I was never going to buy the $600 Dyson Airwrap. To be perfectly honest, I only considered the Shark FlexStyle when I saw that Chris Appleton was working with them. To me, that legitimized Shark as a beauty company....
I was never going to buy the $600 Dyson Airwrap. To be perfectly honest, I only considered the Shark FlexStyle when I saw that Chris Appleton was working with them. To me, that legitimized Shark as a beauty company. I was also motivated to buy the FlexStyle by my own personal hair frustration.
I don’t mean to complain, as I am very thankful, but my hair is very thick and heavy. When I wear a high ponytail for too long, it gives me a headache. It’s very wavy on the bottom and very straight on top. It tangles often because there’s so much of it. It feels overwhelming lately and I wanted a tool or method that could help me regain some control.
This all led me to purchasing the Shark FlexStyle. I paid $299 and though this post does use affiliate links, I have no relationship with Shark Beauty.
I’ll rate the attachments below and how useful, or not, I find them to be. I’ll also include photos of my freshly styled hair and note which attachments were used.
The ability to bend into a traditional dryer shape gives the Shark FlexStyle a serious advantage.Before styling, of course I prepped my hair with heat protectant, JVN Blowout Milk. Do not skip that part and try to raw dog this.
Styling Concentrator
When using the FlexStyle as a traditional blow dryer, the concentrator is nice for aiming the air at the roots. It also helps to minimize frizz by controlling the flow of air. When using the Shark FlexStyle as a traditional dryer, I definitely prefer to use the concentrator.
Despite feeling like a small dryer in the hand, I was surprised at how quickly this does a rough dry. You’ll definitely want to do that before going in with any other attachments.
Oval Brush
If you’re familiar with the Revlon dry brush, you’ll feel right at home using the Shark Flexstyle Oval Brush attachment. It allows you to create the tension needed to smooth out texture like waves and even curls. If you have natural texture you need to blow out, this attachment is a must.
This attachment not only smoothes but creates some serious volume when used near the root.
My natural texture, straight from the shower. Ramen noodles on bottom, straight on top.
Paddle Brush
I rarely wear my hair sleek and straight so will likely use this attachment the least. That being said, if super straight is your thing, it does a great job, and fairly easily at that. While you cannot create the type of tension you can with the oval brush attachment, you can use it below and on top of each section interchangeably to smooth. If you have a chic bob haircut, I think this would be quite useful for you.
I do wish that it had a bit longer bristles, but that is a result of me having very thick hair.
Rough dry, paddle brushIf you’re looking to create bouncy volume at the root, I don’t think this is your best attachment. If you prefer your hair to lay more closely to your head, smooth and sleek, I found this very easy to use.
Rough dry, paddle brush
1.25? Auto-Wrap Curlers
These are the perfect size and I can’t imagine wanting the smaller barrel size unless I cut my hair shorter. These incorporate a technology called the coanda effect, which uses hair to grabs the hair, allowing you to then wind it around the rod.
It takes some practice to master the curling mechanism, but not much. Taking small sections will help the coanda effect to do it’s job best. Also, make sure you still have some moisture in the hair. You want to form the hair in a curl shape, which doesn’t work if it’s already dry.
Rough dry, oval brush and curl attachments. I didn’t brush through this yet.
What I Like about Shark FlexStyle
Style retention. I’m able to make my Shark FlexStyled hair last for 5 days, without issue. Versatility: this is a blow dyer, dryer brush and curling iron Price feels very fair Simple controls Not too heavy Results were beautiful, bouncy and blowout quality
What I Don’t
It’s loud, and a high pitched tone of loud. I recommend wearing AirPods with noise cancellation if you’re sensitive to sound. This is a consideration if you will need to use this while others in your home are sleeping. It’s a bit cumbersome to store. Consider the Shark Storage Case or dedicate a bin in your bathroom to it. The curls created do not last if you do not use product to set them. The volume and smoothness last though. The attachments feel a little wiggly on, especially when creating tension with the oval brush attachment. The grooves in the curling attachments occasionally create a zebra pattern on the hair. It doesn’t exactly save me time. With my thick, textured hair, it takes me a full 30 minutes to dry and style still.
Rough dry, oval brush and curl attachments. I look really tired here because I chose to do this right before bed and it took longer than expected.Shark FlexStyle vs. Revlon Dryer Brush
While the Shark FlexStyle’s oval brush attachment is very similar in feel and function, the Shark feels lighter weight and less fiery hot.
If you already own a Revlon Dryer Brush, why might you add a Shark to your arsenal? If you’d like to do more than just blowout, you’ll have the flexibility of styling with curls, or simply rough drying. If you use the Revlon Dryer Brush, which is notoriously hot, then follow with a curling iron or flat iron, your hair will be crying a little.
Shark FlexStyle vs. T3 AireBrush Duo
The T3 AireBrush Duo has a round brush and a paddle brush attachment, both of which can’t quite smooth out the texture in my hair. The Shark does that far better for me. The T3 doesn’t feel as hot and damaging as the Revlon brush, but sadly, doesn’t smooth as well either.
Why would you buy the Shark if you have a T3 AireBrush? If like me, you find that the T3 still doesn’t get your texture smoothed, and you love a bouncy blowout look, you’ll have fun with a Shark FlexStyle.
Rough dry, oval brush and curl attachmentsWho would Shark FlexStyle Be Good For?
Want to style your hair once a week and be done with it? The Shark FlexStyle will definitely help.
If you’d like to pack just one styling tool on a trip, this is all you need.
For those of us with textured hair, prone to frizziness, SharkFlexStyle can really smooth it out, and keep it that way.
Dyson Airwrap never going to be in the budget for you either? Shark to the rescue, at half the price.
Rough dry, oval brush and curl attachmentsShark FlexStyle Tips
The attachments get hot so make sure to grab the cool tip when removing. You can actually use the right curler on the left side of your head by turning it upside down, and vice versa. If you want to curl your bangs like you would with a roller, you can manually wrap the hair around the curling wand then wind it up vertically. If you wear makeup, do your hair first. I always get quite hot and sweaty. When using the curling attachments, make sure your hair is no more than 80% dry. You need a little moisture leftover. Absolutely use a heat protectant. I love the JVN Blowout Milk and find it helps my style last an extra day. If you want your Shark curls to last, you’re going to have to use hairspray. Use the cool shot button before releasing your curls. Refer to the manual for the recommended heat settings for each attachment.
Where to Buy Shark FlexStyle
The following retailers offer several sets, with different included attachments depending on hair type. Some sets also include the case.
The Shark site has an option where you can choose your 3 attachments and it ends up being $260 vs. the $299 I paid.
See the SHark FlexStyle In Action
Do I recommend the Shark FlexStyle?
I really do. Even though it takes me about 30 minutes to get through all my hair when using the curl attachments, it’s worth it. I’m most impressed with how my style lasts, at least 5 days, so perhaps it saves me time in the long run.
Even though I get hot and sweaty using it, I enjoy using it. I love how my hair looks afterwards and it puts an extra spring in my step, one that lasts for several days!
For me, the juice is worth the squeeze with the Shark FlexStyle.