9 Best Hair Straighteners for Impossibly Smooth Strands

Our editors have withstood the heat of multiple flatirons to find the best ones currently available (you’re welcome). The standouts can help you score pin-straight hair at home while mitigating heat damage and frizz (though, no matter what heated tool you’re using, applying a heat protectant before styling is always a good idea). Lucky for all of us, there’s a flatiron on the market for every hair type, styling goal, and tool preference, so you can smoothly find your straightening soulmate. On top of putting them to the test ourselves, we’ve scoured the web and talked to pro stylists to dish on the best straighteners for all types of locks, sans-scorch.

Best Overall: GHD Platinum+ Styler

Why it’s worth it: To reduce damage on all hair types (especially color-treated hair and hair prone to breakage), pick up the GHD Platinum+ Styler for its proprietary technology, which monitors heat 250 times per second to ensure the plates never get too hot. The Allure Best of Beauty Award-winning tool is automatically set to a safe 365 degrees Fahrenheit and has a rounded barrel for curling hair and creating waves, in addition to straightening hair. The Platinum+ Styler can also detect your hair’s thickness in real time as you style and adjust the heat accordingly.

Best Wet-to-Straight: Dyson Airstrait

Why it’s worth it: If you’re a fan of the Dyson Corrale, just wait until you get your hands on an Airstrait. This innovative flatiron is one of the few wet-to-straight stylers that lives up to its claims. The device takes damp strands and transforms them into a silky-smooth waterfall of flyaway and frizz-free hair in minutes. The beauty of this tool is that it relies on the velocity of hot air instead of heated plates, so its highest temperature is a gentle 285 degrees Fahrenheit. Sure, it’s a splurge, but its unique, hair-health-first design makes it worth the cash.

Best Under-$100: Mane The Three Way Multi-Use Flat Iron

Why it’s worth it: Whether you want pin-straight hair, waves, or curls, Mane’s The Three Way Multi-Use Flat Iron gets the job done. The Jen Atkin-founded brand makes a wide array of affordable, effective hot tools, including this straightener that’s equipped with a temperature spectrum of 200 to 450 degrees Fahrenheit and can easily smooth coily and coarse hair. If you’re unsure about your settings, the Mane website offers a handy guide on which heat setting to use depending on your hair type and styling goals, but generally, if you have fine hair or fragile hair, lower temperatures are better.

Best for Short Hair: Harry Josh Cordless Styling Flat Iron

Why it’s worth it: Flatiron effortlessly without being tethered to the wall with the Harry Josh Cordless Styling Flat Iron. Its most exciting feature is its wireless styling, which allows you to maneuver as you wish without any cords getting in the way, but it also provides much more than freedom from your wall’s outlet. It also has one-inch Nano Silver Tourmaline ceramic floating plates that seamlessly glide over strands without tugging and a digital interface to easily adjust its temperature, which goes up to 450 degrees. Its compact size is perfect for travel, but also makes it a great tool to use on a daily basis for last-minute touch-ups and more precise styling for bangs.

More flatirons we love:

Best Multi-Styler: Shark FlexFusion Air & Ceramic Styling System

Why it’s worth it: Ever wished your multi-styler had a straightening option? Well, Shark heard your call to action and created the FlexFusion Air & Ceramic Styling System, a multi-tasking device that comes with a hair straightening attachment. It combines ceramic plates with air-based technology to straighten your hair (even when wet!) without causing significant heat damage. When you don’t feel like using your straightener, you can swap it with one of the four other attachments this hair tool comes with, including curling wands and a blow-dryer brush.

