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Whether you're rocking short, wavy, thick and curly or afro hair, you need something that will tame and straighten you out in no time. Nowadays there are many tools on the market to try, but the newest kid on the block that’s making big waves is the electric hair straightening brush.
In this buying guide, we’ll explain what you need to consider when purchasing a new straightening brush; from paddle to barrel brushes and ceramic or tourmaline coatings. We’ll also look at some of the biggest brands in the game such as Revlon, GHD and BaByliss whose products you can purchase on Amazon, Boots and Argos. Moreover, we have partnered with Makeup Artist Claire Higgins for reviewing and fact-checking the article so that we can deliver you the best information.
A qualified Beauty Therapist and Makeup Artist. I provide professional makeup services for all occasions, whether it be for a bride on their wedding day or backstage at a photo shoot. I also enjoy teaching through hosting live talks on my social media, masterclass events, and 1-1 training. My favourite style of makeup is most definitely vibrant. I love a colourful eyeshadow palette... or 10!
A recommendation service that carefully researches each product and consults with experts across many disciplines. We are constantly creating new content to provide the best shopping experience from choosing ‘cosmetics’ to ‘food and drink’, ‘home appliances’ to ‘kids and baby’ products, reaching users all across the United Kingdom.
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Claire is a qualified Beauty Therapist and Makeup Artist; she provides professional makeup services for all occasions from bridal to backstage at photo shoots. Claire also teaches masterclass events as well as 1-1 training, and when she gets the chance, enjoys sharing her expertise hosting live talks on her social media. She's a big fan of the vibrant style and loves a colourful palette... or 10!
Keep up-to-date with Claire through her Facebook and Instagram page where you can learn the latest tips and tricks when it comes to makeup application and also get inspired to try new looks!
Paddle brushes look and work like a standard hairbrush, and are by far the most common types of hot brush. When combed through your hair, they'll dry and straighten simultaneously. They work by releasing negative ions to counter your hair's positive ions, which in turn will tame the frizz and keep your hair smooth and silky all day.
Need to find other ways to tame frizzy hair? Check out the best anti-frizz serums.
This simple style is best used for people with short to medium length hair, that are only looking to detangle and straighten, as it will be pretty difficult to achieve any other hairstyle with this type of brush.
Barrel or rotating straightening brushes will straighten, detangle and keep your hair looking shiny too, but they'll also give volume to thin or fine hair. This works similarly to the motion of blow-drying with a regular barrel brush, as the circulating hot air is directed to your hair as the barrel rotates. Only this process is much quicker!
In general, these brushes tend to work better on longer hair and have the added benefit of being able to curl as well as straighten due to the fact the barrels are circular.
It's important to pick a hairbrush that is able to produce the right temperature for your hair. Too hot, and your hair is going to be damaged, or worse, singed. Too cool, however, and you won't obtain the look you're after.
It's been recommended that 185 °C is the optimum temperature for medium or medium-thick hair, whilst hair that is thinner or more fragile should drop to around 150 °C so as not to straighten it to a crisp. Blessed with thick and curly locks? You're going to need something that can reach highs of 230 °C to make sure they do as they're told.
For more products that will help keep curls looking gorgeous, look at our guides for the best conditioners for curly hair and curl creams!
The plates are quite possibly your number one consideration when choosing, as it's these that will be coming into contact with your hair. Most quality straightening brushes will use either ceramic or tourmaline technology to keep your hair protected whilst they work their magic.
Ceramic is the most popular material used as it works on pretty much every hair type out there. It provides good protection against catching and snagging and has a low potential to burn hair (as long as you've set the temperature correctly!). However, it doesn't always get the straightest results, particularly if you have curls.
Tourmaline produces far more of those negative ions we mentioned earlier, making it the perfect choice for frizzy or flyaway hair. It also works well at making dull hair shine. But, due to being a natural gemstone, it is more prone to wear and may not last as long as ceramic options.
Products | Image | Click to purchase | Price | Key features | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | GHD Glide Hot Brush | £139.00 High | GHD Straightening Brush With Optimal 185˚C Temperature | ||
2 | InStyler Glossie | £79.99 High Mid | 65 Ceramic Heated Plates to Control Frizz and Flyaways | ||
3 | Revlon Pro Collection Salon One Step Hair Dryer and Styler | £33.32 Low Mid | Ideal for Drying and Styling Thick Hair | ||
4 | Revamp Progloss Deepform Ceramic Straightening Hair Brush | £66.65 High Mid | A Straightening Brush With Ceramic Bristles Infused With Smooth Oils Such As Keratin, Argan and Coconut | ||
5 | BaByliss Big Hair Petite | £50.00 Mid | An Salon-Style Brush Perfect For Short Hair | ||
6 | BaByliss Diamond Smoothing Heated Brush | £30.99 Low Mid | Multi-Directional Rotating Brush to Add Volume and Bounce | ||
7 | DAFNI The Original Hair Straightening Ceramic Brush | £110.00 High Mid | Straightens Hair in Under 5 Minutes | ||
8 | MiroPure 2-In-1 Straightening Brush With Auto Shut-off Timer | £39.98 Mid | The Product That Exceeds All Expectations | ||
9 | TRESemme Keratin Smooth Marula Smooth Volume Hot Air Styler | £25.00 Low Mid | Affordable Styler for Medium to Long Styles | ||
10 | InStyler Straight Up | £16.49 Low | Straightening Brush for Wavy Hair That Gets Hot in 30 Seconds |
GHD is the crème de la crème of the straightening world, and this is their first attempt at a hot brush. It has varying prongs to protect, detangle and shape hair, sat on a ceramic plate that heats up to the optimal 185˚C – meaning your hair will be in the 'glass transition phase', where it can be styled without risk of damage or the dreaded split ends.
