7 Best Hair Straightening Brushes

If taming your frizzy, unruly head of hair seems like the most daunting task on the planet, then you might want to look into the best hair straightening brushes to solve your dilemma.

Sleek, straight, and smooth-looking hair has always been within reach thanks to hair straightening irons, blow dryers, and the trusty old hairbrush. However, these tools aren’t exactly a breeze to use—especially since you have to use at least two of them in tandem to get great results.

Enter the hair straightening brush, which straightens, detangles, and styles your hair in a matter of minutes. And with it, one-hand operation is possible, too!

But with the surge in popularity of hair straightening brushes, choosing the best one may be difficult. That’s why we’ve made it our mission to simplify the shopping process for you. And we’ve done that by crafting this no-nonsense buying guide that perfectly complements the list of our recommended brush models above.

Give it a read to learn everything you need to know to be able to choose the right straightening brush for your hair and lifestyle. It covers the benefits of hair straightening brushes, all the factors you should consider before making a decision, and helpful tips and tricks that will help you get the most out of this awesome tool.

Let’s go!

How do hair straightening brushes work?

A hair straightening brush looks just like a normal brush, but it is fitted with a heating plate that gives your hair a straightening boost.

There are a few key differences between a hair straightening brush and the classic hair iron. Both of them use heat to straighten hair and help smooth flyaway. But instead of passing sections of your hair in between two plates, a hair straightening brush simply uses normal brushing motions. This enables it to smooth and detangle your hair at the same time.

In short, you use a hair straightening brush similar to how you would use a normal brush. It’s extremely easy, and you get to enjoy results that are comparable to that of a straightening iron.

Why should you buy a hair straightening brush?

A hair-straightening brush is easy to use, dual-purpose and provides results fast. Compared to using the classic hairbrush + hair straightening iron combo, you’ll only have to deal with one tool when using a straightening brush. This not only simplifies the entire process of achieving smooth and straight hair, but it also gives you comparable results without using the same high temperatures as a flat iron. This means you’re sparing your hair strands from the damaging effects of using too much heat.

Using a hair straightening brush is also an amazing alternative for those of us who do not have the motor skills needed to use a brush on one hand and a blow dryer on another. It’s also a great stepping stone for hairstyling beginners because it doesn’t require as much skill and technique as older heat styling methods.

If you travel often, you’ll know that it can be quite hard to fit a straightening iron, a blow dryer, and a big, bulky brush in your luggage. Using a hair straightening iron helps solve this dilemma knowing that you now have to pack just one tool for your hair. What’s more, straightening brushes typically have a slimmer footprint than the aforementioned tools.

And, of course, the fact that the hair straightening brush is dual purpose doesn’t only benefit you in terms of being able to pack lighter. It saves some of your hard-earned money, too! Instead of buying multiple tools to achieve sleek and straight hair, you now need to buy just one. And because these brushes are reasonably priced, you’ll be able to enjoy great hair days without making a dent in your bank account. Win-win!

Things to consider when shopping for a hair straightening brush

Brush shape and width

The best brush shape and width for you will greatly depend on your hair type and hair length. A roller brush tends to work better for those with long hair. Meanwhile, if your hair is short to medium in length, then you should probably go for brushes that have a flatter shape.

If you have lots of hair, a wider hair straightening brush will help you save lots of time. You’ll be able to straighten larger sections of your hair at a time, so you won’t have to execute as many strokes as what a smaller hairbrush will require.

The bristles

The bristles on a hair straightening brush are responsible for detangling your hair. They also play a key role in the straightening process, so choosing a model with effective and high-quality bristles is important. Bristles that are way too stiff can damage your hair and cause breakage. So if you have particularly-knotty and tangled hair, you should be looking for bristles that have a bit of flexibility in them.

Another sign of a good-quality brush is that its bristles are rooted firmly into the base of the brush. This helps prevent the bristles from completely falling out, which, of course, will affect the performance of the straightening brush.

One more thing to look at is the texture at the tip of the bristles. You want something that won’t scratch or hurt your scalp as you brush your hair. Ball-tipped bristles are particularly effective at detangling hair while avoiding snags and rips.

