto-shutoff: 30 minutes
- Cord: 8.8 feet
There’s a lot to love about this sleek styling tool, which won a Glamour Beauty Award. Glamour digital director Perrie Samotin raves about its ability to clamp sections of her thick, frizzy hair without getting any of it caught: “Plus, there’s no temperature to choose from,” she says, explaining that this helps eliminate any guesswork that could lead to heat damage and breakage if you go too hot. “It’s a ‘smart iron,’ meaning it uses predictive technology to recognize the thickness of your hair and the speed at which you’re styling and adjusts its power accordingly, with an optimum temperature of 365°F.”
In tests, we found GHD’s Platinum+ Styler heated quicker than others, plus offers a satisfying ping to alert you that it’s ready to use. We also appreciate the 30-minute auto-shutoff, which is half that of some other products we evaluated—a nice safety feature.
Best for Fine Hair: Dyson Airstrait
- What we love: Less heat and hair damage; wide range of styling settings and modes (wet, dry, rough-dry, smoothing boost); LCD screen; intelligent airflow temperature control
- What could improve: Slower process than traditional flatirons
- Plate material: N/A
- Size: 1.6 inches
- Temperature: Three preset settings in wet mode (175°F, 230°F, 285°F); two preset temperatures in dry mode (250°F or 285°F)
- Auto-shutoff: Auto-pause after three seconds of inactivity; standby mode after 5 minutes
- Cord: 9.6 feet
The Glamour commerce team put the buzzy Dyson Airstrait to the test and were blown away (pun intended). The Aistrait can act as a flatiron and a dryer at the same time, and instead of pressing your hair between hot plates, it dries it with hot air (using the same technology as our favorite Dyson Airwrap)—way less damaging than your standard straightener.
And yes, our testers—even those with tight curls—say it really does work to deliver straight hair. “Since my curls are on the tighter side, it’s crucial that my roots dry first, so I was happy to learn about the rough-dry option, where I lock it in place and let the air do its thing,” says Glamour contributor Andrea Navarro. “After about 10 minutes, the first section of my hair was super straight, and I was shocked. I expected it to be straight, but not that straight."
Best for Coarse Hair: Hot Tools Pro Artist Flat Iron
- What we love: LED temperature display; travel lock; tone lets you know when device reaches desired temperature; high heat
- What could improve: May feel too hot for some
- Plate material: Ceramic and titanium
- Size: 1 inch; 1.25 inches
- Temperature: Adjustable up to 455°F
- Auto-shutoff: 60 minutes
- Cord: 9 feet
We like this moderately priced Hot Tools iron for how quickly it heats up and its easy-to-read LED display with adjustable temps up to a whopping 455°F. It’s a great pick for anyone who has hair that’s trickier to style, whether it’s super coarse or curly.
Earley likes this straightener for how smoothly it glides across her hair. “I have thick, wavy hair, but these ceramic and titanium plates don’t miss a beat,” she says. “I also love the slightly rounded edges, since I use my straightener to give my hair a long, loose curl. This helps keep things nice and smooth even as I twist my wrist."
Best for Curling Hair: Drybar The Tress Press Digital Styling Iron
- What we love: Heats quickly; frizz-reducing ionic and infrared tech; digital temperature control; good for creating curls and waves
- What could improve: Some users say it’s not as durable as some others; outside of tool can get hot
- Plate material: Titanium
- Plate size: 1 inch or 1.25 inches
- Temperature: Adjustable up to 450°F
- Auto shut-off: 60 minutes
- Cord: 9 feet
If it’s a two-in-one straightener and curling iron hybrid you’re looking for, consider the top-selling Drybar styler—a favorite of more than one Glamour editor. “I’m mostly inept at curling hair, let alone at using a flatiron to do anything other than run it over my already flat-as-a-board hair,” Glamour contributor Lindsay Schallon says. “But Drybar’s iron makes it easy, since it has rounded edges that mimics a curling wand," she says. "It’s also super lightweight, which makes it easier to wield.” Glamour commerce director Brie Shwartz has owned this Drybar flatiron for two years and is a fan of how it gets her 3C curls straight. “My wand has stayed in great shape (still gets piping hot), and despite dropping it multiple times, hasn’t scratched or broken. The one thing to note is that after about a year, the outside started getting hotter to the touch, so I’ve had to to be careful about how I grip it. I also like that it makes it easy to make beach waves since it’s light enough to twist. Although I’m also not great with styling, this one’s super easy.”
We also like the digital temperature control that lets you know what temperature you’re operating the tool at, up to 450°F. It comes in two sizes too (1 inch or 1.25 inches), depending on how much hair you have and what style you want to achieve (particularly if you’re using the tool to curl).
Best Portable: BaBylissPRO Nano Titanium Mini Flat Iron Hair Straightener
- What we love: Budget-friendly; great for touch-ups; very small and lightweight
- What could improve: Not suitable for allover styling, especially for long or coarse hair; no auto-shutoff
- Plate material: Titanium
- Size: 0.5 inches
- Temperature: Up to 430°F
- Auto-shutoff: None
- Cord: 6 feet
If you’re someone who’s always on the move or who’s hunting for a straightener to throw in your bag, you’ll get a lot of mileage out of this mini titanium flatiron, which is teensy enough to fit in a purse—maybe even a clutch. It’s just half an inch in width and six inches in length, which is roughly the size of a toothbrush. It gets hot quickly and is super handy for smoothing stray hairs and refreshing your look at the end of a long day.
“I originally got mine to keep at my desk in case of beauty ‘emergencies’ but have come to love it so much that I now use it in place of my other straighteners at home,” says Danielle Sinay, Glamour’s associate beauty editor. “I mainly use it for my bangs and tiny touch-ups, but for how compact it is, it works remarkably well, especially if your hair is on the thinner side (which mine is).”
1/3What type of hair straightener is best?
For fine or relatively easy to straighten hair: Set your sights on a flatiron with ceramic plates, says Lacy Redway, Unilever stylist and celebrity hair artist. Raven Hurtado, a hairstylist at Maxine Salon in Chicago, says, “Ceramic takes longer to heat and is lighter with passes, which makes it okay to use daily on normal to colored or fine hair.” What’s more, ceramic plates are often combined with tourmaline, “a mineral that helps smooth and adds shine while locking in moisture,” Hurtado explains. Think less static and frizz.
For coarse or curly hair: Consider a flatiron with titanium plates, which heat up faster and maintain a higher temperature. Redway explains that the quick heat-up time and temperature require fewer passes on the hair. Of course, the hotter your setting, the more likely it will damage your hair. Always apply a heat protectant before you start straightening. Redway likes the Tresemmé Keratin Smooth Heat Protectant, which she recommends applying to damp hair, and then, once it’s completely dry, “proceeding with the flatiron at a safe temperature for your hair type.”
2/3What temperature setting should you use in a flatiron?
Fine-to-medium hair: Experts recommend lower temperature ranges of 250°F to 300°F.
Curly-to-coarse hair: Experts recommend staying within the 350°F to 450°F range. But you’ll want to use a protective spray or serum beforehand and smoothing oils afterward to balance out the extreme heat.
Colored or damaged hair: Experts recommend using heat sparingly, as bleaching and highlighting dries out and damages hair—and if you do use heat, stick to the lower ranges of 250°F to 300°F.
3/3What is the least damaging hair straightener?
Flatirons with ceramic plates are generally considered less damaging to hair, since they takes longer to heat up. They are also gentler on strands during use. Because of these factors, Redway says ceramic flatirons are generally safe to use daily on all hair types, including color-treated or fine hair.
