Advertising Disclosure
The Best Flat Irons For All Hair Types —NO FRIZZ, NO KINKS, NO DAMAGE— Just Healthy, Silky Hair
The top hairstylist-approved straighteners for 2024 that won’t tug roots, snag ends, break your hair… or the bank!
And as luck (and hours of research) would have it, there is!
Having had so many cheap straighteners fall apart on me in the past, I decided it was time to look into higher quality straighteners. And I learned something I wish someone had told me years ago: Straightening your hair does NOT have to result in damaged hair! You just need to know what to look for in a flat iron and find a brand that you can trust.
But be careful—many expensive flat irons are advertised as “high quality” but are actually made of cheap materials that lead to frizz, split ends, and a dull shine.
As the age-old saying goes, “It’s what’s on the inside that counts.” And, as I’ve learned the hard way, this is true for your hair too!
You see, deep inside each strand is the cortex, which is responsible for hair’s strength and texture. So it’s important you protect it at all costs—and a cheap straightener is definitely not up to the task.
From ceramic-coated plates to the latest innovations of tourmaline plates and hard anodized titanium plates, you want to know which is best for your hair — but the truth might actually surprise you.
Ceramic Plate Vs Titanium Plate Truth
Most ceramic plates are gimmicks because they’re just aluminum or titanium plates with a ceramic or tourmaline coating. Authentic ceramic plates are rare and expensive. It’s nearly impossible to find one with 100% pure ceramic plates (300$+). And if you do, the benefits aren’t that great. They’re slow to heat up but do provide even heat distribution. Many stylists prefer titanium plates because they work faster, and the heat transfer is more even and immediate.
Before we go into our top 4 hair straighteners of 2024, here are some tips you can use to avoid heat damage.
Stylist’s Tips On Avoiding Hair Damage With Hair Straightener
Tip 1: Never Flat Iron Wet Hair
If you’re ironing wet hair, you’re basically boiling your hair! Instead, blow dry your hair first, and use your hair straightener after.
Tip 2: Use Styling Products with Heat Protecting Properties
Lots of styling products include heat-protecting oils and silicones that create a protective barrier around the hair cuticle. Not only do they lock in moisture and hold your hairstyle longer, but they also help protect and nourish your hair.
Tip 3: Use the Right Heat Setting — The “MOST IMPORTANT TIP!”
Temperature range is critical to achieving the desired results without damaging your hair. Choose a flat iron with adjustable temperature settings to suit your hair type:
- Fine, thin, or damaged hair: 250-350°F
- Medium or wavy hair: 350-400°F
- Thick, coarse, or curly hair: 400-450°F
My highly-trained team of BEAUTY EXPERTS and I researched, dissected, and tested hundreds of straighteners to determine the most essential elements of each.
The name of the game is HEALTHY HAIR, and healthy hair starts with using products you can actually trust! So before committing to your next flat iron, make sure you look for the SEVEN FLAT IRON ESSENTIALS we uncovered in our research and have conveniently listed below.
There are several high-quality straighteners on the market using modern innovation to help give your hair that strong, shiny, salon-chic look you’ve always dreamed of without costing you a fortune.
What to Look for in a GREAT Hair Straightener
The Seven Flat Iron Essentials:
- Hard Anodized Titanium Plates – One of the most exciting recent developments in hair straightening technology are fast-heating Hard Anodized titanium plates that are virtually scratch proof and most durable on the market. This type of flat iron plate material heats quickly and helps you easily achieve that sleek, sexy style you’re looking for.
- Fast- Heating with Adjustable Heat Settings – A straightener really shouldn’t take more than 45 seconds to heat up, and you should be able to get silky smooth hair with just one pass. It’s also just as important to have a flat iron with a range of temperature options — from lower temperature settings for fine or damaged hair all the way up to high heat for thick or curly hair.
- Floating Plates – Some flat irons pull, snag, and tug strands of hair while styling. If you’ve ever experienced this, you already know how annoying (and painful) this is! All of the quality flat irons we encountered have floating plates that adjust to your hair’s needs — solving for any uncomfortable styling mishaps!
- Lightweight and Easy to Use – A comfortable grip and lightweight design allow better control and precision, making it easier to reach every section of your hair. With less strain on your arms and wrists, you can style your hair quickly and easily.
- Curved Design – Most people overlook this feature, but it’s incredibly helpful because a curved design helps you create a range of styles like straight hair, curls, and waves.
