Some of us over a certain age remember using an iron – yes an actual iron – to straighten our hair. Or having to drag a steam-powered BaByliss model through our locks. Oh how times have changed.
Not only does the heated hair styling market offer us straighteners, hair dryers, curling wands, curling irons, heated brushes and more, but battery power has come on so much that it’s now possible to get cordless versions of many of these. So we’ve put the best cordless hair straightener tools to the test.
READ NEXT: Best hair straightener
Below we’ve listed what we consider to be the best cordless hair straighteners from the likes of Dyson, BaByliss and even fashion brand Balmain. We should also warn you that they don’t come cheap! You get what you pay for with cordless straighteners so avoid any that promise a lot for a little price.
And if you want to know the best hair straightener, we’ve also got you covered!
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£299 | Buy now from GHD
Since we published this best cordless straightener list, there’s been a new entry vying for inclusion – GHD’s first cordless straightener, the GHD Unplugged. Having spent the past month putting it to the test, not only does it make the final cut. It’s also usurped the Dyson Corrale to our Editor’s Pick award.
As the name suggests, it’s a cordless styler that ditches wires in favour of battery power. It can be charged via USB-C and is lasts for around 20 minutes of styling time. GHD claims it’s the only way to get GHD-quality styling without the wires and we’re inclined to say we agree. If anything, it’s easier to use than wired versions because you don’t get all wrapped up with wires when trying to curl or add waves.
We love being able to keep them on us at all times, in case we get caught out in the rain or when we want to switch up our look from day to night. In fact, they’ve become a staple in our bag alongside our phone, purse, keys, and hair brush. Whereas the Dyson Corrale is a souped-up cordless flat-iron that is best suited for styling at home, everything about the GHD Unplugged says that it’s made for on-the-go looks.
There are some downsides. It costs £299 which is still £100 cheaper than Dyson’s model but is almost twice the price of GHD’s flagship model, the Platinum Plus. It also doesn’t run top-of-the-range technology, which we’d expect for straighteners of this price so this is a tad disappointing. All that said, though, these are the best cordless straighteners we’ve ever used and we highly recommend getting a pair.
FURTHER READING: GHD Unplugged review | GHD Platinum Plus review
Buy now from GHD
£400 | Buy now from Dyson
Why we love it: We know the Dyson Corrale straightener isn’t on the cheap and cheerful side – far, far from it – but we love the fact that despite what temperature we choose to use it, it will do half the damage to our hair compared to regular straighteners. Cordless or otherwise.
The flex-copper plates shape and gather the hair so that it doesn’t tug and pull it as it moves with your arm motion.
The Corrale comes with a charging dock, heat-resistant travel pouch, and a magnetic 360-charger. The OLED screen, found on the side of the cordless straightener, is a great indicator of how much battery is left to use.
You can also use the Corrale corded. It may look industrial but it left our hair softer and smoother, not to mention with less breakage and no dreaded dry ends. You can read a more in-depth opinion in our Dyson Corrale review.
Buy now from Dyson
£145 | Buy now
Why we love it: Lunata Beauty is on a mission to free women from cords, giving us cordless curling irons, and wands as well as cordless flat iron straighteners. Each gives real results with the freedom to move.
There is a 1-inch rose gold Titanium plate on its Cordless Iron Plus to give snag-free styling and it can be used for straightening as well as curling hair.
It comes with a fantastic 45-minute run time, and ships with a silicone case to cover the heated plates. This gives us peace of mind that it won’t be burning the contents of our handbags when popping this in on the go.
The flat iron also has a digital face and is easy to use, having a power button in the middle of a high or lower temperature adjuster on each side.
Lunata recently added a new feature WWC (works while charging) meaning you can use this unplugged or plugged in. It comes in two colours – black matte or white high gloss, which we think both look super stylish with the rose gold plates. In fact, the styling reminds us of the GHD Helios.
Buy now from Lunata
£199.95 | Buy now
Why we love it: Balmain has more than 40 years of professional experience in the beauty and fashion world and Balmain Paris Hair Couture works with the latest catwalk trends.
Creating a cordless hair straightener to be used behind the scenes at fashions show was essential for Balmain. And now we can it ourselves at home!
Now technically, given the price, the Dyson would be classed as our Luxury Buy but given Balmain’s designer credentials, this comes a close second.
The Balmain Cordless Straightener comes in a handy travel bag complete with a plug adaptor for EU, UK, and US plugs.
It has four indicator lights to show how much battery life you have left, there is a colour temperature gauge – Blue 160°C, Green 180°C, and Red 200°C – and it takes just 30 seconds to heat up.
With its floating titanium plates, there is no pulling on the hair, just smooth effortless results. Balmain has also recently released a pink version.
Buy now from Selfridges
£165 | Buy now
Why we love it: Whereas others in this list follow the traditional, flat iron design of regular straighteners, DAFNI’s Allure is instead a cordless straightening brush.
Created by Sharon Rabi, a mother of two who was criticised for her unflattering haircut, she used her energy in developing a ceramic straightening brush with her father.
Being a brush means this tool can work with more of the hair’s surface compared to flat irons meaning it can save time – which we love. It’s very easy to use, too.
There is a purple oval shape in the middle of the brush, this is where the ceramic plate is. There’s no need to put pressure on the hair either – simply hold the ends of your hair and brush under to effortlessly straighten your hair.
Elsewhere, for the price of this cordless hair straightener, you get a thermal bag and a safety cover to protect the plate and brushes.
Buy now from Selfridges
£200 | Buy now
Why we love it: The packaging for the BaByliss 9000 Cordless Straightener has such beautiful detail and inside the box, there is a portable zip case, silicone plate guard and heat-proof mat.
Like the Dyson Corrale, the BaByliss 9000 has a magnetic charger and this gives it enough power to leave the hair feeling smooth, frizz-free and shiny.
The BaByliss 9000 heats up fairly swiftly and for the 30 minutes of run time, it keeps the temperature constant – there is no drop of temperature when the battery is running low.
There are small LED lights near the base of the straightener which indicates the temperature. The power button has a light around it to indicate that it is heating up, glowing green means it’s ready to go and it turns red to show the charging level.
Buy now from Amazon