13 best hair straighteners 2025, reviewed by experts & editors
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In a world of intimidating hair tools, you can always turn to the best hair straighteners for unbeaten versatility – serving pin-straight hair, beach waves, bouncy curls and everything in between. Celebrity hair stylist and Dyson's Global Ambassador Larry King rates these multi-purpose tools for being suitable even for novices: “Hair straighteners are amazing for beginners – as you progress and your ability grows, you’re able to create more shapes, bends and curls to the hair.”
Luckily, today's hair tool innovations have moved well past those damage-inducing and overheating hair straighteners of the past, which would leave our hair looking fried, dull and lacklustre. Instead, we're met with models that come equipped with advanced technology that will minimise damage, offer cordless styling and feature shine-boosting coating and flexible plates that swivel with your hair – Dyson Corrale, we're looking at you.
Buying a quality hair straightener doesn't have to cost you a fortune, either. Case in point: the Remington Shine Therapy Hair Straightener featured below will set you back just shy of £37, yet it's genuinely one of the best models we tested. Its ceramic plates are infused with Moroccan Argan oil, which helps enhance the shine and condition your hair while styling. Elsewhere, there's also no arguing that ghd hair straighteners are simply unbeatable in the hair tool game. From cordless models to wide-plated options, the brand offers a healthy range that's known to work wonders on a variety of hair types.
As is often the case, with ample choice comes a difficult decision: how exactly do you find which hair straightener is right for you? To help you make your pick, we've taken the time to put together the ultimate roundup of the best tried-and-true hair straighteners of all time that are known and loved in the GLAMOUR office. Whether you’ve got long hair, a shorter bob, thick hair, afro hair or naturally dry hair, there’s bound to be a suitable straightening tool in this edit for you. Plus, we've also included top styling tips coming straight from a celeb hair stylist. Thank us later.
SKIP TO FAQs: How to choose the best hair straighteners for your hair type | What kind of styles are hair straighteners better suited for instead of other tools? | What should I keep in mind when choosing a hair straightener? | How to use a hair straightener correctly | Our full reviews.
Meet the expert:
- Larry King, celebrity hair stylist and global ambassador at Dyson.
How we tested hair straighteners
Over the years, the GLAMOUR editors have reviewed dozens of hair straighteners from a variety of brands, including Remington, Dyson, BaByliss, Revlon abd GHD. When testing each model, we prepped our hair in the same way every time – then paid close attention to how well the tools performed on different hair types, namely when it came to the speed of styling, the longevity of the style and the long-term damage.
We also considered how portable they were, how quickly they heated up and cooled down, and whether they came with any extras or accessories. Think: heat resistant mats, adjustable temperature controls or protective gloves. Find out how we test here.
Scroll for our full edit of the best hair straighteners that will leave your hair in tip-top shape…
How to choose the best hair straighteners for your hair type
- If you've got fine hair: go for hair stylers with ceramic plates as they'll be more gentle.
- If you've got frizzy hair: ionic technology is key for you, as it'll protect your hair against humidity throughout the day.
- If you've got afro hair: ceramic-coated plates are the ones for you. Steam hair straighteners will also do a good job of styling your hair quickly but without too much damage.
- If you've got thick hair: wide plates like those on the ghd Max Styler will save you time.
What should I keep in mind?
The plates | Ceramic plates take a longer time to heat up, but they distribute said heat more evenly and are gentler than metal plates, so they're good for fine hair. Metal plates like titanium plates get hot very quickly and tend to be more expensive, but they can cause more heat damage. Ceramic-coated plates are made from a metal base topped with ceramic coating, which means you get the best of both worlds. |
Temperature settings | Consider hair straighteners with variable temperature settings so you get the optimum experience for your hair type and desired look. |
Iconic technology | Hair straighteners with ionic technology reduce frizz, snags and fly-aways because they neutralise the positive charge that'd usually cause hairs to repel each other. |
Additional accessories | If you're planning on taking your hair straighteners away, consider accessories like heat-proof mats, silicone plate guards and travel pouches, that'll make styling on the go much easier. |
After more hair content? Head this way for the best hair dryers, in this direction for travel hair dryers, and over here for curling wands. We've also got the lowdown on the best hot rollers, best hot brushes, as well as the best hair curlers and tongs and the best shampoos and conditioners.
What kind of styles are hair straighteners best suited for?
“Hair straighteners are great for creating a boho, effortlessly undone texture to the hair. You can also use them to get a poker straight look, but once you become more confident using them, start to create waves and bends in the hair for a beachy look that you can’t really recreate with curlers or hot brushes, as it needs to be a more flat," says celebrity hair stylist and Dyson global ambassador Larry King.
Larry also shares that these clever tools “are brilliant to add detail and definition, whereas curlers or hot brushes tend to give you a lot of volume.” According to Larry, using a quality hair straightener will help create a look that looks “more natural and polished."
"You can also add definition around the hairline with straighteners and add shaping around the face - I like to try bending little areas, as if the hair has been put behind the ears,” he adds.
How to use a hair straightener correctly, according to a celebrity hair stylist
According to Larry, “when using straighteners, you need to make sure you’re holding your hair in position and gliding it through in one pass.” Larry also recommends using tools like the Dyson Corrale if your goal is to “reduce flyaways.”
“The plates also help gather the hair, which gives you a lot more control and means that the hair doesn’t tend to spread.”
Elsewhere, Larry recommends considering the Dyson Airstrait for when you're in a rush and want to cut down your hair drying routine as this clever tool acts as both hair straightener and a hair dryer. It will help "create a naturally straight style from wet to dry in one go, simplifying your routine from start to finish with no heat damage,” Larry adds.