- Value – Rather than dishing out a hefty chunk of cash on a flat iron with a cringe-worthy price tag, look for a straightener that uses current technological advancements to help do the same amazing job at a fraction of the price.
- Durability and Warranty – The last thing you want is to fall in love with an amazing straightener only to have it break in 3 months, leaving you with nothing but a futuristic-looking paperweight. When choosing a flat iron, make sure the company offers extensive warranties, uses sturdy materials with a durable design, AND offers a money back guarantee.
To simplify your shopping process, we’ve compiled a list of the best new hair straighteners on the market that meet all of our standards listed above. So whether you’re straightening your hair after blow drying for a night out on the town or just freshening up quickly on your way out the door to work, these flat irons will help get you the BEST RESULTS!
Regular Price: $169
MOTHER'S DAY SALE: $124
As soon as we got our eyes on the SRI Infrarose Styler “Titanium Edition,”, it stood out from the crowd. Not only is this straightener modern and luxurious with lots of thoughtful features (like a latch that locks the straightener closed for ease of travel) but the packaging is elegant and fun! The floating titanium plates work wonders on all hair textures and slide through your hair without pulling, tugging or snagging.
We also loved that the technology used in this flat iron is the latest on the market.The Infrarose Styler combines fast-heating titanium plates and custom temperature controls to help you get the best results in the least amount of time. Our tests proved you can effortlessly straighten your hair in just one pass to get the glossy salon finish you deserve without having to worry about breakage, frizz or damaging your hair.
Even better– Skin Research Institute, the company behind the Infrarose Styler, is renowned and trusted by professionals. It is also nice that there is no risk when buying this straightener because it comes with a 60-day money-back guarantee and 1 year warranty.
The other great thing about SRI is that they always have amazing sales! Order your Infrarose Styler today to take advantage of their MOTHER'S DAY SALE so if you hurry, you can get their awesome discount!
PROS:
- GENTLE ON HAIR: Floating titanium plates glide through hair without snagging, pulling or tugging.
- LESS FRIZZ: Titanium plates provide even heat distribution that support fast, easy, frizz-free straightening.
- FAST STYLING: Heat up your styler in less than 30 seconds.
- ROUND BODY: The easy-to-grip rounded body helps you straighten or curl your hair with ease.
- TEMPERATURE RANGE: Choose from a wide variety of temperatures so you can customize for your exact hair type.
- RISK FREE: SRI is BBB accredited, offers a 60-Day Money-Back Guarantee and has a 1-year warranty.
CONS:
- Only available online
- Could use a traveling bag for convenience
Regular Price: $499.99
This high-end flat iron by Dyson will certainly make you feel fancy while styling! It’s great for all hair types, and we loved the cordless feature and flat plates. It was able to straighten and style in a decent amount of time, however sometimes it would take 3 or more passes to smooth out curly hair. Overall, it worked well, just snagged more than we would have liked for the price.
PROS:
- Fast heat up
- Sleek, gorgeous design
- Upscale packaging
- Great customer service
CONS:
- Expensive compared to similar hair dryers (with fewer features)
- Requires multiple passes to thoroughly straighten
- Can take all day to charge
Regular Price: $249
The T3 straightener is great for anyone who prefers everything to be automated! This flat iron has 9 unique settings and can be customized to your preference. To us, it seemed like a lot of heat settings for little variability, and sometimes became confusing. Overall, we got great results once we were able to understand the interface.
PROS:
- Digital interface
- Compact, cute design
- Personalized heat settings
- Smooth handling
CONS:
- Difficult to use without instructions
- Short lifespan
Regular Price: $169
The Drybar flat iron is a good choice for someone who would prefer to have one hair tool, rather than 2 or 3 (or more!). It gives you straight hair and curls, loose waves and more. It does a fair job of all styles, but none are standout results. The infrared light is a favorite feature of ours, but theirs isn’t visible which makes us question the efficacy. Overall, it got the job done but isn’t one that we would be excited to use everyday.
PROS:
- Great for styling
- Infrared technology
- Single pass straightening
CONS:
- Long heat up time
- Inconsistent heat settings
Conclusion
While the above list barely scrapes the surface of the numerous flat iron products available, hopefully it gives you a starting place in the process of buying your new glamorous tool.
You are moments away from acquiring a high-quality hair curling iron that will not only help generate the ageless glamour you see dazzling the pages in magazines, but you will also be taking a new step towards making sure you support a healthy head of hair for a good long time.
