These Straightening Brushes Are a Lazy Girl's Styling Dream Come True

Claim to Fame: The Infiniti Pro by Conair Diamond-Infused Ceramic Smoothing Hot Brush ($50) has a diamond-infused ceramic base that not only sounds fancy but also protects hair from the sizzle of typical hot tools.

Why It Works: Think of this as your gateway heated paddle brush. It's the most budget-friendly of the bunch, and it will immediately squash any of your preconceived notions that these brushes don't really straighten hair. It has three temperature settings (356 degrees, 375 degrees, and 400 degrees) so you can adjust the heat based on your hair texture to avoid scorching your strands.

There is also an internal iron generator, which works to ensure less static and frizz as you brush. It will take a few passes and some sectioning to get perfectly straight results, but it sure does make it easier, faster, and kinder than pressing your hair between the hot plates of a flatiron.

Claim to Fame: The Revlon Salon One-Step Straight & Shine XL Heated Brush ($60) has an extralong styling surface that helps you smooth and straighten faster than others.

Why It Works: This sleek black brush features a mix of ceramic-coated straightening plates and nylon bristles. The plates are the part that heat up and do all that straightening work. Meanwhile, the nylon bristles gently comb through even the unruliest head of hair, detangling without so much as a tug or snag.

I used it for a quick (and admittedly lazy) touch-up after a walk on the beach. It combed through my knotty, windblown hair with ease, smoothing every last flyaway and achieving close to salon-like results with a frizz-free finish.

Claim to Fame: The InStyler Glossie Precision Press Styling Brush ($80) has a "styling arm," which gently closes over the brush and helps create tension as you comb. This allows you to easily create bends and flips to help style as you smooth.

Why It Works: While the styling arm sounded gimmicky at first read, it actually made a big difference when using the brush and allowed for extra styling like face-framing flips and bends that weren't possible with the other brushes. It also helped me achieve an extrastraight, sleek style since the added tension made for a straighter, more polished result.

It successfully smoothed the tight bends in my hair (which were left after sleeping in a wet braid) with ease. One pass resulted in a soft wave that was almost too pretty to brush away, and a second pass smoothed to a straight, polished finish. Added bonus: the beveled brush edges helped add a bump of volume at the root and ends with just the flick of the wrist.

Claim to Fame: The Dafni Go Hair Straightening Brush ($100) is preset to heat to 365 degrees and programmed to maintain this temperature throughout (similar to GHD's Eclipse flatiron). This makes the product optimal for styling and prevents scorching while you smooth.

Why It Works: While we all love to crank up the heat to high on any hair tool you put in our hands, this hair-loving brush offers some built-in self-control that your hair will thank you for later. If your hair is wavy with loose bends, you'll have no problem straightening in minutes.

But if you're dealing with tighter curls or coarser textures, you'll have to pass over the section a few times in order to work out the kinks. Given the heat constraints, working in smaller sections will help you achieve the best results. It takes a little more patience than the rest, but there's the added feel-good bonus of knowing your unruly curls will be tamed without a sizzle or scorch.

Claim to Fame: The 100 percent titanium ISA Professional Straightening Brush ($119, originally $299) transfers heat faster and more evenly than traditional metal plates.

Why It Works: Yes, it's pricier than the rest, but I must admit, there is a noticeable difference in smooth-ability, which you pick up on after just one brushstroke. The digital temperature control allows you to adjust the heat based on your hair type, and although admittedly I cranked it to the highest possible 450 degrees, I can't say I regret it.

This brush combed through my hair with ease, smoothing every last curl with a single pass. Five minutes later, my slept-on natural messy waves were transformed into soft, silky straightness with salon-worthy shine and unexpected bounce. If you're the forgetful type, the 30-minute auto shut-off is a nice feature too.