8 Best Hair Straighteners and Flat Irons for Curly Hair, According to Our Testers

Naturally, heat damage is going to be a concern for anyone with curly hair who uses heat tools especially when testing to see if a viral product lives up to its hype. When testing out the TYMO brush, Wilson made sure she applied ample heat protectant and blow dried her strands first. She loved the fact that while this tool is high tech it was incredibly easy to use. One button is for on/off while the remaining two buttons control the heat settings. “I never go over 410 degrees, and it took 30 seconds to heat up,” she says. “I worked in small sections and brushed the tool through my hair as if I was using a regular styling brush. Yes, it was that easy. Even as the comb touched my scalp at times, it didn’t burn since the hotter plates are on the interior. Within 15 minutes I was finished straightening my entire head, a record for me. This brush is very user friendly, and a great option for anyone who is straightening their hair for the first time.”

Best for Wet Hair: Dyson Airstraight Straightener

• What we love: The tool stays cool to the touch
• What could be improved: The tool pauses when not in contact with hair which can be irritating to go on and off while moving on to a new section of hair.

Malia Griggs, Glamour commerce editor rarely straightens her because she worries about hot plates burning her strands so the biggest draw for her was that the Dyson Airstraight is mean to reduce heat damage by using heated air flow instead of hot plates. Additionally, it can be used as both a straighter and as a dryer/straightener in one. “I used it fresh out of the shower with dripping wet hair, which I sectioned and sprayed with heat protectant,” says Griggs. “ I set it to ‘Wet’ and adjusted its heat (there are three heat settings and three airflow settings). I was wowed by how quickly it dried and smoothed my hair—I pressed each section slowly three times each and they were super dry. In total, it took about 15 minutes to dry my entire head of hair, and I was left with a stick-straight, shiny blowout. I really liked that the tool stayed cool to the touch (no burned fingers) while in use. It also would automatically start when it touched my hair and pause when not in contact. I liked that this reduced the noise, although it was a tad irritating to have it going on and off while I moved between hair sections. Not a dealbreaker. Overall, I was pleased—I’m not someone who likes having daily straight hair, so I may not use this very often, but if you are someone who prefers this look, then it could be a great purchase. It’ll certainly save you time.”

Best for Thick, Curly Hair: Hot Tools Black Gold Dual Plate Salon Flat Iron

• What we love: The ability to heat up each plate individually
• What could be improved: Needs to be at a hotter setting to reduce frizz

While this hair straightener might need to be at a hotter temperature to minimize frizz, the fact that it only goes up to 360°F is actually a good thing. One of the experts interviewed for this story, hair stylist Wissam Robehmed, maintains that a range between 350°F and 385°F can help to produce sleek results while reducing the risk of “stress and damage to the hair.” Paton Hardy, Content Licensing Associate at Condé Nast who tested this product on her fine, curly hair likes the dual plate feature which allows you to iron bigger sections of hair. She did note that “if you’re looking to reduce frizziness you might have to crank it up,” but overall loved the ability to heat up each plate individually.

Best for Minimizing Heat Damage: T3 Single Pass Smooth X

• What we love: That is straightens in one pass
• What could be improved: It doesn’t show the actual temperature with when changing heat settings

Worrying about getting heat damage when straightening curly hair is one reason why some might just leave it to the professionals. However, a flat iron that touts straight hair in one pass might be worth trying out as it can lead to less damage to a curl pattern. “I wanted to see if this flat iron could really do the trick with one pass,” says Wilson. “I loved the longer plate design which made working with more hair easier. I also liked that the straightener felt secure in my hands while I was flat ironing my hair. However, I wasn’t a fan of the heat settings being nine dots that light up once you reach that setting. I prefer to know the actual temperature (but this wasn’t a dead breaker). I chose to use the fourth setting while doing my hair since it was somewhere in the middle. I liked that this did work with just one pass, although out of habit I caught myself going for a second, but it also did a good job at curling the ends of my hair too.”

Best for Adding Volume: Kristin Ess 3-in-One Professional Titanium Hair Straightener

• What we love: Heats up quickly, and 3-in-1 design to add volume
• What could be improved: Might sometimes snag hair