The 10 Best Hair Straightening Brushes for All Hair Types, Tested and Reviewed by Editors
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, WWD may receive an affiliate commission.
The cost of blowouts can add up incredibly quickly, and for that reason we’ll try just about anything to recreate the same look at home. That’s where a unique hair styling tool comes in called a hair straightening brush. Though these brushes look similar to the ones you use every day, they’re fitted with heated bristles and plates that straighten hair and smooth frizz with every pass. Unlike a hair straightener, using a thermal brush smooths out kinks, curls, and waves without removing all the volume, giving you the effect of a fresh blow dry. Although some heated hair brushes are better for certain hair types, anyone can benefit from using a hair straightening brush.
More from WWD
Note that this isn’t the same thing as a hair dryer brush that’s used to dry wet hair — rather, these hot hair brushes are designed to smooth hair after drying it, or refresh second-day styles in need of some polish. Celebrity hairstylist Andrew Fitzsimons tells WWD, “They work as flat irons and a brush in one, which is super convenient for the drying, smoothing, and styling of your hair. While I always encourage people to use what they are most comfortable with, a hair straightening brush is a lot more time-efficient as you’re technically using two tools in one.”
Most hair straightening brushes come in two forms: a wide paddle brush or a heated round brush. While the paddle brush creates a smooth look from root to tip, a round brush can add volume to roots and give ends extra bounce. “Wider brushes are better for thick and coarse hair where smaller ones are a bit better for fine hair,” adds Fitzsimons. “Another important thing to pay attention to is the heat setting of the brush – those with finer hair should use brushes with lower temperatures, whereas those with thicker hair can opt for a brush with a higher heat setting.”
It’s not just hairstylists who praise hair straightening brushes. Searches for these convenient tools are up to 19 million on TikTok, with versions from Amika and Tymo garnering a respective 30 million and 36.5 million views each.
To save you from sorting through the depths of social media, we put together a list of the best straightening brushes based on research, stylist recommendations, and testing on our own hair.
Top Hair Straightening Brushes of 2024
Best for Thick Hair:T3 Edge Heated Smoothing and Styling Brush
Best for Curly Hair: Tymo Ring Hair Straightener Brush Comb
Best Round Brush: Amika Blowout Babe Thermal Ionic Hairbrush
Best for Fine Hair: L’Ange Hair Le Vite Hair Straightener Brush
Best for Short Hair: Revlon Hair Straightening and Styling Brush
Sign up for WWD Shop’s newsletter to get the scoop on the best in beauty and style with in-depth reviews of exciting new releases and buyer’s guides to find the products you need to try ASAP.
Testing Verdict: Top 3 Hair Straightening Brushes
Heated hair brushes come in a slew of shapes and sizes, with certain tools performing better on different hair textures, lengths, and thicknesses: Those with fine hair will want tightly-packed bristles, while those with thick hair should seek out a heated hair brush with more room between the bristles, for example. Rather than one best overall heated styling hair brush, our testers landed on the top three options for a range of hair types and styling goals.
T3 Edge Heated Smoothing and Styling Brush: An excellent choice for all hair types, T3’s hot brush was our testers’ favorite paddle-style hair straightening brush. The device has heated plates on the edges of the brush — a tiny detail that made an impressive difference for creating bounce and curl when you gently flick the brush through the ends of your hair. Its combination of heated and traditional bristles creates plenty of tension, which helps quickly straighten wavy to coily hair types.
Tymo Ring Hair Straightener Brush: The best option for curly hair, Tymo’s Ring Hair Straightener Brush can stretch the tightest of coils with a few passes. Our testers liked the tool’s narrower brush head, which is ideal for smoothing edge pieces and targeting unwanted texture close to the roots. Although it works best for curly and coily hair types, it has an impressive temperature range of 130 to 410 degrees, so those with fine, wavy hair can also benefit from the tool on a lower heat setting.
Amika Blowout Babe Thermal Ionic Hair Brush: Heated round brushes are best used on already smooth hair to create bounce and soft curls, and no tools are better for the job than Amika’s thermal brush. Although there’s a bit of a learning curve with the device (tester tip: let your hair set on the barrel for 15 seconds before releasing it), this hot round brush leaves hair shinier than alternative tools. Our testers also recommend it for adding lift to face-framing pieces, like curtain bangs.
