The best straighteners for thick hair that promise sleek and frizz-free results

Whilst all hair straighteners should be able to do their job with ease, the best hair straighteners for thick hair will make the styling experience a breeze, leaving an effortlessly sleek and smooth finish in denser locks…

The secret to straightening thick hair fast is in the plates and the best hair straighteners for the job tend to be wider or longer than your average straightener. “Using a wider plate straightener can make it easier to style thick hair as it’s faster to straighten large sections,” says Tyler Moore, Expert Stylist at Live True London. “While it’s possible to style with regular straighteners, beginners may find wider plates easier to use.”

The length of your hair has an impact too. “For long hair, wide plates are super effective as they capture more stands in one go and remove frizz fast,” says Belle Cannan, founder of Salon Sloane. If you’re addicted to your hot tools and, as a result, have a lot of breakage, or you have shorter locks then it's worth opting for narrow straighteners. For the ultimate sleek results, you’ll need to rely on glossy coatings and variable heat temperatures, whether that be the best cordless straighteners or the best straighteners for curly hair.

Straightening my thick hair can be as strenuous as a 45-minute gym class, with both leaving me feeling like a sweaty, melted mess, and only one of them is doing something for my cardio fitness. My hair is incredibly thick, and there are lots of them, so styling has always been a time-consuming task rather than a quick fix. It’s also not an exaggeration to say that if I left my hair to dry naturally it would take two to three working days to completely dry (I can go to bed with sopping hair and wake up to it still wet), so I can never forgo blow drying. In addition to my thick locks, my hair is also naturally very curly, which makes the straightening process even more difficult.

The secret to making the task of smoothing hair like mine easier? Having the right tools for the job. We’ve rounded up the best straighteners for curly hair that make for a fuss-free process, whilst offering glossy results…

Best hair straighteners for thick hair deals

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L'Oréal Professionnel Steampod 4: was £299 now £265.35 (save £33.65) | Amazon

With patented steam technology, this hair styler features wide plates that can reach close to the root, making the straightening process even easier. If you're looking for an all-rounder tool, not only can you create sleek straight hair, you can also use this clever styler for soft waves or bouncy curls. Its price tag is also currently marked down, saving you over £30.

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Jess Beech

Jess Beech is an experienced fashion and beauty editor with more than eight years of experience in the publishing industry. She has written for woman&home, GoodtoKnow, Now, Woman, Woman’s Weekly, Woman’s Own and Chat, and is a former Deputy Fashion & Beauty Editor at Future PLC.

Tyler Moore

Tyler Moore is an experienced hair stylist working for Live True salons in London.

Belle Cannan

Belle is a renowned hairstylist with more than 35 years of experience in the industry. She is also the founder of premium London-based salon, Salon Sloane.

The quick list

The best straighteners for thick hair, chosen by our beauty team

The best hair straighteners for thick hair overall

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Cloud Nine’s The Wide Iron Pro completely converted me to wide-plate straighteners a couple of years ago. Before then, my only previous experiences with wide plates had been at the hairdressers, where I always left with tell-tale signs of my natural curl type at the hairline and at the roots as the stylist, I assume, had been too worried about burning my scalp to get too close. I thought (wrongly) that wide plate irons would only work on long hair that just required taming on the mid-lengths to ends.

With wider plates than average straighteners, Cloud Nine’s The Wide Iron Pro plates are set close to the edge which makes it easy to ensure a sleek look from root to tip. Aside from that, the real reason I love this tool is that it transformed my hair’s health. Full disclosure: I use heat on my hair almost every day because, for me, the answer to how to straighten hair without heat is that I can't. But since using these, I’ve noticed a reduction of my split ends and my hair growing faster, too. In fact, the texture of my hair has also become drier and frizzier since putting my Cloud Nines to the side to trial other contenders for best hair straighteners for thick hair for this guide

Other features also worth noting are the mineral-infused floating plates to help improve shine and minimise drag and friction, plus the range of heat settings from 100-200°C - I tend to opt for 180°C when my hair is being particularly stubborn or I’ve blow-dried it lazily, and a cooler 150°C between washes.

The best hair straighteners for long thick hair

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The ghd Max Hair Straightener was one of, if not the first, pairs of wide-plated irons on the market - however it has evolved with new features and improved functionality over the years. In terms of the ghd family, the Max is more closely related to the ghd Gold than the Platinum+ (the brand’s most premium styler), therefore it does lack some of the higher-tech features of other straighteners on this list. For example, the heat settings aren’t adjustable and it’ll only style at 185ºC – but, there are plenty of pros.

