Premium Hair Straighteners of 2024: Sleek, Sexy, and Frizz-Free Results

Today, for my first fun fact of the day, I learned that “ghd” actually stands for “good hair day”, and nothing could be truer for this hair straightener. Continually, ghd offers hair and beauty products that define the standard of excellence and the Platinum+ is no different.

The first SMART styler of its kind, the ghd Platinum+ uses patented predictive technology to monitor your hair as you style – 250 times per second no less! Using its advanced onboard gadgetry, it auto-adjusts the running temperature according to your hair’s needs. The end result is that the Platinum+ automatically maintains a continuous 185°C hair temperature for optimal styling and hair that’s 70% stronger, 75% shinier, and 200% more colour protected!

Alongside featuring enough advanced technology to operate a small spacecraft, the ghd Platinum+ has several other features that really drive home the attention to detail. The wishbone hinge enables snag-free straightening, universal voltage means you can take this straightener anywhere in the world, and it offers a trusty automatic sleep mode too (essentially a dealbreaker at this point for any veterans of the straightening game).

But, at its core, it’s an ultra-sleek and ultra-modern hair straightener that quite literally adapts the styling process to your hair’s needs on the fly. You can even get this baby engraved for that extra touch of personalisation! You might be looking for the best, and you’ve found it, but with the ghd Platinum+, you truly get bespoke.

Moving up a couple of price brackets we have the award-winning Corrale Hair Straightener from Dyson. While it may not offer the same SMART technology as the ghd Platinum+, there’s a good reason the Corrale is so pricey.

The Dyson Corrale is the only hair straightener on the market with flexing plates. Specifically, the manganese copper alloy plates of this hair straightener flex around your hair to gather it as you work. This means you can run this hair straightener at a reduced temperature to reduce hair damage but WITHOUT compromising on frizz and flyaways.

Plus, this little beast is cordless! Integrated temperature sensors and lithium-ion batteries deliver the performance of a fully-fledged wired straightening iron but without any of the pesky trailing cords to throw off your flow. And with a magnetic charging and display dock included, you can keep it juiced up and ready for action while admiring your premier straightening starlet!

In conclusion, it’s a Dyson product. You get premier quality at a premier price. I wouldn’t say it’s strictly a better purchase than the ghd Platinum+, however, if you’re looking for something cordless that doesn’t sacrifice on quality, the Corrale is your best bet.

And now, right down the other end of the spectrum (in the realms of the two-digit price tag) we have Remington’s Super Glide: a budget hair straightener that shows you don’t need the fanciest tech to be the best.

For a much more digestible price, the Remington Super Glide still offers a variety of useful features including variable heat settings (150°C – 230°C), an automatic safety shut-off, and a 360° swivel cord for easier styling. This comes alongside a few other quality-of-life functions such as a temperature lock and a “Turbo Boost” setting.

Of course, it’s still a cheaper hair straightener. You’re looking at ceramic plates as opposed to any fancy alloys (although it is Advanced Tourmaline Ceramic), and it takes a solid 15 to 30 seconds for the plates to heat up too. But the reports are in and they resoundingly agree that despite a much lower price point, the Remington Super Glide still offers a level of styling that can’t be beat. It’s a maximum-value purchase.

Got more hair than you know what to do with? Then the 70% larger plates of the ghd Max Wide (1.65”-sized plates in total) have got you covered!

Still maintaining much of the cutting-edge haircare technology of the Platinum+, the Max Wide delivers that trademark “good hair day” experience in a similarly bespoke setting. Dual-zone new-generation sensors on the plates enable that optimum 185°C styling consistency but with a design much more suited to thick, long, and voluminous hair.

Otherwise, it’s still the very complete and satisfying purchase you get with any ghd product. The attention to detail is clear in the gadget’s sleek finish and quality-of-life enhancements (swivel cord, automatic shut-off, universal voltage, etc.). But, for anyone with luscious yet lavishly unruly locks that won’t be tamed by any old straightener, the supersized plates on this hair straightener for thick and frizzy hair will help cage the wild beast.

Primarily, those with finer or shorter hair might want to consider investing in the BaByliss Nano Straightening Iron’s 0.5” plates. However, this straightener offers a few extra perks that may appeal to some other styling superheroes.

Firstly, the size of the straightening iron itself lends itself well to travel. At only 6” long and clocking in at around 230 grams, you can take this fun-sized and super portable hair straightener virtually anywhere! The dual voltage and included thermal travel pouch only makes international (and stylish) escapades even more feasible.

But secondly, the BaBylissPRO offers a comfortable mid-range entry point in terms of pricing. It isn’t a cheap hair straightener, however, it’s not a top-of-the-line Dyson or ghd either. In return for the lower price tag, you get a smaller overall package that is the perfect fit for anyone with finer or shorter hair and is very portable and travel-ready for everyone else.

The TYMO Ring Hair Straightener brush is quite literally just that: a brush that straightens your hair It’s innovation in a funky little package but the question then becomes what does that innovation offer?

The answer is simple: a simpler, easier, and quicker overall styling process that leaves a softer and wavier finish.