BEST HAIR STRAIGHTENING BRUSH FOR THICK HAIR
T3 Edge Heated Smoothing & Styling Brush
Temperature settings: Three settings for straight, wavy, and curly hair
Special features: PrecisionEdge design, automatic shut-off, ion generator, dual voltage
Pros: 2-year warranty, has tufted bristles like a traditional brush
Cons: Heavier than some alternative options
Sephora Top-Quality Store Badge on Google: 4.8/5 stars
Nordstrom Top-Quality Store Badge on Google: 4.8/5 stars
$149.99
$149.99
$149.99
You can count on T3 for hot tools packed with high-tech features, and this hot hair brush is no exception. A unique feature of the hair tool is the PrecisionEdge Design that has edge-to-edge heated plates, covering a wider surface area as you brush through large sections. Although there’s no temperature display, the brush comes with three easy to use settings for straight, wavy, and curly hair types. You’ll also find a custom-designed mix of heated ceramic teeth and tufted bristles that leave hair shiny and detangled at the same time.
Editor testing and review notes: “T3’s heated hair brush is unique from others I’ve tested in that it contains classic bristles on top of heated ones. This combination proves handy for creating tension on my strands, which is essential for a shiny finish with fewer passes. Heated plates on the sides of this brush are also a key feature that sets this hot hair brush apart from others on the market: It allows you to get a soft bounce on the ends of your hair if you gently flick the brush.”
Price upon publish date of this article: $149.99
BEST STRAIGHTENING BRUSH FOR CURLY HAIR
Tymo Ring Hair Straightener Brush Comb
Temperature settings: Five settings, from 266 to 410 degrees
Special features: Automatic shut-off, comes with heat-proof glove and hair clips, dual voltage
Pros: Heats up quickly, multiple heat settings, compact for travel
Cons: Placement of power button is easy to accidentally turn off
Amazon Top-Quality Store Badge on Google: 4.5/5 stars
$49.99 $59.99 17% off
While hair straightening brushes typically come in the form of a paddle brush, the Tymo Ring instead has the unique combination of a comb and a flat iron. And it’s getting tons of love — the heated comb is a number one bestseller on Amazon with more than 35,000 five-star reviews. Similar to Ghd, it has an automatic shut-off feature, but varies with its adjustable heat settings that correspond to different hair types. Although made for all types, Tymo says the Ring is best suited for 3A to 4C hair. Our testers especially praise how the comb design can straighten close to the roots.
Editor testing and review notes: “My curly, waist-length hair is a project to dry and style straight — I typically budget 90 minutes to take it from sopping wet to styled. Tymo’s Ring Straightener is a powerful tool that cuts down on my straightening time; I just rake the heated comb from roots to ends and my curls are smoothed out. The narrow brush head lets me wiggle the comb near my hair line and behind my ears to tackle any uneven texture. This tool feels hotter than others I’ve tested, so I’d recommend a solid coat of heat protectant before you start using it.”
Price upon publish date of this article: $49.99
BEST HEATED ROUND BRUSH
Amika Blowout Babe Thermal Ionic Hairbrush
Temperature settings: Heats up to 450 degrees
Special features: Ceramic barrel, ionic generator, professional-length cord
Pros: 1-year warranty, works well with fine and curly hair
Cons: Often sold out
Revolve Top-Quality Store Badge on Google: 4.8/5 stars
$100
With more than 194 million views on TikTok, Amika’s thermal hair brush has risen to serious social media fame — even though the tool has been around since 2015. Unlike heated flat brushes, this heated round brush straightens hair while adding a loose, bouncy curl to the end. This type of brush takes more practice than others on our list, but the finished results rival the look of a salon-fresh blowout. We recommend it if you prefer volume to super-sleek strands. Grippy bristles make this a good choice for fine hair, but it works well with wavy and curly hair with a little patience. Another cool feature is that you can turn on the negative generator to get even more body and shine. Consider yourself lucky to preorder it; this heated styling hair brush has sold out four times in the past year and at one point amassed a 50,000-person waitlist.
Editor testing and review notes: “Heated round brushes are excellent for making at-home blowouts look professionally done; with some handiwork, I can quickly add volume to my face-framing pieces and bouncy flips to my ends. Amika’s does this and more — I’ll twist the tool from my ends up to the mid-lengths of my hair, let it set for 30 seconds, then release for bombshell waves. It has a lower temperature range than others on the market, which is excellent for preventing damage, however this means those with a lot of hair will need to practice some patience.”
