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7 best cordless hair straighteners for easy, on-the-go styling – tried and tested
It's time to ditch the wires
I've been using hair straighteners since I was about 13-years-old. Thankfully, hair tools have come a long way since then, and nowadays they have all kinds of fancy tech built in. And one such innovation? Cordless hair straighteners.
With brands like Dyson and ghd and Babyliss ditching the wires, we're starting to see other brands follow suit, but what's so great about losing the wires and investing in a cordless hair straightener? Well, for starters, you can style your hair anywhere (yep, anywhere), from the back of an Uber to your best mate's balcony. Plus, without the wires it's easier to manoeuvre the tool allowing for simpler styling.
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Best cordless hair straightener for travel
Revamp Progloss Liberate Cordless Compact Ceramic Hair Straightener
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When it comes to picking a new pair of hair straighteners (cordless or not), there are a couple of non-negotiables you ought to look out for. Firstly, temperature settings. It's important to make sure that the heat can be adjusted to suit your hair type. Those with thick, coarse hair types will require a higher temperature setting while those with fragile strands will want something a little lower.
Secondly, plate size. If you want to use your straighteners for curling as well as smoothing the hair, it's important to consider the size of the irons – larger plates will give loose waves, whilst narrower ones will give tighter curls. It’s also wise to look out for additional features, such as a plate-lock system, a travel pouch or automatic switch off.
Makes sense, right? Now all you need is to find the perfect tool, and luckily I've been busy testing out the best cordless straighteners around. Here's what you need to know:
7 best cordless hair straighteners...
Pros
- It features dual-zone technology to ensure consistent heat styling
- It's made with ceramic plates to reduce frizz
- It's charged via a USB-C cable
- It's lightweight to hold
Cons
- It's expensive
ghd were not playing around when they concocted this clever cordless straightener... The hair tool brand are known for always delivering when it comes to styling essentials, and it seems the Unplugged Styler is no exception.
The battery takes 2 hours to fully charge, and offers up 20 minutes of continuous styling at ghd's optimum temperature of 185°C.
A little more tech-savvy than some of the other models, the ghd styler features a USB-C connector & plug, making it even more versatile and travel-friendly than others.
Key Specifications:
| Temperature range: | 185ºC (1 setting) |
|---|---|
| Battery life: | 20 minutes |
| Charging time: | Two hours |
Revamp Progloss Liberate Cordless Compact Ceramic Hair Straightener
Pros
- It comes with a heat-resistant travel bag
- The charging cable has a UK/EU interchangeable adaptor, making it great to travel with
- It's lightweight
Cons
- It has a long charging time
One of the most affordable cordless straighteners we've come across. UK hair tool brand, Revamp, have managed to deliver everything we want from a cordless iron, without the eye-watering price tag.
The compact straighteners are super travel-friendly and deliver up to 30 minutes of use (with three hours of charging time). Like many of the others, there are three heat settings available to pick from - ranging from 160°C to 210°C.
The straighteners also come with a handy heat-resistant travel bag and a charging cable with a UK/EU interchangeable adaptor.
Key Specifications:
| Temperature range: | 160°C to 210°C |
|---|---|
| Battery life: | 30 minutes |
| Charging time: | Three hours |
The Original Cordless Iron Hair Straightener
Pros
- The 'revive mode' reduces friction so you get a smooth glide
- It switches off automatically if not used in three minutes
- Charging time is fairly quick
Cons
- The plates are quite thin for those with thick or curly hair
Cloud Nine have long been a go-to brand for beauty industry insiders, so it's no surprise that their new cordless hair straightener impressed us.
With three temperatures available – from 160-200°C – plus the brand's famous 'revive mode' which works to minimise friction, vibrating at 8,000 times a minute, hair can be styled easily at lower temperatures.
It comes with a clever charging stand and takes 90 minutes to charge, which then gives up to 20 minutes of styling time.
Key Specifications
| Temperature range: | 3 settings from, 160-200°C |
|---|---|
| Battery life: | 20 minutes |
| Charging time: | 90 minutes |
BaByliss Cordless Straightener
Pros
- It comes with a travel case
- The straightener will tell you when it needs to be charged
Cons
- It has a long charging time
Babyliss recently joined the cordless straightener game and their iron is certainly more luxe than we're used to seeing from our go-to hair tool brand. The sleek straightener takes three hours to charge, but then offers 30 mins of battery life for cordless styling.
It takes just seconds to heat up, and has three heat settings available - 160°C, 180°C and 200°C. The straighteners also feature a clever little battery life indicator, so you'll never be caught short when styling. All that, and it comes with a compact travel case, making it perfect for your next getaway.
Key Specifications:
| Temperature range: | Three settings, from 160ºC–200ºC |
|---|---|
| Battery life: | 30 minutes |
| Charging time: | Three hours |
Pros
- It uses alloy flex plates to gather your hair, giving you more control and a smooth result
- It has a fairly short charging time
- It reduces frizz and flyaways
Cons
- It's the most expensive tool in this edit
- It's quite heavy
Ok, so when Dyson make a hair tool, they go all out... And trust me, the Corrale straightener is no exception.
It's bursting with innovative technology designed to limit heat damage to the hair, and also make the straighteners as user-friendly as possible. The copper alloy plates are flexible (yeah, seriously) they bend to the strands, ensuring no excess pressure is put on the hair and to avoid any splaying.
