Top 5 compared
The best hair straighteners
Frizz smoothed out and hair left sleek and shiny in a few minutes before you head out.
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The top 5 at a glance
Straighteners are a pair of heated plates that clamp a section of hair and glide down it, smoothing it flat as they go. Most let you choose the heat; ghd’s Original holds one steady temperature instead. Most are hot enough to use within a minute. Rounded edges let a pair make waves and curls with a twist of the wrist on the way down.
Most reach well over 200°C, so a heat-proof mat or pouch is handy for setting them down straight after use, and most switch themselves off if they’re forgotten. Narrow plates suit fringes and short hair, wide ones get through thick, long hair faster, and a pair that works on any voltage can come on holiday.
What matters
- Floating plates that grip evenly without snagging.
- A low setting for fine, thin or coloured hair.
- A long guarantee, sometimes extended when you register.
#1Remington Shine Therapy Hair Straightener
£20–£30
- Digital temperature display
- Ready in 15 seconds
- Six-year guarantee if registered
Argan-oil ceramic plates, an easy-to-read digital display and nine heat settings from 150°C, and it’s ready in 15 seconds. Only the Cloud Nine scores higher, and that’s a dearer wide iron made for thick hair; this pair sells far more.
What owners say: Owners like how quickly it heats and how easy the temperature is to set, and say hair stays silky and straight all day.
A closer look: The digital display makes it easy to start low on fine or coloured hair and only turn up the heat if needed. It switches itself off after an hour, which takes the worry out of rushing out of the door. Register it online and the five-year guarantee gains an extra year.
Best for: Setting the exact heat
- Heat range
- 150–230°C
- Heat settings
- 9
- Heat-up
- 15 sec
- Plates
- Ceramic, argan oil, floating
- Auto shut-off
- After 60 min
- Guarantee
- 5 years, 6 if registered
#2Cloud Nine The Wide Iron Hair Straightener
£150–£200
- Wide plates, about 4cm
- Gentle 100°C lowest setting
- Heat-resistant case and guard
- Dearer than a standard pair
Its plates are far wider than a standard pair, so thick or long hair gets done in fewer, bigger sections. The heat runs from a gentle 100°C up to 200°C, and the heat-resistant case and heat guard in the box mean it can be packed away before it has cooled.
What owners say: Owners like how fast it heats and how smoothly the plates glide, use it for curls as well as sleek styles, and say it leaves hair soft and shiny.
A closer look: Work in sections about as wide as the plates and you’ll get through thick hair in far fewer passes than with a standard pair. Comb each section through first, so the plates meet untangled hair and one slow pass does the job. On a short crop or a fringe the wide plates can feel bulky.
Best for: Thick hair
- Heat range
- 100–200°C
- Heat settings
- 7
- Heat-up
- 20 sec
- Plates
- Wide ceramic, floating
- Auto shut-off
- Sleeps after 30 min
- Guarantee
- 1 year, 3 if registered
#3Remington Keratin Protect Intelligent Straightener S8598
£124.99 RRP
- Moisture-sensing heat control
- Heat-lined storage pouch
- 5-year guarantee
A sensor reads how much moisture is left in your hair as you style and adjusts the heat to suit, which Remington says gives three times the protection of styling with the sensor off. The plates are infused with keratin and almond oil, and it’s ready in 15 seconds.
What owners say: Owners say it heats fast, straightens all hair types well and leaves hair silky and shiny, and find the settings easy to change.
A closer look: Leave the sensor switched on for everyday styling and it looks after the temperature, adjusting it as the moisture in your hair changes. Lock the plates shut before it goes into the heat-lined pouch, which keeps it tidy in a drawer or a suitcase, and note the five-year guarantee.
Best for: Self-adjusting heat
- Heat range
- 160–230°C
- Heat settings
- 5
- Heat-up
- 15 sec
- Plates
- Ceramic, keratin and almond oil, floating
- Auto shut-off
- After 60 min
- Guarantee
- 5 years, 6 if registered
#4ghd Original Hair Straightener
£149.00 RRP
- Works on any voltage
- Sleeps after 30 minutes unused
- One fixed heat, 185°C
The Yorkshire firm began in 2001 with a single straightening iron. The Original holds one steady 185°C and has a rounded shape that makes curls and waves as well as straight styles, with floating ceramic plates and a gloss coating for shine.
What owners say: Owners call it straightforward to use and like the finish it gives, though some had one that wouldn’t heat or gave up after about a year.
A closer look: There are no settings to fiddle with, because it holds one temperature that ghd says is the best for styling without extreme heat. It comes with ghd’s two-year guarantee, so keep the receipt somewhere safe. It goes to sleep after 30 minutes unused and works on any voltage abroad.
Best for: Making curls
- Heat range
- 185°C only
- Heat settings
- 1
- Heat-up
- 30 sec
- Plates
- Ceramic, floating, gloss coated
- Auto shut-off
- Sleeps after 30 min
- Guarantee
- 2 years
#5Revlon Smoothstay Coconut Oil-Infused Hair Straightener
£20–£30
- Rounded edges for curls
- Dual voltage for travel
- Travel pouch in the box
Ten precise heat settings and coconut-oil ceramic plates with rounded edges, so it curls too, plus a travel pouch. The ceramic is triple-coated and the plates float, so they keep an even grip on each section.
What owners say: Owners like the ten heat choices, how quickly it warms up and the soft, shiny finish, though a few found the plate coating peeling early on.
A closer look: The narrow 25mm plates are good for fringes and shorter hair, and the rounded edges mean no crease lines. Let it cool before it goes in the pouch, and keep it apart from clips and combs in a bag, to look after the coated plates. Dual voltage and the pouch make it an easy holiday straightener.
Best for: Short hair
- Heat range
- Up to 235°C
- Heat settings
- 10
- Heat-up
- –
- Plates
- 25mm ceramic, coconut oil, floating
- Auto shut-off
- After 60 min
- Guarantee
- 2 years
Side by side
How they compare
Swipe sideways or rotate device to see all 5.
| Feature | #1Remington Shine Therapy | #2Cloud Nine Wide Iron | #3Remington Keratin Protect | #4ghd Original | #5Revlon Smoothstay |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Best premium | ||||
| Picked Rating | 9.3 | 9.4 | 9.2 | 9.0 | 8.9 |
| Price | £20–£30 | £150–£200 | £124.99 RRP | £149.00 RRP | £20–£30 |
| Heat range | 150–230°C | 100–200°C | 160–230°C | 185°C only | Up to 235°C |
| Heat settings | 9 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 10 |
| Heat-up | 15 sec | 20 sec | 15 sec | 30 sec | – |
| Plates | Ceramic, argan oil, floating | Wide ceramic, floating | Ceramic, keratin and almond oil, floating | Ceramic, floating, gloss coated | 25mm ceramic, coconut oil, floating |
| Auto shut-off | After 60 min | Sleeps after 30 min | After 60 min | Sleeps after 30 min | After 60 min |
| Guarantee | 5 years, 6 if registered | 1 year, 3 if registered | 5 years, 6 if registered | 2 years | 2 years |
| Best for | Setting the exact heat | Thick hair | Self-adjusting heat | Making curls | Short hair |
| Buy now | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon |
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