The 14 Best Flat Irons of 2024, Tested and Reviewed

Best Overall

BaBylissPro Nano Titanium Dual Ionic Flat Iron

$160 at Amazon $160 at Ulta $160 $144 at Jcpenney.com

Our top pick for the best flat iron is the BabylissPRO Nano Titanium Dual Ionic Flat Iron. Taking only 20 seconds to heat up, this hair straightener is designed with titanium plates and features ion technology that you can turn on and off, depending on your hair type and needs. Technically, this flat iron is designed for all hair types, especially those with thick and coarse hair; however, we found that it is better for fine and wavy hair since it was a bit tricky to use on thick strands during our testing.

Nonetheless, we were impressed overall by this mid-range straightener and appreciated that it was lightweight and easy to use. On top of that, it heats up quickly and features five different temperature settings designed for specific hair types, so you don’t have to worry about causing damage to strands. Our in-lab expert even said that this flat iron was one of the best for curling — so it's truly a multi-functional tool. 

Temperature Settings: 5 | Width: 1.25 inches | Material: Titanium

Best for Thick Hair

Hot Tools Pro Artist Black Gold Flat Iron

View on Hottools.com $130 at Sallybeauty.com

The Hot Tools Black Gold Dual Plate Salon Flat Iron is not just the best flat iron for thick hair, it also has the best heat settings. Featuring four ceramic plates, this hot tool is super easy to maneuver over thick strands and features 30 different heat settings that allow you to customize the temperature of each plate for a truly personalized styling experience.

While the flat iron works really well at straightening, we found that the four-plate design makes curling hair a bit of a challenge, so we wouldn’t recommend it for that. However, it works well at providing a sleek and shiny look for straightening or adding waves.

Temperature Settings: 30 | Width: Four 0.5-inch plates | Material: Ceramic titanium

Best for Curly Hair

Hot Tools Pro Signature SteamStyler

$54 at Amazon $44 at Walmart

If you have curly hair, we love the Hot Tools Pro Signature SteamStyler, which features three steam settings for a more efficient straightening effect. We found that it left our hair super sleek and shiny after using it, and we didn't experience any tugging or pulling when passing through.

Since this flat iron uses 30 percent less heat, it helps prevent damage caused by heat, and the wider 1.5-inch ceramic-titanium plates make it easier to straighten more hair at once. While this might not be a concern for all, it did take us a while to straighten our strands, which makes us wish that the flat iron’s shut-off time was a little longer. Overall, though, we found this was an amazing flat iron for well under $100.

Temperature Settings: 3 | Width: 1.5 inches | Material: Ceramic titanium

Best for Natural Hair

Tymo Ring Plus

$70 at Target $70 at Tymobeauty.com $70 at Best Buy

For straightening hair without any static, the TYMO Ring Plus can't be beaten. Unlike typical flat-plate straighteners, the TYMO Ring's plates have small ridges that comb through the hair while you pass it through so that it both detangles and smoothes the hair at the same time. The teeth are coated with nano titanium, which helps to ensure even heat distribution and smoothness, and the brush-like design is especially useful in straightening curly and coily natural hair textures.

This hot tool offers nine different heat settings that range from 250 to 410 degrees, making it more customizable than many of the others we tried in the same price range. We found that this tool is strictly for straightening — it didn't do us any favors when we tried to use it for curling different types of hair. Plus, its comb-like teeth might tug on tangle-prone hair. To mitigate any potential pulling, we recommend combing through your hair with a standard brush or comb before going in with the hot tool.

Temperature Settings: 9 | Width: 2.76 inches | Material: Titanium

Best Wet-to-Dry

Dyson Airstrait Straightener

$499 at Amazon $500 at Nordstrom $500 at Nordstrom

Remember when we used to fry our strands by passing traditional straighteners over damp hair? Luckily, those days are long behind us — because the Dyson Airstraight gave us a sleek style from wet to dry in 15 minutes without damaging our hair. The two-in-one device uses concentrated air to dry and smooth hair, which means no need for damaging hot plates. Our tester's medium-thick, wavy hair was left smooth, straight, and glossy after using the Dyson Airstrait.

With the Dyson Airstraight in hand, we were able to simultaneously blow dry and straighten large sections of hair at a time, which cut our styling time in half. The device is equipped with an auto-pause feature that automatically stops the airflow after three seconds of inactivity, which prevents you from overheating any section of the hair. While the price tag is high, we think that the expeditious, shiny styles that we were able to achieve with just this one tool (no need for separate blow dryers and straighteners) makes it worth the price. 

Temperature Settings: 3 | Width: 1.5 inches | Material: N/A

Most User-Friendly

Dyson Corrale

$500 $400 at Amazon $500 at Ulta $400 at Best Buy

For the price of this iron, you might expect high quality and up-to-the-minute technology — and you'd be right. The Dyson Corrale flat iron features unique flexing copper alloy plates that conform to the shape of your hair to straighten it in less time and produce less damage. Even on curly type 4 hair, the Dyson iron straightened the hair in one pass. The Dyson also excelled with one pass on straighter hair, leaving no static at low temperatures of 365 degrees. This iron can even be used cordless for up to 32 minutes, making it more practical than ever to style your hair on the go.

However, even though its weight doesn't initially seem heavy, our arms started to feel those extra ounces after spending some time styling. During our lab test, the iron took 35 seconds to heat up to the maximum temperature and turned off automatically after five minutes of not being used, which preserves battery life. As far as durability goes, there was no damage at all after dropping the iron a couple of times.