Price upon publish date of this article: $100
Ghd Glide Smoothing Hot Brush
Temperature settings: Preset to 365 degrees
Special features: Automatic shut-off, ionizer to fight static, professional-length cord
Pros: 2-year warranty, single button is easy to use, designed for all hair types
Cons: Some may prefer adjustable heat settings, feels heavy to some
Amazon Top-Quality Store Badge on Google: 4.5/5 stars
Sephora Top-Quality Store Badge on Google: 4.8/5 stars
Ulta Top-Quality Store Badge on Google: 4.8/5 stars
“I really love working with the Ghd Glide Smoothing Hot Brush,” says Fitzsimons. “The ceramic plates make it easy to style and smooth strands.” This hot tool delivers sleek locks thanks to bristles coated in a pearl ceramic coating and a single heat setting of 365 degrees, which Ghd describes as the optimum temperature for all hair types. We like that it automatically shuts off after 60 minutes so you never have to panic over whether or not you left it on. It’s also made with mixed short and long bristles so that it’s easier to brush through large sections.
Editor testing and review notes: “The simplest option to operate on our list, Ghd’s straightening brush has just one button and one temperature setting. While this makes it a great choice for beginners, it’s a professional-quality tool that’s outfitted with ceramic plates for impeccably smooth, lustrous hair. Those with fine hair may experience some catching on the bristles, but detangling spray prevents this from happening.”
Price upon publish date of this article: $118.30
BEST HOT BRUSH FOR FINE HAIR
L'Ange Hair Le Vite Hair Straightener Brush
Temperature settings: 180-450 degrees
Special features: Safety cool-tipped bristles, automatic shut-off, negative ion and far infrared technology
Pros: Money-back guarantee, heats up quickly, digital temperature display, wide range of temperature settings
Cons: May require multiple passes for smooth look on curly hair types
Amazon Top-Quality Store Badge on Google: 4.5/5 stars
$34.44 $69 50% off
If you have fine hair or worry about high heat settings, the L’Ange hair straightening brush has the most options we’ve seen with a range that starts as low as 180 degrees. Our testers praise its ability to smooth out both thick, curly hair and thin, fine hair and describe the design as easy to maneuver. Similar to other options on our list, the ionic technology leaves hair looking extra shiny. We also like that it has safety features like an automatic shut-off after 30 minutes and cool-tipped bristles that won’t burn your scalp. While this brush has many fans, some users say it won’t completely replace a flatiron if you want pin-straight locks.
Editor testing and review notes: “With a price so low, I wasn’t expecting such expensive results from L’Ange’s hair straightener brush. This tool is lightweight and features one of the more impressive temperature ranges on our list, making it ideal for breakage-prone hair types that need to avoid high heat. Just one con: The staggered bristles make it tricky to clean off excess hairs that might get caught while you’re styling.”
Price upon publish date of this article: $39.00
Drybar The Brush Crush Heated Straightening Brush
Temperature settings: Heats up to 450 degrees
Special features: Automatic shut-off, ionic technology, professional-length cord
Pros: 2-year warranty, digital temperature display
Cons: Position of controls can get in the way while using
Nordstrom Top-Quality Store Badge on Google: 4.8/5 stars
$149
The Drybar Brush Crush, in the brand’s signature shade of yellow, has a paddle brush style and wide bristles that can easily sweep through large sections of hair. Ionic technology seals the cuticle as you use it for an extra shiny finished result. In our own tests on fine, straight hair, we liked how easy the Brush Crush is to use, but found it to be a better match for textured, curly hair that won’t slip right through the wide bristles. Drybar also offers this straightening brush in an adorable mini size for travel.
Editor testing and review notes: “Drybar’s hot brush heats up to an impressive 450 degrees, which is hot enough to smooth out the tightest of coils. On top of this high temperature, this brush straightener also has nice spacing between bristles that allows thicker chunks of hair to pass through easily. While we rated this tool as one of the best straightening brushes for curly hair, our wavy-haired testers were also impressed with the tool’s ability to impart shine while it straightens.”
Price upon publish date of this article: $104.30
BEST HOT BRUSH FOR SHORT HAIR
Revlon Hair Straightening and Styling Brush
Temperature settings: Heats up to 430 degrees
Special features: Ionic technology, automatic shut-off, dual voltage, LED smart heat memory system
Pros: Extra long surface area, adjustable heat settings, lots of features
Cons: Heavy cord
Amazon Top-Quality Store Badge on Google: 4.5/5 stars
$39.98
Fitzsimons recommends the Revlon One Step as a more affordable alternative to his go-to Ghd Glide Smoothing Brush. But if you don’t need the blow-dry function, Revlon has a hair straightening brush that can still give you the look of a blowout. The brush has an extra-long 4.5-inch curved surface that lets you capture more hair with each pass. With its adjustable heat settings, LED display, ionic generator, and ceramic-coated bristles, this option offers many features of high-end versions without the matching price tag.
