"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links."

We updated this article in May 2023 to add more information about each featured product. In addition to our original top-rated picks selected by the Good Housekeeping Institute Beauty Lab, we've added two new choices and removed two that didn't score well.

If you're seeking straight hair, a flat iron seems like the first tool to reach for to make your hair sleek, shiny and pin-straight. But straightening irons aren't the only option out there! Hair straightening brushes work as a flat iron and a brush in one to help streamline the smoothing process, detangling as they style. These tools are essentially hot hair brushes, so you can effectively brush and detangle your hair while you straighten it for frizz-free, shiny hair in a single step.

Quick tip: Unlike hair dryer brushes, you should use a hair straightening brush on completely dry hair, and make sure to apply a heat protectant before you get started.

At the Good Housekeeping Institute Beauty, Health & Sustainability Lab, we're constantly testing hair tools like curling irons, blow dry brushes and curling wands, keeping factors like ease of use, smoothing and performance in mind — and although we've never formally tested hair straightening brushes, we're well versed in what makes a good hair tool. Based on our expertise in hair tools, as well as consumer feedback and glowing online reviews, these are the top picks for hair straightening brushes at every price point and for every hair type.

Our top picks:

You can read more about how we chose the best hair straightening brushes — plus everything you need to know to shop for the perfect one for you — at the end of this guide. Looking for more ways to improve your hair game? Check out our guides to the best detangling brushes and the best at-home hair color for your money.

Glide Smoothing Hot Brush

Boasting a perfect performance score in the lab along with being the fastest tool to heat up, this brush from ghd styled hair quickly and effectively. "I loved pretty much everything," shares one tester with thick, curly hair. "It effectively tamed my thick hair and left it with body." The brush contains bristles specifically designed to help detangle and smooth, and has anti-static technology which claims to help prevent frizz after styling. The one downside: there is only one temperature setting and no digital temperature display.

Straightening Heated Styling Brush

Ceramic coating and detangling bristles help ensure your hair is as smooth as possible. "I love this straightener," one reviewer says. "It works so well on my thick hair without having to use such a high heat setting." While we didn't test this one in the lab, we love that this budget-friendly option features a larger brush head than many of the other picks, making it ideal for thicker or longer hair. However, it doesn't feature an auto shut-off, so it's not as safe as other picks that do have it.

Smooth Style Ceramic Heated Brush

When styling short hair, you want to make sure you can get close to the roots without worrying about it burning your skin. Moroccanoil's heated brush received high scores in lab testing for not burning the scalp or ears and gripping hair well. It also has unique curved bristles that help you smooth hard-to-reach spots. "This is the best hair straightening brush I have ever used," one reviewer raves. "Saves time, silky finish, hair doesn't smell burnt when finished." Not every user agrees though, with some long-haired users noting that it takes them much longer to straighten hair using this brush.

Le Vite Hair Straightening Brush

This straightening brush aims to minimize damage with "cool tips" made of nylon — a feature that while we didn't test it in the lab, we think is great — to make sure heat is distributed evenly and safely. "I love this hair straightening brush," one reviewer raves. "I have long, thick curly hair and straightening with a flat iron would take 45 minutes, but with this straightening brush it takes 20 minutes. It's very easy to use, warms up quickly and fits comfortably in my hand." While you can also change the temperature of the brush while using it (to avoid overheating your hair), some customers noted in reviews that they found the brush doesn't feel warm enough to fully straighten their hair.

Edge Heated Smoothing & Styling Brush

Maximizing surface area, this large brush features an extended styling surface all the way to its edges to get sleek, smooth hair. It received perfect scores in our testing for making hair look smoother and less frizzy, for gliding through hair easily and for minimizing static. It also includes nylon bristles, ionic technology and three heat settings to get static-free, damage-free results. "I have thick, frizzy hair," shares our Beauty Assistant. "Even with just one pass, this brush significantly smoothed, straightened and tamed my hair." Using this brush can be a bit of a workout, though. "This brush is bigger and heavier than many others I've tried," she adds.

