Hair Straighteners Buying Guide
For some people, hair straighteners are an essential tool for your hair styling routine. With the right straighteners, you are able to take frizzy, unmanageable or wavy hair and turn it into smooth and sleek locks in just a few minutes, making them the perfect gift for someone who loves to try out different styles and 'do's' or provides the perfect quick fix for your own unruly hair.
There are a wide range of hair straighteners on the market that suit different hair types and create specific looks. You can find the best hair straighteners for curly hair, the best hair straighteners for thick hair and everything in between. The heat level you require for silky, straight locks (or curls, if using the straighteners as curling tongs) will depend on the type and length of your hair. If you're unsure about what to go for, this guide will help you to choose the best straighteners for your hair.
Hair straightening brushes
These are a great alternative to regular straighteners and are great hair straighteners for thick hair as well as hair that might be a little more difficult to manage. Hair straightening brushes usually have ceramic coated bristles and different heat settings that are designed to suit different hair types. The great thing about these brush style straighteners is that they heat up in minutes and are super-quick to use, due to the heated bristles working their way effectively through the hair, for a sleek, smooth finish. If you struggle to achieve this look, this variation on classic straighteners might just solve your hair styling woes.
Ceramic straighteners
Choosing hair straighteners is sometimes a bit of a minefield, but if you’re looking for a pair that you can rely on, you can’t go far wrong with a good pair of ceramic straighteners, no matter what your hair type. Whether you’re looking for a budget straightener or something a little higher end, heated ceramic plates will give you a gorgeous, professional-looking finish. Manufacturers these days are aware of the damage that direct heat can do to the hair and so the plates on some ceramic straighteners have been coated in Tourmaline, a mineral that reacts negatively to heat, which closes hair cuticles making for smoother, better styles. Ceramic plated straighteners are a great all-round device and an essential styling option.
Nano Straighteners
For those that love to hair straighten on-the-go, the Nano option is a super handy travel size, meaning you can have smooth and straight hair, without having full size straighteners taking up room in your bag. If you have a lot of hair or are looking for the best straighteners for curly hair, these might not be your best option because although powerful for their size, they might not provide that sleek, poker straight finish you are after. However, with the ability to heat up to 200 degrees and coming with ceramic coated plates, they are great for that super quick fix or for taking with you when you travel.
Wide Plate Straighteners
Wide plates are probably the best straighteners for thick hair as their bigger surface area means that they can glide across more hair, for successful and all-round quicker taming. Wide plate professional straighteners usually have several different heat settings that you can choose from, so those with different types of hair can find the setting that works best for them. Often, the plates on this type of straighteners are also coated in Tourmaline for minimum heat damage to hair. Although bigger than regular straighteners, they usually still have great portability due to their lightweight feel.
Other features to look out for when choosing a new pair of straighteners include the model having an automatic safety switch off function, so you don’t need to worry if you accidently leave them switched on.