The Best Travel Flat Irons (Have Good Hair Days)
Traveling the world is a thrilling experience and sometimes, you really just want to look the part. Beat the rain, sun, humidity, or snow and always look Instagram-ready by keeping your hair styled and tame. If you want to avoid looking like a scraggly tourist on the streets of the destination of your dreams, check out the best travel flat irons.
At A Glance: Our Top Travel Flat Irons
- BEST FOR THINNER HAIR Lovani Mini Hair Flat Iron
- BEST FOR THICKER HAIR Turboion Baby Croc Professional Mini Travel Flat Iron
- BEST OVERALL HSI Professional Ceramic Tourmaline Ionic Flat Iron
Note: Most of the following are dual-voltage travel flat irons, which means they work in any country around the world. If however, you are not traveling outside the USA/Canada then this is not an issue as these countries share the same voltage.
Top Product Overview
 | BEST FOR THINNER HAIR
| SEE ON AMAZON → |
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| SEE ON AMAZON → |
 | BEST FOR THICKER HAIR
| SEE ON AMAZON → |
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| SEE ON AMAZON → |
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| SEE ON AMAZON → |
Top Travel Flat Irons
Lovani Mini Hair Flat Iron
This lightweight mini flat iron is perfect for your travels whenever you need to keep stray strands and curls at bay.
The Lovani Mini Hair Flat Iron has a 1/2-inch tourmaline ceramic plate that protects the hair from heat damage. With a maximum temperature of 356F (180C), this pint-sized tool performs considerably well. It heats up pretty quickly, and cools down just as fast.
However, if you have thick and unruly hair, this may not be hot enough for you.
With a length of just 7.1 inches, it’s very portable and can be stashed in your purse or in your luggage. It also has a unique 3D floating plate design that helps keep it in contact with hair at all times.
It’s a dual-voltage device that can run on either 110-120V or 220-240V.
Pros
- Lightweight and travel-sized
- Heats up and cools down very quickly
- 3D Floating plate for better contact and straighter
Cons
- Made of plastic
- Not ideal for thick hair (temperature may not be high enough)
- No case
Product Information
- Plate Width: 1/2 inch
- Plate Material: Ceramic Tourmaline
- Max. Temp.: 410F (210C)
- Special Features: Dual Voltage, Instant Heat-Up and Quick Recovery
2-in-1 Mini Hair Straightener Travel Flat Iron/Curling Iron
This mini travel iron is a straightener and curler in one, perfect for those who aren’t sure what look to go for.
The 2-in-1 Mini Hair Straightener uses a nano silver and tourmaline 1-inch plate, which is not only safer for hair but also makes it shinier. A switch
It comes with an insulated travel pouch for better keeping and storage. While it’s not advisable to store your iron immediately, you can keep your stuff the same from the heat of the plates in case you’re in such a hurry to pack up.
The iron heats up very quickly to 374F (190C) and cools down quickly as well. It’s a fairly good temperature for different types of hair. Unfortunately, the temperature is fixed at 374F. If you have fine or brittle hair, this heat will be damaging.
At 11 inches long, this hair straightener is still a pretty portable device but bulkier than a lot of travel-sized irons. It’s a dual voltage device that can run on either 110-120V or 220-240V.
Pros
- Straightener and curler in one
- Nano silver plate for shinier hair
- Comes with a travel pouch
Cons
- Fixed temperature
- 11 inches long with 1-inch plate is less portable than other mini irons
Product Information
- Plate Width: 1 inch
- Plate Material: Tourmaline and Nano Silver
- Max. Temp.: 374F (190C)
- Special Features: Dual Voltage, Travel Pouch, Straightener and Curler, Nano Silver Plate
Turboion Baby Croc Professional Mini Travel Flat Iron
This stylish red travel iron is one of the hottest you will find in the market, reaching up to 430F(220C). With digital adjustment and quick heat up and cool down, this is suitable for the most number of hair types.
This dual-voltage hair straightener has ceramic plates that uses negative ion technology. This heats the hair from inside out, keeping the hair from being damaged even at the highest temperature.
It comes with a black travel pouch with straps to keep the cord separate from the plates.
The cord swivels for ease of use, but the body tends to get hot. While this doesn’t mean the productive is defective, it can get quite uncomfortable after a while.
Pros
- High maximum temperature
- Negative ion technology keeps hair from getting damaged
- Comes with travel pouch
- Efficient plates that are not too wide or too narrow
Cons
- Body gets hot
Product Information
- Plate Width: 5/8 inch
- Plate Material: Ceramic, Ionic
- Max. Temp.: 430F (220C)
- Special Features: Dual Voltage, Travel Pouch, Negative Ion Technology
BERTA 0.5 in Mini Hair Straightener
The Berta 0.5 Mini Hair Straightener is only 7 inches long, one of the smallest irons you can find in the market. This makes the device very convenient and portable, and won’t take up too much space in your purse.
