In This Article
The Best Hair Straightener for Styling African American Hair.
Not a lot of flat irons or hair straighteners live up to their name. Just as not a lot of them are best suited for styling natural African American hair. We review some of the best flat irons on the market to give you the pros and cons of each one for your natural hair.
All the Flat Irons in this review, have Ion field technology to seal in natural oils, and infrared heat which helps cut down the static flyaway hair as you would expect with these best buys. These hair straighteners also have swivel cords and beveled edged plates.
Surprisingly, not all flat irons have auto-shut off which is a deal breaker in my opinion. If I regularly leave the stove on and the iron on, I’m going to leave my new flat iron on. Which is not good for my power bill, not to mention the risk of burning down the house. Whilst you could understand this being missing on the cheapest flat irons, some of the expensive one seem to be missing it too.
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Quick Review of 6 Best Flat Irons for 2018
| Flat Iron | Star Rating | Width | Plate Material | Adjust. Temp | Max Temp °F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Karmin G3 Salon Pro | 4 | 1" | Ceramic | Yes | 250-460 |
| BaBylissPro Nano | 4 | 1-1.75" | Titanium | Yes | 340,400,450 |
| Corioliss C3 | 4 | 0.75" | Titanium | Yes | 275-455 |
| Kipozi Pro | 4.5 | 1" | Titanium | Yes | 170-450 |
| CHI Original Pro | 3.6 | 1" | Ceramic | No | 392 |
| HSI PRO GLIDER | 4.3 | 1" | Ceramic | Yes | 240-410 |
| Flat Iron | Price | Dual Volt | Auto Shut off | Heating indicator | Lock |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Karmin G3 Salon Pro | $$$$ | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| BaBylissPro Nano | $$$$ | No | No | No | No |
| Corioliss C3 | $$$ | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| Kipozi Pro | $ | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| CHI Original Pro | $$$ | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| HSI Professional Glider | $ | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
Karmin G3 Salon Pro
Good things about Karmin G3
The Karmin G3 Salon Pro Flat Iron is a sleek, black and stylish hair straightener with a dual voltage system. With 1″ ceramic plates, it’s perfect for any type of hair, especially for thick African American hair. The temperature range can go as hot as 460 degrees Fahrenheit. But dont use it this hot without making sure that moisture in the hair gets locked in. It’s also the go-to product for those always on-the-go because it quickly heats up. Considered reliable and long lasting.
Concerns with Karmin G3
The main concern for this flat iron is the automatic 1 hour shutoff. If you have a lot of hair to straighten, be aware it may turn itself off before you are finished. Then its a small hassle to turn the temperature wheel off then on again and wait for it to heat up to the desired temperature again. The temperature readout is also too small for some.
BaBylissPro Nano
Good things about BaByliss Pro
BaByliss PRO Nano Titanium can work smoothly on thick and coarse hair like African American hair. It has a slim design and is light and comfortable to carry.
A unique thing about this product are its 5-inch long plates, which are longer than the standard. It enables you to straighten more hair in a single grab. The brand also comes in different sizes—from 1 inch to 1.75 inches. Choosing which size to use depends on the length of your hair. The wider flat irons are best used for longer hair. This product can also function as a hair curler! No need for you to search for another curling iron. Its far-infrared heat and nano technology locks in moisture, keeping your hair beautiful and straight for a long time.
Concerns with BaByliss Pro
Problems with this top flat iron can include some static in the hair, leaving it a little bit frizzy despite the infrared. That can be quite annoying, especially for those who want a smooth and flat finish.
Don’t buy one too wide either – this will make it much harder to work through a lot of hair.
Corioliss C3 Ultimate
Good things about Corioliss C3 Ultimate
The Corioliss C3 Ultimate is a versatile product. With its floating plates, it can be used on any type of hair, making it ideal for African American hair. It can also function as a straightener, curling iron, or as a standard iron. It comes with a finger glove for added protection and a travel pouch that can be used as a heat mat which is incredibly useful. Plus a 2yr warranty. It also in limited edition colors and patterns such as this floral casing which we love.
Few Concerns with Corioliss C3
The Corioliss C3 Ultimate has unusually low numbers of negative ratings than many other flat irons. We didnt find anything particular troublesome in our trials with it either. Please comment below if you have more experience with this hair straightener.
Kipozi Pro
Good things about Kipozi Pro
This flat iron can style any hair, and can work both as a straightener and a curler. Its 1-inch 3D floating plates allows the hair to glide smoothly as it straightens, ensuring no hair-snagging will occur. Its multiple heat setting functions can be adjusted via a digital LCD screen.
Concerns with Kipozi Pro
The Kipozi Pro flat iron only has three heat settings which is a draw back for those who like to fine tune things. Some other reviews suggest it can start to snag your hair with age. This could be due to wear on the plates and could happen with any product.
Some users have trouble seeing the digital LCD screen. Its very crowded display could take some getting used to before you learn all the features.
Chi Original Pro
Good things about Chi Original Pro
The CHI Original Pro 1” can style frizzy, thick, or curly hair, even under humid conditions. It claims to instantly make the hair look smooth and silky in just a few grabs. Its ceramic plates with negative ion and far infrared leave the hair snag-free and static-free, too. Long time favorite and took out the TotalBeauty.com Readers Choice award for 2017
Concerns with Chi Original Pro
This flat iron, however, is not without its flaws. It has very limited settings, especially heat which is not adjustable, just one temperature once heated up.
Chi Flat Irons are suffering from fake copies being sold. Be sure to buy a genuine Chi Flat iron
HSI Professional Glider
Good things about HSI Pro Glider
This flat iron boasts best international standards with its HeatBalance® Microsensors to ensure that it has regulated temperature and even heat distribution for your hair straightening. This product also includes a manual, a heat protection glove (excellent addition), a travel pouch, and a free sample of Argan oil leave-in treatment. It’s versatile and ideal for those even with rough and thick texture like African American hair, leaving it smooth and silky. We recommended to use it with the Argan oil treatment.
Concerns about HSI Pro Glider
The lack of an automatic shutoff can be a disadvantage for those who have a tendency to forget to turn off this flat iron when it’s not being used, so watch out for that. Controls are on the inside of the plates, which can be tricky to adjust when learning to use it.
So What is the Best Flat Iron 2018 For Natural Hair
As always, the best Flat Iron for you is going to depend on your hair type and length, and favorite features.
For us, no auto-shutoff was a deal breaker and ruled out BaByliss Pro Nano, HSI Pro Glider and Chi Original.
So for the Flat iron with the mostest… it was a tie on features between Karmin G3 Salon Pro (being wider than the Corioliss) and Kipozi Pro. With the massive price difference of these two hair irons, only time will tell if the Karmin lasts 3 times longer to be worth the extra cost.