There is an army of beauty tools vying for precious real estate in your home.
From hair dryers, curling irons and straighteners, to heated rollers, hot brushes and crimpers, the market is awash with gadgets to turn any bad hair day on its head and help you replicate that professional salon experience.
But if you’re looking to pare back your collection and make your heated hair tools work harder for you, there’s a more considered purchase you can make.
Sure, there are the likes of the Dyson Airwrap and Shark FlexStyle that have more attachments than most people know what to do with, but then there’s the humble hair straightener that can do far more than leave your locks poker straight.
With very little skill required, you can use the ceramic plates to create bouncy blow-out curls or effortless beach waves, depending on the tightness of the wrap and angle.
Hairdresser and ghd UK Ambassador Samantha Cusick breaks it down into a six-step process:
- Prepare Your Hair: Start with clean, dry hair and apply heat protection.
- Section Your Hair: Divide your hair into manageable sections using clips. Smaller sections result in tighter curls, while larger sections create looser waves.
- Get Curling: Take a small section of hair (approximately 1 inch wide) and clamp the tool near the roots, close to your scalp. Twist the straightener 180 degrees away from your face, creating a U-shape. Slowly glide the styler down the hair shaft while maintaining the twist. Alternate the direction of the twist with each section for natural-looking curls. Repeat this process for all sections of your hair.
- Allow the Curls to Cool: Leave your hair in its ringlets to cool without touching them. This gives hair time to set and will make your style last longer.
- Style and Finish: Once the curls have cooled, gently run your fingers through them to loosen and style as desired. Add hair spray for a light hold or shine serum for added shine.
- Final Touches: Check your curls in the mirror and make any adjustments if needed. My pro tip is to straighten the ends slightly for more of a cool girl look.
What should you look for in a straightener for curling?
In order to achieve this, you need the right type of straightener. Tyler Moore, Expert Stylist at Live True London, says that it requires “a standard, thin but rounded straightener”. He adds that “A paddle style straightener will be much harder to use” and stresses the importance of using a good quality one to minimise damage. This is something Cusick highlights too, she flags seven features to look for:
- Plate Material: ghd stylers feature advanced technology, which ensures even heat distribution and reduces the risk of heat damage.
- Plate Size: Different plate sizes cater to different lengths of hair.
- Temperature Control
- Rounded Barrel: A rounded barrel is perfect for creating curls, waves, and flips. The curved edges make it easier to create curls with the straightener.
- Dual Voltage: If you travel frequently, consider a straightener with dual voltage compatibility, which allows you to use it in different countries without the need for a voltage converter.
- Durability and Warranty: Invest and you’ll get lots of use out of them.
- Safety Features: Ensure the straightener has safety features like automatic shut-off after a certain period of inactivity, which can provide peace of mind, especially when you’re in a rush.
When using any heated tool, protecting your precious mane is of the utmost importance. In order to ensure this, Moore advises to “only heat style dry hair (after blow drying), use heat protectant spray, replenish moisture with masks and use good quality hair products”.
How we tested
I have had poker straight hair for my whole life. But, of course, I’ve always dreamed of curly locks. And over the years, I’ve used my fair share of curling irons, but always found that the wavy finish from hair straighteners is much more appealing than the tight ringlets of the aforementioned. Plus, there is more room for creativity. So with that in mind, I reached out to the biggest haircare brands on the market - GHD, BaByliss, Cloud Nine - to find out the irons they recommended for curling and, alongside the team, we tested them for ease, longevity of curl and features.
Shop the best straighteners for curling below
Dyson Corrale Cord-Free Hair Straighteners, Copper/Nickel
Best for: wireless styling
Forget tying yourself up in knots thanks to the straightener's cord. Dyson’s Corrale design does away with wires altogether, offering a less stressful styling experience that’s portable too.
More suited to finessing thick hair rather than styling from scratch, the flexing copper plate gadget works both as a straightener and a curler for both smooth and sleek dos, as well as curly and textured. There are precise heat settings to choose from - 165°C, 185°C, and 210°C - offering a temperature for all hair types. Choose the lowest if you’ve got damaged or dyed strands.
We particularly enjoyed the speedy charge up and 30-minute run time.
Buy now £399.00, John Lewis
GHD Chronos
Best for: What if we told you that you could style your hair three times faster – would you believe it? Well, that’s exactly what GHD is claiming with its latest innovation. The Chronos was created with one sole mission: to streamline the styling process without compromising strand health.
The tech bit: The most advanced model in its portfolio, the Chronos has trademarked motion-responsible technology. This very innovative feature allows your tool to monitor and adapt to your hair type and the way that it is being used. For those who are prone to multiple passes or what is known as slap-slap styling, this is a game-changer.
The iron provides consistent heat but, using an intelligent algorithm, adapts power depending on speed, section size and hair type so that it only requires one stroke to create your go-to look, be it poker straight or bouncy curls. This feature also means that it is as effective on fine locks as it is on thick and the same goes for coarse and textured – all of which absorb heat differently.
Just to add: The brand says that the Chronos results in more defined styles, provides 85 per cent more shine (thanks to ultra-gloss floating plates) and has twice the frizz-fighting effects.
Buy now £289.00, Amazon
BaByliss Straight and Curl Brilliance Rose-Gold Hair Straightener
The exterior of these straightening irons from BaByliss is fitted with a curved stainless steel housing that leads to easy curly styles - just pay very close attention to your finger placement to prevent burnage. The hair tool brand beloved by professional stylists the world over has thought of everything to ensure the styling process is seamless from start to finish.
