I tried 5 pairs of straighteners and the best are under £30 beating Dyson & ghd
The world of hair tools has come a long way since the 90s, with people ditching the crimpers and Conair’s hair dryers for the and . But if there’s one electronic styling gadget that has never left our side in the last 30 years, it’s our trusty straighteners.
Finding the perfect flat iron that delivers sleek results without causing heat damage, and that has functional features without breaking the bank, can prove to be something of a challenge.
Do you splurge £400 on the stick with the salon-loved , or opt for a more budget-friendly pair to achieve your pin-straight locks?
To help you work out which one is the best for you, I tested out five pairs of hair straighteners from some of the most well-known brands in the business, including , , and .
And while some of the high-end tools certainly left me impressed (with incredibly glossy hair), it turns out you don’t necessarily have to spend hundreds of pounds to find the perfect pair that will leave your tresses beautifully sleek, styled and shiny without any static or split ends. Here’s what I found when I pitted five pairs straighteners against one another over the course of a year.
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Mirror Choice Best hair straighteners
Original price: £79.99
Usually: Under £30
Cheapest we’ve seen them: £16.99 (Black Friday, 2023)
Remington Shine Therapy Advanced Ceramic Hair Straighteners with Morrocan Argan Oil for Improved Shine - S8500When my near-decade old ghd straighteners finally kicked the bucket, I needed a pair to tide me over until I could afford a new set of respected straighteners. Amazon shoppers had said they’ve ‘abandoned’ their expensive flat irons in favour of these and so, I put my faith in almost 19.000 five star Amazon reviews and decided to give them a chance. I’m yet to ‘upgrade’ - but I simply don’t need to.
Usually £79.99, the . Most of the year the seem to be under the £30 mark, but the cheapest we’ve seen them is around £17 during big sale events like Black Friday and Amazon Prime Day.
The themselves look the part, with a sleek black and white design, teal coloured plates and digital temperature display. There’s a power switch with temperature control buttons which allow you to select the right setting for your hair, ranging from 150 to 230 degrees.
My hair before using the Remington straightenersUpon switching them on, they took around 20 seconds to heat up, and I opted for one of the lower heat settings on my relatively fine hair, but the option is there to amp it up if you have thick or wavy locks.
The are infused with Moroccan Argan Oil and Vitamin E, while the floating plates make them spongy and allow for even pressure on the hair, so not was my hair styled to perfection, it was left shiny and healthy looking too.
The device made light work of giving me pin-straight locks without leaving my bleached hair feeling dry as has previously been the case when styling my hair with heat, in fact, it was left feeling really moisturised and glossy.
Other shoppers have left which are currently number 30 in the haircare best-sellers list on Amazon. There are more than 26,000 reviews, with 80 per cent of them being five stars, many of which claim they’re better than the big name brands.
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My hair after using the Remington straightenersOne said: “My trusty GHDs broke but I wasn't in a position to buy another pair so after looking at amazon reviews I opted for these. They probably take a fraction longer to warm up than my GHDs and there is no audible beep to let you know it's got to temperature but a quick glance at the screen you know when it has.
“Once warmed up they are just as easy to use and in no time my hair was perfectly straight. In fact my hair stays straight for days afterwards no touch up required.”
Another added: “Honestly just as good as a previous pair of cloud nines I had. Well worth the money I love them.”
With a third commenting: “As a hairdresser I have used ghd’s and cloud nines. I did not think I would change from cloud nine. Bought these for my daughter and since bought another pair. They are great and I recommend them now to everyone.”
“Easy to use , excellent price my hair looked amazing when straighten . My current ghd are abandoned!” wrote a fourth.
I have to agree that it’s a shame there’s no sound to signal that the device is up to temperature, but you can check the digital screen to find out when they’re ready - which is no time at all. It’s also handy to know that they have a 60 minute shut-off for safety.
The Remington Shine Therapy Advanced Ceramic Hair Straighteners look sleek and modernSome shoppers reported some snagging on the plates, but I didn’t find this to be the case with my hair. The glided through like silk with no dragging or catching, which helps avoid those pesky heat marks in the hair, too.
The also have a ‘lock’ function so that you can store them closed, however I did find this a bit tricky to apply - you do have to give it a good push and there seems to be a knack. I have found it becomes easier the more you use them, as it is very handy for storing them.
For the price I really couldn’t fault them. It took me under 10 minutes to straighten all my hair and styling no longer felt like a chore. You can shop the .
Best hair straightener alternatives
Original price: £399.99
Cheapest we’ve seen them: £299.99 (Black Friday, 2023)
My hair after using the Dyson Corrale cordless straightenerLaunched in 2020, the is the first straightener that uses patented flexing plates that help shape to gather the hair and deliver enhanced styling with half the damage compared to leading competitors.