Editor testing and review notes: “Short hair types need smaller hair straightening brushes to achieve bouncy ends and smoother pieces near the roots — options with larger surface areas are cumbersome to use on any hair that’s shorter than shoulder length. Revlon’s heated hair brush has a long, narrow build that covers large swaths of hair without preventing you from detailing face-framing pieces and ends. And although it’s budget-friendly, I was impressed with the tool’s design and interface, including a digital temperature display.”
Price upon publish date of this article: $39.98
Remington Shine Therapy Heated Straightening Brush
Temperature settings: Three settings, heats up to 450 degrees
Special features: Ceramic infusion technology, cool-tipped bristles, automatic shut-off
Pros: Shines hairs as it straightens, gets close to roots
Cons: No temperature display for settings, hard to straighten ends
Target Top-Quality Store Badge on Google: 4.6/5
$29.99
A unique feature of Remington’s heated straightening brush is its ceramic infusion technology — a combo of keratin and argan oil are built in to condition and shine as you brush through. As a safety feature, the paddle brush style has a combination of shorter heated bristles and unheated tall bristles so you can get close to the roots without getting burned. Though, some users found it difficult to grasp hair when it gets close to the ends. We also wish there was a temperature display, but the three heat settings makes this especially simple to use.
Editor testing and review notes: “Those concerned with their hair getting stuck in a straightening brush should consider Remington’s Shine Therapy hot brush: During testing, I experienced minimal shedding, which I attribute to the chubby, well-separated bristles that glide through tangles. This makes Remington’s tool one of the best options for those with fine or damage-prone hair, just make sure that you’re using it on a medium heat setting to avoid sizzling.”
Price upon publish date of this article: $29.99
Ghd Volumizing Rise Hot Brush
Temperature settings: Preset to 365 degrees
Special features: Automatic shut-off, universal voltage, professional-length cord
Pros: 2-year warranty, heats up quickly, volumizing
Cons: Some may prefer adjustable heat settings
Amazon Top-Quality Store Badge on Google: 4.5/5 stars
Sephora Top-Quality Store Badge on Google: 4.8/5 stars
$142 $189 25% off
$189
The round brush counterpart to Ghd’s Glide Smoothing Hot Brush, this luxe hot tool delivers serious volume and bouncy curls as it straightens. Similar to the Glide, this brush has a preset temperature of 365 degrees, which Ghd calls the optimum temperature for safe heat styling. The short 0.5cm nylon bristles lift roots and prevent strands from getting tangled as you twirl, though they’re best suited for fine hair. Note that there’s a learning curve, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll have loose, lasting curls.
Editor testing and review notes: “Another excellent option for those with short hair, Ghd’s heated round brush features a narrow barrel that’s simple to wiggle into your hair line and drag through the ends for smoother, more lifted hair. Those with long, thick hair will likely need multiple passes for the desired result, but it’s well-suited for touch ups near the roots and on the ends of hair.
Price upon publish date of this article: $142
What to Look for in the Best Hair Straightening Brushes
Bristle type: When it comes to hair straightening brushes, there are a variety of bristle types to choose from, all of which differ based on benefits, brush shape, and desired results. But with any straightening brush, we suggest looking for bristles that are ceramic-coated and cool-tipped as a safer option for hair and fingers. Mixed size bristles can also help to give you a better grip on strands.
Brush size and shape: Those with short hair will want to seek out a narrower brush head, as this will be easier to wiggle into the roots and pull through the lengths of hair with control. Thicker, longer hair types will want to opt for paddle brushes with bigger surface area to speed up the styling process. While paddle brushes are ideal for straightening and smoothing, round brushes perform best for creating soft curls and bounce on the ends of hair.
Temperature: Not every hair straightening brush has adjustable heat settings, but ones that do offer the most options for different thicknesses and textures. Low heat settings are better for thin, fine hair while those with high heat settings can more easily smooth out waves and coils.
Ionic technology: Fitzsimons says to “look for high-quality brushes that have plates that feature ionic technology — this ensures heat from the brush is being evenly distributed to the hair, which helps to avoid burning your hair and maintains optimal hair health even with heat being applied.” Ionic generators also reduce frizz and add shine by sealing the hair cuticle.
Warranty: A common complaint of straightening brush users is that bristles break off over time. A warranty offers peace of mind when investing in a new hair tool, especially ones that are well over the $100 mark.
Are There Disadvantages to Using a Hair Straightening Brush?
“While there are always some disadvantages to heat styling, I would say this is a fairly safe tool to use. However, whenever you are applying heat to the hair, you should always use a heat protectant,” says Fitzsimons. He recommends his brand’s Virgin Repair 10-in-1 Leave-In Conditioner. Detangling — whether with a brush, detangling spray, or both — is another essential step to prevent damage. Without this, the tools’ bristles can create friction, and worst case scenario cause fallout or breakage while cutting through tangles.
