The 9 Best Hair Straighteners to Buy in 2021

We know that for those who rely on them, hair tools can make or break your look.

That’s why choosing the right one for you is key. 

But, with so many great hair straighteners on the market we know you might need the kind of friend who makes pro/con lists to find your perfect match.

Let us be the Rory Gilmore in your life, and keep reading this well researched roundup of the best straighteners we stock here at Adore Beauty.

PSA: While you’re here why not peruse one of our guides on damaged hair or heat protectants to keep things healthy and smooth while you’re styling. 

You can also watch Millie from Customer Experience talk through her fave straighteners in the video below...

Style without losing shine with the CLOUD NINE Original Iron. Built for versatility, this state of the art styling iron can be used to create curls, pin-straight styles and everything in between while minimising damage to your hair. This iron features unique ceramic black plates, which help to keep her healthy, minimising snags, and adding shine. With an easy to adjust temperature gauge, swivel cord, and hibernation mode (no stressing over whether you left your straightener on!), it’s pretty much foolproof. Ideal for all hair types, the Cloud Nine C9 Iron is a perfect choice for beginners in styling or pros looking for a streamlined styler.

How hot do Cloud NINE straighteners get? 

With 7 different temperature controls, you can alter the temperature of your Cloud Nine straightener from 100° to 200°, in order to best suit your hair type. Not only does this incredible hair styler deliver a great experience, it takes only 20 seconds to reach its maximum temperature.

A streamlined design and superior styling has made ghd one of the top brands in heat styling, and their classic ghd original professional styler is no exception. This sleek, back-to-basics styling iron has a curved barrel to minimise snags and maximise styling potential, allowing you to create whatever style you’re looking for- waves, curls, or pin straight, you’re all set with this versatile styling iron. High quality ceramic plates smooth over the hair with perfect heat distribution every time, ensuring your look is uniform and perfectly styled with each pass. This award-winning styler, beloved by pros and consumers alike, creates beautiful styles effortlessly while leaving hair silky and frizz free. If you’re looking for a truly well-regarded styler, this is a great choice.

Take home the premier styler in the tech world with ghd platinum+ black hair styler. The world’s first smart styler, the ghd Platinum+ Black Hair Styler uses ultra-zone predictive technology to adapt and adjust the temperature to provide optimal styling and minimal damage to your hair. The result? Sleek locks - and less damage - with every pass. This versatile styler has curved barrels to make creating any style you’re looking for - curls, waves, or sleek and straight - totally achievable with ease, using ceramic plates that create shine and decrease damage. This tool is ideal for all hair types, but those with particularly damaged hair, this unique styler is a must.

Have a tough time wrangling all your hair with thin flat irons? The CLOUD NINE The Wide Iron is the styling iron for you. With much wider plates than standard flat irons, the C9 Wide Iron is able to style hair more evenly, cutting styling time down for less of a headache when trying to achieve a smooth, sleek look. The C9 Wide Iron is built for ease of use, with a swivel cord, LED temperature control panel, and a hibernation mode for the ultimate in peace of mind when styling your locks. This iron is suitable for all hair types, but it’s best for those with thick, curly, or very long hair.

Slay on the go with CLOUD NINE The Micro Iron. This compact styling iron has all the same great features as full-sized Cloud Nine Irons- sleek ceramic black plates, LED temperature gauge, hibernation mode- just in a more travel-friendly size. Cloud Nine uses unique black ceramic plates and a rounded barrel to increase shine and versatility in styling, allowing you to create a variety of styles with this all-in-one styling multi-tasker. This iron is suitable for all hair types, but particularly great for gals on the go - and guys! The smaller size makes this an ideal tool for men’s styling as well, making this a great gift for the style-conscious man in your life. You can’t go wrong with the C9 Micro Iron in your carry-on.

The Silver Bullet Keratin 230 Ceramic Straightener is the ultimate in amazing, and convenient, styling. Silver Bullet takes a high tech approach to their styling tools, featuring a specialised Accelerator Microchip to speed up heating to your desired temperature, an auto-sleep mode to reduce worry, and Ceramic Tourmaline plates that leave hair soft, silky, and distribute heat evenly for a unified style every time. This is the iron for you if you’re short on time but don’t want to sacrifice quality- with its’ quick heat up time, frizz-fighting plates, and ease of use, you’ll be looking just as chic as you did before - just in half the time. Suitable for all hair types, but best for those who have things to do and need to get their styling done in no time.

Keep your hair under control with the Silver Bullet Keratin 230 Ceramic Wide Plate Straightener . This high-quality styling iron is perfect for anyone dealing with hair a standard sized straightener can’t fully tackle due to its’ wide plates, which increase ease of styling for those with thick, curly, or coarse hair. Featuring Ceramic Tourmaline plates for optimal shine, a specialised Accelerator Microchip to speed up heating to your desired temperature, and a sleep mode to ease worry, you’re in good plates with the Silver Bullet 230 Ceramic Wide Plate Straightener. Ideal for those who want to decrease styling time as well as those with thick, curly, or coarse hair.

Make frizz a thing of the past with the Dyson Corrale Hair Straightener. This innovative option is a great option for those with thick, unmanageable hair due to it's flexible copper alloy plates, which heat the hair in fewer passes. With intelligent heat control, the Dyson Corrale helps to create a sleek, silky style in seconds with minimal heat styling damage by adjusting the temperature based on texture and type (self checking 100 times a second). Suitable for all hair types, this styler can be used to create any style, from soft curls to sleek straight looks. This styling iron is also a great choice for travellers, with a detachable corn, universal voltage, as well as a unique flight mode for you jet-setters.

Looking for pro results at home? The ghd Gold Straighteners range delivers pro-level styling with ease, creating gorgeous silky looks without the damage. The newest ghd styler, this update on their Original Professional Styler features improved heat-up time, dual zone technology to ensure hair is evenly heated, a modern, snag-free design and a sleep mode for added peace of mind. Suitable for all hair types, this styler is best for those looking for easy, low maintenance salon-quality looks, as well as those looking for versatility. The barrel of this styler is curved, making it a great choice for curls, waves, and sleek, straight styles. If you’re looking for a solid styler from a brand you can trust, go for the gold with ghd Gold Professional Styler.

If you want to know more about GHD and Cloud NINE, be sure to have a read through of our BeautyIQ article What’s the Difference Between GHD and Cloud NINE?

Get more of the best hair straightener know-how in these handy little guides...

• Our Top 5 Tips for Choosing a Hair Straightener

• From Flat Irons to Hair Straighteners, Here’s the Difference Between Your Favourite Hot Tools

• For the Straightener Obsessed: Here are the Best Heat Settings for Your Hair Type

• Addicted to Your Hair Straightener? Here’s How to Prevent Damage

• Should I Buy a Wide or Thin Hair Straightener?

• The Best Type of Hair Straighteners (and Why)

• PSA: You Can Use Your Hair Straightener as a Curling Iron, and Here’s How To Do It

Brand and product inclusions are at the sole discretion of Adore Beauty. We do not seek or accept payment from brands or individuals listed in our guides.

This article has been updated on 15/02 to replace discontinued products with our recent product recommendations. Brooklyn from our Customer Service team has helped to bring you our most recommended products and up-to-date information.