10 Best Hair Straighteners and Flat Irons 2025, Tested & Reviewed

All products are independently selected by our editors. If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission.

The term flat iron may bring back memories of a wide-plated clamp that would fry your hair into straight (but definitely not sleek) strands. Thankfully, today’s best hair straighteners are a fry cry from the relics of the early 2000s. The newest hair straighteners work better than ever. In fact, they often go above and beyond—some operate on air alone so you can style wet-to-dry without damage and breakage, while others (including my personal favorite!) are highly versatile since they can double as a curling iron.

Our top pick, the Amika The Confidante has been my personal go-to for at least four years now. That’s saying a lot, because, as a beauty writer, I’m always searching for the next best thing. I just haven’t found anything that can top this hot tool. It can both straighten and curl equally well, and its ceramic plates glide effortlessly through my wavy, medium-texture hair, yielding soft, shiny, frizz-free results with just a single pass. And although I think Amika’s flat iron is suitable for all different hair types, we found there are other solid options out there, particularly if you’re looking for something a little less expensive. We found an awesome drugstore buy and one that operates at a lower temperature that won’t singe finer hair.

Ahead, the very best flat irons we tested, approved by hair stylists.

The best hair straighteners, at a glance

• Best Overall: Amika The Confidante, $150
• Best for Thick Hair: GHD Chronos Styler 1-Inch Flat Iron, $329
• Best for Fine Hair: Dyson Airstrait, $499
• Best for Curly Hair: Drybar The Tress Press Digital Styling Iron, $169
• Best for Frizzy Hair: Silk’n SilkyStraight 2-in-1 Hair Straightener, $164
• Best for Wavy Hair: CHI Original 1-Inch Ceramic Hairstyling Iron, $70
• Best for Less Heat Damage: T3 SinglePass StyleMax Flat Iron, $150
• Best for Coarse Hair: Hot Tools Pro Artist Flat Iron, $76
• Best Value: Conair Double Ceramic Flat Iron, $20

1. Best Overall: Amika The Confidante

• What we love: Easy to use; high-temperature settings; curved edges allow for curling
• What could improve: Doesn’t stand up well on its own
• Plate material: Ceramic
• Size: 1 inch
• Temperature: Adjustable up to 450°F
• Auto-shutoff: 60 minutes
• Cord: 9 feet

This hair straightener has floating plates that adjust to tension, so hair—even the curliest types—glides exceptionally well through the styling tool. My long, wavy, medium-textured hair slips right through the plates like butter whether I’m styling it pin-straight, rounding out the edges, or using the tool to create long, loose waves reminiscent of those you might get from a large barrel curling iron. Most times, my hair goes pin-straight in a single pass. I’ve never experienced anything else like it—and I’ve tried at least a dozen hair straighteners over the years.

I also like the easy-to-read digital display, which allows you to see which temperature you’re working with, up to an impressive 450°F. The fact that it’s dual-voltage is also a nice bonus, since I can tuck it in my suitcase and travel globally without any issue. This is a highly durable pick, too. I’ve been using the same Confidante for at least four years, and it’s still going very, very strong.

2. Best for Thick Hair: GHD Chronos Styler 1-Inch Flat Iron

• What we love: Ultra-smooth glide; delivers a sleek and shiny look in just one or two passes; shuts off after just 10 minutes
• What could improve: Cannot control temperature manually; not as well-suited for curling
• Plate material: Ceramic
• Plate size: 1 inch
• Temperature: 365°F
• Auto-shutoff: 10 minutes
• Cord: 8.8 feet

We’ve long been fans of Ghd’s flat irons—one of the brand’s longer-standing models, the Ghd Platinum won a Beauty Award in 2020. And we’re pleased to say this one is even better. Yes, the price tag is steep (very steep), but there’s really no guesswork here. There’s no temperature to choose from; instead, it’s a ‘smart iron’ that uses predictive technology to recognize the thickness of your hair and the speed at which you’re styling. It then adjusts its power accordingly, operating an optimum temperature of 365°F.

In tests, we found Ghd’s Chronos Styler heated very quickly, plus it emits a satisfying ping to alert you that it’s ready to use. We also appreciate the 10-minute auto-shutoff, which is much faster than all of the other products we evaluated—a nice safety feature. On the downside, I didn’t have as much success curling my hair with this flat iron, despite the rounded edges—and I’d consider myself pretty advanced in this department. I did, however, successfully execute a sleek, straight style with plenty of shine and the type of rounded ends you might get from a blowout.

