There’s nothing quite like the shine and sleekness that comes from sealing your style with a straightening iron. The problem: It can be difficult to find the one that’s best for your hair type (and budget).
- Top performance scores in Beauty Lab tests
- Top consumer satisfaction and ease of use scores
- No audible alert once iron reaches temperature
This speed-heating, power-smoothing CHI earned a rare perfect score with GH’s expert evaluators and was far and away our top-tested flat iron. In tests, it warmed up to 96% of max temp in 60 seconds, and ranked top at 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.
• Plate size: 1-inch
• Temperature settings: Adjustable up to 450ºF
• Auto shut-off: 60 minutes
- Budget-friendly
- Feature-rich
- May not be as durable as other picks
Though we haven’t tested it in the Lab, with over 34,00 reviews on Amazon and an average 4.6 star rating, people are absolutely obsessed with this flat iron, and it has an astounding amount of great features for an under-$20 hair tool. Floating ceramic plates are coated with titanium for even heating and a silky smooth glide through the hair, and the temperature is adjustable up to 410ºF, so you can tweak it according to your hair type.
• Plate size: 1-inch
• Temperature settings: Adjustable up to 410ºF
• Auto shut-off: 60 minutes
