This Chi flat iron doesn’t have multiple temperature options, but it does have an under 30-second heat-up time and extra-long (over 10 feet) swivel cord that gives you extra reach while styling. Most importantly, it has gloriously smooth ceramic plates with beveled edges that make it a nimble tool for creating everything from pin-straight styles to polished curves at the ends of hair. Plate material: Titanium | Plate size: 0.75 inch wide, 3 inches long | Temperature: 380 degrees Fahrenheit | Weight: 7.6 ounces | Cord length: 5 feet, 11 inches | Warranty: 2 years I tested dozens of hair straighteners and found the top models to be from Chi and GHD. Molly Calhoun I find smoothing the hair first with a blow dryer allows me to use less heat with a flat iron,” says Henry. Patience and precision are also key. “It’s best to straighten in small, 1-inch sections,” she says. “Start by placing the iron as close to the scalp as possible and gliding it through to the ends. Do not stop on any one area of the section you are ironing because holding it on there too long can cause damage or breakage. Repeat the section if necessary, remembering to keep the iron moving continuously.” How Many Passes Can You Make On The Same Section While Straightening?

The Chi Original Ceramic Hairstyling Iron has an under-30-second heat-up time and an extra-long ... [+] swivel cord that gives you extra reach while styling. Molly Calhoun For Forbes Lightweight compared to other hair straighteners we’ve tested, we found the Hot Tools styler glided through hair relatively smoothly, both while straightening and curling. In addition, its rubberized finish certainly made twisting the straighteners to curl hair more manageable. This gadget worked like a pro; it has a super smooth glide with zero snag, and the slightly longer plate allowed me to include a bit more hair in the iron per pass without compromising the effectiveness, which ultimately saved me time. The floating plates are more versatile than the standard, static plates on many other irons—they compress just the right amount of hair to create smooth and straight styles or a subtle curve at my ends. This model’s beveled edges also allowed me to masterfully create waves or curls.Updated September 2023: We added GHD's Platinum Plus flat iron and Duet styler, Chi's Original Ceramic flat iron, and L'Oreal's Steampod. We also added a section for blow-dry brushes. Remington Shine Therapy Argan Oil And Keratin 2-Inch Iron: The nine digital settings and smooth glide of this ceramic model made it a standout, but the wide paddles aren’t versatile for use on shorter hair. I was afraid the new batch of wet-to-dry stylers would sizzle hair off like the ones in the early 2000s. But now there are a few that actually work. Dyson's Airstrait ( 9/10, WIRED Recommends) has the same form factor as a standard flat iron, but instead of hot plates, it uses airflow to dry and straighten your hair simultaneously. Using one focused jet of air that moves downward, it dries your hair with a natural, smooth finish. You'll also have the option between two main styling modes (wet and dry) and three temperature settings for each. WIRED product reviewer Brenda Stolyar typically uses it on wet mode to fully dry her hair and switches to dry mode to flatten any puffiness. The entire process, which normally takes her about 45 minutes, now only takes 12 to 15 minutes. When I first put this straightener to work, it heated up in just 20 seconds. I sectioned my hair into one-inch pieces, glided the iron through my hair from root to tip, and it went from frizzy to smooth and polished. Despite having just one heat setting of 392 degrees, the temperature was enough to reshape my hair in just one pass, although I did have to do two passes on the layers around my face. This was refreshing because I get a little anxious about heat damage when I have to go over the same section several times.

London-based hairstylist Hollie Rose Clarke says ions in hair tools keep the cuticle layer of your hair smooth, so you'll get a shinier, frizz-free result. “Think of a strand of your hair as being the size of my arm, covered in fish scales (the cuticles)," she says. "When the hair is damaged, they open slightly, resulting in dry, frizzy, and weak hair. When the hair is healthy they are closed, resulting in your hair feeling smoother and stronger.”Plate material: Titanium | Plate size: 1 inch x 3.5 inches | Temperature: 200-450 degrees Fahrenheit | Weight: 16.9 ounces | Cord length: Cordless | Warranty: 1 year

According to celebrity hairstylist Joseph Maine, nearly every time you sandwich your hair between two hot plates, it’ll straighten. The temperature you use matters, though—the higher the temperature, the more it’ll straighten and smooth your hair. So, if you have curlier, more textured hair, a higher temperature is going to get you the sleek look you’re after. “Damaged and highlighted hair should use a lower temperature,” Maine explains. If you aren’t sure what temperature is suited for your hair type, start at a low temperature and see how your hair responds. The TYMO Ring Plus, for example, features a wide range of temperatures (nine, to be exact), so you can play around with heat and find an option that works for your specific hair type. Auto Shut-Off We have all walked out the door just to panic about whether or not we turned our hot tools off. Never worry about burning the house down again by opting for an iron that has an automatic shut-off button that cools the tool down when it’s not in use. Some, like the TK, take an hour, but others, like the Dyson Corrale Hair Straightener, shut off in just five minutes. Plate Size Another key factor to consider is plate width. “A 1-inch plate is traditional and works best on all hair types,” says Henry. “It’s excellent for short hair or for use around the hairline or bang area. Larger plates are best for long hair and can save time, as they cover more of the section at once.” Temperature Settings

Neither ceramic nor titanium is necessarily better or worse—it's just that one plate is likely better for your specific hair type. “ Ceramic plates are often ‘safest’ for dry, damaged, or fragile hair,” says hairstylist Amy Abramite, adding that these plates, in general, don’t get overly hot, so the overall temperature of ceramic irons stays in a relatively safe range. Revlon Double Straight Copper + Ceramic Dual Plate Iron: This is an easy-to-use iron, but despite reaching high heat it didn’t leave my hair super smooth because the floating plates were only on one side of the tool. Plus, the short, 6-foot cord made the iron difficult to maneuver. GHD Unplugged Styler: This cordless iron offers no-nonsense smoothing and straightening at a safer-for-hair temperature of 365 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s extremely lightweight, feels luxe and comes with a heat resistant storage case. My gripe with this straightener, though, is that it only provides up to 20 minutes of styling time and can’t be used while charging (unlike the Lunata model). Ceramic: Heats evenly and slowly and can be less damaging on fine and fragile hair because it often doesn’t reach high temperatures Curls are beautiful, but taking care of and styling them can be a long, frustrating, and often expensive task. Whether you have tight coils, waves, or Shirley Temple spirals, sometimes you just want to smooth them out and not be bothered for a few days. Having a good tool, be it a flat iron or a blow-dry brush, makes that process easier.

Never straighten your hair while it’s wet because that’s when your hair is at its most fragile state,” says Bryant. And before styling, always, always apply a heat protectant first.Plate material: Ceramic | Plate size: 1 inch x 3.5 inches | Temperature: 392 degrees Fahrenheit | Weight: 14.7 ounces | Cord length: 10 feet 11 inches | Warranty: 2 years I tested 22 flat irons that—while they’re solid options—didn’t make the cut. Read more on my findings below. Before we get into the “best” straightener for damaged hair, you need to know that all hair straighteners can be damaging to some extent, especially with repeated use, so there’s no magical hair straightener that will inflict zero damage on already damaged hair. You’re putting your hair in between two super-hot plates, and if it’s not a good iron, you’re likely going over and over the same piece of hair to flatten it. This can all lead to dryness, split ends, dullness (especially if your hair is color-treated), flyaways, and hair breakage.