3. Best for Fine Hair: Dyson Airstrait

• What we love: Less direct and intense heat means less heat damage over time; wide range of styling settings and modes (wet, dry, rough-dry, smoothing boost); LCD screen; intelligent airflow temperature control
• What could improve: Slower process than traditional flat irons
• Plate material: N/A
• Size: 1.6 inches
• Temperature: Three preset settings in wet mode (175°F, 230°F, 285°F); two preset temperatures in dry mode (250°F or 285°F)
• Auto-shutoff: Auto-pause after three seconds of inactivity; standby mode after 5 minutes
• Cord: 9.6 feet

The Glamour commerce team put the buzzy Dyson Airstrait to the test, and found it to be most suitable for those with fine, straight hair that’s not exceptionally prone to frizz. Think of it as a flat iron and a blow dryer at the same time. Instead of pressing your hair between hot plates, it dries strands with hot air (using the same technology as our favorite Dyson Airwrap)—way less damaging than your standard straightening iron.

Though it’s gentle on hair, the process is a bit lengthy, since you have to first use the tool to “rough dry” your roots. This is an important step, because the shape and size of the Airstrait is a bit bulky and the air shoots down towards your ends, so you can’t clamp hair all the way at the top to smooth it during the “straightening” process. Once I was ready to work on individual sections of hair with passes closer to that of a traditional flat iron, I found there was a bit of a learning curve to keep hair inside of the tool. But once I learned that it helped to hold my hair, guiding it through. Even though this whole process was a bit time-consuming—especially someone like me who has wavy, medium-textured hair—the effort paid off. My finished style was incredibly soft and shiny, plus had impressive staying power.

4. Best for Curly Hair: Drybar The Tress Press Digital Styling Iron

• What we love: Heats quickly; frizz-reducing ionic and infrared tech; digital temperature control
• What could improve: Outside of tool can get hot
• Plate material: Titanium
• Plate size: 1 inch
• Temperature: Adjustable up to 450°F
• Auto shut-off: 60 minutes
• Cord: 9 feet

If it’s a two-in-one straightener and curling iron hybrid you’re looking for, consider the top-selling Drybar styler—a favorite of more than one Glamour editor. “I’m mostly inept at curling hair, let alone at using a flat iron to do anything other than run it over my already flat-as-a-board hair,” Glamour contributor Lindsay Schallon says. “But Drybar’s flat iron makes it easy, since it has rounded edges that mimics a curling wand,” she says. “It’s also super lightweight, which makes it easier to wield.”

Glamour commerce director Brie Schwartz has owned this straightener for over five years and is a fan of how straight it gets her 3C curls. “I’ve been using a flat iron for over 25 years, and I’ve tried at least 10. I used to be loyal to the popular GHD, but I find the Dry Bar option is even better for my fine, mid-length curly hair since it has a narrow barrel, and is super lightweight so my wrists don’t hurt after a styling sesh. (The GHD is a bit longer). Despite being the daughter of a hair dresser and being exposed to all the best hair tools out of the womb, I didn’t get her skills, and this has by far been the easiest to work with and gets as hot as the professional one she used. My wand has stayed in great shape, and despite dropping it countless times, it hasn’t broken. The one thing to note is that, after about a year, the outside started getting hotter to the touch, so I’ve had to to be careful about how I grip it.” She also likes the digital temperature control that lets you know what temperature you’re operating at, up to 450°F.

5. Best for Frizzy Hair: Silk’n SilkyStraight 2-in-1 Hair Straightener and Curling Iron

• What we love: Heats up quickly; smooth glide; 12 temperature settings
• What could improve: The outside of the iron seems to get a bit hotter than others we tried
• Plate material: Titanium
• Plate size: 1 inch
• Temperature: Adjustable up to 450°F
• Auto-shutoff: 45 minutes
• Cord: 8.53 feet

Red light therapy for hair growth may be trending, but Silk’n doesn’t make any promises surrounding this particular purported benefit. Instead, the brand says the infrared technology allows you to style at a lower heat to reduce overall heat damage, and help retain moisture thus more effectively smoothing and minimizing any frizz.

Glamour commerce writer Alanna Martine Kilkeary said she was a fan of this straightener from the moment she turned it on. “I liked how quickly this iron heated up—it took no more than 30 seconds (the brand says 15)—and how easy it was to glide through my hair. It didn’t get caught or snag,” she says. “It maintained a consistent temperature that didn’t feel too hot or singe my hair, and gave me a velvety soft finish. My hair looks super sleek after using this, and I’ll definitely be reaching for it again and again, I can already tell.”

