Best Flat Iron for Black Hair: A Comprehensive Review for the Mainstream User

My name is Monica, and I am the leading author of the beauty blog. My profession is hairstyling and also helping women to succeed in being healthy and beautiful.

My greatest joy is to see women living their lives confidently in the looks they desire. Therefore, in this article, I have researched five professional flat irons for African American hair and offered comprehensive reviews.

Today, there are numerous generic brands of flat irons circulating within the market. For this reason, it might become challenging to identify the best brand or tool that suits your needs. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct thorough research to identify the best flat iron for natural black hair.

Product
Top Pick
HAI Convertible Flat Iron Hair Straightener for...
Best Budget Pick
Remington S7311 Wet 2 Straight Hair Straightener,...
Best Premium Pick
ghd Platinum+ Styler ― 1" Flat Iron Hair...
Rating
-
Prime
-
Pros
It has been proven to be durable and reliable for over 20 years
Numerous amazing features
Fast heat-up time (20) seconds
Top Pick
Product
HAI Convertible Flat Iron Hair Straightener for...
Rating
Prime
Pros
It has been proven to be durable and reliable for over 20 years
My review
Best Budget Pick
Product
Remington S7311 Wet 2 Straight Hair Straightener,...
Rating
Prime
-
Pros
Numerous amazing features
My review
Best Premium Pick
Product
ghd Platinum+ Styler ― 1" Flat Iron Hair...
Rating
-
Prime
Pros
Fast heat-up time (20) seconds
My review

Top 5 Flat Iron for Black Hair

  1. GHD Platinum + Professional Performance Styler for Amazing Flat Iron Hairstyles Black Hair
  2. Babyliss PRO Nano Titanium Flat Iron
  3. HAI Classic Convertible Professional Flat Iron
  4. Remington S7310 Wet 2 Straight Hair Straightening Iron
  5. The Bed Head Pixie ½” Straightener

Black hair can, at times, be curly or wavy. As such, to attain the most attractive look for your hair, you need a quality flat iron that can provide the most attractive flat ironed black hairstyles. You do not have to bear with tough curly hair because of now knowing how to flat iron black hair. Instead, you are offered an easy solution to this problem.

1. GHD Platinum + Professional Performance Styler for Black Hair

This flat iron was created for the appliance on any type of hair. The GHD Platinum + Professional Performance styler comes with an ultra-zone consisting of cutting-edge technology that can intuitively predict your hair needs. It personalizes its power supply regarding your hair thickness and automatically chooses operating speed. Eventually, you get beautiful and consistent results with every stroke.

That’s not all, though. This appliance optimizes the styling temperature by monitoring heat levels 250 times each second. This enables the GHD Platinum Styler to retain a continuous temperature of around 365 degrees Fahrenheit, which is considered optimal for healthy hair.

The styler is also ideal for professional flat iron hairstyles for black hair since it only takes 20 seconds to attain maximum temperature. As such, you spend less time styling your hair. The one-inch wide handle provides a secure and comfy grip, even after hours of use. Moreover, someone who has never used an iron before will find it extremely easy to learn the mechanics of this device.

ghd-flat-iron-platinumplus

What’s more, this GHD Platinum + Professional Performance styler is highly adaptable. It can function per your type of hair. This potentially decreases the probability of hair breakage by about 70 percent. What’s more, it guarantees the protection of your hair color two times more.

So, in the hands of the GHD Platinum + Professional Performance styler, you are completely safe. Additionally, it has an automated sleep mode that switches the styler off if it stays idle for 30 minutes.

8.9Expert Score

The flat iron styler has also been perfectly designed to boost convenience while styling since it has a swivel cord that measures nine-speed options to enhance a greater outreach.

Performance
9.4
Design and Materials
8.9
Value for Money
8.3

PROS:
  • has a special hinge that enhances correct plate alignment;
  • fast heat-up time (20) seconds;
  • an insulated enamel guard offers protection to surface plates once done with styling;
  • smooth gliding of plates through your hair;
  • provides healthy and silky hair with just one pass.
CONS:
  • has no heat adjustment mechanism.

