THE BEST HAIR STRAIGHTENERS FOR CURLY HAIR
Curly girlies, you’re the envy of everyone! And while we’re all for embracing your natural curls, we know there are times when you’ll want to mix up your hair styling and transform your tresses into a sleek and straight ‘do.
Every wave, curl and coil has its own unique needs, which is why there isn’t necessarily a one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to hair straighteners. Depending on your hair type and texture, you might want to prioritise tools that specialise in taming frizz, adding shine, boosting volume or simply speeding up your curly hair care routine.
With that in mind, we’ve rounded up our pick of the best hair straighteners for curly hair, with tools to suit every hair type, concern and goal. We’ve included not only flat irons, but straightening blow dry brushes too! They’ve all been tried and tested by the Cult Concierge team, and will help you to achieve frizz-free, smooth styles without damaging your precious strands.
HOW TO CHOOSE THE BEST HAIR STRAIGHTENERS FOR CURLY HAIR
Straightening iron or straightening brush?
This depends on what you want from your styling tool. If you want speedy styling and a poker-straight finish, then a straightening iron is the best tool for the job. For added volume and a more natural finish, a straightening brush works wonders!
Temperature
When selecting a hair straightener for curly hair, check the temperature settings to ensure they have a hot enough range for straightening your curls. Generally speaking, if you have fine wavy or curly hair that’s relatively easy to style, you’ll want a maximum temperature of at least 190°C, while if your hair is thicker and/or coiler, you might want the temperature settings to go up to 230°C.
That said, all ghd stylers only heat up to 185°C, which they’ve found to be the optimum temperature for achieving long-lasting, professional looking results without heat damage – for all hair types. And based on our testing, we can’t fault them!
Size of plates
If you have thick curly hair, then wide plate straighteners are generally the better option. They can handle larger sections of hair at one time, and they eliminate the need to straighten the same section over and over again – which means less damage and less time spent on styling! If your curly hair is on the finer and more tameable side, then slim plate straighteners will do just fine.
Type of plates
There are two main types of plates found on hair straighteners: titanium and ceramic. Ceramic offers a smoother working surface and is generally better for fine curly hair, while titanium can usually hold higher temperatures, making it better for thick curls and super-coily hair.
THE 10 BEST HAIR STRAIGHTENERS FOR CURLY HAIR
So without further do, here are the best hair straightening tools for super sleek, smooth and straight locks (thanks to Syhem in the Cult concierge team!).
1. Best for thick curly hair
Thick curly hair can take an age to straighten. But not with Bio:Ionic’s OnePass iron – specifically designed for thick hair. This snag-free straightener does what it says on the tin: it grants straight and smooth results in just one pass per section! With 1.5-inch wide plates, patented silicone ‘speed strips’ and Bio:Ionic’s next-gen ‘Moisturizing Heat’ technology, it reduces style time while infusing your strands with moisture for sleek, frizz-free, nourished locks. Sign us up!
Plate width: 1.5 inch
Plate type: Ceramic with silicone strips
Max temp: 230˚C
2. Best for frequent styling
1
£139.00
Suited to all curl types and textures, Drybar’s Tress Press straightening iron styles your mane quickly and easily, without causing long-lasting damage. How? Well, the floating plates provide constant contact with your hair so you can straighten in one single pass, protecting against breakage and excessive heat damage. Infrared technology supports this, heating hair from the inside out for more efficient styling, while titanium tech seals the cuticle for reduced frizz and tons of shine. This is a must for frequent and versatile styling.
Plate width: 1 inch
Plate type: Titanium
Max temp: 232°C
3. Best for speedy styling
10
£379.00
Looking to speed up your hair styling routine? Let us introduce you to the very first hot air styler that dries and styles at the same time. ghd's The Duet 2-in-1 Hot Air Styler uses ground-breaking Air-fusion™ technology to channel an ultra-concentrated airflow through a bespoke drying chamber, working in combination with four ceramic styling plates to efficiently dry and straighten your curly hair. The result? Frizz-free, ultra-glossy, straight hair, and a streamlined, super-speedy styling routine! They’re also available in white!
