You may or may not heard of Shark – they are from the same group as Ninja, the kitchen appliances – they are known for bringing us “Dyson dupes” – their vacuums and hair devices are similar in technology and more affordable. After deciding to retire my Revlon One Step Dryer and starting to use the Dyson Airstrait, I kinda missed the styled blow out that Revlon would provide, so I started to put my eyes on Shark devices – and that’s when I finally purchased a Shark FlexStyle. If you have questions about it and wanna know more about it, I will share all my impressions and thoughts on this post!
To keep in mind: this post contains affiliate links – it costs you nothing more to buy for them and you support my work!
What’s Shark FlexStyle?
Shark FlexStyle is an Air Styling & Drying System that curls, dries, straightens and smooths hair and it is often compared to Dyson AirWrap – but it’s a more affordable version. Both of them come with different attachments to style your hair. But besides the prices, there is a difference between both of them and it’s the personalization. While Dyson AirWrap comes with 5 or 6 attachments and you can only choose the kit based on the type of your hair, with Shark FlexStyle you can build your own, choosing any three attachments or buying the entire bundle. I personally like that, cause what happens with this sets is that you get a lot of attachments and sometimes you barely use all of them.
I had the chance to try the Dyson AirWrap and I didn’t like it because the round brush was too small – I wanted a bigger one and if you’ve seen the Revlon one you know what I’m talking about it. For my hair, particularly, I think the results are better. I was checking the Dyson’s website and it looks like they have a Dyson Airwrap kit featuring a bigger round brush – but it’s a kit for longer hair, which is not my case, so I’m not sure that would suit me. So that’s another reason why I decided to purchase Shark FlexStyle: it features a round brush the exact size I was looking for. I would be even happier if they offered the option to purchase only one attachment cause I was not interested in the other ones – but that was until I tried them, lol, I will share more about that in a bit.
Shark FlexStyle Features
My Shark FlexStyle includes:
- 2 Auto-Wrap Curlers – you can use these attachments to wrap and curl – each curler curls in different direction.
- 1 Oval Brush – this one smooths, defrizzes, and adds volume & bounce, while delivering powerful airflow.
- 1 Paddle Brush – this one employs powerful airflow, straightening & smoothing your hair, all at once.
- 1 Styling Concentrator – you can attach this to the rotatable nozzle when in hair dryer mode.
- Temperature control and speed control – Three temperature plus a cool shot: high heat 203 ºF, medium heat, 167 ºF, low heat 131 ºF + three airflow speed settings.
That translates into:
- Curl, volumize, smooth and dry – Shark FlexStyle is a powerful hair dryer that can be transformed it into a versatile multi-styler. You can change the attachments and explore styles for any hair type.
- No heat damage – this is also another claim from Dyson and, after I learned this, I’m not going back to devices that overheat. Shark FlexStyle gives you fast drying while maintaining low heat. It uses a technology that measures and regulates temperature 1,000x per second to ensure consistent air temperature. So, rather than getting hotter as it runs, the device minimizes heat exposure and regulates temperatures. And this is such a great feature for anyone that uses heat tools on a regular basis!
- Compact and lightweight – just over 1.5lbs
Please notice that Shark offers other attachments – it all depends on your hair needs!
No heat damage?
As I mentioned on my Dyson Airstrait review, I had never gotten the “not heat damage claim”t. At the end of the day, it’s a hair tool, so, of course, there’s damage. But, after digging, I found out that when you go above 375°F, that’s when a hot tool becomes damaging to the hair. And, as it happens with Dyson hair devices, Shark hair devices also don’t get that hot. In fact, Shark FlexStyle high heat is 203 ºF.
How to use Shark FlexStyle
First of all, it will all depends on the style you want. But it all starts with not using a heat tool when your hair is super wet. I like to do is use a microfiber towel to remove the excess of water – I leave it for at least 20 minutes.
As I tend to use Shark FlexStyle when I’m aiming for more volume, my favorite product to apply before is DryBar Big Brew Instant Thickening. I also like Keune Lumi Coat and ColorWow Dream Coat.
First, you can use the Styling concentrator to help to dry your hair a little, if it’s necessary. If not, you can choose the attachment you want to use it – let’s start with the oval brush. I like to section my hair to start styling – I divide it in two sides and then into two sections, top and bottom. And then I use the brush in each section, from the roots to the ends, blowdry style. The result is a salon blow dry finish in few minutes and very quickly. And because the temperature is not that high, I also notice that my ends don’t get that dry/dull look.
Of course, you can also use other attachments to finish styling – the auto-wrap curlers are amazing for that. I never cared a lot about it – cause I have a curling iron and I know how to use it, but these babies are another thing. You can hold the middle of a 1/2-inch-to-1-inch section of hair and let the ends dangle. Bring the barrel behind the dangling ends and this is the most amazing part: the ends will automatically wrap around the barrel – no need to manually wrap. Seriously, it’s insane! There are different ways to use it to get different results – I particularly like to use to finish the blowdry and give it more volume with subtle waves and IT IS SO FAST and EASY to use (of course, I also don’t have a lot of hair). Each auto-wrap curler will release the air in different direction, so there’s one for the right side and another one for the left side. You can also style your damp hair with the auto-wraps, but I haven’t tested yet.
I also love the fact that Shark FlexStyle comes with the Styling Concentrator so the wand transforms into a proper hair dryer – that is very lightweight and compact to carry!
The only attachment I haven’t tested yet is the Paddle Brush – it gives a smooth, sleek style – and you can place the brush close to the roots to engage the detangling bristles. And then you can down your hair, making sure to engage the smoothing bristles, and then gently grip the hair.
FYI: Shark provides a styling guide with quick tips on how to use each attachment, including the recommended temperature and speed. You can check it here.
Final result with the oval brush + auto curler
My final thoughts – Is Shark FlexStyle worth it?
The possibilities with Shark FlexStyle are endless – but that can turn into an expensive hair tool if you don’t use it that much. I justify the investment to myself by the fact that 1. I have to dry my hair every time I wash my hair, which happens every other day if not every day. 2. Because I expose my hair to heat, I would rather invest in a tool that will not damage my hair. 3. I don’t spend money at hair salons unless it’s for a hair cut or for highlights.
The truth is: if you are gonna use it often, it’s probably gonna be worth the investment!
Honestly, at the beginning, the only reason why I wanted this product was the possibility to have a brush that would provide me the salon blow dry finish, like the one I could achieve with Revlon – cause Dyson Airstrait doesn’t have that effect. But after trying the auto-wraps and how easy it is to use I’m sold! I can add that glamorous salon effect with no effort!
- Shop Shark FlexStyle on Sephora.
- Shop Shark FlexStyle on Shark Beauty.
- Shop Dyson Airstrait on Ulta.
- Shop Dyson Airstrait on Amazon.
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To keep in mind: this post contains affiliate links – it costs you nothing more to buy for them and you support my work!
Content creator and journalist in New York City. Here, I share lifestyle, beauty, NYC tips, thoughts, and the struggles about living in the most amazing city in the world! I’m not gonna pretend to be another person: I’m a Brazilian immigrant and I think this is my soul, it is part of who I am. I hope you enjoy my content! Follow me on Instagram!
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