Frizzy, curly, thick: Every type of hair can stand up to these rigorously tested flat irons.

Whether you have naturally curly hair, waves or even mostly-straight hair, there’s nothing quite like the shine and sleekness that comes smoothing out hair with a straightening iron.

We found the top flat irons and straightening brushes at all price points for every hair type that make easy work of straightening your hair — we even found the best flat irons that can curl your hair, too (just remember to douse hair with heat protectant before using).

Our top picks:

1. Fast Heating 250C/480F MCH Hair Straightener

In tests, it warmed up to 96% of max temp in 60 seconds, although our pros wish there was an audible tone to indicate when it reaches temperature.

Still, it ranked best in almost all categories, including fully straightening hair and keeping it sleek and frizz-free all day. It also got perfect marks from testers for gliding smoothly through hair and being easy to use, with all commenting on the “noticeable shine” in just one pass.

2. Infrared Ultrasonic Splint Hair Straightener

InfraRed Pro Straightener is a breakthrough professional styler with the benefits of InfraRed technology to heat the hair gently from the inside out. The newly upgraded infrared ray technology helps maintain moisture balance, seal the cuticle and give a natural shine to your hair, while the Nanotechnology in the 100% titanium plates removes odor and harmful chemicals, leaving hair silky and shiny. Choose from 10 temperature settings ranging from 120 – 230 degrees.

3. Fast Heating MCH Heater Waterproof Hair Straightener Ceramic Hair Flat Iron

Black Titanium plates is the most even heat distribution of any current iron on the market, and an amazing ability to hold its integrity under astounding temperatures. These plates are also scratch resistant, which will cause less snags over the years and prove to be a long time friend of your hair tool collection. The smooth treated surfaces glide over your hair in a pristine, smooth motion . Good wear resistance and good corrosion resistance function , which is very good for professional salon used and keratin treatment .

4.  Dual Floating Plates Professional Ceramic Flat Irons

Dual plates- for 75% faster results with only one pass resulting in less damage
Advance ceramic technology- For superior even heat transfer and faster styling
The innovative Double Straight Dual Plate Straightener has four plates for precision styling. The 1st plate straightens, the 2nd seals in the heat. No loss of heat transfer, no need for pass after pass. It reduces the amount of time, damage and effort spent on creating desired results.

5. KC Painting Oil Professional Ceramic Flat Irons Hair Straightener 2.0

The digital flat iron can be adjusted to 18 different settings from 140℃ to 230℃. 5°C each time，Leave your hair looking polished and healthy by selecting the best temperature for your hair type. Our Hair Straighteners are designed with Ceramic floating plates that cushion your hair and effortlessly glide through to banish frizz and tame unruly curls for sleek, indent-free locks that last all day long! With adjustable temperature and LED display, easily find the heat setting best suited for your hair. Whether you have long, short, thick, fine, afro, straight or curly hair this straightener will cater to all hair types!

What to consider when shopping for the best hair straightener?

Beyond material, some of the aspects that make a great flat iron include the heating element … a good visual digital thermometer, the quality of the plates and the length of the cord. The best flat irons are ones that sit comfortably in your hands, have an even heat distribution and selection of temperatures so that you don’t damage your hair.

Heat settings: A flat iron with multiple heat settings allows for more customization and flexibility when styling since you’re able to select a temperature that works for your hair type/needs. Most irons go up to 430-480ºF,” but that doesn’t mean you should crank up the heat all the way! We recommend always starting off at a lower temperature and increase the temperature as needed since temperatures above 480ºF can cause decomposition of hair’s protein content, causing irreparable damage.

Although there is no scientific guidance on the best temperature ranges to use for different textures, our pros averaged all the temperature suggestions from manufacturers for fine, medium and thick, coarse hair:

• Fine hair types should stick to 240-330°F
• Medium to normal hair types can style at 330-370°F
• Thick, coarse hair can handle temps starting at 390°F and go up from there.

Plate width and length: 1-inch plates are ideal. These narrower plates also make it easier to do detailed styling (like curling, bending or waving) and they’re also better for getting closer to the root of the hair. One exception: if hair is super long and you’re just looking to press hair straight, a 1.5-inch or 2-inch width can make faster work of the task.

Auto shut-off: People are busy and we can all forget to turn off an iron when we are running late, so auto shut-off ensures you some peace of mind. Auto shut-off varied from five minutes to two hours, which is handy when you can’t quite remember if you turned the tool off — but we still recommend powering off and unplugging the tool after use to ensure it is completely off.