Gone are those broke teenage days when we used to flatten our frazzled strands with a household iron, or spend our Saturday job earnings on those flimsy straighteners which required several passes to make any sort of difference. If there’s anything worth investing in, it’s decent hair straighteners, and this latest crop can help us achieve 70s Cher-style sleekness in seconds - without leaving locks dry and parched in the process. Here are the ones worth your hard-earned pennies …

Ghd Platinum+ Styler

The latest launch from ghd, these are apparently world’s first ‘intelligent’ hair straighteners. Not mere marketing fluff – its special TriZone technology monitors the heat and adjusts it accordingly, depending on the thickness of the hair and the speed at which you’re styling. In short, it reduces the amount of damage to your strands in the long-run. Plus its automatic sleep mode ensures it switches off after 30 minutes (so there’s less chance of burning the house down).

£175 lookfantastic.com

Toni & Guy Style Fix Straightener

A good budget option, its ceramic tourmaline plates are less harsh than traditional versions, while the handbag-friendly size makes it great to pop in a handbag or holdall for trips away. It has universal voltage too, so can be used anywhere you choose to jet off around the world. It’s ideal for fine, flyaway hair types (but particularly thick hair might need something with more horse power).

£30 boots.com

T3 Singlepass X Straighteners

If you have long, thick or textured hair – these are definitely worth a try. With extra wide plates, allowing you to speed up straightening time, the ‘singlepass’ technology ensures heat is maintained consistently, so one pass is all you need to get strands poker straight. It also contains two handy hair clips so you can easily focus on one section at a time.

£132 currentbody.com

Cloud Nine The Touch

The clever thing about these is that you’ll never have that momentary panic of “ oh c**p, did I leave the straighteners on?” These actually have no ‘on’ button to speak of – they heat up instantly when the plates clamp together and switch off after thirty seconds of inactivity (there’s a heat resistant mat to rest them on once you’ve finished). With two temperature settings (165ºC or 195ºC) depending on your hair thickness, the curved shape means you can also create waves and curls with aplomb.

£115 johnlewis.com

L’Oreal Professionnel New Generation Steampod 2.0

Finding a straightener that doesn’t wreck your strands is the Holy Grail of hair tools - and the sad reality is that heat styling is always going to take its toll on your locks to some degree. Saying that, this is one of the least damaging devices we’ve come across yet, using a combination of high-pressure steam and anodized ceramic plates to replace some of that lost hydration that straightening inevitably causes.

£175 lookfantastic.com

Remington Shine Therapy Straightener

If you’re used to hair straighteners giving you the texture of deep fried crispy seaweed, we suggest you give Remington’s latest offering a whirl. This clever gadget creates a sleek, silky texture, with vitamin E and Moroccan argan oil-infused plates (two ingredients known for their hair-nourishing prowess) which imbue strands with a glossy finish while they de-kink.

£39.99 boots.com

Babyliss 248OU Straight & Curl Brilliance 

Allowing you to switch between straight and curly in a snap, this trusty 2-in-1 tool is the proverbial party season essential. It also ticks all the boxes in terms of gliding easily along the hair length – thanks to its trusty titanium, static-reducing plates, while the five different heat settings allow you to adjust depending on your hair type and fragility (this is great to use on the lower settings if you have coloured or bleached hair).

£120 argos.co.uk

Hershesons Titanium Ionic Professional Straighteners

Yes, the people behind those famous blow dry bars have produced a range of tools to help recreate that swishy salon effect and these lightweight straighteners are particularly noteworthy. The snag-free titanium plates emit negatively charged ions to radically reduce frizz, while the 360º rotating cord allows you to style around the back of your head without the need for elaborate yogic arm contortions.

£98 hershesons.com

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