Its ceramic tourmaline plate heats up very quickly to 356F(180C). The plate distributes heat evenly to result in even and shiny hair. However, for those with natural curls or thicker strands, the 1/2-inch plates may take a while to get through all of your hair at that temperature.
It has a 1.6-meter power cord so you can move around while fixing your hair. This is also especially useful for hotels or hostels with not many power outlets or mirrors.
Its PTC heater monitors the temperature to restore or lessen heat to the desired styling level.
While this may be the most convenient hair straightener to carry around, it only uses 110-120V.
Pros
- Small but effective
- Long cord
- Good materials
Cons
- Not dual-voltage
- No case
Product Information
- Plate Width: 1/2 inch
- Plate Material: Ceramic Tourmaline
- Max. Temp.: 356F (180C)
- Special Features: Portable, 1.6 M Cord
HSI Professional Ceramic Tourmaline Ionic Flat Iron
The HSI Professional Ceramic Tourmaline Ionic Flat Iron is one of the best travel irons for smooth and frizz-free hair.
The floating ceramic tourmaline plates and infrared heat technology get your hair styled perfectly and smoothly without too much damage. The plates auto-adjusts to your hair thickness and type.
It is also designed with curved edges so you can easily flip or curl your hair. This also prevents your hair from snagging on the sides.
It comes with either a red or white lined pouch, as well as an application glove for keratin products. As a bonus, every purchase has a freebie argan oil you can apply to your hair with the iron.
This dual voltage device can heat up to 410F (210C). While it has some characteristics of a travel iron, this is quite big at 12.6 inches in length.
Pros
- Designed to easily straighten, curl, or flip hair
- Infrared heating is safe for hair
- Comes with case
- High maximum temperature
Cons
- Not as portable with its size
Product Information
- Plate Width: 1 inch
- Plate Material: Ceramic Tourmaline
- Max. Temp.: 410F (210C)
- Special Features: Dual Voltage, Infrared Heating, Travel Pouch
Things to look for
Maximum temperature: The most important feature of a travel flat iron is how hot it can or can’t get. The ideal temperature depends largely on your hair type. Make sure the iron you choose gets hot enough for the style that you want, or not too hot that it will ruin your strands.
Plate material: Gone are the days of those dangerous metallic plates, but it won’t hurt to double-check. The plate material also dictates the kind of heating technology the iron uses.
Ceramic plates are considered safe for the hair. Most of the newer irons also use infrared or negative ion heating coming from these plates.
Size: Obviously, if you’re looking for a travel iron, you’re looking for something small. However, if you don’t plan to lug your iron around in your purse, you may also want to consider the slightly bigger irons.
These are usually equipped with more features. Size also matters with the width of the plate. The more narrow the plate, the longer it will take for you to style thick and unruly hair.
Dual-voltage: 4 out of 5 of these travel irons have dual voltage, but it’s something to think about. Having it means that your flat iron will work both at home and abroad, no matter where you go.
Why? Because many countries have higher/lower voltage than at home and this means either – your flat iron won’t work (get warm at all) OR it will potentially be dangerous because the voltage is too high!
Which One Should You Buy?
Before you head out and buy iron from this list, it’s important for you to know your hair first. The kind of iron that will work best for you depends on how strong or brittle, thick or thin, curly or wavy your hair is.
Overall, the HSI Professional Ceramic Tourmaline Ionic Flat Iron will perform best on most types of hair. It’s not as small and portable as the other options, but it goes up to high temperatures and cools down to decent temperatures.
The floating plates also matter a lot, especially for people with thicker and courser hair. Since the plates adjust to your hair type, the styling becomes more efficient without you having to press on the plates too much.
- Floating plates: auto adjusts to your hair thickness and type
- 100 percent true ceramic tourmaline plates and advanced infrared heat technology
If you have thinner hair, go for the
- Small Flat Iron perfect for short hair and men's hairstyles, touch-ups and the bangs, curling the ends and beating the top frizzes into submission, section with bobs and pixie cut hair
- Dual Voltage Straightener for Worldwide Use（110-240v）: Mini size and portable the ideal travel companion to straighten and style your hair, Small enough to fit in your purse or bag
For those with thicker strands,
- COMPACT DESIGN – The Baby CROC flat iron is compact and is perfect for travel or small spaces, this baby flat iron goes where you go!
- PERFECT YOUR LOOK AND EXPERIENCE – The salon-grade CROC Baby Flat Iron hair straightener provides stylists with power, control, and speed in a travel friendly size. It will effectively straighten all hair types (including natural, silky and smooth hair) and is perfect for styling short hair, beards, bangs, taming flyaway and flat iron curls.
RELATED: Read this detailed guide on how to bring a hair straightener on a plane.
