5 ways the wrong hair straighteners can ruin your hair - and what you can do about it

Hair straighteners are a popular and versatile hair styling tool, but our recent tests found that not all are created equal, and some are more likely than others to damage your hair. 

The 15 hair straighteners we tested included popular models from GHD, Dyson and Babyliss, and they range in price from £25 all the way up to £300. Out of the 15, four of them were impressive enough to get our Best Buy recommendation. 

Find out what we learned testing hair straighteners and how choosing the right ones for your hair type and preferred hairstyle will help you to avoid hair damage and wrist pain. 

Compare all of the straighteners we tested in our hair straighteners reviews

1. Too hot

Making sure your hair straighteners aren’t too hot is crucial, especially if your hair is fine. If you burn your hair there's little that can be done to repair it. 

We check the maximum and minimum temperature of every pair of hair straighteners we test, as well as the accuracy of their stated temperature. Sadly not all are totally accurate. 

If your hair straighteners offer a range of temperatures, start with the lowest and work your way up. Don't just put it on maximum and hope for the best.

Some hair straighteners, for example the Beauty Works X Molly Mae Straightener Kit, has 12 heat settings to choose from, but the GHD Original Hair Styler  only has one which it claims is the optimal temperature for straightening hair without damaging it. 

Straightening efficacy does improve with higher temperatures; but the trade off is higher risk of damage.

2. Wrong plate size

A correctly-sized plate can reduce the number of passes needed over each section of hair and speed up the straightening process.

If you naturally have extremely coily or curly hair then you’re better off with a wider plate. But the compromise is that a wider plate makes it difficult to create other styles, such as loose or barrel curls. Straighteners with thinner plates are better at reaching closer to the roots of your hair and are useful for styling fringes and shorter hair styles. 

Whether to pick ceramic or titanium plates is important too. Ceramic plates take longer to heat up and they heat the hair shaft from the inside out. Titanium plates are much quicker, but they heat the hair follicle from the outside. So titanium will be quicker at straightening out kinks, but it will also be more likely to cause surface damage to your hair. 

Our reviews cover the plate type, length and width to help you make an informed decision. Take a look at the best hair straighteners to help you decide what’s best for you.

3. Too heavy

If your hair straighteners are too heavy and awkward to hold, you'll struggle to use them and it may mean that you'll need to go over the same area more than once which will damage your hair (not to mention your arms and wrists).

The difference between the heaviest and lightest pair of hair straighteners in our latest tests was 295g, which is equivalent to the weight of a tennis racket. We record the weight of the hair straighteners in our reviews to help you compare models.

It's worth noting that while wireless straighteners are easy to use as you don't need to worry about the power cable getting in the way, they are fairly heavy because of the battery - the Dyson Corrale straighteners are certainly guilty of this. 

4. Not suited to your style

Different hair straighteners can be more suited to certain types of hair and preferred styles. Think about the style you wear most frequently and get a pair that gives you those results. 

Straighteners that are very good at smoothing thick sections of hair might not be so good at producing bouncy beach curls. Models with a rounded edge, such the GHD Platinum+ enable your hair to wrap around the plate and glide more smoothly – ideal for creating curls.

Read more about how we test hair straighteners to see how our lab tests and user panel helped us to assess each model.

5. Not using them correctly

It's a bad sign if you're straightening your hair and you can hear a sizzle or crackling noise, or see steam, because this means the hair follicles are damp. Your hair is at its most fragile when wet because the proteins that make up each strand (keratin) forms weaker hydrogen bonds. This means it's much more prone to damage. 

As well as making sure your hair is bone dry before you start straightening it, apply a heat protectant spray or cream to protect your locks from heat damage.

Ideally you want to straighten your hair once and slowly, not multiple times very quickly. Pulling the hair taut will help with the process. 

Need a new hair dryer? Jump straight to the best hair dryers in our tests