Plate type: Ceramic
Max temp: 185°C
4. Best for frizzy hair
14
£116.00
A must-have for those prone to frizz, amika’s Double Agent 2-in-1 Straightening Blow Dry Brush works to lock in moisture, reduce heat damage and banish flyaways, for smooth and shiny strands every time. This hardworking thermal tool works wonderfully on all hair types and textures, and will take your hair from just-washed to perfectly coiffed in no time, adding volume as it straightens out kinks. That sleek, frizz-free blowout has never been so attainable…
Max temp: 185°C
5. Best for salon-worthy bounce
43
£129.00
If you long for the smooth, shiny tresses that only seem to come with a visit to your hairdresser, then brace yourself… The Double Shot Blow-Dryer Brush is about to become your new right-hand (wo)man. Giving you the power to create a big, bouncy blowout without the fuss (or the arm ache!), this tool will smooth even the tightest curls and deliver perfect results every time – even if you’re a beginner. Use it on dry hair to extend the life of your style between hair wash days!
6. Best for long curly hair
With broad two-inch plates, ghd’s Max Styler Straightener is a match made in heaven for those with long curly hair (or those with a lot of it!), enabling you to style larger sections of hair with ease. Designed with ghd’s advanced ceramic heat technology, the plates maintain a consistent temperature of 185ºC for optimal styling – and the lower temperature is great for those with dry or damaged strands too. Max size, max quality, max ease – and max approval from us!
Plate width: 2 inch
Plate type: Ceramic
Max temp: 185°C
7. Best for value
30
£95.00
Another blow-dryer-cum-straightener that works on even the tightest of coils, amika’s Hair Blow Dryer Brush 2.0 is here to grant your tresses the bouncy, frizz-free blow dry normally reserved for your visit to the hairdresser. With three adjustable heat and speed settings, you can customise your blowout to create the shape and volume your strands desire, with the smoothness and shininess of a salon visit!
8. Best for versatility
If you want a tool that can straighten, create uniform curls and make beachy waves, ghd’s Gold Hair Straightener is the multitasker for the job. The rounded barrel makes it super easy to create loads of different styles – and no matter your preference, you’ll be left with sleek, shiny and frizz-free locks. Not to mention minimal damage!
Plate width: 1 inch
Plate type: Ceramic
Max temp: 185°C
9. Best for adding shine
If high shine and protecting your hair from moisture loss is the priority, then this {10x Pro Styling Iron} is the one for you. Infused with natural volcanic rock alongside Bio:Ionic's proprietary mineral complex, it delivers a non-damaging heat that protects the moisture in your hair, quickly seals the cuticle and grants unparalleled gloss in next to no time!
Plate width: 1 inch
Plate type: Ceramic
Max temp: 230°C
10. Best for adding volume
31
£179.00
Completing our list of the 10 best hair straighteners for curly hair is ghd’s Rise Professional Hot Brush – designed to create the most amazing root lift (double the volume in comparison to naturally dried hair!). Perfect for styling sleek waves, flicks and curls, the hot brush ensures body throughout the entire hair length, with optimised 5mm cool-touch bristles that allow you to get as close to the root as possible for ultimate va-va-voom!
Barrel width: 32mm
Max temp: 185°C
HOW TO PROTECT CURLY HAIR WHILE STRAIGHTENING
Whenever you style your hair with heat, you should always be armed with a heat protectant. Using one can be the difference between sleek, shiny locks and permanent heat damage – so it’s a step in your {hair care} routine that’s never worth skipping! Heat protection comes in many different forms: from sprays and serums for immediate protection to leave-in conditioners and hair masks that help to revive and nourish your tresses.
It’s also important to ensure your hair is fully dry before you start straightening it, as damp hair can get scorched from the heat, causing irreparable damage. Work on the lowest temperature setting possible that you can for your hair, and try to wear your natural curls in between styles that require high heat to give your hair a break.
For more styling advice, check out our 12 tips for styling curly hair!
Rina is Cult Beauty’s Junior SEO Copywriter and has always had a passion for beauty and skin care (rich moisturisers are her obsession). What started as a love for The Body Shop and their famed Born Lippy lip balms (in ‘Watermelon’ of course!), she is now more interested in finding products with proven effectiveness instead of broken promises. A loud and proud VIEVE fan, Rina owns nearly every item of the range and recommends the brand to anyone who will listen... When she’s not intently reading ingredient lists, you can find her either immersed in multiple true crime podcasts or co-hosting her own parenting one, with an *extra* hot cappuccino in hand.
