An Unbiased Review Of The Shark FlexStyle Air Drying & Styling System

There is nothing quite like the feeling of a fresh blowout. Though as someone who keeps their salon visits at a bare minimum (thanks to those lived-in balayage dyes that allow for ultimate lazy-girl upkeep), I more often go for a quick at-home blow-dry, or some air dried waves if I’m focusing on hair health.

And while countless beauty lovers have their hands on the end-all-be-all Dyson Airwrap — which, coming in at around $600, can be a serious investment for those great hair days — there’s a new hair tool on the scene that is gaining some serious buzz (and is a fraction of the cost).

Enter: The Shark FlexStyle Air Drying & Styling System.

Launched to market in the early fall of 2022, the FlexStyle is the ultimate hair hero that dries and styles your strands with smarter use of heat, and therefore, much less damage long-term. And with a unique innovation that sets this styler apart from so many others, the brand has made the process all the more easy for those who haven’t quite nailed the voluminous blowout yet (myself included).

After taking Shark’s FlexStyle for a spin for the last few weeks, here are my honest thoughts.

Fast Facts

• Price: $299.99
• Rating: 4.5/5
• What I Love: The flexible 180-to-90 degree handle allows you to hit all the right angles while drying your hair.
• What I Don’t Love: While in use, the styler has an audible hissing sound that may bother some.

The Shark FlexStyle Air Drying & Styling System

Versatile and powerful, Shark — which is a brand better known for vacuums, among other similar things — has entered the beauty space. And following in line with Dyson’s unique business model, the brand has tapped their innovative tech to create a niche pocket in the hair care industry.

Behind Its Innovative Technology

The Five Attachments

Along with the styler, you receive five unique attachments: a concentrator nozzle (that is great for drying your roots for extra volume), two 1.25 inch auto-wrap curlers that curl in either direction, an oval brush (that is great for bouncy blowouts), as well as a paddle brush (which gives you that sleek finish).

For other hair-specific needs, they also offer additional attachments — like a curl-defining diffuser and wide-tooth comb nozzle — which are sold separately.

The Flexible Handle

What truly sets Shark’s FlexStyle apart from its competitors is its flexible handle, which easily twists from 180 to 90 degrees.

The Temperature And Airflow Settings

Equipped with three different heat settings, as well as three different fan settings for optimal customization — the FlexStyle also has a “cool shot” button that instantly dispenses cold air, setting strands for ultimate long-lasting styles.

The Heat Control

Rather than getting hotter and hotter as you use it, the FlexStyle regulates the temperature 1,000 times per second to minimize any damage from excess heat.

My Fine, Color-Treated Hair

Touching up my low-maintenance balayage about three or four times a year, my hair is color-treated (though in pretty good health because of the limited salon visits). That being said, my strands are quite thin, which makes any heat damage from flat irons and curling irons all the more worrisome.

Though I try to keep styling at a minimum as I WFH, I do feel my most confident self when my hair is done — which makes a tool that provides minimal damage (and heat) a major win.

First Impressions

TBH: I never hopped on the Dyson train — and because of that, I didn’t have the slight edge of using tools with similar “air wrap” technology to the Shark. But after my first use, I quickly and easily got a handle on the tool and gave myself a blowout with soft waves that *actually* lasted for a couple of days. A big part of that ease? The unique 180-to-90 degree handle made switching angles and curling my hair in a soft, downward direction effortless.

While I was able to give myself a near salon-quality blowout in no time, there were two minor issues (that really aren’t a major deterrent for me, but are worth noting). One being just how loud the styler is, though I was more so bothered by the high-pitched hissing sound that remains throughout use. I definitely got used to it after a short while, but initially (and especially when drying strands near the ears) the sound was a bit irritating and intense. Another issue I noticed was that when switching attachments throughout the blowout process, they got pretty hot and hard to handle — though given my limited use with styler systems akin to the Shark, this may just somewhat of a standard. That being said, the attachments *do* switch on and off super easily and seamlessly.

The Results

After drying my roots with the concentrator nozzle attachment for some added volume, I used both auto-wrap curler attachments to dry and curl my strands away from my face (with the handle at a 90 degree angle the entire time). Not only was my hair quickly dried and set into place, but my hair never felt as if it was too hot to touch (like it usually feels after curling with an iron). Immediately, I felt that same burst of confidence that comes after leaving my go-to salon — and my hair looks way more voluminous (and healthier) than it normally does after using my typical blow dryer and curling iron.

While the initial volume did somewhat deflate for me after about 30 minutes or so (which is the norm for my fine strands), my soft curls stuck around for a few days and until my next wash which was incredibly impressive.

Is The Shark FlexStyle Worth It?

After one use, I fell in love. Though a bit intimidating at first with its many attachments, I quickly got the hang of it and ended up with a bouncy blowout that closely rivals my go-to salon. Given my finer hair, the concentrator nozzle and auto-wrap curlers are definitely the attachments I will mostly be reaching for — and the styler itself has definitely taken the place of several blow dryers in my old lineup.