The best hair straightener on Amazon.in

The reasoning

The listing gives a temperature wheel running from 150 to 230°C, and Remington's UK page says that wheel has 30 settings. That matters more than the top number. Remington's own booklet suggests 150 to 170°C for thin, fine, damaged or bleached hair and 200 to 230°C for thick and difficult-to-style hair, cautioning that the hottest settings should only be used by experienced stylers, so being able to turn it down is worth more than a high ceiling. The plates are ceramic and floating, 110mm long on Remington's page, and both the listing and the page say it is ready in 15 seconds.

What decided it over our two alternatives is the automatic shut-off and the length of the guarantee. The listing and Remington's booklet both say it switches itself off after 60 minutes. Neither the Havells HS4222 nor the Philips BHS393/40 mentions a shut-off on its listing or on its brand page. The listing also states a 3 years guarantee, where Havells and Philips each give 2 years. The Remington listing names no importer or Indian service centre, while the Havells and Philips listings both name an Indian importer, so how you would claim on Remington's longer guarantee in India isn't clear from what we read.

It comes with a heat-proof pouch and has a plate lock and a swivel cord; the listing and Remington's UK page both list the lock, and the booklet lists a hinge lock, swivel cord and heat-resistant pouch. The S3500 listing we link gives 272 g and a second S3500 listing gives 336 g, against 367 g for the Havells and 330 g for the Philips. Remington's page doesn't give a weight.

Ikonic's Glam came closest on shut-off: Ikonic's page lists a rotating temperature control up to 230°C and the same 60-minute auto shut-off. Its Amazon.in listing gives no warranty term, though, and Ikonic's page gives 1 year from the date of purchase.

The reasoning

The plates are the reason to look at this one. Both the listing and Havells' page give them as 40 mm x 100 mm, keratin-infused and floating, twice the width of the Philips BHS393/40's 20x90mm plates. Remington's page gives only a plate length for the S3500, 110mm, and calls it a slim straightener.

Heat runs over the same range as the Remington, 150 to 230°C, but in 5 settings shown on a digital display rather than a wheel. Havells' page lists 100 V - 240 V, and the listing's title calls it worldwide voltage. There's a plate lock and a swivel cord with a hanging loop.

It lost to the Remington on the shut-off and the guarantee: neither the listing nor Havells' page mentions an automatic shut-off, and the guarantee is 2 years against Remington's 3. Neither gives a heat-up time either.

The reasoning

Philips' page gives exactly two settings, 190°C and 210°C. It describes the lower one for last-minute touch-ups and gentle styling and the higher one for long-lasting results. That's a narrower range than the Remington's or the Havells', with a top setting of 210°C rather than 230°C.

The plates are ceramic infused with titanium, 20x90mm on both the listing and Philips' page, and it's ready in 60 seconds by both. Philips' page also lists a plate lock, a storage hook, a 1.6 m swivel cord and universal voltage from 110-240 volts.

It stands behind the Remington because neither the listing nor Philips' page mentions an automatic shut-off, and Philips gives a 2-year worldwide warranty against Remington's 3 years. Its heat-up time is also 60 seconds to the Remington's 15.

Philips' own NourishCare BHS526 is the near-twin: Philips' page gives it the same 190°C - 210°C settings, the same 60-second heat-up and a 2-year worldwide guarantee, with wider plates at 29x90mm. We kept the BHS393/40 because the BHS526 is built around serum strips in detachable brackets, and Philips says each set of strips is good for one styling session and should be replaced every time you style. The box has 2 pairs. Philips' BHS393/40 page lists no strips or other parts to replace, and its listing gives 330 g to the BHS526's 400 g.