The TYMO integrates the ceramic heating element of a straightening iron into the hairbrush. Once it’s hot and ready, all you have to do is brush your hair and the frizz is gone. And the best part is that this clever spin on the straightening science works! In just a few short minutes, your hair is styled AND brushed – think of the efficiency!

Included with this product is everything you need to style in style: a heat glove, hair clips, and a little detangling brush to accompany. Furthermore, the TYMO Ring still offers many of the features you’d expect from the top hair straightener brands including variable temperature settings (5 settings; 130°C to 210°C) and an automatic safety shut-off.

But, ultimately, what you’re getting is an everyday straightener to simplify and streamline your styling routine. For very special occasions, you might still want to bring out the straightening iron big guns. However, for a softer, wavier, and quicker daily finish, the TYMO Ring Hair Straightener Brush offers the extra efficiency and elegance in delivery that your beauty rituals have been yearning for.

Dyson brings another heavy-hitter in with this ultra-pricey yet ultra-complete styling package. The Dyson Airwrap – another award-winning product from Dyson – is comparable to the Swiss Army Knife of hair styling: there’s an attachment for every occasion! While this hair straightener isn’t strictly a straightening iron, it does straighten your hair.. along with style, curl, curve, smooth, volumise and just about everything else you might ever want to do!

All in all, there are six attachments for the Airwrap hence its “complete” status. And the way it achieves its results is through a sexily scientific phenomenon known as the Coanda effect. There’s a lot of high-level science and innovation going into this product, but then would you expect any less from Dyson?

This is a big-ticket item; the Swiss Army Knife of styling doesn’t come cheap at all. However, you are quite legitimately getting a COMPLETE package. Plus, the use of airflow in this gadget eliminates the need for extreme heat and significantly minimises the damage to your hair from styling. So, if you’re willing to shell out for that signature Dyson premier tech, this might very well be the last straightening and styling tool you ever need.

CLOUD NINE is one brand we haven’t talked about yet… but we should. Their “Original” iron gives ghd’s Platinum+ a proper run for its money. While it might lack the totally bespoke experience of the Platinum+, instead, CLOUD NINE has infused its hair straightening products with “Kinder Styling Technology” to keep your locks happy and healthy.

Specifically, this kinder styling tech looks like CLOUD NINE’s signature hair mineral – Sercite – obtained exclusively in South Korea. Enhanced with healing properties, Sercite is infused into the plate construction of all CLOUD NINE straightening gadgets to deliver those healing properties direct to your magnificent mane… Is it science? Is it magic? Either way, it leaves your hair on cloud nine!

Otherwise, it’s a very nicely designed product with all the features you’d want (auto shut-off, universal voltage, variable temperature settings, etcetera) from a brand that puts special attention on the materials and construction of their products. But my favourite part? A full three-year warranty!

Ultimately, the CLOUD NINE Original Iron takes a similar approach to minimise hair damage that the Platinum+ does but via a different route. Will it offer the same bespoke experience as the Platinum+? Possibly not, but you’re certainly unlikely to bemoan your purchase anytime soon.

Now, perhaps you might like a cordless hair straightener but without the need to remortgage your house to afford a Dyson product. Cordless straightening irons are not usually a strong offering (still being a relatively new technology), however, CLOUD NINE knocks it out of the park again with their Original Cordless Iron.

Offering up to 30 minutes of battery life, the Original Cordless Iron sets a strong standard in what is still the relatively emerging space of cordless styling. Battery life notwithstanding, the portability of this cord-free alternative cannot be undersold. Weighing only 230 grams and not being too much bigger than a smartphone, it’s certainly one of the best hair straighteners for travel out there!

However, despite its small stature, the Orginal Cordless Iron packs a punch. It still maintains very competitive styling capabilities with both corded and cordless straighteners, offering a swift smooth and silky finish for a life-on-the-go. Furthermore, there’s a secondary “Revive” mode that uses high vibrations to style at lower temperatures and restore your hair’s health.

Cordless styling might still be an emerging space but CLOUD NINE’s first step into the frontier is a successful one indeed. It’s a thoughtful product, but honestly, for any variation of hair straightener (standard, wide, micro, etc.), you’ll find CLOUD NINE is a very strong contender with its products. But that’s probably no surprise given they’re founded by ghd’s former Boss Robert Powls…

My second fun fact of the day!

For one last piece of innovation in the hair care space, L’Oréal offers its Steampod model – now on its third generation of optimisation! The Steampod uses a unique combination of steam and heat to achieve styling and straightening elegance but with less stress to your follicle friends. This signature cutting-edge steam technology boasts a gentler yet more effective routine: 78% less breakage at double the speed.

While the magic of the steam might continue to be L’Oréal’s little secret, the 3.0 model itself is leaner and meaner than ever before. As both the smallest and most effective iteration of the Steampod yet, the 3.0 offers variable heat controls, double technology plates with steam delivery, and an integrated (removable) comb. It even doubles as a curling iron!

Perhaps back in the version 1.0 days, the Steampod was still a touch-and-go product. But repetition is the mother of all learning and L’Oréal has certainly learned to deliver a high-quality and innovative hair straightener with the Steampod 3.0 that achieves its mission. Of special note are the reports from people with especially frizzy, curly, or damaged hair: the Steampod works like a dream! A steamy dream, indeed. 😉