If you’re looking for a versatile tool that provides multiple styling options, ghd is your answer, thanks to its curved edges making it the perfect tool for learning how to curl hair with straighteners. You can create a range of styles, from big and bouncy curls on long hair to subtle, beachy waves on shorter locks. Personally, I like using a wider styler for curls and waves, as narrower ones not only make for a time-consuming endeavour and can end up making my hair look twice as thick as it actually is.

The plates feel satisfyingly hot when you use them – controversial I know - but I do like feeling like my straighteners are working. What’s more, the styler automatically shuts off after 30 minutes of not being used - a huge plus if you often find yourself styling in a hurry. The glossy, ceramic plates have a floating functionality that allows them to adjust to your hair's thickness and avoid snagging. It's worth adding this brand also makes one of the best curling irons for thick hair, too, should you be in the market for one.

The best hair straighteners for thick hair that's hard to style

Speaking of styling in a hurry, I tend to speedily move my straighteners through my hair which probably doesn’t do it any good. That’s where Bio:Ionic's OnePass Straightening Iron 1.5 Inch comes in. Where a straightener would normally slide down my hair like silk, this tool doesn’t. It sort of drags as if there is something holding it back (without pulling) and forces you to slow down. On closer inspection, I realised that this was due to the silicone strips in the centre of the plates that gently grip the hair, instead of clamping it together between the plates, it lets you smooth and straighten without snagging.

Leaning into its “one pass” name, if you’re moving slowly and deliberately through the hair, you’re going to smooth much better than you would with one speedy pass - a trick that took a bit of getting used to. The temperature can also be adjusted from 130°C to 230°C, with a little gauge on the screen that goes up Celsius by Celsius so you can see its progress, beeping when it’s finally ready. I used the styler at 180°C, which is plenty hot enough to efficiently straighten my hair. This tool is slightly clunky and chunky, which is my only downside as it meant I couldn’t get very close to my roots.

The best hair straighteners for thick dry hair

If you were to divide all the hair straighteners on this list into neat little subcategories, the L’Oreal’s Steampod would have to sit all on its own, with patented steam technology working in a completely different way from others on the market. Moisture can be lost from the hair when using normal straighteners, with steam escaping from the tool as you style, leaving your locks feeling dry and slightly crispy. The difference with the Steampod is that it uses steam to replace that lost moisture, so hair is less likely to break and snap.

I only need to look at the rain out the window and my hair starts to frizz, so as you can imagine, I was initially sceptical about this. Surely the steam would just make my hair frizzier? However, impressively, it didn’t - probably as the steam is dry, not wet. I did find that my hair felt a bit tackier after using the Steampod than it does with other stylers (although, I do tend to use quite a lot of hair products so that could be part of it) but it was smooth to the touch and there was no fluffy halo to contend with.

Although the Steampod 4 is the most improved version yet, it’s still not seamless to use. There are still a few caveats to the tool, for example the tank needs to be filled with demineralised water (simple tap water won’t do), it has to be used a certain way up for the comb attachment to pass through the hair (I learned this the hard way) and it makes a loud humming noise when using. That being said, it does boast a lighter design than its predecessors, reaching closer to the roots and has the benefit of curved, heated outer plates to lock curls in place.

The best affordable hair straighteners for thick hair

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My first pair of ghd straighteners cost £100 and I remember thinking at the time that was a jaw-dropping amount of money for a hair tool. Now, it’s not uncommon for the best hair straighteners for thick hair to cost three times that – or more – and even the more affordable options are nearing the £200 mark. So, it’s fair to say I was thrilled to see that the mdlondon STRAIT Hair Straightener is a much more democratically priced £109.

The styler set a good first impression from when I got it out of the box. Whilst the narrowest straightener on this list, its lengthened design means you can easily style a decent section of hair at a time, cutting the time of the styling process down. I have a halo of shorter hairs around my hairline that love to twist themselves into ringlets, but this styler's thin shape made it easy to tame those without feeling at risk of singeing my forehead. It makes a slightly off-putting crackling sound as it heats up but this is not a deal-breaker. I also like that the screen shows them heating up degree-by-degree. I’m always keen to use as little heat as possible on my hair, but when tested at 90 degrees, these still smoothed really well; my strands felt cool as they came out the other side instead of guiltily hot to the touch.

If you prefer a higher heat, you’ll be pleased to know that these straighteners go as high as 230°C - I only went as hot as 210°C and that was more than sufficient to style my hair. One final positive to note is that they are very light, which encouraged me to be more gentle with my approach to styling and wave goodbye to tugging down on my hair with the irons. This will also be a pro for anyone who finds straightening their thick hair tiring, or who wants to experiment with creating waves and curls without an upper arm workout.

