Shark FlexStyle review

Here’s the deal: I think theDyson Airwrapis an innovative and excellent styling tool. In fact, I crowned it one of thebest curling wands我在测试时对其他烫发铁钳,wands. Still, I don’t think I could ever get myself to spend $600 on a hair styling tool, regardless of how buzzed-about and beloved it is by seemingly everyone. I’ll stick with myRevlon One-Stepfor an at-home blowout.

But one tool actually took my attention away from my go-to One-Step, thanks to its Dyson-like kit and mechanism: theShark FlexStyle Air Styling & Drying System.

What is the Shark FlexStyle?

The Shark FlexStyle Air Styling & Drying System is a multi-attachment hair tool that, like the Dyson Airwrap, uses Coanda Technology—a term that, in this case, refers to the way hair suctions and molds to the tool’s attachments using pressure and airflow. Also like Dyson, Shark claims that the tool prevents heat damage through this method of styling. The Shark Flexstyle is available in $300 “straight and wavy hair” and “curly and coily hair” versions as well as a $250 “build your own tool” kit to cater to your hair type.

For attachments, the one forstraight and wavyhair includes two 1.25-inch Auto-Wrap Curlers that allow you to curl your hair in both directions (away or toward the face), an oval brush attachment that claims to de-frizz and add volume, a paddle brush attachment that aims to straighten and smooth the hair, and a concentrator nozzle for better aim and control while drying. The花,娇滴滴地version includes the same curling, oval brush, and concentrator nozzle attachments, as well as a diffuser for maintaining curls while drying the hair.

Tobuild your own kit, you’d choose the three attachments you’d use most often from either of the kits. All versions of the kits have the same base tool, which also acts as a hair dryer when snapped into an L-shaped position without any attachments.

FlexStyle is available atShark’s website,Amazon, andBest Buy.

$300 at Shark

What I like about the Shark FlexStyle

The tool works as a normal hair dryer

The FlexStyle can transform into an L-shaped hair dryer at the click of a button—no attachment necessary. I didn’t expect to care about this feature, but I used it every time I tested the tool. Before using the round brush attachment to smooth my strands, I used the dryer to zap some of the water from my hair, particularly at the roots, as I wanted to make sure the hair nearest to my scalp was completely dry before styling it fully—otherwise my roots will dry wavy.

Once my hair was about 60% dry all over, I added the round brush attachment and combed through my hair to straighten it before switching to the Auto-Wrap Curlers. Using the dryer as my first step helped speed the entire styling process up—using a hair dryer brush on sopping hair usually takes me much longer than if I haphazardly dry it first.

It comes with all the attachments you need for a blowout

Whether you want to quickly dry your hair to get out the door, straighten it with the brush attachments, or curl it with the wands, this tool has you covered. Sure, you can’t flatten your hair the same way you’d be able to with a矫直机or add waves in it like with ahair waver, but you can control how smooth you want your strands and how tight you want your curls with how much time you spend going over the same section of hair with the brush or holding the hair against the curling wand, respectively.

On my medium-textured, wavy-curly hair, I was able to get my hair semi-straight with a few passes of the round brush on large sections of hair as well as create tight spirals by holding the hair on the barrel for about 30 seconds on the medium airflow and heat settings. I’m not a fan of ringlets on me, but I wanted to make sure the curls were solidified so I could then use my fingers to comb through my strands to achieve more tousled, loose curls. The result was a bouncy, voluminous blowout that lasted all day long.

The settings are intuitive

Despite looking like a fancy tool, the FlexStyle isn’t difficult to work with when it comes to its settings. The temperature and airflow settings are each controlled with their own button located on the handle of the tool, and both buttons correspond with a series of three lights above them to indicate which setting—low, medium, and high—they’re on.

If you want to use the cool shot button to set your style with cooler air, you hold down a button located toward the top of the handle until your curl is ready. To turn the tool off and on, there’s a switch you can toggle beneath the temperature and speed settings. Throughout the styling process, I got comfortable maneuvering all of the settings without even looking down at the handle.

What I dislike about the Shark FlexStyle

There’s a learning curve with the curling attachments

While the tool’s settings are intuitive, the curling attachments are not, unless you’ve used the Dyson Airwrap plenty of times before this tool. I’ve used Dyson’s tool only a handful of times whiletesting it for Reviewed, so I knew what to expect. Once the tool is turned on, all you have to do is take a small section of hair and dangle the end near the curling wand and air will suction your strands around the barrel. Once the ends are securely attached, you can glide the tool closer toward your scalp and the top half of your hair will wrap around the barrel, too.

After a few curls, I learned to make the sections of hair smaller than I thought they’d need to be in order for all of my long hair to fit around the barrel. Still, it took practice to get a great curl in one swoop.

Is the Shark FlexStyle worth it?

Yes, if you want multiple tools in one

For a hair dryer, hair dryer brush, and curling wand in one, I think the $300 Shark FlexStyle is absolutely worth it, especially compared to the Dyson Airwrap that retails for $600 and provides the same results, at least in my opinion. If you’ve been dying to get your hands on the Airwrap—which is often sold out, even if the price doesn’t deter you—this is an excellent alternative.

$300 at Shark