Whether your hair is easy to manage or requires a lot of time and effort, a flat iron is the most versatile styling tool for your needs. You can curl, wave, straighten, add body, twist, and more – just with a flat iron!
Obviously, the best flat iron for you varies depends on the type of hair you have, the type of styling you want to do, and the amount of heat your hair needs. We go through all of that in our hair straightener comparison below.
Good: The Nano Titanium iron heats up to 450 degrees, which is enough heat to straighten just about any type of hair. It’s great for curls, too. Tight curls. The body on either side of the plates is much thinner than a lot of the other options, and the body itself is very thin as well. This offers some pretty sweet curls.
Not so good: Some people have said it leaves hair a little static. Static can look like frizz, and that can be annoying if you are trying to get a smooth, flat look. If your hair is prone to having more body than you want it to, this may not be the iron for you.
Bottom Line: As far as titanium irons go, it’s hard to find a flat iron that will do better than the BaBylissPRO Nano Titanium. It makes the most of new technology and improves upon the quirks of old. It’s not the cheapest option, but it’s one of the best hair straighteners on the market and comes in three sizes to serve just about any hair type. We’re impressed.
Good: The HSI Professional Glider has just about every bell and whistle you could want. It has tourmaline covered plates as well as the ionic power that smoothes hair out. Plus, it offers all of these special perks at the right price. It’s most effective for fine hair, but also holds the thicker hair types.
Not so good: Unfortunately, the one bell (or whistle if you will) that’s missing is the auto-shutoff function. If you’re on the clumsy or forgetting side, this could be a problem. Also, although it heats up fast, some places throughout the plate get hotter than others. This evens out after 10 minutes or so, but until then, you can pull a clump of hair through the plate to have part of it straighten perfectly while other sections remain clumpy and frizzy.
Bottom Line: HSI’s Professional Glider is a great straightener for people with naturally fine hair and super curly hair, and it’s better than everything else in this price range. It isn’t perfect, but at less than $50 you can’t beat the value.
Good: This straightening iron has a huge temperature range, one of the biggest we’ve seen. The adjustable temperature starts at 170 degrees Fahrenheit and works its way all the way up to 450 degrees. This means that anyone can use it, really. It’s designed for people with thick hair or people with long hair, but it also works for thin hair, medium hair, curly hair, frizzy hair, coarse hair – any hair.
Not so good: It’s a bit heavy and bulky, and it’s is not be the best straightener for hair that has the tendency to get static and frizzy. Somehow the wide plates seem to be hotter than comparable products, which means that you’re straightening with higher temperatures. This makes the hair dry, which is the enemy of frizz. Solution? Just turn the temperature down.
Bottom Line: Those of us with thick hair need a little extra love. We need extra inches, for starters. At a whopping 1.75 inch wide and with a whole bunch of other great qualities (ionic technology and silky smooth ceramic plates, to name a couple), this really is the best flat iron for people who need to power through their straightening (so they aren’t in the bathroom for hours on end).
Good: A built-in sensor detects the temperature of the styler thirty times every second to ensure the entire plate is heating properly. The innovative 5-in-one heating plate helps to lock in the natural moisture of the hair. The plates are extra long at 4.1 inches, which gives more contact area than a standard flat iron. That speeds up your hairstyling regime.
Not so good: The rotating temperate control seems like a good and comfortable solution, but you can’t really set the temperature to one fixed number. It fluctuates between the higher and lower number. The dial is also very easy to twist, which means that a clumsy moment or a small bump may accidentally cause your hair to fry.
Bottom Line: The nano silver ion and argan oil used in the heating plates are quite unique, and they offer distinct benefits to the hair, leaving it shiny, healthy, and, above all, frizz-free. You can use the iron for both straightening and for curling, which gives you flexibility in styles. It’s also a pretty affordable flat iron, you’re getting a lot for your money!
Good: Thanks to the extra-long plates of this flat iron you can place larger chunks of hair in it at a time, which means you are straightening more hair in a single sweep. There’s also more room for your hair to go as you move the iron down, making it easier to keep your hair between the plates as you reach the tips. On top of that, it heats up quickly to 455 degrees for straightening, which is pretty high considering the price.
Not so good: We came across complaints that the plates don’t float properly while straightening and, as you probably know, this is no fun at all. Nobody wants a chunk of your hair ripped out with a vengeance. Maybe the problem only happened in a specific production batch, though, because most people are pretty happy with Infiniti Pro.