Best for Roots: T3 SinglePass StyleMax Flat Iron 1”

Why it’s worth it: The meticulous design of the T3 SinglePass StyleMax Flat Iron’s one-inch ceramic plates are keep us coming back to it. Its beveled design makes it especially easy to get close to the roots without scalding your scalp or causing breakage, and it smoothly glides down to smooth out the shaft and ends without pulling along the way. Beyond its plates, this straightener has other features for minimizing heat-related damage, like a smart chip to ensure even heat flow as it auto-regulates its temperature to your hair thickness. Eddie Parra, senior hairstylist at BENJAMIN Salon New York in New York City, praises its even heat distribution and notes that it always leaves his clients with a smooth, polished finish. “It’s great for most hair types, especially if you want a reliable all-in-one tool and includes a curl mode option, making it versatile for waves and bends,” he says.

Best Curling: FHI Innovator The Curve Pro Styling Iron 1”

Why it’s worth it: In the latest round of our Allure Best of Beauty Awards, the FHI Innovator The Curve Pro Styling Iron 1” nabbed a win as our favorite flatiron of 2025. As its name suggests, this ceramic-based flatiron has a curved build that takes tension off of both your strands and wrist, making the chore of flatironing your hair surprisingly easier. Along with its ergonomic design, we also love its slender tourmaline ceramic plates that can heat up from 265- to 450-degrees Fahrenheit in just 10 seconds.

Best for Thick Hair: Hot Tools Professional Black Gold Digital Flat Iron

Why it’s worth it: If your hair is on the thicker side, try Hot Tools Professional Black Gold Digital Flat Iron. Its slightly larger 1.25-inch plates cover larger sections in less passes than your average flatiron. Plus, its hybrid ceramic-titanium plates heat up quickly and evenly without scorching your hair. Miguel Luis, hairstylist at Rita Hazan Salon in New York City, says it’s one of his favorites for smooth, even styling. “It’s great at quickly straightening the hair while maintaining its shine and soft feel,” he says.

Best for Damaged Hair: Trademark Beauty Sunny Styler

Why it’s worth it: In terms of heat styling, Parra says the Trademark Beauty Sunny Styler’s ceramic plates and heat settings is as mild as they come, which is perfect for strands that are currently on the mend or naturally fine. “It’s a great solid option if you want something gentle, but effective, and heats consistently without grabbing or pulling the hair,” he says, adding that its clamp design is perfect for both straightening and curling, too.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Are hair straighteners safe for my hair?

You may be wary of using high heat on your hair, but hair straighteners are perfectly safe for your strands when used correctly. “The key is to use them on dry hair and ideally as a finishing tool. I typically recommend smoothing with a round brush before straightening. Always apply a heat protectant before styling to shield your strands from high temperatures,” says hairstylist and founder of Trademark Beauty Joseph Maine. “Also, it’s important to keep the flatiron clean to ensure it heats evenly and doesn’t snag your hair.”

How do I minimize heat damage from my straightener?

Heat damage is an avoidable issue if you have the right high-quality tool and prep routine. Sure, there are tons of flatiron options out there, and some are lower in price than others. But what you don’t pay in money, you might pay in results, as low-quality heated tools (regardless of their price tag) can quickly lead to scorched strands and breakage. When it comes to a searing-hot device you’re sandwiching your delicate strands between, it’s worth investing in quality.

What makes a hair straightener stand out? Here’s the gist: You’ll want a device that provides multiple heat settings to adjust to your hair type and has plates that are either ceramic, titanium, or a mix of both.

Beyond the tool you’re using, every single hairstylist agreed that the most important part of preventing heat damage is using a heat protectant. “I tell all my clients to think of it as a lightweight shield that keeps the cuticle sealed while the heat does its work,” says Gipson. A heat protectant creates a barrier over your strands and adds slip between your hair and heated plates to help prevent moisture loss, protecting the hair from getting brittle from exposure to extremely high temperatures.

New York City-based hairstylist Devin Toth adds to avoid passing over the same section of hair multiple times. “It’s better to go over it once, slowly,” he explains. “People tend to have more damage in their face-framing area of hair because they hit it with the iron too many times to get them just right.” Another key to straightening safely is to be mindful of the temperature of your flatiron. According to Toth, the optimal temperature to avoid burning is 365 degrees Fahrenheit, but it truly depends on your hair type and needs. “Fine hair generally needs much less heat than coarse hair or curly textures,” says Parra.

