There are some beauty favorites that remain classic: red lips, red lips, and yes, flat irons. As technology in haircare improves, we've moved away from tools that scorches our hair into submission, and now we have options that minimally damage, suit all hair types, and work efficiently. Emphasis on minimal damage, now that the heat wave of summer is officially here. Don't worry, there are flat irons that won't burn your weak hair off—you just have to find the right one, and we're here to help.
The better and more versatile the flat iron, the less time you need to spend hassling with hair products to boost shine and body. Even though we're proponents of texturizing spray, curling irons and hair dryers, you won't need to employ them as much once you factor in a good flat iron. To guide you in your pursuit of the perfect hot tool, we've compiled the greatest hits of hair straighteners.
Dyson Corrale Hair Straightener
If you're dealing with damage but unable to step away from hot tools, this pricey-but-worth-it flat iron might be your new best friend. It doesn't crank up as high as some other stylers, but it still gets your hair super-sleek and straight without all the breakage. What's also cool is that it's a cordless flat iron, which means you can take it with you on a plane or the office when it's fully charged and not have to deal with chords and wires getting tangled in your purse.
Sultra After Hours Thermalight Style and Straighten Iron
This flat iron can give you smooth, straight hair or waves, depending on how you wield it. It's powerful enough to only require a single pass through your strands, so can avoid causing excessive heat when you're in a rush. With ion technology, infrared rays and titanium plates, you can expect sleek hair with minimal dryness or breakage.
T3 Lucea 1" Professional Straightening Flat Iron
T3, the master of straighteners, engineered this new tool that has 9 distinct heat settings, allowing it to work wonders for every hair type. Whether you need just a bit of heat to go over pre-styled hair, or you're trying to coerce curls into straight locks, this iron will work for you. The ceramic plates boast added shine, so you don't end up with a dull, dry finish.
Amika The Conductor Flat Iron
If you have persistent nightmares of leaving your flat iron on while you go off to work, then this tool will help you rest easy. It has an automatic shut off after 5 minutes of not being used, leaving you free to enjoy your frizz-free, perfectly styled hair without worrying about burning your house down.
The Beachwaver Co. Coast Pro Ceramic
Not only does this iron heat up to a whopping 450 degrees, but it also comes with attachments that let you get Victoria Secret-esque volume. Who said that straight had to mean flat?!
Bed Head Pixie On Point Ceramic Straightener
This hot tool probably has the smallest plates you've ever seen, making it perfect for short hair or baby bangs. Forget accidentally burning yourself with an oversized, bulky straightener, this one is designed to be small enough to wield around short locks. If you're worried about committing to the big chop because you won't be able to style it properly, this tool means you have no excuse at all.
GHD Gold Professional Styling Iron
On the other end of the spectrum, this flat iron is ideal for long, thick hair that needs a powerful tool to manage it. While some irons require you to go over the same section several times, or make you comb through parts first, this one works with you, not against you to do that itself. It heats up to 365 degrees, so you won't cause your hair excess stress.
Chi Original 1" Hairstyling Iron
The last thing you want is to end up with half-way straightened hair. Thanks to the tourmaline technology in these ceramic plates, it evenly distributes heat to make sure no strands get left behind.
Paul Mitchell Express Ion Smooth+ Flat Iron
With negative ions and infrared light, you can look forward to frizz-free, smooth days ahead, whether you're going for a straight or wavy look. Instead of feeling like your hair is weak and dry after styling, this iron makes sure not to strip the moisture and shine from your hair. Plus, flat-iron creases are a thing of the past due to this tool's beveled edges.
Revlon Straight Smooth Brilliance Flat Iron
If you desire no-nonsense, absolutely straight hair, this iron is the one for you. With powerful heat and impressive plate technology, your dream of early 2000s sleek hair is within grasp.
L'ange Le Gloss Flat Iron Black
Whether you're looking for straight and easy, curly and bouncy, or wavy and wonderful, this hot tool can do it all. With infrared light and titanium plates, your hair will retain its moisture and look perfectly glossy and shiny for a healthily styled 'do.
Hot Tools Digital Flat Iron
This flat iron gently styles your hair, so you can enjoy your look without feeling guilty about heat damage. Infrared heat helps straighten your hair without stripping the hair of its health, so you don't have to tend to your split ends with trims, creams or oils. Plus, this hot tool is perfect for international travel because you don't have to worry about the voltage change burning your hair or your hotel room down.
Moroccanoil Perfectly Polished Titanium Flat Iron
With titanium plates that heat up quickly and consistently, this flat iron is great for those on-the-go who don't have the time for long styling sessions. The length of each plate means you can work fast, without sacrificing efficiency or the health of your hair.
Remington Wet2Straight Flat Iron
Created with custom heat settings and special steam vents to remove water from hair, this iron literally promises to take your hair from wet to straight. While we don't actually encourage people to use this on shower-fresh hair (it's best used after some towel drying or when it's just slightly damp), it efficiently smoothes and straightens hair when time is of the essence.
Conair Infiniti Pro Rainbow Titanium Flat Iron
If you just want a straight-forward flat iron without spending a quarter of your rent, a Conair Titanium Flat Iron is always a safe bet. It's a unicorn among cheap flat irons in that it's reliable, can curl and straighten all in one, and doesn't take ages to get the job done.
Babyliss Pro Nano Titanium Ultra-Thin Straightening Iron
This longer tool comes in three skinny sizes that all in all are much better suited for thick, curly hair (a great thing, as most flat irons are meh at tackling thicker waves), since the iron doesn't entirely clamp down all the way on finer hair types. The longer head is also better for styling long mermaid lengths into enviable waves, in half the time.
Drybar The Tress Press Digital Styling Iron
Having a shorter flat iron has its perks: it's easier to fit into your luggage when you want to take your straight style overseas, plus it can fit into trickier bits around your ears better. This one's crafted by the pros at Drybar to help you get satiny strands at home, with a professional length cord and floating plates that evenly heat hair.
Chi G2 Ceramic and Titanium 1" Styling Iron
No other straightener has the appeal of Chi, the brand that's set the standard for hot tools and conveniently falls in the mid-priced range. You can't go wrong with their 1" styling iron that comes with an LCD screen to read the temperature plus smart controls. Use if you want super smooth, frizz-free hair.
Harry Josh Pro Tools Ceramic Flat Styling Iron
The hair stylists to Chrissy Teigen, Jourdan Dunn, and Olivia Palermo swear by this nano-ceramic, tourmaline flat iron to achieve shiny bombshell waves and evenly straightened hair. It's especially gentle for those with fragile strands that are frequently bleached and highlighted.
Bio Ionic 10X Pro Straightening and Styling Iron
If you've ever wondered how celebrities achieve wondrously shiny, glossy hair, it's probably all in the ions. This best-selling hot tool uses them to smooth hair and add lustrous shine in under 10 minutes. Plus, it's kind of the best of all worlds with a professional-length cord, a nimble smaller body to hit all your hair angles, and rounded edges to style and straighten.
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