Design-wise, the wireless Corrale straighteners are heavier in the hand than some other brands, due to the added weight of their rechargeable battery. Their portable nature helps them stand out against rival models. With a 30-minute battery life, these hair straighteners have enough juice in the tank for the majority of people to get their hair straight and sleek. The floating plates (set on springs) ensure an even pressure and grip on the hair, helping it to pass through the tool smoothly. There are nine heat settings that make it easy to select the correct heat for your hair type and texture. It’s also easy to switch between temperatures, so you can use a recommended 180°C for the bulk of the hair and a cooler setting for the thinner, more fragile front sections. The straighteners heat up in just 15 seconds and feature automatic switch-off after one hour. Size-wise, it’s just 22cm long and weighs 300g, which is substantially lighter than the Dyson Corrale at 561g. This makes it much easier to toss into a tote bag and carry around with you out and about. As a result of its compact size, the heated plates here are slightly narrower than average, but the “floating” spring mounts adjust to the contours of your hair, allowing the straighteners to effortlessly glide over sections of hair without any tugging or snagging. This will reduce the time it takes to style your hair, and means that the Unplugged’s 20-minute battery life will go further than you think.

Straightening tools that use tourmaline plates can achieve optimum results at lower temperatures, so if you straighten your hair often you may want to consider spending a little more on a tool that can be used effectively on cooler settings. This will result in less heat damage. If you’re in the market for a versatile straightening tool that can handle both straight and curly styles with ease, the Babyliss 9000 is our recommendation.Key specs – Plates: Ceramic-coated, “floating spring” plates; Heat settings: 185ºC; Maximum temperature: 185ºC; Voltage: Universal; Cord length: N/A; Automatic shut-off time: 3 minutes; Warranty: 2 years Straight hair will never go out of fashion, so neither will the best hair straighteners you can use to achieve it. Research by consumer-trends analyst Mintel suggests that over one-third of women and one-fifth of men own a set of hair straighteners, and that number is growing. GHD and Cloud Nine are the dominant names in this market, but an ever-growing number of brands promise super-sleek, frizz-free straightening and more besides. The styling head itself is longer than most at 100mm, with rounded edges that allow easy curling and waving as well as straightening if you like to switch up your style. The Smoothstay is light in the hand and in your handbag at 410g, making it perfect to carry with you for styling touch-ups between work and play. For the price, Revlon’s Smoothstay delivers very good results and leaves hair shiny and frizz-free. Key specs – Plates: Floating; Maximum temperature: 200ºC; Voltage: 100-240V; Cord length: 3m; Automatic shut-off time: 30 minutes; Warranty: 3 years

They come with adjustable heat control, so you can select the right temperature for your hair texture, from 165ºC to 210ºC. The intelligent heat-control system takes 100 measurements per second to ensure the temperature remains even throughout the process, so there’s no risk of damage from scorching. A cordless straightening tool with floating ceramic plates that glide over the hair, the BaByliss 9000 makes light work of straightening all hair types and textures. At the same time, the slim, curved body of the tool is perfect for creating “straightener curls”. Since the tool is cordless, it’s super-easy to wrap the hair around at any angle around the head, without getting into a tangle. Revlon Smoothstay Coconut-infused hair straighteners: The best budget straighteners for a glossy finishThe Contouring Iron also comes equipped with an impressive temperature range, with 11 temperature settings between 100°C and 200°C. There’s also a “Revive” mode, which fixes the temperature at 150°C, but uses micro-vibrations in the plates during styling to help create longer-lasting styles, despite the low heat. This is a step up from the Cloud Nine Original Iron, featured above, and worked remarkably well in our testing. There’s no getting around the fact that this is an expensive curling iron, but it’s the perfect all-in-one styler for those willing to splash out.

Revamp Progloss Liberate Cordless Ceramic Compact Hair Straightener ST-1700: The best compact straighteners The Platinum Plus is GHD’s premium offering, with floating ceramic plates designed to deliver optimum heat for your hair type and maintain that temperature using intelligent heat technology that measures and adjusts it constantly while styling. The result is even heat across the plates that won’t scorch the hair, leaving hair looking glossy and feeling healthy. The smooth gliding plates and even heat distribution mean you won’t have to run the Platinum Plus through the same strands more than once to see results, and the wishbone-shaped hinge reduces the risk of catching or snagging hair as you style.Launched by one of the founders of GHD, Cloud Nine’s Original hair straighteners glide easily through the hair without any pull or drag. They leave hair feeling silky, looking shiny, and – most importantly – poker straight. Hair health is a key drive of this product’s design: the ceramic plates are mineral-infused to reduce snagging, leaving hair with extra shine, and there are six heat settings, from 100ºC to 200ºC. The plates perform well at lower temperatures, which means less risk of damage to hair.