We’ve all been there. You head blearily into the bathroom to fix your mop before school or work, only to find a straightener that’s decided to give up on you after a (hopefully) lengthy and loving relationship together.

Unless you have a birthday on the horizon, you’re probably going to have to fork out your own cashola on a new device, and probably pretty quickly given our addiction to sleek locks. Not as simple as replacing a mascara, your straightener is something you’ll be using on the reg for the next few years, so a gal needs to do her research and decide where her coin should go.

This is where it gets tricky as most companies who sell hair devices have serious bank, so they can afford to spend a fuck tonne on advertising, meaning as soon as you google ‘hair straightener’ once, you’ll be inundated with targeted ads of glossy locks. It’s hard to know what influencer, magazine or website to trust as so many come with a hidden #sp attached. So really, who do you trust!?

Well firstly, check in with what your gal pals love, see if there’s a common name that pops up. Secondly, I’ve reviewed 6 popular straighteners below, minus any sort of #sp. We’ve included GIFs of how the devices all straighten and curl (on clean hair extensions), and you’ll see verdicts and comparison pics. 🤗🤗🤗

VS Sassoon 3Q Digital Straightener

STRAIGHTENING

CURLING

PROS:

• Creates great curls.
• 3-year warranty.
• Affordable.

CONS:

• It has a short cord.
• It isn’t a heavy-duty straightener (i.e not for curly or unruly haired lasses) and takes a few swipes on each section to straighten, still not reaching a poker-straight result.

PRICE (AU): $79.95
TEMP: 180°C to 235°C – 12 settings
TIME: 60-80 seconds to fully heat.

Available here. 

VERDICT: If you’re after really natural looking hair that doesn’t look over-styled, this would actually be perfect as it leaves your locks slightly tousled. It creates really great curls and is the cheapest device out of all that I trialled. 

Cloud Nine The Original Iron

STRAIGHTENING

CURLING

PROS: 

• You literally just clamp the plates shut to turn it on, that’s it.
• It heats up in 10 seconds.
• Straightens and curls like a boss.
• Long-ass cord.
• Automatic sleep mode (turns off after inactivity).

CONS:

• ExPANsive.
• Only has a 1-year warranty period. If you’re spending that much on something, you’d want to know you were covered for longer than a year if it stops working.

PRICE (AU): $330
TEMP: 100°C to 200°C, 5 settings
TIME: Product info says it takes 20 seconds to heat but I would say closer to 10 seconds. VERY quick.

Available here. 

VERDICT: This is actually my personal straightener, which I am super in love with. It always shocks people with how easy it is to turn on and quickly it heats up, 100% the best by far. Plus it you know, actually does a good job!  HOWEVER, during this research was how I found out there was only a 1-year warranty period. Knowing this, I probably wouldn’t buy a replacement given how $$$ it is. That said, mine is 3-years old and works as well as the day I got it. 

MUK STYLE STICK

STRAIGHTENING

CURLING

PROS: 

• Long-ass cord.
• 2-year warranty.

CONS:

• Isn’t a very effective styler in either straightening or curling.

PRICE (AU): $85-$120 (depending on seller)
TEMP: 80°C – 210°C, 5 settings
TIME: 60-80 seconds to fully heat.

Available here. 

VERDICT: Not completely terrible so could work really well for super fine hair, but given how great the curling stick is, I was expecting more.  I personally wouldn’t recommend this one, you’d be better off buying the VS or Remington devices, which are of similar price points and way more effective. 

ghd gold® styler

STRAIGHTENING

CURLING

PROS:

• Pretty. The gold device is trendy AF.
• Smoothes and straightens like a boss
• One temp (some would see this as a con, but I find heat controls unnecessary and annoying).
• Automatic sleep mode (turns off after inactivity).

CONS:

• They bring out limited edition colours and patterns every year, so you might love your gold one, but next year you’ll want the new release.

PRICE (AU): $280
TEMP: 185°C
TIME: 25-30 seconds.

Available here. 

VERDICT: While I think the Cloud Nine is slightly more effective, the ghd is $50 cheaper and has a year longer warranty so it makes more sense to purchase the ghd. The ghd is one of the purchases you can’t go wrong with, it won’t let you down and you’ll always have bomb AF hair. 

Halo The Farrah Straightener

STRAIGHTENING

CURLING

PROS:

• Long-ass cord.
• Cools down quickly.
• Effective at both straightening and curling.

CONS:

• 1-year warranty.
• Hair smokes easily.

PRICE (AU): $220
TEMP: 120°C – 23O°C, 12 settings
TIME: 30-40 seconds to heat.

Available here.

VERDICT: I hadn’t used this before and was really surprised at how smooth and effective it was at straightening, I really loved using this. Plus it creates really pretty, loose curls easily (no crazy angles required). I was a bit alarmed at the smoke coming from the hair but it didn’t actually damage it or smell ‘burnt’ so it didn’t put me off using it again. 

Remington PROLUXE Salon Straightener

STRAIGHTENING

CURLING

PROS:

• 5-years warranty. Yes, 5 YEARS.
• Straightens easily and quickly.
• Reasonably priced.

CONS:

• Probably couldn’t create tighter curls with this, easy to do waves though.

PRICE (AU): $130
TEMP: 150°C – 230°C, 10 settings
TIME: 20-30 seconds.

Available here. 

VERDICT: The best value for your $$$. Provided the best results at a more affordable price and comes with a 5-year warranty. This is the one I would recommend the most!  

Review by Kelly McCarren.