After investing in a quality hair dryer, your next essential hair tool was likely a pair of hair straighteners. These tools are indispensable for achieving sleek and polished styles. Today’s top hair straighteners not only smooth your hair in seconds but also ensure minimal damage, thanks to advancements in technology.
Gone are the days of using a singular heat setting that could wreak havoc on your strands. Modern hair tools, including the best hair dryers of 2024, have evolved significantly. While ghd straighteners remain a popular choice, many new options now offer features such as temperature control, specialised plates, and flyaway-fighting technology.
Keep reading to discover what to look for when selecting the perfect hair straightener for you.
Key Considerations When Testing Hair Straighteners
The ideal hair straightener for you depends on your hair type, length, and desired results. We’ve tested numerous straighteners to bring you the best of the best. Here are the critical specs to consider:
1. Width The width of the straightener plates matters based on your hair length. Wider plates (approximately 5cm) are better for longer hair, while thinner plates (less than 5cm) work well for shorter hair. Wider plates are also suitable for thicker hair types.
2. Plates The material of the plates is crucial. Look for the following options:
Ceramic:Â Often found in less expensive straighteners, ceramic plates heat evenly but take a bit longer to warm up.
Metal:Â Typically made from titanium, these plates heat up quickly and are ideal for thick or coarse hair, though they tend to be pricier.
Ceramic-coated:Â These metal plates coated in ceramic heat up rapidly and distribute heat evenly, usually making them the most expensive option.
Tourmaline:Â Made from super-fine crushed gemstones and minerals mixed with ceramic, tourmaline plates create a smooth finish and help reduce static, making them great for frizz-prone hair.
3. Heat Settings For fine or thin hair, high temperatures can be damaging. The best hair straighteners now feature variable temperature settings.
A good straightener must have different heat settings so you can regulate the temperature accordingly, I typically recommend setting the iron between 160ºC and 200ºC, with a maximum of 220ºC."
4. Ionic Technology Many women use straighteners to smooth flyaways and frizz. Flyaways are often caused by too much positive charge in the hair. Ionic technology, similar to that in top hair dryers, helps neutralise this charge and smooth the hair.
A straightener with ionic technology is ideal for those with curly hair.
5. Cord Length This might seem obvious, but it’s important. Whether you prefer a long cord for styling while standing or a shorter cord for easy storage, the length can impact your overall experience.
Choosing the right hair straighteners can transform your hair care routine. By considering factors like plate width, material, heat settings, ionic technology, and cord length, you can find the perfect tool to suit your needs. With the advancements in hair straightener technology, achieving sleek, smooth, and healthy hair has never been easier.
I often get asked in the salon 'which straighteners are best for my hair type'?
With that in mind, depending on your hair type I'll give you an insight to which is best for you.
Fine hair: Fine hair won't need as much heat, so it might be worth looking for straighteners with multiple heat settings so that you can select lower options. I like the ghd Mini Hair Straightener if your hair is on the shorter or thinner side as it has small plates.
Thick hair: If you have thicker hair, I would recommend looking for straighteners with wider plates, such as the ghd Max or the Cloud Nine Wide Iron Pro.
Curly hair: With this hair type a straightener with ionic technology for those with curly hair. Try the Revamp Progloss Touch Digital.
Now for the best bit, how to straighten your hair like a pro!!
In the past—OK, in the 90s—when all everyone wanted was poker-straight hair, we used to grab our straighteners, clamp them over our strands as firmly as possible, and drag them from root to tip without much care or thought. Thankfully those days are over, but there are still ways of improving our technique.
A common mistake with straightening is going over the same piece of hair multiple times. The trouble with this is one side of the hair straightens better and easier than the other. This causes irreversible heat damage and breakage, usually on one side more than the other. Invest in good tools that maintain the condition of your hair too.
For the best results it's all about identifying your hair type and the look you're trying to achieve, and finding the appropriate tool to suit. Once you know that you'll know to get the most from the settings on your straighteners.
There are multiple different ways to straighten thick vs thin, and long vs short hair. I'd recommend a high-intensity heat for thicker hair. With thick hair, you want to aim to take the density out, but with finer hair you just need to gently take the curl out, so lower the temperature for thinner hair.
If you want a straight, sleek look while maintaining some volume, use a lower temperature. This will take out the curl but maintain the volume. If you wanted it sleeker and flatter, taking out the density, then use a medium temperature, around 165°C-185°C.
If you go too hot with a straightener, you find you then can’t change the look, so you'll struggle to add volume or curls later on.
If you like ironed-out styles, the best hair straighteners are absolutely essential to your beauty arsenal. Along with good hair serums the perfect pair of irons will make your hair super sleek in a matter of minutes. Happy Straightening!!
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