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IF YOU don’t have a beard, you might wonder why someone would need a beard straightener—and have probably never heard of them in the first place. But if you do have a beard, then you know firsthand why beard straighteners exist. Beards, especially as they get longer, can become wiry, frizzy, fuzzy and unruly. Facial hair typically has a coarse, curlier texture—even when you have straight hair on top of your head—which means that a beard can start to look messy (and fast). Products like
beard oils and beard balms are great, but can only take you so far. That’s where a beard straightener comes in.
Best Overall Beard Straightener
KUSCHELBÄR Pro Cordless Beard Straightener
$70 at Amazon
$70 at Amazon
Read more
Best Beard Straightener For Short Beards
Aberlite Pocket Compact Beard Straightener
$50 at Amazon$50 at AmazonRead more
Best Beard Straightening Brush
Arkam Deluxe Beard Straightener
$33 at Amazon$33 at AmazonRead more
Best Electric Beard Straightener
Cayzor Beard Straightener Comb For Men
$36 at Amazon$36 at AmazonRead more
Best Budget Beard Straightener
Tame The Wild Easy Glide Beard Straightener Essentials Kit
$40 at Amazon$40 at AmazonRead more
Best Wide Beard Straightener
Wild Willies Beard Straightener Brush For Men
$28 at Amazon$28 at AmazonRead more
Best Beard Straightener For Travel
Vikicon Beard Straightener
$50 at Amazon$50 at AmazonRead more
Best Beard Straightener For Coarse Hair
Tame The Wild Ionic Beard Straightening Brush
$30 at Amazon$30 at AmazonRead more
Think of these handy machines as a cross between a beard brush and a hot iron. Straighteners come in a variety of styles but usually look like a hair brush that you plug into a socket. The plate below the bristles heats up and gently straightens out your facial hair as you brush through it. If you’ve ever seen a flat iron, you get the idea. But beard straighteners have a couple of important differences from flat irons. First, they are single-sided, which allows you greater control over short beards. Second, they have bristles like a brush, allowing you to detangle facial hair while straightening it. Finally, beard straighteners are way safer to use close to your face. The bristles offer protection against getting the heat plate too close to the skin on your cheek and jawline, avoiding the possibility of burns.
No matter the reason for straightening your beard, the most important thing to know before you do is that the right tool is essential. These are the best beard straighteners for every man, no matter what type of beard you have.
Best Beard Products | Best Hair Dryers | Best Beard Shampoos | Best Body Groomers | Best Back Shavers
Best Overall Beard Straightener
KUSCHELBÄR Pro Cordless Beard Straightener
Best Overall Beard Straightener
KUSCHELBÄR Pro Cordless Beard Straightener
$70 at Amazon
Pros
Easy-to-hold design Cordless and portable Extra wide brush
Cons
Only three heat settings
It’s hard to find a more user-friendly beard straightener than this one. The easy to use, ergonomic design is easy to maneuver and the hard bristles are spaced well so they easily glide through thick, coarse whiskers. The cordless design means you’re not chained to one place while you straighten and while it doesn’t have as many heat settings as some other models, you don’t really need them.
Aberlite Pocket Compact Beard Straightener
Best Beard Straightener For Short Beards
Aberlite Pocket Compact Beard Straightener
$50 at Amazon
Pros
Small size Multiple heat settings Brush-like bristles
Cons
Small size makes it harder to use on long beards
The compact design and densely-packed brushlike bristles of this straightener make it great for all beard styles, but especially shorter beards. There are five heat settings depending on how coarse your beard is and how straight you want it, and the anti-static coating helps it glide through with minimal tugging.
Read more: Best Beard Trimmers for Men
Arkam Deluxe Beard Straightener
Best Beard Straightening Brush
Arkam Deluxe Beard Straightener
$33 at Amazon$40 at Walmart
Pros
Stiff bristles detangle even coarse hair Stiff bristles gived added protection against high heat
Cons
High heat setting can be too hot for some beards
Some dudes prefer beard brushes and some prefer combs—and this straightener combines the best of both into one handy contraption. The bristles of this straightener are hard like a comb but plentiful like a brush to allow complete detangling for even the coarsest beards. They also provide protection against scalding even when it’s turned up to the highest heat setting.
Read more: Best Beard Combs
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Cayzor Beard Straightener Comb For Men
Best Electric Beard Straightener
Cayzor Beard Straightener Comb For Men
Now 10% Off$36 at Amazon
Pros
Easy-to-use design Multiple heat settings Hard bristles are easy to comb through longer beards
Cons
Can be tricky to find the right heat setting for your beard
This straightener is billed as a 2-in-1 comb/straightener combo which, truthfully, all of them are because you could just not turn it on. But you should turn it on because that’s where it shines. Multiple heat settings, an easy-to-read LED screen that tells you exactly how hot it is, and a sleek, ergonomic design make it a cinch to use.
Read more: Best Electric Razors for Men
Tame The Wild Easy Glide Beard Straightener Essentials Kit
Best Budget Beard Straightener
Tame The Wild Easy Glide Beard Straightener Essentials Kit
$40 at Amazon
Pros
Kit comes with styling products Easy-to-use design Works on both long and short beards
Cons
May not be powerful enough for very coarse beards
This effective beard straightener has all the bells and whistles you want—a ceramic heating plate and bristles, scald protection, multiple heat settings—but what makes it the best value is all the extras you get with it. The set comes with a comb, beard soap, balm, and a heat-protecting spray—aka everything you need for a complete beard care routine.