6. Best for Wavy Hair: CHI Original 1-Inch Ceramic Hairstyling Iron

• What we love: Fast-heating; long cord, customizable temperature
• What could improve: Doesn’t get as hot as some others
• Plate material: Ceramic
• Plate size: 1 inch
• Temperature: 392°F
• Auto-shutoff: 60 minutes
• Cord: 11 feet

The CHI Original 1-Inch Ceramic Hairstyling Iron is an enduring classic and a perennial bestseller because of it’s functionality. The powerful hot tool heats up in just one minute and has adjustable heat up to 392°F—hot enough for those with wavy or curly hair. It also has an 11-foot charging cord (longer than many of its competitors). While it did take approximately two solid passes per section to straighten my hair, the end result was nice and sleek while still maintaining some volume.

Even testers with more coarse hair said the hair tool worked well for them. “My hair is so frizzy that even after a blowout, it tends to be unruly by day two,” says Macaela MacKenzie, a Glamour contributor who put this straightener to the test. “I used the Chi on second-day hair and was impressed—my hair was smoother without falling flat, and my ends felt silky and full.”

7. Best for Less Heat Damage: T3 SinglePass StyleMax Flat Iron

• What we love: Smart temperature selection; heats up quickly; can straighten and curl
• What could improve: Shorter power cord; doesn’t glide as smoothly over hair as we hoped
• Plate material: Ceramic
• Plate size: 1 inch
• Temperature: Nine settings up to 410°F
• Auto-shutoff: 60 minutes
• Cord: 7.9 feet

When you straighten your hair, you want the process to be as straightforward as possible and the result as sleek as possible. Of course, you also want to minimize any damage to your strands. T3’s Single Pass StyleMax delivers on all fronts, thanks to a unique technology that customizes the styling process for you—no fiddling with different temperatures. You simply select your hair texture and styling goals via buttons on the flat iron, then get to work—the iron will heat to one of nine temperatures selected for you.

This straightener came closer than any others to matching the quality of my beloved Amika. While there is a bit of a learning curve to figure out the smart heat settings, once I figured it out, things came to temperature exceptionally quickly. I appreciated that the rounded edges allow you to both straighten and curl, but was disappointed with the feel of the plates. The iron didn’t swipe effortlessly, but rather stuttered over my hair. It did, however, do a pretty solid job in a single pass.

8. Best for Coarse Hair: Hot Tools Pro Artist Flat Iron

• What we love: LED temperature display; travel lock; tone lets you know when device reaches desired temperature; high heat
• What could improve: Doesn’t glide through hair as effortlessly as we hoped
• Plate material: Ceramic and titanium
• Size: 1 inch
• Temperature: Adjustable up to 455°F
• Auto-shutoff: 60 minutes
• Cord: 9 feet

We like this Hot Tools iron for how quickly it heats up, its easy-to-read LED display with adjustable temps up to a whopping 455°F, and the fact that it gives an audible beep when it reaches whatever temperature you set it to. As one of the hotter irons on our list, it’s a great pick for anyone who has hair that’s trickier to style, whether it’s super coarse or curly.

As someone who relies on their flat iron to straighten and curl, I really liked the rounded design of this pick. It made it very easy to get rounded edges that mimic a blow-dried style when straightening, but also helped create really beautiful long, loose curls when curling. It did stutter a bit on my wavy, medium-textured hair, but not quite as much as some others I tried.

9. Best Titanium: Kristin Ess 3-in-One Professional Titanium Hair Straightener

• What we love: Grips hair for great tension without snagging; multiple heat settings up to 440°F; long power cord
• What could improve: Doesn’t stand up on its own very well
• Plate material: Titanium
• Plate size: 1 inch
• Temperature: Adjusts up to 440°F
• Auto-shutoff: 30 minutes
• Cord: 9 feet

Since its launch in 2017, Kristin Ess has developed a name for itself as a budget-friendly brand with exceptional quality, and their 3-in-1 straightener is an excellent example of this. Not only does the flat iron look and feel like a higher-end model, but it also performs at a similar level.

I found it easy to use—simply long-press the power button to turn it on, then continuously press it to toggle through the various heat settings up to 440°F. It heats up, even to its max temperature, relatively quickly—certainly under a minute. But what I was most impressed with was the tension of the titanium plates. They really grip hair without snagging or stuttering, so you can get enough of a hold on hair to smooth hair in a single pass. There were only a few stubborn sections that required a second pass—something that’s hard to come by in most straighteners, let alone one at this price point. On the downside, it did keep tipping when I set it down on my counter. Although it does come with a thermal sleeve for traveling or storing the hot tool after you’re done using it.

10. Best Value: Conair Double Ceramic Flat Iron

• What we love: Budget-friendly; impressive amount of heat settings for a budget-friendly option; lightweight
• What could improve: Short cord; no automatic shut-off
• Plate material: Ceramic
• Size: 1 inch
• Temperature: Five settings up to 410°F
• Auto-shutoff: No
• Cord: 5 feet