2. Babyliss PRO Nano Titanium Flat Iron: Good Choice for Short Black Hair

Are you wondering how to curl short black hair with a flat iron? BaByliss PRO Nano Titanium-plated Straightening iron could be the answer you are looking for. The designers of this excellent tool optimized it to meet the precise needs of all hairstylists. It comes with 50 temperature settings.

For this reason, one can expect this tool to function as the perfect styling appliance that can be used for both thin & soft hair as well as for thick & resistant hair. Besides that, this straightener conglomerates other amazing features that make it worth purchasing.

Consequently, your hair will be streamlined using ultra-smooth titanium plates that have been designed in a way for them to be good heat conductors and at the same time, be corrosion resistant. Therefore, expect the BaByliss PRO to fashion your hair very fast. This benefit ensures you receive the best value for your money.

This machine not only has the advantage of titanium plates but also comes with ceramic heating. The high heat capacity enables rapid scalding, and at the same time, guarantees speedy cooling. Rest assured of getting salon-standard quality after use of the BaByliss PRO straightener.

babyliss-nano-titanium-iron

If your hair is very thick and can be resistant to straighteners, this tool is well-adapted for that kind of hair. This is why it is among the best flat iron black hair tools of choice. Its temperature can rise to as high as 450 degrees Fahrenheit. This tool is very easy to handle because its weight is only 1-pound. You can thus straighten your hair for as long as you want without experiencing any discomfort.

8.5Expert Score

The manufacturers understand that nobody wants to deal with accidents during the process of hairstyling. Therefore, the company has adopted a Ryton casing to keep the flat iron cool. This ensures the user won't receive any burns.

Performance
9
Design and Materials
8.5
Value for Money
8

PROS:
  • three different plate sizes comprising of one-inch plates, one-and-a-half-inch plates, and two-inch plates;
  • ultra-smooth plates seamlessly slide over your hair without any pulling;
  • plates can extend by five inches to speed up the fastening process;
  • as a result, one gets a silky, shiny, and frizz-free hair.
CONS:
  • the tool only uses a 120-volt power supply;
  • therefore, you may need an adapter to use while traveling.

3. HAI Classic Convertible Professional – Best Flat Iron for Natural Black Hair

Heat is an essential component for maintaining natural black hair. Nevertheless, it is essential to ensure that the heat is evenly distributed. HAI is highly experienced in the design of hair products.

What’s more, they are proud of their innovative convertible flat iron. The wide temperature ranges, as well as the 1.25-inch precision plates, enable you to experience all benefits of one-pass hairstyling. This leaves your hair healthy and appealing.

This convertibility comes as a result of multiple heat settings. If you want your hair to remain naturally black, you can adjust the heat indicator to 4100 F. This is mainly suitable in case you have textured and rough hair. One important fact is that the HAI Flat Iron is extremely easy to hold, rotate, press, or do any other thing you wish with your hair. What’s more, the device lowers the amount of static & frizz.

hai-flat-iron

Furthermore, the company had been producing this class of hairstyling tools for over two decades and has never disappointed its clientele. This device has passed the test of durability and reliability. The Classic Convertible Flat Iron is also competitively cheap while it outperforms other hair-straightening devices that cost way more.

8.3Expert Score

One downside is that even though the HAI Classic Convertible Professional Flat Iron is highly durable, it is a bit large. For this reason, you need to provide ample space for its storage. Nevertheless, its performance will compensate for this small drawback.

Performance
8.9
Design and Materials
8.1
Value for Money
7.8

PROS:
  • it protects your hair strands due to its highly adjustable temperature and precision plates;
  • it has been proven to be durable and reliable for over 20 years;
  • rapid heating and quick recovery make it ideal for one-pass styling.
CONS:
  • the device is rather bulky.

4. Remington S7310 Wet 2 Straight Hair Straightening Iron

In case you are looking for an appliance that can straighten your wet hair, the Remington S7901 Wet 2 Straight Iron is among the good flat irons for black natural hair. This straightener comes bundles with some unique and equally amazing features.

