The Best Stylist-Recommended Flat Irons for Natural Hair (2024)

There is no shortage of flat irons on the market, and while there are many great options, it's important to find the right one for your hair that will smooth and straighten strands and most importantly, not cause excessive heat damage. When it comes to picking the best flat iron for natural hair, the rules are even more specific.

"You want to make sure there is a thermostat to adjust heat settings, large plates, and curved casing around the plates, which will allow you to make curls and waves, as well as straighten," says Leigh Hardges, a stylist at Maxine Salon in Chicago. For natural hair, a flat iron with adjustable heat is super important to prevent damage to strands: "If you have a 4c curl type, never go above 375 or 380º," as this texture is especially damage-prone.

How we test flat irons

To find the best flat irons, the Good Housekeeping Institute Beauty Lab runs a series of tests both on the Lab and with consumer testers. First, we conduct controlled testing on swatches of human hair in our Climatology Chamber to see each flat iron's ability to maintain straightness in humid environments. In our most recent test, we took over 100 measurements of width and thickness expansion after 24 hours of high humidity.

This red hot CHI iron received a rare perfect score in GH Beauty Labtesting for heatingup super quickly and keeping hair smooth andfrizz-free all day. Plus, it didn't pull or snag strands, was comfortable and easy to hold and use, and has a wide temperature range (which Hardges notes is key for natural hair).

With lightweight, long platesand an easily adjustable temperature range, this GH BeautyLab test-winningbudget-friendly iron from Remington is a triple threat. It also has a lock button to make sure you keep the heatconsistent."The temperature lock was great so that you couldn't accidentally hit during use,"an expert evaluator noted. "One pass effectively straightened hair with results that lasted."

Though we haven't put this model to the test in the Beauty Lab,Hardges loves this Amika iron for 4C curls because she says "the infrared lights make for more gentle distribution of heat, which is ideal for highly sensitive 4C hair." It "also has a wide range of heat settings for use on all hair types, has an automatic shut-off, and locks closed,"an Amazon reviewer raved.

Conair's steam flat iron claims tolock moisture into strands every time you swipe and steam is released. While we haven't tested these claims in the Beauty Lab, reviewers swear by this iron:"I was afraid of damage and agree with the other reviewers who've found this iron to impart a healthy gloss to hair rather than frying it,"an Amazon reviewer shared.

The extra long plates on this Revlon straightenerhave greater surface area, so it can straighten larger sections of hair in one pass. Translation: itcan help speed up the straightening process especially for longer hair. Win, win! While our technical Beauty Labtest revealed that it kept hair straight, it didn't get a high score for minimizing frizz all day, so you may want toadd an anti-frizz styling product into your routine before ironing.

When straightening hair edges, Hardges recommends looking for a flat iron that'ssmall and narrow. "FHI Heat'shalf-inch flat iron is optimal for smoothing edges and short tapered haircuts," she says. "And the ceramic plates deliver a more gentle heating method for fine hair."

Some people with thick, coarse hair struggle with straightening every strand, no matter how small the section. This BaByliss PRO iron with teeth"grabs every hair with the comb and straightens it all out,"anAmazonreviewer reported.Despite its high heat capabilities, reviewers say it isn't damaging on hair, though we haven't tested this in the Beauty Lab. "Even though I straighten my hair so often, my hair is still super soft and healthy," another commented.

We haven't tested this model in the Beauty Lab, butHardges is a big fan of Hairart's iron and its super smooth plates. "Thanks to ceramic and tourmaline blend technology, the heat stays even and is less damaging, " she says. "It leaves strands withincredible shine."

This cult-favorite ghd flat iron is ideal for protectingdamaged strands, since it holds a steadytemperature of 365ºF to protect hair from excessive heat.ghd'spredictivetechnology makes foreven heat distributionacross the entire plate: The brand claimsheat is monitored 250 times per second.The edges are curved so you can curl and flip hair's ends as well as straightening.In the Lab, it heated up in30 seconds flat, but one caveat: 365º may not be hot enough to get coarse, thick, or kinky hair totally straight.

Multiple Ulta reviewers agree that this compact-sized classic CHI iron lasts for years. One shared that "the same straightenerwill still work 15 years later," while another one said: "I've had this straightener for 14-15 years and it still works so amazing." Italso straightens all hair types andits smaller silhouette makes it great fortravel.