9 Best Flat Irons

Many women regardless of hair type want the option to have straight hair whenever they feel like it—especially ladies who like to change up their hairstyle every now and then. Thick, curly, and wavy hair are all gorgeous AF, but sometimes, they can be hard to control and are particularly prone to the effects of humidity.

Enter the classic flat iron which, for ages, has been widely regarded as one of the best solutions for taming hard-to-manage hair. Even ladies with naturally straight hair often struggle with keeping their tresses smooth and manageable—especially when the weather just randomly decides to be difficult. Naturally straight hair, when stripped of its moisture or subjected to a lot of friction, end up looking dull and crumpled.

Flat ironing the hair is a quick and simple way to achieve a simple and sleek hairstyle. But with so many types and models of hair irons out there, choosing the best one can be challenging.

But hey, you’ve come to the right place! The following tips should help you find the best flat iron for your hair type, lifestyle, and style preferences. Before we dive in, here’s a quick reminder: look at the plates, temperatures, and sizing before considering special features.

Plate material

Typically, flat irons make use of one of three types of materials—or some combination of the three. These materials are ceramic, tourmaline, and titanium.

Ceramic – These plates tend to take longer to heat (though they’re getting faster every day), but they’re great at distributing heat evenly. Also, they’re smooth and less likely to pull on hair, which makes them great for fine, coarse, or curly hair. Ceramic plates are also typically the cheapest material out of the three. You have to be careful with them, though, as ceramic material can easily chip.

Tourmaline – This shiny coating on tourmaline plates makes them even smoother and very shiny. It’s also more resilient than mere ceramic. Tourmaline plates cause the least stress on your hair strands, so we recommend them if you have damaged locks. However, if you have super thick and curly hair, using an iron with tourmaline plates might not be the most efficient option.

Titanium – These plates heat super quickly and hold heat well, so if you’re always in a hurry in the morning, you might find want to check titanium flat irons out. These are also lightweight and tend to be the strongest. However, they are prone to overheating and consequently damaging your hair if you’re not careful.

Temperature and sizing

Generally speaking, the thicker, coarser, and curlier your hair is naturally, the higher the heat required to achieve smooth results. The finer your hair – or the more chemicals or damage it has undergone, the more likely you’ll need to work with lower temperatures to avoid damaging your do.

If you have thick or curly hair, we recommend that you use a flat iron that is set between 350 to 400 degrees. The most difficult cases may require temperatures that are a bit higher than 400, but we strongly advise against using anything beyond 450. If you have thin or damaged hair, a setting of around 300 degrees should do the trick.

The larger the plate (typically between 1” and 2”), the more ground you can cover in a shorter time. But, the bigger the plate, the less flexibility you have to create curls, flips, or beach waves. If you have short or fine hair, straightening the shortest sections of your hair will be a lot easier with smaller plates, too. Most flat irons are available in 1” and 1.5” sizes, though there are a few amazing ones that break the norm.

Nice to have: Special features

Once you’ve made up your mind about the key specs of the flat iron of your dreams, it’s time to look at their special features. Here are some examples of bonus features that you can expect in a flat iron.

Auto shut off

Anything that uses high heat, such as a flat iron, is a fire hazard. If left unattended, flat irons can catch fire and burn your entire house or apartment down. Everyone knows that flat irons must be switched off after use, but sometimes, unintentionally forgetting to do so is inevitable—especially on super busy mornings when you’re running late for work or school.

A flat iron with an auto shut off feature will help avoid this unfortunate situation. Most models that boast this feature will automatically shut off after around an hour of using, so even if you forget to switch your flat iron off and you’re already on the road, you can rest assured that your house will not catch fire.

Heat protector cushion

A heat protector cushion covers the handle of the flat iron and protects your hands from the heat generated by the plates. The absence of a cushion doesn’t necessarily mean your hands are going to get burned, but they do make the overall experience more comfortable by giving you a sense of security. What’s more, a heat protector cushion can improve the ergonomics of your flat iron.

Steam feature

If you have super curly hair, you might benefit from using a flat iron that comes with a steam function. Using steam while ironing your hair will give you extra taming power, and it’s a great way to effectively manage unruly tresses.

Cordless flat irons

Cordless flat irons are available for men and women on the go. These battery-operated tools will enable you to quickly straighten your hair even without a power socket in sight.

Dual voltage tools

Dual voltage flat irons are great for overseas travel. They will be able to run with a voltage of 110-120v and 220-240v.

Other factors to consider

Shape and size

The shape of a flat iron will impact its versatility. A flat iron whose body is rounded will be easier to transition into a curling iron. Conversely, a flat iron that is flat throughout will be more difficult to use for anything other than straightening the hair.

The size of a flat iron becomes important if you plan to take it with you outside the comforts of your home. Whether you’re bringing it to the gym or an overseas trip, you’d want to get something that won’t be too hard to fit in your gym bag or take up too much luggage space.

Weight

Hair straightening can take a lot of time if you have thick hair. Thus, you might want to stick to flat irons that are not too heavy. The entire process of achieving sleek and manageable hair can take anywhere between 10 minutes to an hour, depending on the state of your hair and your desired result. Imagine the agony of holding a heavy tool for more than 30 minutes!

Number of temperature options

It’s nice to have a flat iron that has a variety of temperature settings. Being able to switch between different temperatures is helpful in certain situations, such as when you want to treat certain parts of your hair (usually your bangs) with less heat. This is also helpful if you occasionally share your flat iron with your mom, sister, or daughter and you have different hair textures.

Besides, our tastes in hairstyles and cuts can change over the years—especially with fluctuating and evolving trends. Choosing a flat iron that can stand the test of time isn’t only a matter of durability, it’s also a matter of adaptability and versatility.

A note on damage and heat protection

Heat is never good for the hair. Even the most expensive flat irons—yup, those who claim to use materials that are more hair-friendly and cause less damage—will eventually wreak havoc on your hair if you’re not careful. That’s just the way it is: subjecting your hair to heat on a regular basis will affect its health over time. That is inevitable.

However, that doesn’t mean you can’t do anything to help lessen the damage. The number one thing you can do to help keep your hair healthy and shiny is to avoid using hot tools every single day. Give your hair strands a break every now and then. If you can limit their exposure to heat to 3 to 4 times a week, that would be awesome.

Another way to take care of your hair is to consciously use the lowest temperature setting possible to achieve your desired look. The hotter the tool, the more damage it can cause. Also, avoid running through the same section of hair multiple times. If possible, you should run hair through the flat iron just once.

Lastly, use products that are specifically geared towards combatting heat damage. A heat protectant spray is essential to protect your hair from the effects of frequent hot tool use—plus, they’re widely available and not that expensive, too. You may also use conditioners, masks, and other hair treatments that are specifically formulated to help reverse heat damage. Following these recommendations will keep your hair happy and healthy.

How to clean your flat iron

Even if you only use your flat iron on freshly-washed hair, it’s still bound to accumulate gunk over time. This is especially true if you frequently use styling products like hair mousse, hair spray, leave-in conditioner, and heat protectant.

Many of us are guilty of attempting to scrape off gunk from the plates using scissors and knives, but this can actually damage your flat iron in the long run. We recommend that you use a soft cloth to gently remove debris and product buildup from your flat iron. If that doesn’t do the trick, you can mix hydrogen peroxide and baking soda and use the mixture as a homemade cleaning solution.