Seven years ago, I made the decision to cut out heat tools and no longer straighten my curly hair. I did the well-known “big chop” and decided to start over in hopes of giving my hair the revival it needed after over a decade of straightening it religiously.
Admittedly, I wish I could go back in time and tell my younger self that straightening my hair on occasions was okay but protecting your curls from heat damage is important too. I would also tell her that she needs to swap out her straightener, stat. I have a very clear memory of using my neon-pink cheetah-print flat iron that I purchased from Justice and holding on to it for dear life until eventually swapping it out for a Conair one that lasted me all through high school.
The key lesson I learned over all those years? The quality of the tools you use is just as important as the products you put in your hair. Since then, I’ve also learned a lot about what to look for in a good hair straightener for curly hair. Below, I’ve put together a tailored list of the top hair straighteners I would recommend to any curly girl who wants to protect her strands but also wants to switch things up and wear different styles. Read on for all the details.
1. Best Overall: Dyson Airstrait Wet-to-Dry Straightener
