Meanwhile, the smooth curved edges glided through our hair as we curled it. Each pass from root to end was smooth sailing, which led to zero crimping, and the wider plates meant that we could work in larger sections to straighten and curl our hair in just one pass, reducing the amount of time we used heat. We partially credit our healthier-looking hair to the lack of pressure we needed to use while moving the iron through our strands.

Its use of negative ion technology to combat frizz, along with its non-slip dual-titanium plates to keep hair in place while styling and overall lightweight feel earned it a top spot on our list. What We Don’t Love: The temperature settings are a little confusing.Īn excellent flat iron can straighten hair quickly, but this one goes a couple of steps further. What We Love: With smooth titanium plates, a curved-edge design, and negative ion technology to reduce frizz, this versatile tool imparts shine and creates styles faster. Other important factors, like the range of heat settings, weight, and whether the iron automatically shut off, were noted as well. After we gathered the data from our editors, we ranked each flat iron, and here are the ones that beat out all the competition. We also considered the total amount of styling time the tool required and whether our look lasted all day. We took into account how easy it was to straighten and curl hair, including whether the features and design improved the overall styling process, as well as how easily our hair slid through the plates without snagging. We gathered a team of InStyle editors across a variety of hair types, from thin, fine and straight to thick, coarse and curly, to evaluate each flat iron over a four week period. How do you sort through the clutter to find the best flat iron to work with your hair type? The answer is: You don’t need to - because we did. They also have the capability to build our hair’s body by curling it, too, making them incredibly versatile and a must for anyone who likes using heat to create a variety of styles.īut the sheer number of flat irons available is overwhelming to say the least. Though the concept of a flat iron isn’t new, today’s brands are designing dazzling options that use innovative features, like smart technology and high-quality plates, to provide us with a sleek look in mere minutes. Flat irons have come a long way since the models of yore that fried our strands and left us with damaged hair and harsh crimp marks.

Curved flat iron