Read more: Best Beard Grooming Kit
Wild Willies Beard Straightener Brush For Men
Best Wide Beard Straightener
Wild Willies Beard Straightener Brush For Men
Now 21% Off$28 at Amazon
Pros
Wide design is ideal for long beards Budget friendly Hard bristles
Cons
Hard to maneuver on shorter beards
Slim straighteners are ideal for short or medium-length beards, but use one on a longer beard and your straightening time gets way longer. This one is wide—like twice as wide as your typical straightener—which drastically reduces grooming time on long beards. Plus, it has a whopping 12 heat settings, so finding the ideal level for your exact hair texture is easy.
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Vikicon Beard Straightener
Best Beard Straightener For Travel
Vikicon Beard Straightener
$50 at Amazon
Pros
Cordless for easy travel Small, easy to pack size Multiple heat settings
Cons
Only about 30 mins of battery life per charge
What’s the use of having a beard straightener if you can’t use it everywhere you go? This one has literally cut the cord to make popping it into your bag or suitcase easy as pie. Charge it up with your USB cord and take the multiple heat levels, anti-static coated bristles, and quick heating on the road with you.
Tame The Wild Ionic Beard Straightening Brush
Best Beard Straightener For Coarse Hair
Tame The Wild Ionic Beard Straightening Brush
Now 17% Off$30 at Amazon
Pros
Hard bristles are good for coarse hair High heat setting Large size good for long beards
Cons
High heat may not be good for shorter beards
Not only does this straightener get up to a whopping 450 degrees to better straighten thick, coarse, and extra-curly facial hair, but it combines ceramic and ion technology to smooth hair faster and keep it straight longer.
What to look for in a Beard Straightener
Not all beard straighteners are created equal. That’s why we reached out to KJ Hughes, owner of Washington D.C.-based barbershop Manifest, on what specs to look for.
Cordless vs. corded
Shaping a beard’s nook and crannies requires a straightener that’s easy to maneuver, which is why Hughes always opts for cordless options. “You need the flexibility to get those hard-to-reach angles to get the look you desire.”
Heat
To really straighten your beard, you need a straightener that’s packing heat. “Be sure it has the heat settings you desire,” he says (the ideal temp for heat on hair is 385 degrees Fahrenheit). “The thicker the beard, the higher the heat needed.” If the temperature is too low, you’ll spend more passes trying to straighten your beard.”
Strong bristles
Beards can be tough to handle, especially for courser hair types. That’s why you need bristles that are sturdy. “Beard hair can be thicker especially as it grows longer,” Hughes says. “This applies to all types of hair.”
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Why Use a Beard Straightener
Using a beard straightener on your beard certainly isn’t required, but it can do some things no other product can, like soften facial hair to make it less itchy and easier to apply beard balms and beard oils—and require less of them to get the same effect. Straightening unruly beard hair can also make your scruff look sleeker and keep its shape longer, which is great news for guys who grew beards to create a more defined jawline. A sleeker beard can also visually slim your face—if a wiry, fuzzy beard makes your face look wider, then a straighter beard does the opposite. Finally, it can make trimming flyaways and maintaining the lines of your beard easier.
How to Clean a Beard Straightener
If you use your straightener consistently, it’s best to clean it every day few days to keep it in tip top shape. Hughes recommends to clean it over a towel, or even outside. “Think of it as cleaning rugs,” he says. “Your beard traps debris and oils, so when you straight it, that will catch and build up.”
First, inspect your straightener by hand to remove all visibly debris and loose hairs. Then, use unscented Lysol wipes that are dipped in a bit of Barbasol shaving cream to hand wipe its bristles. Afterwards, air dry for an hour.
How to Use a Beard Straightener
Plug in the beard straightener and let it heat up (usually for about 3-5 minutes). This is a good time to hop on the shower, since you should always use the straightener on clean whiskers. Wash your beard and then let it fully dry. Once it’s dry, you can apply a heat protectant spray or a beard product for protection against the heat (just don’t a balm or anything too thick), but that step is optional. Run the heated straightener slowly through your beard like a brush, starting at the top (your face) and continuing down the full length of your beard. Once you’ve covered the whole beard, apply a balm or cream to defrizz and keep it in place.
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Why Trust us?
For the past two years, we consulted with Men’s Health‘s Grooming editors and writers on the best performing beard straighteners for men. Experts, including our Grooming Editor Garrett Munce, put over a dozen beard straighteners to the test and evaluated their effectiveness, durability, price point, and ease-of-use. We also considered top-reviewed beard straighteners that had over 100 five-star ratings on e-commerce websites we trust. The final list above represents our honest picks of the 8 best beard trimmers worth buying in 2023.
In addition to testing and vetting all of our picks, Deputy Commerce editor Christian Gollayan reached out to grooming experts and MH’s board of advisors, including KJ Hughes, to ensure accuracy for our buying guides. Gollayan owns