Plate material

Apart from the bristles, the plate is the part which comes into direct contact with your hair. It’s also the key component of the brush that heats up your hair strands, so it’s definitely an important aspect that deserves looking into.

Ceramic plates are the most popular because they’re great at combatting frizz. Another widely-used material is tourmaline which, like ceramic, releases negative ions that fight frizz and promote sleek and smooth hair.

Hairbrushes that use titanium plates also exist, and they are commonly the most affordable option. However, know that titanium plates tend to heat up extremely fast and that they aren’t as gentle to the hair as ceramic and tourmaline plates. With that being said, we’d advise you to avoid going for a titanium brush if you have thin or fine hair that is easily damaged.

Temperature range

Different hair straightening brushes will have different operating temperatures. Some models will offer a single temperature setting, while others will go the extra mile and give you a bunch of heat levels to choose from.

High heat translates to faster and more effective straightening. If you have super thick, coarse, or curly hair, you’ll benefit from a straightening brush that can go beyond 400 degrees.

If you have fine or thin hair, you don’t have to crank up the temperature as much—although doing so can significantly cut your hair straightening time. That said, you still have to be careful. The higher the temperature setting you use, the more you risk damaging your hair.

Consistency

It’s not enough to know what temperatures a hair straightening brush can produce. It’s also important to check if it can maintain that temperature and heat up the plates evenly. Uneven heating and temperature inconsistencies can result not only in uneven texture, but they can also damage or even burn sections of your hair.

Heating time

Another factor in the heating equation is heating time. Even if a brush is able to offer and maintain a hundred different temperature settings, it wouldn’t make sense for a busy woman to buy it if it takes hours to heat.

We all have hectic mornings where every single minute counts, and a hair straightening brush that can achieve your desired temperature within a minute will surely help during those moments.

The handle

When it comes to hair styling tools, ergonomics is everything. We all know how uncomfortable it can be to hold styling instruments for prolonged periods of time.

If all it takes is a few minutes for you to finish styling your hair, then you could probably get away with any handle. However, if you have thick hair that requires you to spend more than 15 minutes to straighten it completely, then you should definitely pay more attention to the shape and comfort level of the brush handle. Something that is cushioned and contoured to comfortably fit in your hand will make your mornings more pleasant.

Portability

Hair straightening brushes are great travel companions. Instead of bringing a blow dryer, a big hairbrush, and a straightening iron, you can get away with bringing just the brush and you’ll still end up with an amazing hairstyle. Some hair-straightening brushes, however, are more portable than others.

If you’re a jetsetter who frequently travels all around the world, or even if you’re simply a busy professional who likes to lug her brush to the gym and office, going for a model that is extra small and lightweight is a great idea. Make sure to double-check the dimensions of the brushes you’re eyeing to see if any of them will be hard to cram inside your gym bag.

Caring for your hair straightening brush

• Clean your hair straightening brush regularly. Take time to regularly remove any hair strands that are stuck within the brush’s bristles. To give it a deeper clean, take a soft, damp cloth and use it to wipe down your hairbrush—making sure to reach in between the bristles where debris is frequently stuck.
• Always unplug your brush before cleaning. Although these brushes are designed for use with damp hair, that doesn’t give you the license to leave yours plugged in while you’re cleaning it with a wet or damp cloth. Remember: you wouldn’t want to expose the electrical wiring on your brush to water for safety reasons.
• Clean your brush more frequently if you regularly use hair styling products. If you’re always using your straightening brush on hair that has lots of product applied on it (heat protectant, straightening serum, styling mousse and gels—the works), then you should definitely clean it more frequently. If you let product residue build up on your brush, you might end up damaging your hair in the future.
• Avoid using toothbrushes and metals to clean your brush. Hard and abrasive materials can damage both the bristles and the heating plate on your brush. That said, stick to a soft, damp cloth.
• Allow the brush to dry completely before using it again. If you decide to use a special solution to give your brush a more thorough cleaning, make sure that the brush is completely dry before you use it on your hair. You wouldn’t want any of the chemicals from the solution to touch your hair since this can cause unnecessary damage to your hair strands.