Credit:
Reviewed / Jessica Kasparian / Shark
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Here’s the deal: the Dyson Airwrap is undoubtedly an innovative and excellent styling tool. In fact, we crowned it one of the best curling wands when we tested it against other curling irons and wands. But personally, 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’ve been content sticking with my Revlon One-Step for an at-home blowout until the Shark FlexStyle Air Styling & Drying System entered the hair styling arena. This new Shark hair tool diverted my eyes from my go-to One-Step with its sleek Dyson-like design and affordable price tag. Below, we put the Shark FlexStyle to the test and found out if this Dyson dupe is worth it.
What is the Shark FlexStyle?
The Shark Flexstyle includes various attachments.
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 for straight and wavy hair 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 smooth, 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 curly and coily version includes the same curling, oval brush, and concentrator nozzle attachments, as well as a diffuser for maintaining curls while drying the hair.
To build 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.
Straighten, curl, and dry hair with the Shark FlexStyle Air.
What I like about the Shark FlexStyle
The Shark Flexstyle works as a hair dryer and curling wand.
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 a fast-drying hair dryer, a hair straightener, or curlers to curl your strands, this tool has you covered. Sure, you can’t flatten your hair the same way you’d be able to with a straightener or add waves in it like with a hair 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
The Shark Flexstyle makes similar claims to the Dyson Airwrap.
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 while testing 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 the ultra-versatile multi-styler.
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.
Straighten, curl, and dry hair with the Shark FlexStyle Air.
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