By employing this flat iron, you will get your hair straightened regardless of whether it is dry or wet. Isn’t this an advantage? Yes, it is. The reason is that the size of your hair does not matter as well as the presence or absence of moisture.

In case you are worried about hair being too dry, you can eradicate this issue by utilizing this amazing tool. Through years of experience, this device has proven to be able to protect your hair from over-drying.

What’s more, it is very simple to control the heating power of this product during usage. The reason is that it enables you to select the ideal temperature range for your hair. Regardless of your hair type, you can flat iron short black hair or even long curly hair. The main trick is to adjust the temperature of the device to the right setting.

Better yet, the tool had been manufactured with ceramic plates composed of tourmaline. They have the appropriate width to access all regions of your hair quickly, particularly the hair root, among others. Upon setting the flat iron on your hair, any steam present within the hair will evaporate in the process.

The Remington S7901 Wet 2 straightening iron releases the excess moisture in your hair while straightening it. This feature makes it one of the best steam flat iron for black hair.

8Expert Score

Indeed, the Remington S9701 is among the finest devices the company offers for flat ironing black natural hair. Whenever you apply it, you are assured of a wonderful result. With an adjustable temperature range reaching a maximum of 4000 F, you can use it on various types of hair. Furthermore, it's not likely to get damaged in the process.

Performance
8.5
Design and Materials
8
Value for Money
7.6

PROS:
  • simple and easy-to-operate design;
  • numerous amazing features;
  • it has over 26 settings for enhanced customizability;
  • suitable for both dry and wet hair.
CONS:
  • it requires careful usage at high temperatures.

5. The Bed Head Pixie ½” Straightener- One of the Top-Ranking Flat Irons for Black Hair

Sometimes you wonder how to straighten short black hair with a flat iron or how to curl black hair with a flat iron. A common reason for this inquiry amidst many people with short black hair is that the iron will come very close to the scalp and may potentially cause injury. While using the Bed Head Pixie ½”, you never have to worry about this.

The half-inch plates are perfect for short black hair. They enable you to get as close as possible to the hair roots to suppress the flyaway. Furthermore, while ironing hair, most people are usually concerned about frizzing. The manufacturers of this device are very much aware of this issue.

As such, they embedded Tourmaline ceramic components within this flat iron black hair styler. Moreover, the ceramic plates will tremendously enhance the shining of your hair. This leaves you with beautiful, sparkling hair.

The Bed Head Pixie ½” also has a wide range of temperature settings. It can set it up to as high as 430 degrees Fahrenheit. This means that you can use it on different types of hair: soft, sturdy, dry, or moist. It can be used for hair straightening, getting a curlier hairstyle, or even creating a cute but messy hairdo. Another major advantage this device comes with is the support of dual voltage.

Most American devices are usually designed for the local market. They support only 120 Volts. The heat selection settings and the on/off switch have been positioned on the inner side of the handle. This prevents you from accidentally pressing them while operating the device, yet they are effortless to access.

7.8Expert Score

With the Bed Head, you can comfortably travel anywhere across the world due to its support of standard voltages used in different regions across the world. The device comes with rapid heating and cooling technology to save your time and bring convenience. It takes only 30 seconds to attain the maximum temperatures.

Performance
8.3
Design and Materials
7.8
Value for Money
7.3

PROS:
  • perfect for short hair due to 0.5-inch plates;
  • ceramic technology limits frizz & enhances hair gloss;
  • the heat ranges up to 430 degrees Fahrenheit;
  • global dual voltage support;
  • fast heat up.
CONS:
  • straightening takes time since it can only work on small sections of hair at once.

Frequently Asked Questions about Flat Iron Hair Stylers

People with all kinds of black hair usually have a myriad of questions and uncertainties about flat ironing black hair. As such, they are generally apprehensive about making changes to their hair. Below is a list of some of the most commonly asked questions about flat irons:

How do I select an appropriate hair straightener?