There’s also a learning curve when working with heated hair brushes: A traditional flatiron is fairly intuitive to use, but straightening brushes, and especially heated round brushes, take a bit more practice to get the styling down pat. However, in our research, we found that many novice testers learned to wield these tools much more quickly with time, calling them comparable to or even faster than using a flatiron.
How We Selected the Best Hair Straightening Brushes
To create this list of the best hair straightening brushes, we sought out the expert advice of hairstylists, tested 21 devices on our own hair, and combed through reviews all over the internet. When researching, we chose a mix of flat paddle brushes for a completely straight hairstyle and heated round brushes for subtle curls, so you can find the best brush for your needs. Additionally, we made sure to consider top-rated options across all budgets as well as brushes getting tons of attention on TikTok. While our list highlights the best hot hair brushes for different hair textures, lengths, and thicknesses, the below are runner-ups from testing.
Flower Beauty Ceramic Hair Straightening Brush: While we love Drew Barrymore’s brand for affordable hair tools, the Flower Beauty straightening brush required multiple passes for a smooth, straight result. That said, patient types should consider this as an affordable option to test out.
Paul Mitchell Neuro Sleek Smoothing Hot Brush: Our testers found Paul Mitchell’s hair straightening brush worked exceptionally well on fine, thin hair types, but thick-haired testers had a hard time getting the desired result with the tool.
Conair Double Ceramic Hair Styling Brush: We couldn’t help but compare Conair’s hair straightening brush to Tymo’s popular option — the two feature the same comb-style brush head. We found Tymo’s to be more efficient on all hair types, as Conair’s required multiple passes on coily hair.
How We Tested and Reviewed the Best Hair Straightening Brushes
A panel of testers evaluated over 21 hair straightening brushes to curate this list of the best for different hair types. Beyond traditional hair straightening brushes, our testers evaluated heated round brushes and straightening combs. We tested these devices on our own hair, as well as human hair wigs and extensions to assess the dryers on straight to 4C hair types. Our testers include a mix of women with fine, short hair to long, thick hair. During a two-month period of testing, we evaluated the styling versatility, ease of use, and the results each hair straightening brush offered. Our testers also exposed the tools to everyday wear and tear, traveling with the devices and dropping them from counter-top height to ensure their durability.
Ease of use: The top hair straightening brushes on our list were, first and foremost, simple to operate. We awarded points to tools that are easy to power on and get familiar with straight out of the box, also considering features like cord length and button placement that impact these tools’ ease of use for novice and experienced shoppers. Any tools that snagged on our hair during testing or were difficult to clean between uses were also removed from our list.
Heat settings: Thin hair types need cooler temperature settings to avoid damage and breakage, where thicker, curlier hair textures require a little more heat for efficient styling with a hair straightening brush. We made sure that each option on our list includes safe heat settings for brittle hair, with those that have a high number of heat settings (like Tymo’s 130 to 410 degree range) earning bonus points.
Styling results: Hair straightening brushes are designed to quickly refresh your style in between wash days. Keeping this in mind, we tested these tools one, two, and three days after washing, paying attention to the tool’s ability to restore volume and shine. On top of straightening and smoothing out unwanted texture, we looked for tools that can add soft curls to ends for those who prefer the look of a fresh blow out.
Why Trust WWD
Since 1910, WWD — often referred to as “the fashion bible” — has been the leading industry voice of authority for senior executives in the global women’s and men’s fashion, retail and beauty communities, while also informing the consumer media that cover the market. Today, WWD’s breaking news and trend coverage continues to be a trustworthy resource for both fashion insiders and consumers alike. Our shopping editors continue to uphold WWD’s editorial standards and values with quality, expert-backed product selections. Learn more about us here.
Meet the Expert
Andrew Fitzsimons is a celebrity hairstylist and founder of a line of hair products by the same name. Kim Kardashian, Khloe Kardashian, Kylie Jenner, and Jennifer Lopez are among his extensive list of A-list clientele. His work has appeared in Vogue, Cosmopolitan, and Harper’s Bazaar, to name a few.
Meet the Author
Ashley Phillips is a freelance writer with more than 10 years of experience reporting on fashion, beauty, and lifestyle beats. Phillips’ work has been published in outlets like Harper’s Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, Town and Country, and Best Products. Whether it’s the latest TikTok sensation or a longtime icon, she’s always researching the next best of everything to help readers find new favorites, including hair straightening brushes.
Sign up for WWD's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
