The best hair straighteners should feel a little bit like magic

This brand's title doubles as an acronym for "Good Hair Day." One session with the GHD hair straightener proves that it lives up to its name.

Self-proclaimed as the "world's first smart straightener that predicts your needs," the GHD Platinum+ is built with sensors that monitor the heat of your hair 250 times per second and adapts the temperature to ensure that both plates are working at an even 365 degrees Fahrenheit. GHD has found this to be the sweet spot that straightens hair in a single pass without burning. Just to be sure that you don't creep toward the 400-degree danger zone when you're in a hurry, GHD has completely taken away the heat adjustment button. GHD claims that the Platinum+ offers twice the color protection and keeps hair 20 percent shinier than other flat irons.

In the past 10 years, I've been in three long-term relationships — but have only gone through one Chi hair straightener. While this cult-favorite brand now offers high-tech options like a flat iron infused with volcanic lava, the original Chi is still my ol' reliable.

On its face, there's nothing super groundbreaking about this Chi best seller. The plates are ceramic, it uses an old-fashioned dial for temperature control, and maxes out at 410 degrees Fahrenheit. But a styling tool doesn't gain 4.6 out of 5 stars from over 12,000 Influenster users for no reason — it just plain works. Inside of those ceramic plates lies infrared technology that balances heat across the plates and will help you achieve a straight style that's locked in for days.

But where the Chi really proves its worth is in its durability. No other brand garners as many anecdotal reviews as the Chi, all from users who have had theirs for forever and are only replacing it because it finally died after, like, a decade.

Read our full review of the Dyson Corrale.

Dyson's Airwrap gets so much attention that many folks don't even realize that Dyson makes an actual flat iron. Naturally, Dyson went all out with a cordless design (a breakthrough for beauty tools when it first arrived in 2020) and naturally, it's $500. Despite the price tag, there was a time when the Corrale would sell out constantly and see restock scrambles reminiscent of the PS5. Fortunately, it's easier to find today — and it's started getting periodic price drops. You can often find this famous flat iron on sale for $100 off at both Dyson and Amazon.

Inside this straightener lies some pretty innovative heat styling tech that Dyson says it perfected over seven years and 600 hours of trials. Flexing plates bend around the current section of hair (rather than clamping and tugging), grabbing outermost pieces and applying even tension. The edges of the plates are lined with tourmaline to boost negative ion production, combat static, and promote shine.

Yes, it's expensive, but it's also the best hair straightener for damaged hair.

Read our full review of the Shark FlexStyle.

We found a hair care tool that beats the Dyson Airwrap and is cheaper (yes, you read that right). Recently, Mashable beauty reviewer Bethany Allard pitted the Dyson Airwrap vs Shark FlexStyle in the battle of the hair straighteners, and the Shark hair straightener was deemed the winner.

Let us introduce you to the Shark FlexStyle. For under $300, this hair care tool comes with four attachments and can even dry hair without using an attachment for those days when you're in a hurry. With several buying options available, including one where you can customize the attachments for curly and coily hair or for straight and wavy hair, you can personalize this hair tool for an optimal heat styling experience. That means this is the best hair straightener for curly hair, coily hair, and straight hair, depending on the version you choose.

When using the styling concentrator, Allard was able to remove a great deal of moisture from her hair in less than 15 minutes. However, she said you might notice the Shark’s base moves a little bit when using its round brush, which is a minor flaw compared to the great value of the FlexStyle. 

In terms of design, our reviewer especially loved how the area of the barrel containing the power switch, temperature buttons, and airflow is flattened for a more convenient styling experience. Overall, the Shark FlexStyle performs almost identically to the Dyson Airwrap for nearly half of the cost. And, it’s more inclusive with its diffuser attachment catering to different kinds of hair.

Read our full review of the Revlon One-Step Hair Dryer and Volumizer, which Mashable has named the best hair straightener brush for the money.

You've probably seen it on TikTok: *the* Revlon One Step. The internet's favorite dupe for the $500 Dyson Airwrap is a hair-drying hot brush that lives up to most of the hype, achieving mostly-straight hair with some added bounce compared to pin straight locks. Its perforated design distributes hot air through the bristles to style quickly and smoothly.

Because the Revlon One-Step Hair Dryer and Volumizer promises to dry and volumize hair in one step (as its name clearly states), Mashable shopping and beauty expert Bethany Allard recently put this tool to the test to see if it really only takes one step. Without watching any videos prior, she was able to successfully use the brush on the first try and was pleasantly surprised by how good her hair looked, even when only using the lowest heat setting.

