Best cordless straighteners 2023: Effortless, healthy hairstyling on the go
Want smooth, straight hair when you’re away from home? These are our favourite cordless straighteners for your suitcase or handbag
If you love to keep your locks sleek and frizz-free when you’re travelling, or want to change your look after work or the gym, then cordless straighteners can be invaluable.
Made to be used wherever there’s no plug socket readily to hand – from backstage at fashion shows to the middle of a campsite – cordless straighteners are portable, rechargeable tools that are perfect for people who are constantly on the move.
That’s not to say cordless straighteners don’t have a place in the home, too. Moving the straightener around the back of the head is easier without a cord to get in the way, and a cordless straightener can be used wherever your mirror is – whether that’s near a power socket or not. Cordless straighteners typically provide around 30 minutes of use on a full charge, which is enough to get ready in the morning, fix up your look for an evening event, or tidy up after a workout.
Losing the cord doesn’t mean sacrificing quality, either – the latest cordless hair straighteners share the technology used by their corded cousins, from adjustable heat settings and ceramic plates for a glossy finish, to ionic technology that speeds up styling and reduces damage to hair.
To help you choose the right cordless straightener, here’s our guide to the best cordless straighteners for frizz-free, sleek and shiny locks.
Best cordless straighteners: At a glance
- Best value cordless straighteners: Revamp Progloss Liberate ST-1700
- Best premium cordless hair straighteners: Dyson Corrale
- Best compact cordless straighteners: ghd Unplugged
How to choose the best cordless straighteners for you
How do cordless hair straighteners work?
Like other cordless devices, straighteners use a rechargeable battery (usually a lithium-hydride or lithium-ion battery) housed inside the device, which needs to be charged before use. Cordless straighteners can be charged either directly from the wall or via a charging dock; some straighteners can even be charged using a USB cable running from a laptop or phone charger. Cordless straighteners often feature a travel-safe mode that disconnects the battery, allowing them to be carried on flights without risk of accidental activation and fire.
Charging usually takes between 1-3 hours, and a full charge will last around 30 minutes, depending on usage. We’ve noted both times in our individual reviews below.
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How should I use my cordless hair straighteners?
As with corded straighteners, always ensure hair is completely dry before straightening (rough-dry the hair first with a hairdryer if you’re straightening after a workout). Section the hair prior to styling and spray with a heat-protective product to keep heat damage to a minimum and help your chosen style to last longer.
Start on the bottom layers of hair near the neck, working your way up to the crown in small sections (an inch wide is a good size to aim for). With practice, you should get your straightening routine down to less than 30 minutes, or one single charge of a cordless tool.
What other features should I look for?
Many cordless straighteners have styling plates coated in ceramic, which heats more gently and evenly, producing a soft, shiny and glossy finish. Plates might also be coated in titanium, which heats up very quickly. As well as reducing the overall time required for styling, this reduces the amount of time that the hair is exposed to heat.
Some cordless straighteners come with adjustable heat settings. If you have healthy, medium-textured hair, the optimal temperature for heat treatments is 185ºC. Fine, damaged or treated hair will prefer a lower heat setting of around 165ºC.; higher temperatures of around 200- 210ºC are designed for thick, coarse hair or tight curls.
Look for straighteners with curved edges if you want to create curls, waves and flicks shaped around the body of the irons. Cordless straighteners usually switch off automatically after a period of inactivity to preserve battery life – we’ve noted the switch-off time below.
How we test cordless hair straighteners
At Expert Reviews, we know that hands-on testing is what gives us the best and most complete understanding of a product. So we test all of the hair straighteners we review, either at home or during a live product demonstration. We use the tools on clean, dry hair, using the different temperature settings where applicable. Whenever possible, we also test on more than one hair type or texture.
During testing, we confirm the weight and dimensions of the cordless straightener and the material used in the hot plate. We then record the time it takes for the tool to heat up after being switched on, and how long it takes to style a full head of hair, noting the hair texture that we are testing it on. We also confirm how long the battery lasts from a full charge and we note the time it takes to fully recharge.
We evaluate the overall ease of use of the cordless straightener, how it feels in the hand and the finish and feel of the hair after straightening. Finally, we note how well the straightened hair lasts over a typical day of wear.
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The best cordless hair straighteners you can buy in 2023
1. Revamp Progloss Liberate Cordless Ceramic Compact Hair Straightener ST-1700: The best value cordless straighteners
Price: £100 | Buy now from Boots
The Revamp Progloss Liberate Cordless Ceramic Compact Hair Straightener is a diminutive device which uses ceramic floating plates to glide easily through the hair without pulling or tugging. The plates are infused with keratin and argan oil for extra conditioning, and it uses ionic technology to hydrate the hair to a glossy finish.
Like its full-sized sibling (£120), the Liberate Compact has three temperature settings – 160°C, 180°C and 210°C – suitable for a range of hair textures. The Liberate Compact heats up in less than a minute with a handy light to let you know when it’s ready; an intelligent heat-control system checks the temperature of the tool 100 times per second to eradicate the risk of hot spots or scorching.