The Brush Crush Heated Straightening Brush

If you're looking for an option that's great for thin hair and has lots of setting options, this brush from Drybar may be for you. Multiple testers with fine hair noted how well it worked on their hair type." I was so pleased with the smooth and consistent results," shares one. "This is a go-to styling tool for me now—I love it!" However, it may not be ideal for those with thicker strands, as it scored low in our testing for gripping and smoothing hair.

FlexStyle Air Drying & Styling System

More than just a straightening brush, this system is loved by Good Housekeeping Senior Editor and Analyst Sarah Wharton. "The flat and round brush attachments work great for creating smooth, straight hair," she shares. "I had great results when I used it with a chin-length bob, and it's still great with my pixie cut." You can set the heat and air levels to work with your look or texture. While the other straightening brushes are designed to be used on dry hair, this is a drying system that utilizes different technology, meaning that it can be used on damp hair.

Hair Straightener Comb

Think of this as a straightening comb for the modern era. With five different heat settings, this comb gets up to 410º F, but it won't burn your scalp thanks to the flame-retardant coating. "It heats up within 60 seconds and just in a few minutes, it straightened my thick, wavy hair without the danger of burning myself," one reviewer says. "Super quick and safe." Though many users are happy with its straightening abilities, others feel it leaves their hair frizzy and lacking shine.

Polished Perfection Thermal Straightening Brush 2.0

For those who are pressed for time, Amika's speedy straightening brush gets the job done quickly. "I really liked using this product as it styled my hair fast and smoothed out the slight curl some of my strands can have in the morning or after wearing a ponytail/claw clip," one reviewer shares. Another notes that "it is lightweight and very easy to use!" The brush uses iRed technology, which claims to help heat penetrate hair faster for smoother hair with less chance of damage. In the brand's own clinical study, 100% of participants said it makes hair styling easier, while 98% said it didn't burn their hair. One caveat: a few reviewers noted that it is hard to get close to the roots and hairline.

Neuro Sleek Smoothing Hot Brush

Our testers loved that this brush straightened hair quickly without making it limp. "This brush was easy to use and worked quickly," shares one. "I especially like how it doesn't flatten my hair the way regular straightening irons do; it still had good volume." Plus, "the effect stayed overnight without needing a touch up." Just FYI, it only has five setting options and no digital temperature display for those who like to see it.

Healthy Heat Thermal Straightening Brush

This straightening brush aims to be more gentle on hair than some of the other options. We love that the ceramic bristles help smooth and distribute heat so you only need one pass to achieve silky hair. "This straightening brush helps straighten my natural wave so effortlessly," one reviewer says. "This brush heats up quickly, does not pull my hair and straightens my hair with just one pass. Some of my friends even asked if I got a blowout when I first used it." Other reviewers find it's better for extending a blowout rather than straightening air-dried hair. "The only time it works for me is when I have my hair done at the salon and this lets me maintain it for a few days," another user adds.

Tourmaline Ceramic Heated Paddle Brush

One thing we learned during testing: some brushes are easier to hold and manuever while styling than others. This one from Chi received perfect scores for being comfortable to hold during use and easy to use the different controls. Reviewers also thought it was good for reducing frizz and to style hair quickly. "I like how it removed the frizziness from my hair," shares one tester. "I also liked the ability to set the temperature in small increments so that you can set it to the proper temp for your hair texture and type." One feature that a few reviewers noted was noticeably missing: a temperature guide for hair type.

Smooth Operator Straightening Heat Brush

With a 4.5-inch long brush head, this straightening brush makes styling quick and easy. "I was a bit weary but very pleasantly surprised by the ease of use and the end results in 10 minutes," one reviewer says. "It straightened and tamed my hair and left it shiny." While we didn't test this one in the lab, we love that the brush also features multi-dimensional bristles to help detangle your strands. Note that it doesn't have an automatic shut-off feature, and some reviewers said that the ends of their hair is still flipped up even after using the brush.

