Super Hair Straighteners

Tools

Story Published: Mar 13, 2009 at 4:51 PM PST

By Heather Reese

Video
We always want what we can't have. That's especially true for women and their hair. Enter straightening irons with enticing promises of smooth, straight hair. Sales topped more than $85 million last year. Consumer Reports ShopSmart magazine tested nine straightening irons ranging in price from $18 all the way up to $160.

To see how well they perform, testers used tresses of naturally curly hair and counted how many times each iron takes to get them curl-free. And to see how they do on a real head of hair, several panelists tried them out on everything from very curly hair to relatively straight hair.

One panelist said the Bed Head Light Me Up straightener didn't really straighten her hair very well. The panelist tried multiple times, and nothing happened. And some of the other straighteners actually pulled the panelists' hair.

So what did the panelists say makes a great straightener? One from Conair fits the bill. It has a retractable comb and an LED temperature display. It's the Infiniti Nano Silver Steam Straightener. But at $100, it's a splurge. If you want a great bargain, ShopSmart recommends the Revlon Perfect Heat Ceramic. It rated excellent and costs just $30. And it has another good feature—automatic shut off.

ShopSmart says to be aware, straightening irons get extremely hot—up to 400 degrees. You can get a nasty burn if you pick one up near or above the plates, so always take care to grab it by the handle.

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