The Liberate Compact’s lithium-ion battery charges fully in three hours and lasts for around 30 minutes of consistent styling, which should be enough to straighten hair of typical length and thickness. The tool comes with a convenient carry bag, a UK/EU interchangeable adaptor and a travel safety lock on the handle. Small and light, it’s ideal for travel or styling hair when you’re away from home.
Key specs – Plates: Ceramic plates enriched with keratin and oils; Heat settings: 3; Maximum temperature: 210°C; Time to charge: 3 hours Charge lasts: 30 mins
2. Dyson Corrale: The best premium cordless hair straighteners
Price: £400 | Buy now from Boots
Dyson’s award-winning cordless straightener uses flexing manganese-copper alloy plates to smoothly grip and gather hair, straightening quickly and easily with just one stroke. Thanks to an intelligent heat control system that monitors the temperature of the plates to ensure even heat distribution, the Dyson Corrale creates beautifully sleek and frizz-free hair with minimal damage.
The Corrale has three heat options: 165ºC, 185ºC and 210ºC, so you can choose the temperature that best suits your hair texture and desired style. The flexing design means that the plates mould themselves gently around the hair, so excellent straightening results can be achieved without needing the very highest temperatures and at speed.
The four-cell lithium-ion battery charges in just over an hour, and lasts 30 minutes once fully charged; the Corrale’s one-stroke styling means a single charge is enough to fully style most heads of hair.
At £400, this is definitely a premium product, but the speed of styling and reduced damage make it a worthwhile investment for anyone who regularly reaches for the straighteners.
Key specs – Plates: Flexing copper alloy plates; Heat settings: 3; Maximum temperature: 210°C; Time to charge: 70 mins Charge lasts: 30 mins
3. GHD Unplugged: The best compact cordless straighteners
Price: £299 | Buy now from John Lewis
Launched in 2021, GHD’s Unplugged cordless model is the iconic ghd brand’s latest addition to its growing range of premium straighteners. Designed for styling on the go, the Unplugged is very light at just 300g – half the weight of comparable straighteners. At 22cm long, it’s also compact enough to fit in a handbag for day-to-evening styling.
The straighteners are small but they still feature GHD’s familiar ceramic plates and dual-zone heat sensors to maintain a safe, consistent temperature of 185°C across the plates. The tool heats up in only 45 seconds, and a single battery lasts 20 minutes from full charge, which takes 2 hours.
The Unplugged is charged via a standard USB-C port, so you can charge from any USB cable – from a wall plug adapter, or even from your laptop if you’re fixing your hair at work. The tool switches itself off after three minutes if not used, to help preserve the battery.
The styling plates are 2cm across – slightly narrower than the plates of full-size stylers, but the handle is a similar width to that of GHD’s other stylers and feels comfortable and nicely balanced in the hand.
The GHD Unplugged comes in a choice of stylish matte black or white, and is great for hair touch-ups during the day.
Key specs – Plates: Ceramic; Heat settings: 1; Maximum temperature: 185°C; Time to charge: 2 hours; Charge lasts: 20 mins
4. BaByliss 9000 Cordless Straighteners: The best cordless hair straighteners for a glossy finish
Price: £200 | Buy now from Boots
With floating ceramic plates that glide over the hair, the cordless BaByliss 9000 makes light work of straightening all hair types and textures. The ceramic plates heat evenly and reduce friction on the hair as they pass over each tress, giving hair a soft finish and beautiful shine.
Babyliss’s straighteners have three heat settings – 160°C, 180°C and 200°C – and heat up in just seconds. The battery charges fully in three hours and lasts for 30 minutes, which will be sufficient to style most types and lengths of hair.
It’s easy to operate the tool with a single button that controls both power and heat selection. The slim, curved body of the tool is also perfect for creating beachy waves and straightener curls.
A versatile straightening tool that can handle both straight and curly styles with ease, the Babyliss 9000 is a great mid-price cordless option.
Key specs – Plates: floating ceramic; Heat settings: 3; Maximum temperature: 200°C; Time to charge: 3 hours Charge lasts: 30 mins
5. Cloud Nine Cordless Iron Pro Hair Straightener – best ultra-lightweight cordless straighteners
Price: £349 | Buy now from Selfridges
Cloud Nine is known for the quality of its straighteners, and the brand’s Cordless Iron Pro straighteners are no exception. These ultra-lightweight straighteners, weighing only 290g, are also very compact at only 26cm long, and will easily fit into carry-on luggage or even a handbag.
The curved design means that Cloud Nine’s straighteners are particularly adept at creating waves and curls. The styling plates are on the small side, so it does take a little longer to style a full head of hair, but these are ideal straighteners for re-touching hair during the working day or a quick fix on the go.
Cloud Nine’s straighteners have a unique vibrating Revive Mode setting, which is designed to minimise friction as you draw the hair through the tool, reducing damage from snagging.
The straighteners come with a charging dock, and a smart-looking travel case, ideal for carrying in hand luggage. The Cordless Iron Pro takes a rapid 45 minutes to charge fully, and one full charge lasts 30 minutes. These straighteners are a fine alternative to the Unplugged.
Key specs – Plates: floating ceramic; Heat settings: 2; Maximum temperature: 170°C; Time to charge: 45 minutes; Charge lasts: 30 mins Buy now from Selfridges