mdlondon STRAIT hair straightener review: precise styling and perfect curls

mdlondon Strait review: two-minute review

In the increasingly competitive flat iron market, the mdlondon Strait hair straightener stands out for not only its design, but its performance and versatility. It holds its own against the rest of the best hair straighteners on the market right now. Firstly, it's one of the thinnest, longest straighteners I've used. This not only makes styling faster, because you can pass the plates over larger sections at once, but it allows you to get closer to your roots. Yet despite this extra length, it's surprisingly easy to maneuver around your head, especially when creating curls or styling bangs. 

Beside this unique design feature, one of the Strait's other strengths is its wide range of temperatures – from 265F / 130C to 445F / 230C. This makes it suitable, and versatile, for all hair types and needs. I could easily style my fine hair on lower temperatures, with minimal heat damage, while those with thicker or coarser hair will welcome the higher temperature options.  

The plates are made of tourmaline ceramic-coated aluminium, which contain nano silver to help keep the plates bacteria-free. The ceramic coating is designed to help manage and maintain the heat levels. 

These plates don't glide through the hair as smoothly as the GHD Chronos – which remains the smoothest flat iron I've tried to date (read learn more in my GHD Chronos review) – but they still do a decent job of creating straight, shiny styles with minimal friction. They also come into their own during curling. The thin design allows you to wrap larger sections of hair around the plates easily, creating defined curls and waves quickly and effortlessly. It's almost like using a longer curling wand, but with the straightening versatility included.

There are a couple of drawbacks. The styler takes 55 seconds to reach its default 355F / 180C temperature, which is more than twice as long as it takes with rival stylers from GHD and T3. The Strait also doesn't remember your previous temperature setting, so you have to manually adjust it each time. 

To get the best results I found myself having to apply much more pressure than I'm used to when clamping the iron onto the hair, and this can cause your hand to ache after a while. There were also times when my hair got trapped in the spring hinge. Plus, I'd welcome some audible cues to signal when the styler had reached the required temperature. 

Yet all of these are minor gripes. Overall, the mdlondon Strait offers great value and versatility for its price. It's clear that mdlondon's founder, celebrity hairstylist Michael Douglas, has thought very carefully and considerately about the design and features of the Strait. Read on for my full review... 

mdlondon Strait review: price & availability

• List price: £109
• Available in UK and ROI only 

The Strait flat iron costs £109 and is available in the UK and ROI in three colors – blue, green and blush. For that price you get the styler and a heat mat that doubles as a heat wrap for when you want to safely store the straighteners after use. 

This makes the mdlondon Strait a high- to mid-range styler. It's significantly cheaper than the £400 Dyson Corrale and £290 GHD Chronos, yet twice the price of bestsellers from the likes of Remington, Hot Tools and L'Ange. 

The most like-for-like rival for the Strait, in terms of design and features, is the £127 BaBylissPRO Nano Titanium straightener (view at BaByliss). It lacks the digital display of the Strait but has the same sleek and super-thin design, narrow 1-inch plates and wide range of customisable temperature settings. 

You can buy the mdlondon Strait in the UK and ROI directly from the mdlondon website. It's also sold in Harvey Nichols, Selfridges, Currys and Amazon in the UK. 

• Value score: 4 out of 5

mdlondon Strait review: design

• 1" ceramic-coated aluminium plates 
• 11 temperatures settings, digital display 
• Super-slim design to get closer to your roots

Almost every hair tool describes itself as sleek, slim and lightweight, but not all truly live up to these claims. Largely because what is considered light or thin for one user might feel bulky and heavy to another. It's relative. 

In the case of the mdlondon Strait, however, there will be few people who wouldn't be instantly impressed or surprised by just how slim and sleek it is. The mdlondon Strait is noticeably longer than many other straighteners I've tried. The styler measures 11.5 x 1.25 x 1in / 29.2 x 3.2 x 2.5cm (L x W x D) and weighs 0.5lb / 215g, while the plates themselves are 4.3in / 11cm long, and 1in / 2.5cm wide. 

To put this into perspective, the Chronos measures 11.8 x 4.6 x 2.8in / 30 x 11.6 x 7 cm (L x W x D) and weighs 1.7lb / 770g.

I was initially concerned that the added length would cause my wrist to ache during use but, thankfully, the styler is well balanced and the weight is evenly distributed. No mean feat for such a skinny flat iron packed full of tech. I reviewed the green model which has bronze accents, on the plates and around the mdlondon logo. The writing, and buttons are a pale caramel color. 

The Strait's shape is more blocky and rectangular than the curved stylers I've become used to. This isn't an observation rather than a criticism – I think it suits the slightly industrial vibe found across mdlondon's range.

The black digital display sits on top of the Strait and the temperature readings are shown in green. The power button and temperature controls are built into the side, sitting just below the edge of the styler. By tucking these buttons out of the way, it's near-impossible to accidentally change the temperature mid-style, which I appreciated.

