These Are the Best Straighteners for Every Hair Type and Need
Because there’s 100% a flat iron for you
Hair comes in all different colours, lengths, textures and frizz levels, which means that—like the locks they style—one size doesn’t fit all when it comes to styling tools. That’s especially true of hair straighteners. Whether you’re trying to smooth über thick hair (lucky, but we understand the hardship!), attempting to tame a halo of ever-present frizz, or hoping to straighten your luscious curls for a switch-up to your regular hair routine, there’s *definitely* a flat iron out there for you. But how can you possibly know which one to choose? With the market for hair straighteners pretty saturated at the moment (though we’re not complaining), it can be difficult to discern your Babyliss from your Dyson. Luckily, we have you covered with this best hair straightener roundup.
Here, FLARE breaks down the best flat irons for every hair type and need, with editor reviews of some of our ultimate faves. Trust us, because we’ve tried them.
The Best Straighteners for Every Hair Type
1/14 Best straighteners for curly hair: CHI
Lava Ceramic Hairstyling Iron, $160, chi.com
I have 3B/3C type curly hair and look for straighteners that can help me achieve multiple looks: I have to be able to get it pin-straight, or with a little bounce, or even a subtle wave. The CHI Lava flat iron helps me achieve all these with the über useful feature of allowing me to adjust the specific temperature I’m looking for. I don’t always need the hottest setting to get my hair styled with a few passes of the iron, which helps minimize hair damage. The results are always smooth, and the auto-off feature helps in those moments when I’ve forgotten to turn off the iron—something I definitely don’t recommend doing! —Elham Numan, graphic designer
2/14 Best straighteners for curly hair: L’Oréal Professionnel
Steampod 3.0, $350, chatters.ca
My hair typically straddles the line between Victorian ringlets and shaggy dog, depending on the day and whether or not I’ve air-dried it, meaning that I’ve struggled for years to find the right tool that’ll take my hair from curly to sleek fairly effortlessly. While I’ve found flat irons that have helped make straightening my hair fairly simple, L’Oréal Professionnel’s latest Steampod 3.0 is legitimately a game changer. It’s size is a lot bigger than most if the straighteners I’ve used in the past, but it’s worth it. Not only does the steam mean less damage to my hair, but it seriously straightens with only one pass and leaves my hair sleek and frizz-free. Which, as any curly-haired person knows, are truly bonkers results. —Katherine Singh, assistant editor
3/14 Best straighteners for damaged hair: Babyliss PRO
Nano Titanium Ultra Thin Straightening Iron, $124, tradesecrets.ca
4/14 Best straighteners for damaged hair: T3
Lucea ID 1’ Smart Straightening & Styling Flat Iron with Touch Screen, $320, sephora.com
This flat iron is seriously high tech and promises less damage to your locks with its Lucea ID personalization tool. Upon first use, you simply input your hair type, including length, thickness and whether it’s colour-treated or not, into a small digital panel on the wand and the tool determines what heat setting out of nine is appropriate for your hair needs. (You can change this anytime, plus you have the option to manually choose the heat setting you want.) The result is sleek, shiny, frizz-free hair that doesn’t look like it was just torched at max heat with those telltale pin-straight flyaways. —Jennifer Berry, managing editor
5/14 Best straighteners for frizzy hair: GHD
6/14 Best straighteners for frizzy hair: Morrocanoil
Perfectly Polished Titanium Flat Iron, $170, chatters.ca
As a curly-haired human who deals with frizz on a daily basis, it’s not only essential that I find a straightener that’ll smooth hair, but also leave it with minimal static afterwards. I’m not a huge fan of Morrocanoil hair products as a whole (I find them too oily for my hair), but their hair tools are A+. The compact size of the flat iron is perfect for manoeuvring around my head (and in my tiny bathroom), without skimping on quality. Despite the size, I was delighted to find that it only took a few passes to straighten small sections of my hair, and left my locks feeling *super* silky. I also love the quick heat-up function (it takes less than 60 seconds to heat up) and the fact that the tool has a soft grip. —K.S.
7/14 Best straighteners for creating curls and waves: Kristin Ess
3-In-One Flat Iron, $105, well.ca
8/14 Best straighteners for creating curls and waves: Hot Tools
Pro Revolutionary 1” Ionic Salon Flat Iron, $150, chatters.ca
I’m by no means a pro at using a flat iron for creating curls—as a righty, the left side of my head is always *chef’s kiss* but I haven’t quite mastered the right—but I’ve tried enough heat tools to know which ones work and which ones tear your hair off as you try to give it a cute wave. This straightener has rounded plate edges that allow you to create curls and waves without any unsightly sharp bends, plus its ergonomic, lightweight design makes it a breeze to handle while practicing your technique. Bonus: it heats up super quickly, which is always a plus for those of us who are punctuality-challenged. —J.B.
9/14 Best bang for your buck: Conair
Unbound Cordless Flat Iron, $110, conaircanada.ca
10/14 Best bang for your buck: CHI
Original Ceramic Hairstyling Iron, $80, chi.com
In my early days as a straightened-hair fiend, the CHI Original Flat Iron was my best friend. I could curl, straighten and wave my curly hair, and felt invincible afterwards since it was guaranteed that my hair looked bangin’. Over a decade (!) later, this straightener works just as well as it did back when I faithfully used it every few weeks in high school. The ceramic plates still heat up quickly and leave my hair super smooth with minimal passes. Not to mention that the incredibly long swivel cord ensures I can take my straightener with me to different parts of my house and never have to worry about whether or not the wall outlet is out of reach. The initial cost is definitely worth spending considering how reliably long it’ll last. —E.N.
11/14 Best bang for your buck: Remington
Anti-Static Flat Iron with Floating Ceramic Plates, $53, walmart.ca
12/14 Best straighteners for colour treated hair: Dyson
Corrale Straightener, $650, thebay.com
It’s been almost a full year since I’ve had my hair lightened, but my ends are still crispy as heck. With fewer opportunities to get a fresh trim due to lockdowns in Ontario, I’m more careful than ever to avoid further damage. The Dyson Corrale, which launched last year, promises sleek results with 50% less damage than traditional flat irons, and it definitely delivers thanks to its intelligent flexing plates that require less heat and only one pass through your hair to achieve perfect results. —C.H.
13/14 Best straighteners for fine hair: Bio Ionic
10X Pro Straightening & Styling Iron, $186, amazon.ca
14/14 Best straighteners for fine hair: Aquage
Silk Smoothing Iron, $200, theskincaresupply.com
Katherine is a freelance writer and editor. She frequently covers entertainment and culture and was previously the entertainment staff writer at Refinery29. You can find her byline in ELLE Canada, The Globe and Mail, FLARE and Chatelaine, among others.