Bottom Line: Overall, this hair straightener offers a lot of options for a small price. The long tourmaline plates are averse to hot spots, and after a mere 15 seconds to heat up the iron should stay hot all over as long as it’s on. If you don’t want to spend much time straightening, or you would rather try an inexpensive option before jumping into big money, this tourmaline ceramic flat iron is probably the option for you.
Good: This baby takes just 15 seconds to go from stone cold to blazing hot. You won’t even have time to stop and brush your hair… just plug it in, turn it on, and GO! The floating plates feature curved edges for extra smoothness, and they adjust the angle continuously so you have even better control when straightening your hair. They’re the secret to Furiden’s no-snag promise.
Not so good: Although this flat iron is advertised as a 2-in-1 straightening and curling tool, the curling part sometimes doesn’t work or takes too many passes (depending on your hair type). The hair straightening part is really good, even if you have thin, fine hair, but you may want to look elsewhere for waves and curls.
Bottom Line: Furiden is the convenient choice for anyone who doesn’t want any complex temperature settings or hassle when they’re rushing to get ready in the morning or before a big night out. One clockwise rotation and this styler is good to go. Thanks to the balanced heat plates it runs smoothly through your hair without ever getting caught or tangled.
Good: The heat distribution on CHI’s solid ceramic plates really can’t be beaten. It’s so good it would be hard to notice a difference between this iron on the hottest setting and other flat irons that get even hotter. The plates stay consistent which means no hot spots, even heat, and you don’t have to worry about touch-ups after a few minutes.
Not so good: Something to be wary of is the housing. These do not provide the kind of protection that some other flat irons do, which means it can get pretty hot from the outside. This isn’t a huge problem if you’re careful, but it can cause an issue if you’re trying to use it to style or curl your hair. Although, you could consider a protective glove if this really worries you.
Bottom Line: You cannot complete a search for a hair straightener without seriously considering a CHI, and this one does a pretty good job of proving why. It’s the number one tool for the professional hair stylist. It’s hard to believe that with all the new technology that has come into the world we would still be using something that is almost identical to its predecessor after so long, but that just speaks for the quality of this flat iron.
Good: Ever had a flat iron that caught one or two of your hairs inside a little crack or space around the actual straightening plates? Thanks to the 3D floating plate design, that won’t happen with this one. Want curls? Just twist your wrist as you use this iron to create a curl. The tighter you twist, the tighter the curl. This isn’t possible with all hair straighteners, but the one inch plates and relatively flat body of this Kipozi make it a breeze.
Not so good: Not everyone is ready for a flat iron that gets this hot (450 degrees). We’ve seen a few complaints from users who either burned their hair or had problems finding the right position for curls. You may need to practice with the temperatures and angles of the plates.
Bottom Line: The smoothness you’ll get from working with this straightener is seriously silky smooth. The heating plates are coated with titanium, and that makes them fantastic at smoothing out even the frizziest of out-of-control frizzy hair. You won’t find anything better at this price.
Good: Just like the more expensive products, this flat iron has one-inch ceramic floating plates. It certainly has the appearance of a much more expensive accessory, with its sleek lines and curved edges for a nice smooth glide through the hair. The heat-up time of 30 seconds may not be as speedy as some of its rivals, but for the low price tag and considering it gets up to 410 degrees, I think this time is hard to beat.
Not so good: For some reason, the iron lets off a burning smell when it’s heating up, but there isn’t anything there to be burned. That being said, many users have reported it doesn’t last forever so maybe it’s something to do with a “new” heat smell?
Bottom Line: One of the best things about this styling iron is how easy it is to handle. It feels nicely lightweight yet solidly durable, and moves easily through the hair without snagging or feeling too chunky for you to really get a good grip on all the hair strands. The Remington brand may be best known for razors, but you’re sure to love its S5500 flat iron with anti-static floating plates.
Good: For all you ladies out there with limp, thinnish hair, this volumizing iron will give you that little bit of oomph you’ve always been dying for. A lot of people see this thing and think it’s a crimper. It’s not. Voloom’s special, beveled plates force space between small chunks of hair as you straighten it and don’t leave any designs in your hair.
Not so good: Although it’s good for medium-thick to thin hair, those with the absolute thinnest hair type may get dry and (therefore) somewhat frizzy hair when using this straightening iron. Usage takes some getting used to as well, as it’s crucial to run this straightener down your hair in a swift motion and not hold it in place for a moment (that is, if you don’t want any patterns to ruin the style of hair).
Bottom Line: Want the sleek, shiny look of freshly straightened hair but your locks are a little too limp for the traditional hair straighteners? The Voloom hair tool has you covered. Forget about disappointing shampoos and spending endless hours primping and poofing. Pick up one of these bad boys and take control into the palm of your hand.