This is the most expensive brush on our list, and although it has rave reviews all over the internet, we are left wondering, "If it only reaches 1 temperature, is it possible that this can treat everybody's hair equally well?" Unfortunately, we have our doubts.
This brush turns even the worst skeptics into believers! It comes with 65 powerful ceramic heated plates that will control even the most outrageous frizz, and leave you with shiny and stylish hair in half the time it would normally take.
With 4 hair temperature settings featured, it can be used on both thin or thick hair – great if you're a family or flatmates that share. If you're looking for a natural glossy shine, sophisticated sleekness and serene smoothness, we've found your match.
Top beauty brand Revlon's offering is going to save you even more time than the usual hair straightening brushes, as it provides the function of drying alongside styling and we all love a 2-in-1 gadget.
Not only does this keep mornings speedy, but it reduces the chances of any heat damage, which is what we're all trying to avoid! With its large paddle, this brush can easily glide through thick, coarse hair to leave it detangled, straight and sleek all in one go.
If you are wanting to straighten your hair and get rid of frizz in a way which will cause minimal damage, this may be the one for you. Its bristles, which are infused with oils such as keratin, argan and coconut, help to not only create shiner and smoother looking hair but also healthier hair.
This particular brush has the ability to heat up anywhere from 130 °C to 210 °C, meaning that you can easily choose and find the perfect temperature for your hair type. Another feature which some may find useful is the automatic shut-off mode which will turn off the heat after 60 minutes.
Here's a great way to lift your hair up with this hot hair brush that really does add big volume and bounce. It does have a petite size, so it's a convenient item to carry around and will fit into your travel bag easily.
Thanks to the multi-directional rotating function, styling with this will be easier for you. It's perfect for adding shape to shorter length hair such as your fine bob hair, so if you like your short hair slightly curled in, this does the job nicely.
Smooth hair with a healthy shine and naturally full volume at home? Sounds good to us! You might hear some buzzing as you start it up, but that's just the ions being pumped out, ready to control that frivolous frizz. It also has flexible taming bristles and detangling combs for a gentle grip and absolute control.
It's worth noting that some reviewers had trouble cleaning the brush after use, so if you use a lot of product on your hair it may not be the best choice for you. Furthermore, they've been known to take a couple of minutes to heat up, which is quite a long time compared to other models available.
DAFNI are the original creators of the hair straightening brush, and claim theirs gets your hair done in just 3-5 minutes – which will save you many precious mornings in bed and some expensive trips to the salon! It has a protective ceramic coating, including on the bristles, which should help to keep your scalp and locks protected from any heat damage.
However, many reviewers have said that it leaves their hair almost too straight, so it's left looking a little lifeless. As with GHD's, they come with only 1 temperature, and although researchers claim 185°C is the optimal heat, we don't all have optimal hair that needs treating!
MiroPure has knocked it out of the park with this 2-in-1 brush. It has 16 settings, so there's a heat for everyone. It locks in your preferred setting and recalls it when you next switch on. It also heats up extremely fast, meaning you'll be looking fabulous in no time.
More so, you'll never have the "Oh, did I leave the straighteners on?" nightmare – by having a timer the MiroPure switches itself off after 60 minutes when not in use. With all these features and more, at this price, we truly believe this is the best brush for your buck!
If you feel your hair is a bit on the fine side and often find that it looks flat, this brush from TRESemme could be the one for you. It does a splendid job of adding body and volume, especially for medium to long styles.
There's also a free 'Keratin Smooth Heat Protection Spray' included to help protect and add a lovely shine to your hair. The only drawback is that this is a fixed head brush so it doesn't rotate, although that's not too much of an issue as it's affordable and works well!
This Brush from InStyler takes 30 seconds to get hot, and then stays hot! There are 7 different heat settings to give you full control over the temperature, and even heat is dispersed from its 65 ceramic plates to deliver straight and shiny hair in one pass. This brush is perfect for wavy, fine to medium hair.
We think it comes in at a pretty fair price, which is why it made our ranking. But there are some issues: firstly, be sure not to use it on wet hair, as it isn't designed for that. Also, you're not going to get any curls, waves or volume out of this, it's strictly for banishing frizz and keeping hair straight.
If you’re here, chances are you have some idea of what a straightening brush is, but just in case, we’ll talk you through the basics – namely, what they’re for and how to use them. Put simply, a hair straightening brush is a plug-in brush that combines the job of your straighteners with that of your hairbrush, saving precious getting ready time.
They’re best used on damp, well-conditioned hair, which will help you to achieve smooth and silky locks. It’s a good idea to start off using lower temperatures and only work your way up if your hair isn’t responding as you'd like, to make sure that your hair is protected as much as possible from heat damage.
However, always be sure to check the product information – some brushes on our list will simultaneously dry your hair whilst straightening, saving even more time, whereas others will require your hair to be bone dry. If in doubt, double-check!
It is best to use a straightening brush only when your hair is dry and has a form of heat protection on it. Before heating up and using the brush, you will want to brush your hair to get rid of any tangles. After this, it is best to section out your hair to ensure that each part gets straighten.
One your straightening brush is ready, slowly brush in a downwards motion from your root to the end of your hair. Repeat this process with each section but remember to leave the top section until the end.
Written and researched by Lewis Clark
No. 1: GHD|Glide Hot Brush
No. 2: InStyler|Glossie
No. 3: Revlon|Pro Collection Salon One Step Hair Dryer and Styler
No. 4: Revamp Progloss |Deepform Ceramic Straightening Hair Brush
No. 5: BaByliss|Big Hair Petite
View Full RankingThe descriptions of each product are referenced from content available on manufacturer, brand, and e-commerce sites.
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