Tousled, wavy hair is one fashion style that doesn’t seem to have lost its appeal – it’s perfectly chic and an ideal way to avoid excess damage from heat styling. We love it so much we recently detailed all the best products for wavy and curly hair.
Yet, if catwalks and editorial features are anything to go by, straight, sleek hair is making a strong comeback.
Pin-straight locks provide a simple, glossy, polished look but they’re much harder to achieve than they may first appear. Certainly without causing your hair all sorts of damage in the process.
Thankfully, the market is saturated with straighteners and straightening products, the challenge now is creating ‘poker straight’ precision.
mamabella takes a look at a selection of the best straightening products to help you get that sleek finish.
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Why we love it? The Virtue Smooth range is designed for those less fortunate souls who dream of perfectly pressed locks but were blessed with frizz and curls.
Each product in the range complements each other to give a super sleek finish.
Skip a couple of weeks of using the shampoo and conditioner and we have silky straight hair that smells divine! With fragrant notes of calming lavender, rejuvenating mint and creamy woods, coupled with a nourishing cocktail of pink pomelo, it’s a sensory overload. Like Herbal Essences on crack, and without the damaging chemicals.
What’s more, the products are clinically proven to smooth cuticles and reduce frizz with exclusive, multi-patented Alpha Keratin 60ku technology. Alpha Keratin 60ku smooths and seals the hair shaft, making it more resistant to humidity and environmental factors. Something that we ca vouch for!
FURTHER READING: Why sodium lauryl sulfate found in high-street shampoos is being shunned by experts
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From £11 | Buy now from Amazon
Why we love it? No matter how skilful you are at dealing with frizz, when you are in humid weather it is likely to puff into a cloud like state atop your head.
This is because it draws the moisture from the air and delivers it back into the strands, causing them to go back to their natural state.
Just a pea-sized amount of the lightweight Fudge Professional Aqua Shine Serum, smoothed through dry hair, will ensure a super glossy finish with its Weather-Shield technology that delivers all-day humidity resistance and frizz control.
Infused with hyaluronic acid and our Shine-Lock technology to envelop each strand, Fudge Professional Aqua Shine Enhancing Hair Serum smooths down cuticles for long-lasting shine.
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Why we love it? Sprayed through damp hair, the Palmer’s Coconut Oil Leave-In Conditioner instantly detangles, putting an end to tugging and pulling at knotty hair. Just a few sprays in the hair creates an instant silkiness for easier comb-through and styling.
This conditioner won’t leave your hair looking greasy and the hair-nourishing emollients fortify hair, control frizz, reduce split-ends and guarantee you’re left with more supple, softer tamed tresses.
Plus, Palmer’s Coconut Oil Formula products contain ethically and sustainably sourced Coconut Oil and Tahitian Monoï, infused with Tiaré flower petals.
Palmer’s offers a great range of other products too. The Coconut Oil Formula Dry Oil Mist (£9.99) will re-hydrate, revitalise and add silkiness to hair without weighing it down. Ideal if you are using straightening irons on a regular basis.
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Why we love it? Perfect for long, thick or coarse hair, these wide straighteners have 1.5-inch IsoTherm titanium plates, with bevelled edges to glide through hair and protect it from stress and demarcation lines.
They boast a programmable temperature setting making them easy to use, and the SmartSense microchip regulates temperature 50 times per second for lightning-fast heat recovery. The temp can reach 230°C in as little as 45 seconds – but if you have fine hair, we recommend keeping it at around 185°C or less to prevent excess damage.
Having raved about GHDs for years, we found it hard to believe there was anything else like it on the market. Much to our disbelief, the Neuro Smooth XL is certainly a strong contender.
As a side note, the wide plates mean that should you get bored of your straight locks, you can easily revert to some beautifully soft curls if you’ve mastered the art of curling with straightening irons – oh the irony!
FURTHER READING: How to curl hair with straighteners according to the experts at GHD and Trevor Sorbie
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£189 | Buy now from GHD
Why we love it? As if you needed an excuse to invest in a set of GHDs – a product no woman should be without – it’s flagship model is the GHD Platinum Plus.
This straightening iron certainly lives up to the reputation that beholds GHD stylers, but now offers so much more to boot.
The so-called smart styler incorporates groundbreaking ultra-zone technology that predicts the needs of your hair and adjusts the temperature accordingly, so you don’t end up burning your lengths, leaving you with a flawless finish, personalised to you.
Infinity sensors monitor heat 250 times a second across the high-gloss plates, so no matter your hair type or length, the results are amazing. The proof is in the finish and there is no bolder statement than shiny, dead-straight locks.
What’s more, long gone are the days of black GHDs with yellow plates. You can buy the GHD Platinum Plus in baby pink, scarlet, cobalt blue, black and white.
FURTHER READING: GHD Platinum Plus review
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£400 | Buy now from Dyson
Why we love it? If you are looking for revolutionary hair technology, this is it!
Dyson has disrupted the haircare market with its breakthrough heat styling products and while they’re all incredibly pricey, they pack a punch in terms of the features they offers.
What’s more, we recently took a virtual tour of the Dyson research labs and the amount of effort that goes into testing the products on real hair is mind-blowing (and goes someway towards justifying the high price).
By far the biggest selling point is the fact the Corrale can be used as a cordless straightener.
A 70-minute charge will provide sufficient power for 30 minutes of cord-free styling, so if there are any campers amongst us, or anyone rushing out the door in a hurry, it’s so easy to drop it in your bag and run it over your hair on the go.
It may be heavier and a little more cumbersome than the average hair straightener, because of the built-in battery, but it also comes with flexing copper plates which regulate the temperature 100 times a second, to avoid heat fluctuation, and in turn less hair damage (50% less breakage according to Dyson).
You also don’t need to go over the same section of hair more than once .There are three heat settings 165°C, 185°C and 210°C that can be adjusted according to your hair type for less frizz and fewer flyaways.
FURTHER READING: Dyson Corrale straightener review
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Alicia is a PR consultant and freelance journalist with more than a decade specialising in all things tech. In her free time, when not juggling three children, she writes beauty articles and can be found wining and dining writing food and drink reviews