There are three heat settings available, 165°C, 185°C and 210°C, and the battery gives a good 30mins of styling time. When you're finished, pop it back on the charging dock and it only takes 70 mins to fully recharge. Clever, huh?
Key Specifications:
| Temperature range: | Three, 165°C, 185°C and 210°C |
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| Battery life: | 30 minutes |
| Charging time: | 70 minutes |
SUNMAY Voga 2 in 1 Cordless Hair Straighteners
Pros
- It comes with a travel pouch
- It heats up to the highest setting in under 60 seconds
- It has a plate-lock mechanism to keep them closed when not in use
Cons
- Those with thick hair may find it takes too long to straighten
Though it's one of the cheaper options, this device actually has a decent battery life, offering up to 30 minutes on the lowest of its three heat settings (165℃-185℃-205℃) and up to 32 on the highest setting. The USB chargeable tool can curl, straighten, wave and flick on the go, and is ideal for more thorough touch-ups. Plus it's only just over 20cm long so is compact for travel.
It does also come in black and white if pink isn't your thing.
Key Specifications:
| Temperature range: | Three,165°C,185°C,205°C |
|---|---|
| Battery life: | Up to 30 minutes |
| Charging time: | Roughly two hours |
Pros
- Plates are infused with with keratin, argan and coconut oils to boost shine
- It shuts off after 15 minutes
Cons
- It's a heavy tool
Revamp’s newer cordless device, the iGen Progloss Cordless Ceramic Straightener, has one of the longest battery lives in this edit, so it’s a perfect option for those with thick or coarse hair – in fact, you may even have time to spare!
It comes with two batteries (ideal for taking on the go) with each holding up to 40 minutes of styling time, so when one runs out you can simply move onto the next. The only slight caveat is as this is a battery operated tool, it is on the heavier side, but that’s something we can overlook considering you can get a total of 80 minutes styling without having to recharge.
Key Specifications:
| Temperature range: | Three, 160°C, 190°C, 230°C |
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| Battery life: | 40 minutes |
| Charging time: | Three and a half hours |
How we tested:
To find the very best cordless straighteners, we tested near enough every single notable model on the market – from ghd and Dyson to BaByliss. We charged them fully and tested them on a variety of hair types. While reviewing, we took into consideration the price tag, battery life, styling time, overall ease-of-use, the design and other additional features, such as a travel case or automatic shut off. Of course, we looked at the overall result to see how well the straightener created a smooth, frizz-free finish.
Why trust Cosmopolitan?
- Clare Stephenson is the Senior Beauty Ecommerce Writer at Cosmopolitan UK. She has over three years of experience testing all things hair, be it hair straighteners or curling tongs. With this expert knowledge, she knows exactly what’s important when finding a cordless straightener – from heat performance and battery life to how easy it is to use. She also tested these tools alongside other members of the Cosmo beauty team, so they were analysed on a variety of hair types.
Victoria Jowett is an award-winning journalist and the former Beauty Director at Cosmopolitan UK. She was named one of PPA’s 30 Under 30 for her work in beauty journalism and oversees the skincare, hair, makeup and fragrance content across all of Cosmopolitan’s platforms. She's worked in the beauty industry for over 13 years (and tested 1000s of products), making her an expert when it comes to recommending beauty brands that truly work. Having started her career working weekends on a makeup counter, Victoria began interning at the likes of AnOther and IDOL magazine, before landing her first Beauty Writer job at weekly fashion magazine, LOOK. Joining Cosmopolitan in 2016, Victoria has always remained a beauty fanatic and has been lucky enough to interview everyone from Britney Spears to Kourtney Kardashian about their beauty routines. Follow her on LinkedIn.
Clare Stephenson is the Senior Fashion and Beauty E-commerce Writer for Cosmopolitan, ELLE and Harper’s Bazaar. She has been an e-commerce writer since 2022, creating matter-of-fact reviews and shopping pages filled with her favourite products for every budget and need – whether that’s a glow-giving foundation, a high-tech LED face mask or the perfect wear-with-everything blazer.
Alongside writing, Clare loves to be in front of the camera creating shopping content, putting viral products to the test to see which ones are truly worth the hype. Through her work, she has interviewed leading dermatologists, makeup artists and industry experts to bring readers trusted advice and product recommendations.
Clare has contributed to titles across the Hearst UK portfolio, including Women’s Health, Good Housekeeping, Red and Prima. Prior to joining Hearst, she earned a BA in Multimedia Journalism from Bournemouth University, focusing her studies on magazines and editorial. She later worked as an editorial assistant at Voir Fashion Magazine, covering events including Fashion Week and interviewing notable brand founders.
Outside of work? You can find Clare strolling through London’s Columbia Road Market, pouring her fourth coffee of the day or heading to a Pilates class.
Follow Clare on Instagram @clarefrancesstephenson.
Elena Chabo is Cosmopolitan UK's former beauty writer, working on everything from buzzy celeb news and trending beauty, to sincere first-person reviews and engaging video content for social media. She also creates meatier features and expert-led how-to guides, for print and online. Her passion for Black beauty, textured hair, and the ways beauty interacts with culture, society, identity and relationships, quickly took over her writing career and led her into beauty journalism. Following an MA in Magazine Journalism in 2017, she cut her teeth across various roles at Stylist Magazine, before taking on a Digital Writer role at Good Housekeeping. It was here that beauty took centre stage and she launched and ran the site's first stand-alone beauty section. Remaining at Hearst, she joined the Cosmo beauty team in 2022. Find her on LinkedIn.
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