The 5 best hair straighteners 2018

Which hair straighteners will give you enviable straight, sleek locks?

Which straighteners will give you frizz-free luscious locks, free from kinks and curls? Every set we’ve put in our top five, we assure you. But which set are THE BEST hair straighteners? 

The Original Iron by Cloud Nine is the straightest of them all and our pick of the bunch. Of course before you decided which set to buy you should consider how much you have to spend and the specific requirements of your locks – if you have particularly thick hair, or a fringe for example…

HOW TO CHOOSE THE BEST HAIR STRAIGHTENERS FOR YOU  

We’ve tested five sets of hair straighteners from five of the biggest brands, each time electing for the top of the range set. Although the prices vary by £149 between the most and least expensive straighteners none of these can be described as cheap. A good set of hair straighteners that provide frizz-free, polka straight styling that lasts all day without damaging your hair should be thought of as an investment – you get what you pay for. 

Our testing was done over a period of weeks, using the straighteners every morning, after washing and blow-drying hair. In case, you’re wondering all of our testing was done by the same person who has thick hair which a natural wave that falls three inches below the shoulder – a barnet that requires lots of upkeep and daily straightening. In the interest of fairness, we straightened our hair on the highest setting offered by each iron, as well as trying any intelligent heat settings to check they worked properly. 

During our test period, we didn’t have any ‘wavy days’ or ‘can’t be bothered put it in a messy bun’ days. We were straight and frizz free and it felt great. We were impressed by all models in our top 5 for the shine they added to hair – hair actually felt healthier after the test period than it did before hand! 

Of course there can only be one winner and that accolade goes to the Cloud Nine Original Iron - something amazing happened when we used it – hair stayed so straight that the following day we didn’t get up, wash, dry and straighten – we just went out. Curly and wavy girls everywhere will realise how much of a revelation this is!

THE 5 BEST HAIR STRAIGHTENERS YOU CAN BUY TODAY  

1. CLOUD NINE THE ORIGINAL IRON

Sleek straight hair that lasts

REASONS TO BUY          +    Straightening lasts and lasts

                                               +Adds tons of shine

REASONS TO AVOID        -Expensive

TODAY'S BEST DEALS               View At Amazon  

These straighteners were not only a joy to use, straightening my hair quickly and efficiently (even my signature kinks required only a single pass) but people commented on how shiny my now sleek and straight hair was. The best bit – the morning after straightening (a full 24 hours) our hair was still straight and sleek and we didn’t have to re-do it! Is there a better accolade that that? These come with a luxury heat protective carry case and a heat guard. We love that the plug can be adapted to use in Europe, really handy if you travel a lot!

2. TONI & GUY ILLUSION STYLER STRAIGHTENER

Fantastic straightening and price point

REASONS TO BUY            +   Speedy Straightening

                                                 +Great price with discount

REASONS TO AVOID         -Price could rise

TODAY'S BEST DEALS              View At Amazon   

Straightening was effortless with the Toni & Guy Illusion Styler Straightener – they glided through our hair and straightened it quickly. The titanium plates are longer than standard at 25mm and this certainly seems to help with speedy straightening. We liked the beep to tell us when they were on/off and when they’d reached the desired temperature. There are five temperature settings, accessed via a digital touch panel, concealed in the inner housing, which worked seamlessly. Comes with a funky heatproof storage pouch and heat proof mat – great if you travel with your straighteners. These straighteners are a genuine bargain at the discounted price.

3. T3 SINGLEPASS X STRAIGHTENING IRON

Great for thick, coarse hair

REASONS TO BUY            +   Makes quick work of thick manes

                                                +Hair stays straight all day

REASONS TO AVOID     -Not good for fringes

TODAY'S BEST DEALS          View At Amazon  

The T3 Singlepass X Straightening Iron is a godsend for anyone with thick or coarse hair (it will also delight those who don’t). These straighteners maintain consistent heat while styling so you can straighten your hair in a single glide – they really do make fast and light work of the most unruly of dos. Our hair was straight and shiny all day long. This straightener even remembers your heat setting for next time (there are five to choose from) – a true friend!  Watch out if you have a fringe though - the extra width of the iron (1.5-inch plates) that makes them so great for difficult hair makes styling fringes a little tricky.

4. PANASONIC NANO HAIR STRAIGHTENER (EH-HS95)

Straight and glossy hair but a tad too expensive

REASONS TO BUY           +   Hair feels glossy and protected

                                              +Straight locks lasted all day

REASONS TO AVOID     -  Tugged on hair occasionally

                                                      -Most expensive on test

TODAY'S BEST DEALS         View At Amazon  

These straighteners, with five different heat settings, make your hair look and feel glossy. They feature air holes at the tip which have been designed to nourish your hair while styling and it works – no heat damage here, thanks. During use the straighteners occasionally pulled our hair– we are assuming this happened because the plate doesn’t go all the way to the edge of the straighteners – not a big deal but something the others didn’t do and disappointing as all the other features are brilliant.

5. BABYLISS 3Q HAIR STRAIGHTENER

Adds shine but makes noise

REASONS TO BUY             +    Added shine

                                                 +Great price with discount

REASONS TO AVOID       -   Noisy Ionic Port

                                                        -Power button needs to be pressed firmly

TODAY'S BEST DEALS            View At Amazon  

These have 12 heat settings and a ‘protect’ mode, which adjusts temperature according to your hair. Hair was straight and super shiny in no time using the BaByliss 3Q Hair Straightener. The shine is thanks to their ionic conditioning technology but unfortunately this is what also makes a noise. They come with a sticker on the straighteners to tell you any noise from the ionic port is normal but we just couldn’t relax with it. You also have to press the button very firmly to turn them off but the auto shut off function eased our paranoia there.