Straight Up Ceramic Straightening Brush

Seven different heat settings and cool tip bristles make this brush, which we didn't test in the lab, super easy to use. "It used to take me about an hour to straighten my thick, long hair with a regular iron. This thing cuts it down to about a third of that. Plus it won't flatten it pin straight so I get to keep all my sassy volume." Because it doesn't fully straighten hair, it's great for touch-ups or second-day hair, but it may not be the pick for you if you want super sleek, straight hair.

How we choose the best hair straightening brushes

While the Good Housekeeping Institute Beauty Lab has never formally tested hair straightening brushes, our scientists have tested many other heat styling tools, from curling irons to flat irons. In the Lab's most recent curling iron test, scientists evaluated features including preheat time, temperature range, overall settings and ease of use, all important things to consider in a hair straightening brush as well. They then asked a panel of at-home testers to try the irons at home and report on factors such as the lasting power of the resulting curls and ease of use. After all that, our scientists and beauty pros went through more than 103 measurements and 836 survey answers to find the best curling irons on the market.

What to look for when shopping for a hair straightening brush

To find the most effective hair straightening brush, take into consideration the following factors:

✔️ Material: Straightening brushes typically have ceramic bristles that heat up to straighten hair, notes Good Housekeeping Beauty, Health & Sustainability Lab Chemist Danusia Wnek.

✔️ Heat safety: While most heated hair brushes have cool-tip bristles, the GH Beauty Lab found that these types of brushes "should come with a heat protectant glove as many of our consumers indicated that they wanted to push hair into the bristles with a flat hand," says Wnek. "If the product you choose doesn’t contain a heat protectant glove, we encourage you to purchase one to keep hands safe from potential burns." Like flat iron plates, these bristles heat up to 300º or 400ºF or more, so take caution.

✔️ Voltage: Take a look at the voltage of your brush. Many are safe to use both at home and abroad, but always consult your instruction manual of the product you're using. "Standard voltage is 120V in the US, and 220-240V in Europe," shares Wnek. "If you see a range like 110-220V in a product manual or on the product’s electricals, it indicates that it is dual voltage and can be used at home and abroad."

✔️ Auto shut-off: Consider shopping for hair straightening brushes that feature an automatic shut-off for safety. No need to second guess yourself trying to remember if you turned it off or unplugged it!

✔️ Multiple heat settings: Having multiple heat settings on your hair straightening brush is helpful depending on your hair type. Fine or thin hair types don't always need as much heat as thick hair.

Do hair straightening brushes really work?

Yes, though they may be best for touch-ups rather than initially straightening hair. "Thick and/or curly hair consumers might find that they need to blow dry hair straight before use to make it easier to brush through hair with these devices," says Wnek.

Do hair straightening brushes damage hair?

As with any hot tool, there is potential for hair damage. To avoid this, apply a heat protectant spray before using the straightening brush and try not to overuse it. "Exposing hair to excessive heat for long periods of time can cause damage to the structure of hair," shares Wnek. "If applicable, always start at the lowest setting and increase as needed."

Why trust Good Housekeeping?

Good Housekeeping Beauty Assistant Catharine Malzahn works closely with the Good Housekeeping Institute Beauty Lab to help deliver fact-based, science-backed beauty coverage. Over the years, she has interviewed experts, written product reviews and tested hundreds of hair products, including professional hair treatments, hot tools, shampoos, conditioners, styling products and more.

For this story, she worked with Good Housekeeping Beauty, Health & Sustainability Lab Chemist Danusia Wnek, who has spent seven years researching and developing testing protocols for haircare products for the Good Housekeeping Institute, including flat irons and hair dryer brushes. Her favorite hair test so far has been evaluating blowdry accelerator sprays to see whether they actually work.

Katie Berohn is a former Good Housekeeping beauty assistant who reported on GH Beauty Lab product testing.

You Might Also Like

• 67 Best Gifts for Women That'll Make Her Smile

• The Best Pillows for Every Type of Sleeper