At the plate-end of the Strait is a pair of cool-touch grips, and along each side are small grooves that help grip the hair during curling. The styler then has a 360-degree, 3m / 9.8ft cord and a spring hinge. 

Features-wise, the mdlondon Strait is powered by "professional MCH heating with ultra-fast heat recovery". The majority of flat irons use either MCH (metal ceramic heating) or PTC (positive temperature coefficient) elements to heat the plates. PTC was the preferred route for decades but MCH has been growing in popularity in recent years because it heats up quicker, and keeps the heat uniform and consistent. This promises faster styling times, fewer passes, reduced damage, and greater energy efficiency.

There is a slight confusion over what the plates are made of. The mdlondon website describes them as ceramic-coated aluminium. The user manual that was shipped with the styler describes them as "floating Korean nano silver and tourmaline-coated" plates. I clarified with the brand and it's a mix of the two. The plates are tourmaline ceramic-coated aluminium with Korean nano silver, which is added to bring an antibacterial quality and help keep the plates bacteria-free.

There are 11 temperatures to choose from on the Strait ranging from 265F / 130C up to 445F / 230C. The Strait will then automatically switch off after 30 minutes if it's not being used.

• Design score: 4.5 out of 5

mdlondon Strait hair straightener review: performance

• One pass is enough to smooth hair
• Longer plates allow for faster styling
• Excellent straightener for curling
• Slow heat-up time

When you first switch on the Strait, the temperature defaults to 355F / 180C. You can see the temperature as it rises on the digital display and it takes around 55 seconds to reach this default. This is on the long side (the high-end GHD range takes just 20 seconds to reach temperature, for example). I'd also welcome an audible cue to tell me when the styler is ready, rather than having to keep an eye on the display, but this is a minor gripe. 

Once the Strait has reached 355F / 180C you have the choice to use the styler at that temperature, or increase/decrease the heat to better suit your hair type, thickness and styling needs. Annoyingly, the styler doesn't remember your preferred setting so you have to manually adjust it each time. 

Unlike many brands, mdlondon doesn't make any explicit claims about its performance. I guess because it believes the styler will do the talking – and for the most part it does.

I have fine, naturally wavy hair that gets frizzy easily. I usually use a flat iron to knock out this frizz, but don't like to create super sleek, straight styles as they tend to leave my thin hair looking limp, flat and greasy. I had expected this to be the case with the mdlondon Strait but I was surprised at not only how much movement my hair had after straightening, but how much precise control I had over the process, thanks to its thinner design. 

It took just two minutes to straighten my long hair and I styled the majority of sections with a single pass on my preferred temperature of 375F / 190C. If I reduced the temperature, my hair took longer to style and didn't hold as well. If I increased the temperature, my hair was straightened almost into submission and the issues I've previously had with it looking flat and limp returned. Not to mention the unseen damage I was doing to it.

If you have thicker or longer hair, or your hair has been damaged from chemicals or over styling, you'll likely get much more use and benefit from this wide temperature range. I've never been overly fussed about having a range of temperatures choices as my fine hair is pretty malleable. However, I did find myself dropping the temperature when styling the front, often fragile, sections of my hair and this soon became a welcome bonus.

My biggest complaint is the amount of pressure I felt was needed in order to get the best results. When you gently close the Strait only the tip of the floating plates touch. In order to connect the plates fully, you need to apply pressure. Much more pressure than I'm used to. The amount of pressure applied seemed to directly correlate to how well, and fast, the Strait worked, and as a result it left my hand aching slightly.

That said, the Strait glides through the hair well. It's not the smoothest flat iron I've tried – that title goes to the GHD Chronos – but it still does a good job. It also definitely reduced frizz levels, and gave my hair a subtle shine. Sadly, this didn't last long – as soon as I stepped outside, the frizz returned and my natural wave took over. This is as much a fault with my hair as it is the Strait, but it's worth noting. 

Curling my hair using the Strait was where the styler's longer, thinner design really came into its own. It usually takes me around nine to 10 minutes to curl my hair with straighteners. With the Strait, this dropped to just five. What's more, I could start my curls and waves higher up my head, thanks to its slimmer form. 

I was able to curl larger sections faster, and more effectively because the Strait works like a longer curling wand, than a straightener. I could wrap a whole section around the longer plates with ease. What's more, the outer casing of the styler remains relatively cool to the touch, even on the highest temperature. This, coupled with the cool tip grips and grooves along the edges make the Strait a highly enjoyable, safe and quick way to get waves and curls. 

I had worried that the Strait's rectangular design would test poorly compared to the curvy shapes of other straighteners I've used for curling, but the opposite was true. The curls looked great, akin to the type of curl you get with oval wands that are growing in popularity. 

Again, frizz was reduced, my curls were well defined and smooth, and this style held for much longer. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised by how well the curls set, and held. Even when I stepped out into the humidity. My one complaint is that my hair occasionally got trapped in the spring hinge, but this didn't happen enough for it to be a significant problem.

• Performance score: 4.5 out of 5

Should I buy the mdlondon Strait?

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First reviewed: April 2024