How do hair straighteners work?

“Flatirons work by using heated plates to temporarily alter the structure of your hair, making it straight. When you apply the heated plates to your hair, the heat breaks down the hydrogen bonds in the hair’s cortex, causing it to straighten,” says Maine. “Once your hair cools down or gets wet, these bonds reform, and your hair goes back to its natural state,” Maine adds that varying materials like ceramic, titanium, or tourmaline have different effects on the heat distribution and speed of the straightening process.

What are the differences between ceramic and titanium plates?

These two materials are both effective at straightening hair, hence why they’re the most popular options available for flatiron plates, but each caters to different needs. According to all the stylists we spoke with, ceramic is the gentler option of the two, making it suitable for all hair types, but especially ideal for those with fine or fragile strands. “Ceramic plates reduce the risk of hot spots that can burn the hair,” notes Parra.

As for titanium, these plates do provide quicker, straighter results, but their heat can make them too intense for finer hair types. “Titanium plates deliver smooth and shiny hair that is noticeable under any lights, they deliver heat very quickly and usually a professional would use these types of straighteners,” explains Luis. Overall, we recommend titanium plates for those who have thicker hair types that are more resilient to heat damage.

How should I choose a hair straightener?

Picking a hair straightener is a personal choice and largely depends on your hair type and styling desires. “For fine or damaged hair, look for a flatiron with adjustable heat settings to prevent overheating—ceramic plates are great for even heat distribution without getting too hot,” Maine tells Allure. He adds that if your hair is on the thicker, or coarser side, a hair straightener with titanium plates is ideal because they “can handle higher heat and manage frizz more effectively.”

Toth explains that plate size and shape are key to selecting a hair straightener. “The wider the plate, the straighter the hair will look. So if you like to really bend and bevel the ends of your hair then choose a more narrow plate,” says Toth. Maine echoes Toth, explaining that a “wider plate can straighten more hair at a time, which is useful for thicker hair, while a narrower plate is better for short hair, detailed styling like bangs, or achieving specialized styles like flatiron waves or curls.

According to Maine, you should also consider the type of plate edges featured on a hair straightener before making your purchase. “If the plates of the flatiron are slightly protruding out of the iron and the edges of the plates are beveled, then you will be able to effortlessly make curls with this tool,” he states. “If the plates are not protruding with beveled edges, then the iron is mainly designed for straightening hair.”

Meet the experts

How we test and review products

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. When reviewing tools, we also take into account testers’ experience levels. 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.

For our review of the best hair straighteners, we enlisted the help of multiple editors, writers, contributors, and hair stylists with varying hair types and desired styling outcomes, and whether one product was tested across multiple hair types. Testers considered performance across three primary categories: efficacy, safety, ease of use, and value. For more on what’s involved in our reporting, check out our complete reviews process and methodology page.

Our staff and testers

A beauty product is a personal purchase. You might be searching for a face cream to address persistent dryness or a new nail product to add to your Sunday self-care routine; you may simply be browsing around for the latest launches to hit the hair market. No matter what you seek or your individual needs and concerns, Allure wants to ensure that you love anything we recommend in our stories. We believe that having a diverse team of writers and editors—in addition to the wide range of outside testers and industry experts we regularly call upon—is essential to reaching that goal.

After all, can we really say a skin-care product is the “best” for people over 50 if the only testers we’ve solicited opinions from folks who have yet to hit 30? Can we honestly deem a high-end diffuser worthy of your hard-earned cash if it’s never been tested on curls? We’re proud that our staff spans a wide range of ages, skin tones, hair textures, genders, and backgrounds, which means that we are able to fairly assess any beauty product that comes into the beauty closet.

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