The best straighteners for thick hair to minimise damage

When it comes to straighteners, I’m always interested to see brands that are doing things a little differently. Just like the KEEO Genius Smart-Glide Straightener which boasts wiggly plates, instead of flat ones, that slot together like a jigsaw when you clamp them shut. The thinking behind this design choice is that it leaves an "air gap" between the plates, meaning you don’t cause unnecessary damage by pulling the tool too forcefully through to the hair (something that I’m definitely guilty of when I’m in a hurry, which is 99.9% of the time).

I was a bit dubious at first as I couldn’t see how I’d achieve a super straight finish or avoid feeling like my hair was being snagged as I passed it through the ridged plates, but it didn’t take long for me to be proven wrong. The styling process does take slightly longer as you do have to straighten slower than other tools, but this is to help reduce damage to your locks - a fair trade for fewer split ends. However, my hair did retain some volume rather than looking completely dead straight - a result that won’t be for everyone. Whether or not that puts you off will depend on if (like me) you’re trying to disguise the fact you have very thick hair or if you want to embrace it.

It’s also worth mentioning that if you clamp these straighteners on to your hair, for example, when adding a wave or curl, then they do leave a slightly crimped effect. Although it can easily be straightened out, it is something to bear in mind if you like to use the best hair straighteners for thick hair to style yours in a variety of ways.

The best hair straighteners for thick hair for fast styling

Despite Revamp not being as much of a household name in the hair styling world as other brands in this guide, these straighteners are a perfect fit for long, thick hair. Its plates are extra long (more than a quarter longer than your average styler, to be specific), which means you can straighten your hair quickly and efficiently.

A tool with a good temperature offering is always a plus and this one offers the broadest range, from 80ºC right up to 235ºC. Although I’m not convinced that those with thick hair would see much of a difference styling at 80ºC, if your hair is super fragile from bleaching (maybe you've used a home highlights kit), this tool is a great option. Whilst we’re on the topic of damage, the Revamp Progloss Wide Ultra X Shine Ceramic Hair Straightener uses ionic technology, cancelling out positive ions that can form when hair is overheated, over-colored, or over-processed and replacing them with negative ones that reseal the cuticle. These negative ions are what give your locks a shiny and silky texture – even better, the plates are also infused with hair-loving keratin, argan oil, and coconut oil.

When testing, I did find that the longer plates took a while to get used to but once I mastered it they definitely helped to speed up styling time. Other than that, my only criticism would be that even a temperature of 170ºC left my hair feeling very hot, which makes me inclined not to trust the temperature settings implicitly.

The best hair straighteners for thick hair for a sleek finish

This Revlon Double Straight Copper Ceramic Dual Plate Straightener is a funny-looking thing. Instead of the standard two plates, it has four narrow ones that are joined together by a bridge at the top of the styler - the idea is that the first plate passes through and straightens the hair, followed by the second to reinforce its results. Initially, I was sceptical of this tool being a gimmick thinking that my thick hair would surely escape through the gap in the middle when styling and lead to snagging, but it actually worked really well.

Despite its narrow plates, the styler seamlessly passes through the hair, covering a large surface area. I managed to straighten chunky sections of hair which, overall, shaved a good five minutes off my normal styling time. Its broad temperature range spanned from 140°C right up to 235°C, though 170°C was enough for me, so I think most people with very thick hair wouldn’t need to climb too much higher. What really stood out to me, though, was how soft and shiny my hair felt after using this tool. It was seriously glossy and stayed that way until my next wash.

The best hair straighteners for thick hair prone to frizz

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When it comes to hair styling technology, the Dyson Corrale. nails innovation. The first and most impressive thing is its cordless design and, unlike other wire-free stylers, doesn’t need a huge amount of charge beforehand. 70 minutes of charging time results in 30 minutes of cordless use - plus, if you've forgotten to power the battery in advance, you can use it with the wire too, which many cordless straighteners can't be used while charging.

The second thing setting it apart from its competitors is the plates, they’re super flexible which means they move with your hair, holding it tightly where needed and loosening up where it isn’t. They also make a slight crunching noise as you style, but you quickly get used to it. This tool benefits your hair in multiple ways, from a flight-ready feature that’s perfect for travel to allowing heat reduction (and subsequently breakage), all whilst boasting sensors that ensure the optimum temperature across the plates.

