12 Of The Best Hair Straighteners For Sleek, Smooth And Shiny Lengths

The OG of straighteners, is it any wonder that ghd came out on top? Heating up in just 25 seconds, the ELLE team raved about how silky-smooth and healthy their hair looked after using the Gold Styler. The rounded barrel makes it easy to create curls, waves or straight hair, and it's lightweight, so easy to manoeuvre.

To keep things simple in the mornings, there’s just one temperature setting, which is set at 185 degrees (like all ghd straighteners). Oh, and it automatically shuts down after 30 minutes — so no more burning the carpet (we’ve all been there).

If it takes you ages to straighten your thicker, longer hair (tiny violin at the ready), consider the size of your plates; the wider they are, the more strands you can style in one swipe.

This tool straightens hair in a flash and successfully keeps frizz at bay. It helps keep styles intact for longer, with many of our ELLE testers enjoying a diamond-like shine.

Launched hot on the heels of the rule-breaking Dyson Supersonic hair dryer, these cordless straighteners are every bit as innovative. A ‘flexing’ plate gathers every last flyaway hair, applying heat evenly so you can straighten sections in one simple stroke. It comes with a charging stand and heat-resistant travel pouch (ideal if you’re a last minute packer like us).

Flight mode temporarily disables the battery and the variable temperature is clearly visible on the OLED screen. And just in case you were in any doubt, it plays a helpful little sound when it hits the selected temperature. These additional features mean it’s a touch heavier than some others we tried, but with quick heat-up and styling times, it's still a worthy investment.

Our first pair of ghds will always have a place in our heart, and the brand's original styler is an oldie but a goodie. Nostalgia aside, it makes styling a doddle and is seriously easy to use.

It heated up quickly and achieved most styles perfectly. It may not boast fancy tech nor a catalogue of heat settings, but it switches off automatically if left untouched for 30 minutes – a godsend for anxious types.

Drew Barrymore has rightfully earned her place on our hair inspo board – from the 90s blonde bob to the ethereal loose waves she nails to this day – so it feels apt that she’s come out with her own brand of hair tools. But the beauty world has been inundated with celeb brand launches, so of course we had to put these to the test to see if they really worked. Spoiler: they absolutely did.

We were impressed with how easily these straighteners create their desired style – whether that be poker-straight ends or tight curls – leaving them with shinier, silky-smooth tresses. It's quick and easy to achieve a final look too, with none of that dreaded snagging.

If you’re wondering why your hair needs infrared tech (yes, those light waves we can't see), it’s meant to balance moisture and seal your hair’s cuticles.

Sure enough, this straightener helps boost shine and banish frizz. According to our ELLE testers, flyaways were pretty much non-existent after styling, while locks stayed intact for longer.

If you’re not a morning person and always seem to run out of time when it comes to your hair, this tool is going to be your new best friend. It eliminates the need to use a hair dryer, due to a unique ‘moisture sensor’ that automatically measures your hair's water content and adjusts the temperature accordingly, to help prevent damage – nifty right?

Our ELLE testers with bleached or damaged hair said this tool left them with shinier, healthier-looking locks, while those with afro hair types reported glossy lengths without any frizz in sight. It worked fast too, with our team saying they were happy with the time it took to style their hair, making it a great option for when you’re tight on time.

In Britain, living with frizz is a given (hello constant rain), but this tool is a game-changer. It aims to give you salon-worthy results in just one swipe and features ‘Rapid Heat IQ Technology’, which claims to keep the device at the same temperature throughout your whole styling session and provide even results.

How did it do? Our ELLE testers said these straighteners managed to keep frizz at bay, and found the smoothing results lasted from day to night.

Thinner and lighter than other models on our list, the Steampod is unique in that it uses an integrated water tank to steam hair straight.

With the help of a built-in comb (which can be removed if you prefer), the steam leaves tresses feeling more hydrated and healthy, with styles lasting throughout the day. A particularly good option for curly and afro hair.

The Platinum+ could just be ghd’s cleverest hair straightener yet. It detects the thickness of your hair and the speed you’re styling at, adjusting the power to deliver a consistent 185-degree heat.

Basically, it knows what your hair needs better than you do — no wonder it's a firm ELLE beauty team favourite. Quick to heat up with large grippy plates, we can't get enough of the smooth, soft results. Rest assured, it has the same turn-off function as the Gold Styler, too.

This tool claims to leave you selfie-ready in just 10 minutes, thanks to its vibrating plates, which have an impressive 11 heat settings. The straighteners also aim to seal any vulnerable cuticles to prevent damage, while allowing you to get through strands quicker.

Styling time is minimal with smoother-looking locks as a finished result. Our ELLE testers with afro hair types were also impressed with its speed, leaving them with a healthy, shiny finish.

The plates do have a slight gap in between them, which can make it a struggle to grip hair at times, but the long-lasting results make it worth the hassle.

Keeping things fuss-free and costing just over £20, these straighteners also claim to heat up in just one minute – a total bargain if you ask us.

Although we did find it took longer than a minute to reach the maximum temperature, our ELLE testers loved how straightforward and lightweight they were to use. The end result? A salon-worthy style and seriously shiny finish.