Temperature Settings: 3 | Width: 1 inch | Material: Copper alloy

Best for Wavy Hair

Drybar Reserve Styling Iron

$190 $152 at Amazon $190 at Nordstrom $190 at Sephora

We recommend Drybar Reserve Dual-Plat Styling Iron for wavy hair because of its two half-inch plates and ionic technology that helps reduce frizz. After testing this straightener, we were super impressed by its lightweight design, which makes styling a lot easier and more comfortable.

We also love that the heat settings are designed for specific hair types, so you can rest assured knowing that you won’t cause too much damage to your strands by overheating. While we liked the overall curling effect, we would love to see this straightener with slightly longer plates to make curling a little bit easier; however, this issue wasn’t a deal-breaker for us, and we still think it's a high-quality tool for the price.

Temperature Settings: 5 | Width: Dual 0.5-inch plates | Material: Titanium

Best for Fine Hair

L'ange Le Duo

View on Amazon $90 at Target $89 at Walmart

We found that the L'ange Hair Le Duo 360° Airflow Styler works best for fine hair, as it only took one pass to get sleek, straight strands (versus a few passes on thicker hair). It works well at both straightening and curling and features air vents that are designed to cool hair and set the style.

The clamp style is a bit awkward at first, but we got used to it with some practice. This styler was one of the less expensive tools we tested, making this an excellent value for those with fine hair who need a straightener that won't burn their hair to a crisp.

Temperature Settings: 5 | Width: 1 inch | Material: Titanium

Best for Curling

T3 Smooth ID

$249 at Amazon $249 at Nordstrom $249 at Nordstrom

When using a straightener to curl strands, you can achieve the most gorgeous loose curls and waves. Our top pick for this is the T3 Smooth ID Flat Iron, which features smart technology to personalize and adjust the temperature based on hair texture and length. The smart straightener also has plenty of slip, making it easy to achieve a beautiful, loose, effortless curl. While we wish the smart settings were a little more intuitive, once you figure it out, this flat iron is truly impressive and allows you to achieve a sleek style that helps keep damage at bay. 

Temperature Settings: 9 | Width: 1 inch | Material: Ceramic

Best Drugstore

Kristin Ess 3-in-1 Flatiron

$95 $74 at Amazon $95 $65 at Target $90 at Asos

You don’t have to purchase a straightener from a beauty supply store to get a high-quality hot tool. For the best drugstore flat iron, we recommend the Kristin Ess 3-in-1 Titanium Flatiron, which is designed for straightening, waving, and curling and does an excellent job at achieving each style.

During our test trial, we were most impressed by how quickly it warms up and how well it clamps onto strands without tugging and pulling, making for an effective style in just one pass. We also found this works on all hair types — it was easy to both straighten and curl the strands of the four different hair types we tested. Instead of a locking mechanism like many other flat irons we tested, this flat iron includes a plastic ventilated sleeve to store the iron in after use.

Temperature Settings: 4 | Width: 1.25 inches | Material: Titanium

Best for Beginners

Ion Magnesium Flat Iron

$57 at Sallybeauty.com

The ion Magnesium Flat Iron is the best flat iron for beginners because it features a simple yet high-quality design that is easy to use and effective for both straightening and curling. We love this straightener because it has just one setting (up to 450 degrees) that doesn’t overwhelm beginners, and also has a 30-minute auto shut-off, which helps ensure safety in case you leave it on by mistake.

From a styling perspective, we found that this straightener was not only easy to maneuver due to its lightweight design, but it also moved smoothly through our hair for a quick style. While we think it's a bit pricey for some beginners, it is one of the cheaper ones relative to those on this list, meaning it's a high-quality tool that's designed to last.

Temperature Settings: 1 | Width: 1 inch | Material: Ceramic tourmaline

Best Lightweight

FHI Heat Platform Tourmaline Flat Iron

$135 at Amazon $150 at Fhiheat.com

Hot tools can get a little heavy, making it a challenge to not only style but also for travel. After testing several straighteners, we were most impressed by the FHI Heat Platform Tourmaline Ceramic Professional Styling Flat Iron which features a half-inch straightening plate and weighs only one pound making it super easy to hold and style hair without causing fatigue. In addition to its weight, this straightener is designed with negative ions to prevent moisture loss while heat styling and has an adjustable temperature range of 140 to 450 degrees, so you can customize your heat settings depending on your hair type and needs. 

Temperature Settings: Adjustable (140-450°F) | Width: 0.5-inch | Material: Ceramic

Best for Damaged Hair

Chi Lava 4D Hairstyling Iron

$230 $138 at Ulta View on Chi.com

It’s no secret that hot tools can cause hair damage, so if you’re worried about damage or already have it and want something that is gentler on your strands, we recommend the Chi Lava 4D Hairstyling Iron. Designed with Chi Lava minerals and ceramic plates to lower the chances of heat damage, the hair straightener glides easily through strands and effectively styles hair in just 10 minutes.

After testing this flat iron, we were most impressed by how quickly it straightens strands but also how well it targets frizz for a smooth and sleek hairstyle. Although we wish it had a little more slip when curling, we found that it still worked well for straightening and adding waves to hair.

Temperature Settings: 5 | Width: 1 inch | Material: Chi Lava minerals, ceramic

Best with Steamer

L'Oreal Professionnel Steampod Flat Iron & Styler

$250 at Amazon

Flat irons aren’t just used for straightening hair; however, if you want one that gives you that amazing slick and straight look, we recommend the L’Oreal Professional Steampod Flat Iron & Styler. This salon-worthy hot tool features a wide design that, albeit a little bulky, works really well at straightening strands without any kinks or flipped ends. The straightener does so thanks to the steam technology that makes it easier to achieve a more slick look, as well as a built-in comb for easier styling.

Temperature Settings: 3 | Width: 3.5 inches | Material: Aluminum