Ionic technology: when there’s too much positive charge on each hair strand, they begin to repel each other, making hair static and flyaway. This technology helps to neutralise the charge, smoothing strands down instead. A ceramic hair straightener can help reduce frizz. Credit: Indigitalimages.com/ Pros of the ceramic hair straightener Ceramic hair straighteners produce negative ions

What We Don’t Love: It takes time to learn how to curl hair using the flat iron’s extended rounded edges.I was afraid the new batch of wet-to-dry stylers would sizzle hair off like the ones in the early 2000s. But now there are a few that actually work. Dyson's Airstrait ( 9/10, WIRED Recommends) has the same form factor as a standard flat iron, but instead of hot plates, it uses airflow to dry and straighten your hair simultaneously. Using one focused jet of air that moves downward, it dries your hair with a natural, smooth finish. You'll also have the option between two main styling modes (wet and dry) and three temperature settings for each. WIRED product reviewer Brenda Stolyar typically uses it on wet mode to fully dry her hair and switches to dry mode to flatten any puffiness. The entire process, which normally takes her about 45 minutes, now only takes 12 to 15 minutes. What We Don’t Love: The temperature can only be adjusted by dial, and it was often unclear what temperature we were on.

The hair straightener heated up in about 30 seconds and had five easily adjustable heat settings to choose from (140 degrees, 230 degrees, 300 degrees, 370 degrees, and 450 degrees). It slid through all hair types easily while straightening (although we felt a little tug while curling). The swivel cord was super long — up to 12 feet — and when purchasing this flat iron, you can choose from a few different width options to achieve your ideal look. In the Good Housekeeping Institute lab, our experts used a Bossa Nova Shuffle machine to assess how long their style lasted and how much frizz was created in a humid environment. Straightening my hair used to be a two-day affair. I'd wash all the product out the night before, let it air-dry, then braid it before bed so that the next day, the curls were looser and easier to work through. Then, and only then, could I go in with a flat iron. With the RevAir, I can decide to straighten my hair at literally any time. It's a luxury I've never known before. Remington’s 'OPTIheat' technology targets heat where your hair most needs it, which delivers genuine long-lasting results and the PRO+ setting keeps the temperature at a responsible 185°C to protect your hair.What We Love: The short barrel fits in our hands nicely and is the perfect size for styling short hair. Voltage: Take a look at the voltage of your brush. Many are safe to use both at home and abroad, but always consult your instruction manual of the product you're using. "Standard voltage is 120V in the US, and 220-240V in Europe," shares Wnek. "If you see a range like 110-220V in a product manual or on the product’s electricals, it indicates that it is dual voltage and can be used at home and abroad."

Frankly put, our hair looked incredible after using the tool’s steaming feature. Think: Shinier, glossier, and healthier hair, and it wasn’t even a painstaking process to see these results. As steam tools were new to some of us, we appreciated that there were downward facing arrows on the tool that we used to guide us through the straightening process and ensure we were holding it correctly. We also like that we only had to press one button to toggle between the three different temperatures as we straightened our hair.In true Dyson form, this straightener comes with all the bells and whistles that earned it luxury status. Whether we were curling, straightening, or creating waves, the patented flexing plates seemed to mold around our strands so we could create a variety of styles in record time. The plates work exactly like they sound: They’re made of flexible materials so that when our hair is placed within the plates, they gather around it to better hold the strands in place and give us more control so we only have to make one pass over the hair. To find the most effective hair straightening brush, take into consideration the following factors: With over five years’ experience in beauty and health journalism, Florence has written for ELLE, Women’s Fitness, Sister Magazine, National Geographic Traveller and many more, with a strong sustainability angle thread through much of her work. Before cleaning, ensure the iron is turned off and has completely cooled down. Then, Kee recommends using a damp cloth with a bit of rubbing alcohol and carefully wiping down the plates to remove any debris. She also likes to dip a cotton swab into rubbing alcohol to clean the iron’s edges and crevices.