From the five different temperature settings, longer plates and smoothing frizz control, your finished look will be as sleek as you’d imagined. There’s also a 3-metre cable with a swivel design, quick heat up (only 15 seconds) and auto shut off.
You wouldn’t guess from the modest price tag, but this is a high-quality tool. In fact, the agreement among all testers was that the hair tool packed far more of a punch than the outlay. The Amazon reviewers agreed with one explaining, “Excellent price point, amazing for straightening and curling due to the shape and design. Being able to choose the temperature to avoid damaging hair is excellent and super easy to use”.
Buy now £54.99, Amazon
ghd Platinum+ Professional Smart Styler
If the original is the timeless workhorse in the collection, the Platinum+ is the slick, technologically advanced super straightener that comes with smart features.
The intelligent tool has the ability to adapt its temperature to each section of your hair, offering the optimal degrees to better protect as you straighten. It monitors the tresses at 250 times per second in order to achieve this. This device also impacts colour protection and encourages a healthy shine.
They may be on the pricier end of the scale but all reviewers agreed that this styling essential was worth the money, not in the least for the speedy heat up time, lightweight construction and lower heat that shields the strands from overheating with each pass.
Buy now £239.00, Amazon
CLOUD NINE The Contouring Iron 2-in-1 Pro Hair Straightener
Whether you switch between sleek straight strands or glamorous curls, the polished plates of this iron from CLOUD NINE make style spontaneity a breeze. This was the first straightening iron on the market designed with curling in mind, so you can expect that it boasts all the features to make this possible - namely curved plate technology.
The interior is infused with the brand’s signature healing minerals - Sericite and Tourmaline - that are chosen for their ability to lock in moisture and leave a healthy shine in their wake. You can also switch between different temperatures ranging from 100-200°C to give you greater control over the process.
The 200 five-star reviews praise the functionality of the hair tool, but in the rare one and two-star ratings, some reviewers felt it snagged on their hair - however, this was not something that we experienced at all.
Buy now £299.00, CLOUD NINE
Bio:Ionic 3-in-1 Curler Wand and Flat Iron with UK Plug
When closed, it’s hard to determine whether this tool is in fact a straightening iron or a curler, but here’s the thing: it’s both. The brand is Bio:Ionic, which may not be the most well-known on the market but is gaining traction among the beauty community for its revolutionary use of heat.
Moisturizing Heat, as it has been dubbed. This gives a sleek, frizz-free finish using a proprietary complex of natural minerals to put moisture back into the individual strands.
Buy now £71.40, Fragrance Direct
GHD Unplugged Cordless Styler
On opening the GHD cordless styler, we were first struck by its compact size. It almost miraculously fits into the tiny travel-sized pouch provided, which could slip into any clutch bag with ease. It’s tiny. The device is also so light - weighing in at just 300g - but yet doesn’t sacrifice on power.
Press the button and the flat iron straighteners are ready to use in just 45 seconds. They live up to the GHD product range, allowing you to create shiny straight looks or waves in an instant with up to 20 minutes of continuous styling power (after two hours of charge).
Down to the tech nitty-gritty: the stylers use a Hybrid Co-lithium technology with long-life lithium-ion batteries and the brand’s signature advanced dual-zone technology to ensure that the device will stand the test of time and perform as you need throughout. It has also been kitted out with high-gloss plates for sleek styling results. Charge up through the USB-C cable once the indicator suggests that you’re running low on juice, and that can be slipped into the travel pouch too, which is heat-resistant. It switches off after three minutes of inactivity, so no panic is necessary.
There is just one temperature setting - 185oC - and it comes in either black or white. Beware, it gets seriously hot!
Buy now £299.00, Amazon
Babyliss 9000 Cordless Range
With thrice the cordless love, Babyliss has launched not one but three high-performance styling tools using innovative heater technology and all of which have wireless capabilities. The devices are powered by the brand’s Micro Heating Matrix that keeps it at a consistent and even temperature throughout with quick heat-up times - just 15 seconds - and iconic conditioning to fight against frizz and lock in hair’s natural oils.
The Curling Tong will help you create the professional-level ringlets of your dreams in seconds with a 25mm barrel for those tighter curl looks. It offers 40 minutes of continuous use and even has varying temperature settings to protect your hair - 160oC, 170oC and 180oC.
The Waving Wand is best for those effortless beach waves with a 28mm barrel and all the manoeuvrability to create the soft, loose styles that you wish without pesky wires getting in the way. Like the model above, it has 40 minutes of use and the same three temperature settings.
Last but certainly not least, the Cordless Straightener will fix those bad-hair days in an instant and help you get long, sleek and polished looks with 30 minutes of use and the same varying temperatures as the devices above. It weighs just 456g and has a battery-level indicator so you know when it’s time to rejuice.
Buy now £92.99, Amazon
GHD Gold Hair Straightener
The Gold model may have a similar appearance to the other ghd straighteners in the collection, but it has been specifically designed for those looking to create bouncy bombshell curls, effortless beach waves and silky, shiny styles.
This tool also has sensors on the styling plates to monitor the temperature and a contoured design to eliminate snagging.
The first thing we noticed on test was the premium, quality construction. And then the sheer ease of use, especially on fine hair. But reviewers say the same about thicker locks, with one claiming, “I have used GHD straighteners for many years, I felt these glided through my hair better, I have very thick hair, so a big plus for me”. Another agreed, “They are great to get into the roots for people with really thick hair”.
Buy now £189.00, Amazon