While this popular and cheap hair straightener is a definite crowd-pleaser, the One Step isn't for everyone. The high speed/high heat setting is blazing hot and could wreak havoc on damaged hair. Though it's technically a blow dryer, users are encouraged to towel dry their hair most of the way to avoid going from wet (when the hair is most vulnerable) to dry too quickly.

Allard found that she received the best results when she sectioned her hair to avoid applying unnecessary heat, especially since she found the brush to get quite hot (mostly when using the highest heat setting). If you plan on storing this in your bathroom, make sure to have some extra storage space allotted as the brush is bulky and the head is unable to detach from the handle. 

After the big chop, you may find yourself having to re-learn everything you thought you knew about hair styling. That, or you've always been a pixie cut person and are simply tired of your only options being compact travel irons with no temperature control.

Bedhead's half-inch Pixie Straightener is a tool designed specifically for short hair, rocking tiny tapered plates to get close to the root or areas near the ear or neck without touching skin. The end where your hand sits is still the size of the average 1-inch straightener, keeping the wand easy to control and precisely angled toward tricky spots. Variable heat as low as 140 degrees Fahrenheit allows people who just cut their hair off to start over post-damage to style that virgin hair as safely as possible.

Read the full Mashable Dyson AirWrap review.

Dyson, the air benders behind the iconic cordless stick vacuums, tunnel-shaped fans, and the famous Supersonic hair dryer have become a cult favorite in the beauty industry. The internet's current obsession, the Airwrap, is mainly known as a curler, but switching attachments turns it into a straightening styler that achieves a smooth blowout with lots of body. But if you thought the Supersonic was expensive, then we've got very bad news. This beauty tool will set you back $600, but Mashable reviewer Rachel Kraus says that it's "worth the obscene price" if you style and dry your hair frequently.

This innovative tool is able to make hair bounce with life because it's not killing it. Smart heat control keeps the styler's air at 302 degrees Fahrenheit or lower instead of scorching hair between two plates (which are normally at least 365 degrees). The AirWrap replaces that antiquated iron design with a tiny digital motor that forces jets of air down via slots around the barrel, curling the sections wrapped around it or brushing it straight (depending on the attachment).

You can also experience the magic of Dyson's bladeless hair dryer with the AirWrap's included mini attachment for drying damp hair to the "ideal moisture level" for curling or blowing out. Though it's not as powerful as a full-sized Supersonic, the AirWrap's price tag could be justified by the fact that it's essentially a blow dryer, heated paddle brush, and curler in one. Plus, a styling tool that causes considerably less damage pays for itself by decreasing your need for constant haircuts and an arsenal of heat-protectant sprays.

A travel-friendly flat iron shouldn't be junky just because it's used less often. Chances are that you'll be relying on it for important events like a work conference or a concert — times you need your hair to look its best and stay that way all day. A lot of cheap models might send you out of your hotel looking like a broom, but the GHD Unplugged will have your back — including in the car on the way there.

GHD's smallest straightener is also its most expensive. That, of course, can be attributed to the fact that it's cordless. With plates just .08 inches wide, this compact model is small enough to fit in the pockets of gym bags or carry-ons, plus comes with a heat-resistant cap to pack before the plates cool. It's also extremely effective as a curler so you can skip packing two tools.

If it's any consolation about the price, GHD is a trusted brand that knows what it's doing. Like the beloved Platinum+, the Unplugged straightens at an optimal temperature of 365 to keep both the number of passes and splitting of hair cuticles low. Though it's not GHD's latest and greatest tech, it's enough for a 20-minute high-gloss touch up when you're in a rush.

Read our full review of the Dyson Airwrap Complete.

Dyson has become a trailblazer in the beauty industry thanks to the Dyson Airwrap hair styler, and we wanted to see if its new iteration, also known as the Dyson Airwrap Complete Long, exceeded the original version.

What makes this tool stand out from others on the market is its Coanda airflow tech, which makes use of more air than heat for styling. Similar to the original version, this blowout straightener also doesn't exceed 302 degrees Fahrenheit, which is ideal for those who routinely enjoy styling their hair with heat tools. It also provides a quick dry for those looking to dry their hair without it smelling burnt and move on with their day.

This version comes with six attachments: Coanda smoothing dryer, 1.2-inch Airwrap long barrel, 1.6-inch Airwrap long barrel, firm smoothing brush, soft smoothing brush, and round volumizing brush. Of each of these attachments, Allard had the most difficulty with the curling barrels. They weren't very intuitive to use and the resulting curls weren't able to hold all day on her longer hair. However, she did like that hair could be curled in both directions, unlike the older version that required users to switch attachment pieces if they desired curls that alternated directions. 

Whether you’re looking to curl, straighten, or reduce frizz and flyaways, the Dyson Airwrap Complete Long can help you achieve your hair goals any day of the week (if you want to spend nearly $600 on it, that is).