My Honest Review: Shark FlexStyle

Being in the beauty industry as long as I have, I always get excited about trying new innovative gadgets. Especially if they end up saving me and my clients time, or even just making life easier. I am dating myself, but I remember when flat irons were introduced…yes, I know…lol! Fast forward a few decades and I have built quite the arsenal of beauty tools. When I heard about the Shark FlexStyle technology, the promise of style while you dry, with no heat damage, and the mention that it has faster dry time then the Dyson Airwrap, I knew I had to try it!

What is it?

Before I get into my review let’s dive into what the Shark FlexStyle is. With the Shark FlexStyle^™ Air Styling & Drying System, you can easily transform between a powerful, fast, hair dryer, and an ultra-versatile multi-styler with no-heat-damage. One twist is all it takes to flex from one to the other. Attach different  stylers and unlock the ability to curl, volumize, smooth, and dry. Lightweight & powerful, FlexStyle^™ is the answer to fast, easy styling.

“FOR ALL HAIR KIND“

Powerful, fast-drying hair dryer and ultra-versatile multi-styler for straight, wavy, curly, and coily hair.

TEMPERATURE AND AIRFLOW SETTINGS

Includes 4 heat and 3 airflow settings that can be increased or decreased manually based on your preference. The cool shot button locks in your style.

What’s Included

By now, you are getting just as excited as I was when I first heard about the FlexStyle. There are a couple options you are able to choose from now, but when I pre-ordered mine back in August, this was the bundle that was available.

• FLEXSTYLE: It may be compact and lightweight at just over 1.5lbs, but FlexStyle gives you power and speed for ultra-fast performance. Style while you dry with no heat damage.
  
• 1.25” AUTO-WRAP CURLERS: Attach to the Shark FlexStyle styler. Wrap, curl and set automatically using Coanda Technology. Includes 2 curlers to curl in different directions. 
  
• OVAL BRUSH: Attachable oval brush smooths, defrizzes, and adds volume & bounce, while delivering powerful airflow. 
  
• PADDLE BRUSH: Attachable styling brush employs powerful airflow, straightening & smoothing your hair, all at once. 

• STYLING CONCENTRATOR: Attach the rotatable nozzle when in hair dryer mode. The rotatable nozzle gives you better angle control while you style and dry.

There is also a Curl Defining Diffuser available. It has extendable prongs for fast, even drying from root to tip.

My First Thoughts

Let me first start by saying; I have the best head of hair to test the Shark FlexStyle out! My hair usually takes quite awhile to dry, it’s naturally frizzy and has this weird wave/curl that needs to be smoothed followed by some sort of a curling iron or flat iron.

Check out my unboxing:

First of all, check out the packaging! I have to say that I was impressed with it. I really appreciate the instructions with pictures. It made it easier for people like me that want to just pick it up and go. All the attachments were packaged well and honestly it felt like Christmas when I opened it.

I LOVE how lightweight it is. This may not seem like a big deal to most, but I spent many years in the salon using heavy blow dryers all day long and it really caused some issues with my shoulder. I am also impressed with the length of the cord.

I was pleasantly surprised when I turned it on how much power it has for something so so light and small. The buttons are in a great spot and there are just the right amount of settings. The best part is how easily the attachments pop on and off. The click into place with little effort and stay put without popping off while styling, which happens with other tools I have used. The button to rotate the top transforming it into a dryer was also easy to use.

My First Experience Using The FlexStyle

This is literally the first time I used it, so go easy on me 😉

I started using the FlexStyle in dryer mode. I didn’t rotate the top, or use the styling concentrator, I just went for it!! I wanted to dry my roots a bit before I used the attachments.

The first attachment I used was the Paddle Brush. It glides through the hair well and I was able to smooth my hair fairly well. This was so much easier than using a paddle brush AND a hair dryer!!

Next up was the Round Brush. I was impressed with how smooth I was able to get my hair. The handle on the tip is just the right size to grab onto to have control of the FlexStlye.

I then clicked on the Auto-Wrap Curlers. There are two, to achieve a counterclockwise curl, and the other for a clockwise curl. They are labeled with a “L” and “R”, so you have to make sure you are using the correct one for what you are trying to achieve. It took me a few tries to get the hang of it. It is recommended that you begin with 80%-90% dry hair, mine was pretty much dry but as you can see it was surprisingly holding well. Normally I would section my hair, but I had a meeting I had to get to and was in a bit of a hurry.

My Tips

Though the Shark FlexStyle advertises as “Style as you dry with no heat damage”, I still recommend that you use a heat protectant. You are still using heat, though it’s likely not as high of a temperature. You are likely using less heat than you would by fully blowdrying followed with a curling or flat iron, but heat protectants have many benefits for your hair.

Section your hair when using the attachments. In the long run you will be less frustrated and you will achieve a more even style. You will also prevent unwanted hair to get stuck in the brush attachments.

Use the cool shot button when you want to “lock” curls or volume into place. It’s a simple, quick step, but it will help lock the hair into place so that your style lasts longer.

When using Auto-Wrap Curlers, take smaller sections if you are having difficulty wrapping your hair around the barrel.

Experiment with different levels of dryness to determine with level of moisture works best with your hair type.

My Overall Thoughts

Here’s the good, bad and everything in between.

I love how easy it is to use. Working with thousands of clients over the years, I know that most will like the ease of use. I also love how light and compact it is.

I also liked that the price of the Shark FlexStyle is $269.99 compared to the Dyson Airwrap at a price tag of $599.99. I have not personally used the Dyson Airwrap so I can’t comment on the comparison of the two.

A couple things I didn’t like: I got a bit of frizz near my scalp due to the air blowing out in the direction when using the brush attachments. This may change as I get the hang of it. I will adjust how much hair I am sectioning, and try different angles.

My curls didn’t last as long as they usually do with my curling wand. But it may be because my hair was almost dry when I used the Auto-Wrap Curlers. So I will play around with this too.

It did take some time to arrive. I believe the date did change a few times, but it is a brand new hot item, so I expected that. If you end up ordering one, be patient!

Overall, I don’t regret my purchase at all and think that it will cut down my style time. It was easy to use right out of the box and I think that many think the same!!