12 Best Hair Straighteners & Flat Irons 2024, Tested by Experts
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Temperature control is also important to consider as this ensures you can adjust the heat to your preferences. “Lower heat settings are suitable for fine or damaged hair, while higher settings are needed for thick or coarse hair,” notes Maine. For straightening hair without any static, the TYMO Ring Plus can't be beaten. Unlike typical flat-plate straighteners, the TYMO Ring's plates have small ridges that comb through the hair while you pass it through so that it both detangles and smoothes the hair at the same time.
Best for Bangs and Touch-Ups: BaBylissPro Nano Titanium Mini Straightening Iron
13 Best Hair Straighteners and Flat Irons - POPSUGAR
13 Best Hair Straighteners and Flat Irons.
Posted: Tue, 10 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
We were particularly over the moon about its compact, rounded tip design, ideal for styling and curling short hair. Unlike traditional flat irons with an elongated shape, this one held our shoulder length strands in place, courtesy of the miniature size of the plates, and we never saw any dents from too much pressure. We always enlist a range of testers for any review, but hair-care products and tools are another story. While some can be used across different hair textures, lengths, curl patterns, thicknesses, colors (natural and unnatural), and concerns, many are created with specific consumers and their needs in mind. For instance, an innovative new blow-dryer may feature industry-leading technology, but if the only people who find it intuitive to use are professional hairstylists, we have to consider this when determining whether it is worthy of a recommendation.
HSI Prrofessional Ceramic Tourmaline Ionic Flat Iron Hair Straightener
When straightening hair edges, Hardges recommends looking for a flat iron that's small and narrow. "FHI Heat's half-inch flat iron is optimal for smoothing edges and short tapered haircuts," she says. "And the ceramic plates deliver a more gentle heating method for fine hair." Unlike hot plates that may take a second to heat up, this straightener utilizes air to dry and straighten hair simultaneously, so you can go from wet to dry with minimal damage.
How do ceramic, tourmaline and titanium flat irons differ?
Special occasion styles can range from intricate formal looks for long hair to styles with lots of accessories. For consistent and even heat distribution, consider ceramic, which also minimizes the risk of damaging hotspots. Titanium, on the other hand, is best for thicker hair as it heats up quickly and holds high heat well. “Tourmaline is a crystal that is ground into a fine powder and infused into the plates, which can help reduce frizz by generating negative ions,” Maine adds.
BEST HAIR STRAIGHTENER FOR DAMAGED HAIR
Another key to straightening safely is to be mindful of the temperature of your flat iron. The GVP iron’s one-year warranty is shorter than most of the warranties on the 10 other flat irons we tested; the average warranty was around three years. This speed-heating, power-smoothing CHI earned a rare perfect score with GH’s expert evaluators and was by far our top-tested flat iron.
We also consider each iron's weight and size, safety, efficacy, and put each flat iron’s durability to the test with the Drop Tester, which replicates falls from three feet onto tile floor. Last but not least, we send flat irons home with real consumer testers to get feedback on ease of use, satisfaction, and smoothness and shininess of the finished style. You can get over 40 minutes of styling time on a single battery, and you can adjust the heat up to 425˚F. It's lightweight and easy to store, and you can take it wherever you go (even internationally). Without a regular weekly wipe down, build-up from heat protectants and other styling products can impact the amount of heat that is transferred from the plates to your hair, dulling the heat's strength.
Moroccanoil Perfectly Polished Titanium Flat Iron
T3 is a quality hair tool brand, according to Tina Malhotra, hairstylist and owner of Hair By Tina M. This highly rated option has nine heat settings that you can adjust using the built-in digital display. The flat iron also includes a smart microchip that monitors heat fluctuations and maintains a consistent temperature while you use it, according to the brand. The BaBylissPRO Nano Titanium Dual Ionic Flat Iron took the cake as our best overall, thanks to its accessible price, smooth ionic plates, and the fact that it works well on all hair types—fine, wavy, thick, curly, you name it. For a more budget-friendly pick, you can’t go wrong with the TYMO Ring Plus, a top-notch hair-straightening tool that helps smooth hair in one or two passes. Those looking to splurge should consider the Dyson Corrale Hair Straightener; its innovative flex plates and rapid heat-up time are sure to impress.
Best for Professional Styling: GHD Platinum+ Styler
It’s more gentle on hair than permanent hair straightening but only lasts up to a few weeks. Styling services like perms focus on altering or breaking down the bonds in your hair to create a permanent change to your hair’s texture. You may be picturing traditional ‘80s curls, but modern perms can create many styles, from curly to straight.
The Rusk W8less Professional Ceramic and Tourmaline Str8 Iron is around the same price as our pick, the GVP Ceramic Titanium Digital Flat Iron, but it offers a lighter and more compact design. At half a pound, it was among the lightest straighteners we tested (the lightest was Rusk’s Deepshine, at 0.44 pound). The Rusk W8less was one of the easiest flat irons to hold for long periods of time. Finally, nearly all high-temperature flat irons—those reaching 450 °F—advertise this fact as if it’s a good thing. All three of our experts (stylist, cosmetic chemist, and research consultant) agree that going above 400 °F will damage hair, it’s just a matter of degree depending on your hair thickness and texture.
The teeth are coated with nano titanium which helps to ensure even heat distribution and use ions to further seal in the smoothness. The combing teeth are especially useful in straightening curly and coily natural hair textures. Because of the comb-like teeth, though, those with tangle-prone hair might find that it tugs uncomfortably. To mitigate any potential pulling, we recommend coming through your hair with a standard brush or comb before going in with the hot tool.
Our pros appreciate the nice, long cord, and testers like that "it heats up quickly," and reaches "a high temp that is required for my coarse, wavy hair type." We also like the broad range of temperatures, from 260ºF-450ºF. "The titanium plates create a great level of shine and straighten hair with a single pass," she notes. This one from BaBylissPRO heats up super quickly and has a wide, adjustable range of temperatures. Jessie Quinn is a contributing commerce writer for PEOPLE and has written for publications such as Byrdie, InStyle, The Spruce, NYLON, and more.
Our panel testers were not aware of the prices on any of the flat irons they tried. After the initial round of testing, our testers’ favorite models were the priciest ones. This was probably because the most expensive straighteners featured easy-to-hold casings and high-quality hinges that allowed for easy gripping. With flat irons, we’ve found that price correlates pretty well with quality.
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