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Special offer for Gear readers: Get a 1-year subscription to WIRED for $5 ($25 off). Updated June 2023: We've added the Dyson Airstrait as our favorite wet-to-straight flat iron and the DryBar Straight Shot Blow-Drying Flat Iron as an affordable alternative. There's a dizzying number of options around, but hopefully our favorite hair straighteners can help narrow down your search. Some flat irons have left us with crispy ends and cramped hands, while others, like the ones listed here, gave us sleek hair. WIRED's Gear team has an array of curl types, needs, and hair-styling tricks, and we've all tried a lot of hair straighteners in our lifetimes. Then, and only then, can I go in with a flat iron. I let it air-dry, then I braid it before bed so that the next day, the curls are looser and easier to work through.

I wash all the product out the night before and load my hair with hydrating protectants. Straightening my hair is typically a two-day affair.

How to make curls with a flat iron