There are some beauty classics that stand the test of time: red lips, red lips, and, yes, flat irons. As hair care technology improves, the best hair straighteners have moved away from total hair-scorchers to sleek, efficient tools that are suited to all hair types and cause far less damage. That's right: There are flat irons and hair straightening brushes that won't burn your hair off or weaken it to an utterly limp state—you simply need to find the right one, and we're here to help.
The more versatile and technologically advanced your flat iron, the less time you'll spend hassling with hair products to boost luminance and body. While heat protectant (opens in new tab) is a non-negotiable, you'll reach for hair shine products (opens in new tab) or texturizing spray (opens in new tab) far less with one of the best flat irons at play, much like great curling irons (opens in new tab) and hair dryers (opens in new tab). To guide you in your pursuit of the perfect smoothing hot tool, we've compiled the greatest hits of hair straighteners ahead.
If you're dealing with damage but unable to step away from hot tools, Dyson's pricey-but-worth-it flat iron (opens in new tab) will be your new best friend. It doesn't crank up as high as other straighteners to achieve super-sleek and straight strands sans breakage. Another innovation: The cordless design for easier use, especially when on the go or during travel.
This elongated tool comes in three skinny sizes that work exceptionally well for curly hair. The lengthier head is also great for styling long mermaid lengths in half the time.
The last thing you want is to end up with halfway straightened hair. Thanks to the tourmaline technology in Chi's iconic ceramic plates, this iron evenly distributes heat to ensure no strand is left behind.
For no-nonsense, super-straight hair, Revlon's iron is the one for you. With powerful heat and impressive plate technology, your dream of early 2000s sleek hair is within grasp.
L'Oreal's multi-purpose hair straightener and curling iron uses exclusive steam technology and an integrated comb to style and detangle hair simultaneously. Expect less breakage and a super-smooth result in half the time.
The hairstylists of Chrissy Teigen, Jourdan Dunn, and Olivia Palermo swear by this nano-ceramic, tourmaline flat iron for shiny waves and evenly straightened hair. It's incredibly gentle for those with fragile strands, from color-treated to fine.
Beyond the beautiful champagne color, this hair straighter is designed for healthy styling with ceramic coated heating plates infused with nano silver, argan oil, tourmaline, and titanium to lock in hair's natural moisture. Bonus: It comes with a travel pouch bag, heat-resistance glove, comb, and two hair clips.
This flat iron gently styles your hair, so you can enjoy your look without feeling guilty about heat damage. Infrared heat helps straighten locks without stripping them or creating split ends.
T3, the master of straighteners, engineered this new tool with nine distinct heat settings, allowing it to work wonders for every hair type. The ceramic plates help boost shine—no dull, dry finish here!—whether you're touching up pre-styled hair or coercing curls into straight locks, this iron will work for you.
This flat iron will give you smooth, straight hair or waves, depending on how you wield it. You can expect sleek hair with minimal dryness or breakage with ion technology, infrared rays, and titanium plates. Plus, it's powerful enough only to require a single pass through your strands to avoid excessive heat exposure when you're in a rush.
If you have persistent nightmares of leaving your flat iron on when leaving the house, this tool will help you rest easy. It automatically shuts off after five minutes not in use, leaving you free to enjoy your perfectly sleek hair without worrying about your house burning down.
With anti-static, ceramic, tourmaline ionic, and smooth glide-coated plates, this hot tool is designed with uniquely twisted plates that curl and straighten hair. Other features include 11 temperature settings, an LCD digital display, 30-second heat-up time, and automatic shut-off.
Conair's Titanium hair straightener is a safe bet if you want a straightforward design under $50. It's a unicorn among affordable flat irons in that it's reliable, can curl and straighten all in one, and doesn't take ages to get the job done.
This hair straightener heats up to a whopping 450 degrees and comes with attachments to achieve bombshell volume. Who said that straight had to mean flat?
With some of the most petite plates you've ever seen, this hair straightener is designed specifically for short hair or baby bangs. So if styling concerns hold you back from taking the big-chop plunge, this tool means you have no excuse at all.
Feast your eyes on the new-and-improved version of ghd's cult-classic flat iron featuring enhanced technology for sleek, smooth, and shiny hair, including a 30-second heat-up time.
Whether you're going for a straight or wavy look, you can look forward to frizz-free, smooth days ahead thanks to the negative ions and infrared light in this hair straightener. Even more, this iron won't strip moisture and shine from hair—say goodbye to that brittle feel after styling.
With titanium plates that heat up quickly and consistently, this flat iron is excellent for those short on styling time. The length of each plate means you can work fast without sacrificing efficiency or the integrity of your hair.
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 for a glossy, long-lasting look.
This iron promises to take your hair from wet to straight with custom heat settings and unique steam vents to remove water from hair. While we don't quite encourage using this on shower-fresh hair (it's best after some towel drying or damp air-dried strands), it efficiently smoothes and straightens hair when time is of the essence.
If you've ever wondered how celebrities achieve wondrously lustrous hair, it's probably all in the ions. This best-selling hot tool uses them to smooth hair with incredible shine in under ten minutes. Plus, it features a nimble shape with rounded edges to hit all those hair angles when styling.
A shorter flat iron has its perks. For one, it's more dexterous around trickier zones like your ears and hairline. Plus, it's easier to fit into luggage when traveling or a tote for on-the-go touch-ups.
This pretty pink hair straightener features a 3D teeth design that helps straighten even the root (without creasing!) while smoothing hair lengths with ease through to the ends.
Another 1" styling wonder by Chi, this ceramic and titanium flat iron features an LCD screen to read the temperature with smart controls and a swivel cord. It's fail-safe for super smooth, frizz-free hair.