I found the to be a gorgeous design, easy to set up, quick to heat and a joy to use. The colours are stunning, and the presentation case is fantastic for storing them safely without them getting scratched.
The device beeps after about 25 seconds to let you know it’s reached temperature, with three adjustable heat settings 165°C, 185°C and 210°C, and will also alert you if the battery is low. The cordless design is something of a game changer, particularly for travelling, however isn’t all that necessary for use in the house because I always stand in the mirror that has a plug socket next to it.
Unlike traditional straighteners, the unique mould to the hair section being styled. This gives you more control and creates better styling results. As the plates adapt to the hair, they apply tension evenly and stop any strands separating, reducing frizz and flyaways.
The Dyson Corrale is usually £399.99The and features Dyson’s Intelligent Heat Control for precise temperature control. What’s more is that they have a safety feature that switches them off after 10 minutes of inactivity for added peace of mind.
The results from the and Remington pairs are exactly what I look for with a pair of straighteners, so for me, I personally wouldn’t fork out £400 when a can do a very similar job. If you are thinking about investing in a Dyson product, my favourite of the three is the Supersonic over the Corrale or Airwrap -
Original price: £130
Cheapest we’ve seen them: £41.81 on Amazon
Glamoriser's smart straightener connects to your phone so you can switch them off in the appThe was the world’s first pair of Bluetooth straighteners, connecting to a free mobile app to control, personalise and lock in settings. The app asks a series of questions about your hair in order to find the best settings for you, and saves them in order to prevent heat damage. And for those prone to forgetting to turn off their straighteners, you can do that from the app, too.
The and has a digital temperature control that ranges from 80°C - 235°C. The Floating Ceramic Plates have a Black Diamond Oil induced ionic system which blasts out tiny ions to reduce frizz, leaving hair looking shiny and poker straight.
While the G when they launched in 2019, no-one else seems to have tried to replicate it, which makes me wonder if it’s a feature that was really necessary. While the straighteners are very effective as a styling tool, the app was one of the first things to be deleted on my phone when I got that dreaded ‘storage full’ notification, and I’ve never bothered to re-install it.
Original price: £199
Cheapest we’ve seen them: £151 at PrettyLittleThing (Black Friday)
Cloud Nine's Original Iron is incredibly popular with shoppersThe are my mum’s straightener of choice and they really are a great mid-range tool that will last for years to come. This pair is a limited edition colourway but it’s the same inner workings as the , which is a really good all-rounder.
Cloud Nine believes ‘less is more’ with heat, with a Variable Temperature Control from 100°C to 200°C. The only pair that go any lower than this is the Glamoriser, but the are still suitable for a range of hair types.
The device feels really lightweight and the swivel cord makes it easy to style the back of your hair, or use them to curl without getting tangled up, and also prolongs their life as it’s usually the cord that breaks on a pair of straighteners.
They take 20 seconds to reach maximum temperatures, and will turn themselves off after 30 minutes of inactivity.
The , with the Ceramic Floating Plates designed with Spring-Flex Technology that adjust when closed to help prevent split ends. My hair always feels so soft and looks thick and healthy after using these. Their only downside is their price and more limited temperature range than some of the others, and you can see a few fliaways still in the photo.
Original price: £129
Cheapest we’ve seen them: £100.60 at LookFantastic (December 2023)
GHD's original styler has onely one heat settingMy sister was a hairdresser for over a decade and still refuses to look at any other brand besides ghd. is a cult classic and is an incredibly popular hair tool in the mid-range price bracket, and for good reason - their performance is impressive, but have they failed to keep up with the competition?
The automatic sleep mode switches the styler off after 30 minutes, while the swivel cord allows for flexibility, and while the tool does leave my tresses looking rather lush, there are just a couple of reasons they’re not my favourite tool.
The first one is cosmetic really - I think self-coloured plates look best on straighteners and the creamy colour of these show up every mark on them and always look like they need a clean - but it does make them immediately recognisable as a brand. The , which is double the , and the biggest point is that they're the only one in the list without a variable temperature.
The Original Styler heats to 185°C, maintains the optimum styling temperature across both styling plates with generation single-zone ceramic technology. However, I feel having that flexibility with some of the other brands to select a lower or higher temperature is much needed to personalise your styling routine.
For me, the offers a sleek design, a fast heating speed, great temperature range and beautiful results, but the longest auto shut off. Though I’m not one to leave my straighteners plugged in, so that doesn’t bother me too much. The price is unbeatable for the quality, and the reviews from shoppers speak for themselves. Whenever we’ve written about the tool in the last 12 months, the comments section has been filled with glowing testimonials, while they were the with over 1,400 pairs bought through our stories.
While none of the tools are disappointing, the is the one that impressed me the most, because truly, who doesn’t adore the innovation of Dyson’s designs. But the price really is the biggest disadvantage, pricing many people out of being able to afford them. And that’s why for me, the
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