For all the above reasons, the Corrale makes a brilliant hair tool and certainly one of the best cordless straighteners on the market. But personally, I didn’t love everything about the results. It smoothed my hair and knocked out curls and kinks, however it didn’t leave it as sleek and straight as I’m used to. It also still had a fair amount of body, with the finish looking more like I’d blow-dried it smooth rather than straightened it. However, while this was a downside for me, I know it will be a plus for many. If you love the “oomph” and volume of your thick locks, you’ll be pleased to know that the Dyson certainly isn’t going to leave your locks looking flat and lifeless.

The best hair straighteners for thick hair prone to breakage

I always feel a sense of guilt when grabbing my straighteners, although its high risk of damage, it is the only way to get my hair under control - trust me, I’ve tried everything. So, of course, I’m intrigued by any tool that claims to minimise this.

Panasonic has taken a number of different routes to help support hair health in the Nanoe EH-HS0E Enrich + Advanced Care Hair Straightener. Firstly, it is designed to balance your hair’s moisture, which it does pretty effectively as my hair didn’t feel stripped or crispy to the touch after using it. Whilst there’s also the option to adjust the temperature from 150ºC to 230ºC, I stuck to 170ºC and large sections of hair still had a sleek and smooth finish. Whatever the choice of temperature, this straightener is working hard behind the scenes, with intelligent thermal sensors continuously measuring and maintaining the plates' temperature, so there’s no risk of damaging hot spots.

I was fiddling with the floating plates before heating up the tool and found they have much more bounce and move side-to-side more than others I’ve tried. This is useful when using the iron, as it firmly grips onto the hair even strands that are darting off in all directions. As the grip is increased, the styler does a better job of styling hair without resorting to scorching temperatures.

The best hair straighteners for short thick hair

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If you’re not keen on wide-plated tools, or you have short yet thick hair, the ghd Platinum+ works wonders on styling short hairstyles for thick hair. Quickly heating up to 185ºC, the standard ghd temperature recommended for optimum hair health, and is good to go in a matter of seconds.

This tool effortlessly smooths hair, which I found turned my coarse and frizzy hair into silky-to-touch tresses without much thought or precision on my part when trialling the product. It works fast and the results last (a big tick from us) so I don’t have to repeatedly trace over the same section again and again. This is thanks to the ultra-zone predictive technology, which recognises the thickness of the hair and section being styled, as well as the speed you are doing so, adjusting accordingly for personalised results. If you’re keen on styling straight hair, the straightener’s rounded sides and 360º swivel end on the cord make it easy for even complete styling novices to create curls and waves without tying themselves in knots in the process.

The Platinum+ automatically switches off if not used for 30 minutes, which is a major plus if you’re anything like me and constantly spend the day worrying whether you’ve turned your straighteners off.

Save on your next purchase with woman&home's latest ghd discount codes.

How we tested the best straighteners for thick hair

When testing straighteners to find the best on the market, each tool in this guide was trialled on my incredibly thick, curly hair. Not only do I have a lot of hair but the each individual strand is thick, making it dense in both senses. I used the same shampoo and conditioner for my hair type throughout the testing process and blow-dried my hair in the same way, with my best hairdryer, to ensure each one underwent a fair test. When assessing each pair of best hair straighteners for thick hair, I took the following factors into account...

• Price
• Number of heat settings
• Size of the plates
• What the plates were made from
• Cable length
• Option to go cordless
• How well they glided through the hair
• Additional technology e.g. floating plates

How to choose the best hair straighteners for thick hair

In-depth research is required before choosing the best hair straighteners for thick hair that suits your needs. Here are a few things to consider before choosing a pair.

• Plate size and width: The best hair straighteners for thick hair often boast wider plates and a longer design than your average straighteners -especially if you have longer hair. However, if you have a shorter style you'll need to opt for narrower plates, as wide plates won't be able to reach your roots.
• Accessories: If you travel regularly with your straighteners, then extras like a heat mat, travel case or wire-free tools could come in useful.
• Price: Consider how often you use your straighteners before investing in an expensive pair. Most of the best straighteners for thick hair are admittedly a little more expensive than their narrow-plated counterparts, but if you're on a budget, we recommend the Revlon Double Straight Copper Ceramic Dual Plate straighteners.
• Temperature and heat-up time: When styling thick hair, you need a pair of straighteners that can heat up to a good temperature – and fast. Depending on the styling temperature you usually find works best for your hair, you might also be best going for a model that allows you to adjust this.

I hope you’re now feeling clearer about the kinds of things it's worth looking out for when shopping for the best hair straighteners for thick hair. If you need a recap, these include wide plates, extended length, adjustable heat settings and glossy coatings. Trust me when I say I have tested a lot of straighteners over the years and the ones on this list are the real cream of the crop.