The first consideration to make before selecting a hair straightener is the type of hair you possess. After that, select the ideal plate size as well as temperature settings.

How can I straighten my hair to achieve salon-like results?

This is a tricky question. It majorly depends on the size of the hair you intend to work on, the temperature, and the plate size. An excellent way to achieve great results is to self-practice until you find what works for you.

How do I curl my hair with a flat iron?

You can easily curl your hair with various brands of flat irons.

What is the ideal temperature to set for my hair?

This also depends on the type of hair, the size of the plate, and the section you intend to straighten. Some flat irons can heat up to as high as 450 degrees Fahrenheit. On the other hand, the lowest can go down to 170 degrees Fahrenheit.

It is believed that in case you expose your hair to temperatures ranging between 345 to 420 degrees within five minutes, you can damage it. As such, you need to set the temperature as low as possible, then slowly increase it to your comfort.

How regularly should a flat iron be cleaned?

Upon using your flat iron regularly, some of the burnt hairpieces might lower the effectivity of the plates. Therefore, you might need to clean it after each use whenever you detect unusual colors on the plates.

Is it OK to try out new flat iron hairstyles for black short hair?

It is not bad to alter your hairstyle periodically. However, if you do it too frequently, your hair will become frizzy, damaged, or dry. This may cause it to have an unnatural appearance. Therefore, it is not a good idea to use it every day.

My hands heat up while holding the iron. What should I do?

Some plate types emanate intense heat during operation. A good example is the titanium ones. A way to avoid this is to wear heat-resistant gloves. However, the quality of the iron also determines how much heat can be felt in the hands of the user. High-quality flat irons usually have better insulation that prevents the transfer of excessive heat onto your hands. You can undertake the further exploration of the best flat iron for black hair.

Is hair protection spray necessary for strengthening hair?

Of course! This will also reduce the damage caused by excessive heat.

Do I require any other things after straightening my hair?

You need to utilize other hair finishing products. One example is a light hairspray. Nevertheless, this should be executed after hair has cooled down.

Can I use hair styling tools if I have damaged hair?

Avoid these tools if the hair is already damaged. You should repair your hair first and let it heal. Otherwise, the situation can worsen. Nevertheless, if hair straightening is something you like, go for an iron that can potentially cause the least damage.

Is it OK to iron hair when it is still wet?

person-washing-woman-s-hair

No, it can destroy your hair. Styling should be attempted after the hair has been dried properly.

Is there a way I can straighten black hair without flat ironing?

Some types of Japanese techniques for making black hair straight do not rely on irons. They utilize thermal tools for permanent results. Besides, there are other types of straighteners aside from irons.

What is the appropriate straightener for African American hair?

African American hair tends to be thick & curly. For this reason, avoid hot combs. Make flat ironing your only viable method of straightening your hair.

Concluding Remarks about Black Hair Styling

There are various types of black hair ranging from loopy to kinky. Hair with smooth and extremely soft texture is considered loopy. It is usually voluminous and fine. Once it is styled, it should be propped to enhance its volume. Go for good flat irons for black hair that can form waves/curls so that it achieves a bouncy touch.

Kinky hair usually forms tight coils; it is less defined and becomes nappy easily. It’s the most problematic to make this type of hair straight because of its extreme coarseness and thickness. It is hard for sebum to move down the strands properly, and this causes dryness.

Before ironing kinky hair, wash it with a shampoo that is free from sulfates and deeply conditions it to trap moisture; this also works as a remedy for damaged hair. To add on, you may consider using some hair gels & oils for ironing to smooth the hair structure. So, when purchasing your flat iron for black hair, consider the above tips to get maximum results. Which brand did you like the most from my list? Do you have something to add from your personal experience? Share your opinion in the comments section below.

Last update on 2022-12-11 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

1 Comment
  1. I’m really looking into buying the GHD Platinum Styler. I think it’s pricey but I’m willing to pay it to save my hair from damage. I’ve been having my hair colored for the past 8 years and I’m afraid it’s ruining it. I’ve been looking up reviews on the GHD and it seems really good. I think I might buy it soon.

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