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journalism → support → readers
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we → purchase → commission
Shark has launched a new multi-function hair dryer and styler, billed by haircare fanatics as an affordable alternative to the Dyson Airwrap.
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Shark → launch → Airwrap
As someone who has been a loyal Dyson user for years, I’ve been testing the tool to see how it compares.
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it → test → tool
Like Dyson, Shark’s ionic smoothing and Coanda airflow technology work together to reduce frizz, add shine and give you bouncy hair with defined curls.
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smoothing → work → curls
These wet-to-dry hair tools have been game-changing in the last decade – especially for those like me who have spent too many hours having a two-part hair routine.
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who → dry → routine
The new tool joins the FlexStyle franchise as an all-rounder with particular prowess for curling.
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tool → join → curling
The Flexstyle also has one big claim: ‘zero’ heat damage.
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Flexstyle → have → claim
This is reportedly due to the new Scalp Shield mode, which activates automatically to control the temperature when drying hair near your scalp (Dyson uses similar technology).
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Dyson → activate → technology
This aims to protect delicate new growth, which gets damaged significantly over time when using these drying brushes.
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which → aim → brushes
How I tested
I’ve been a regular user of hair drying brushes for a few years now.
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I → test → years
I usually go for a blow-out look, so to thoroughly test this product, I wanted to check both the curling and round brush accessories to see versatility.
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I → go → versatility
With thick 2c wavy hair that hits around my waist, hair drying brushes are very hit or miss and can sometimes leave me with a lot of frizz.
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brushes → hit → frizz
Timing is also a big factor for me when regarding how effective the product is.
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product → regard → me
It's all well and good having sleek-looking hair, but if it takes me an hour to achieve, personally I won't be picking up that tool very often.
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I → have → tool
I’m after a routine that takes a maximum of 30 minutes.
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that → ’m → minutes
I also wanted to see how effective the hair tool is without help from products, so apart from heat protectant, no other products at any point were applied to see how the tool naturally leaves your hair.
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tool → want → hair
☆
What we love: The tool works very well on thick, textured hair, smoothing it out quickly and leaving your hair styled for days
Take note:
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tool → love → note
No hair drying tool can really have ‘zero heat damage’; while it may be less than other products they own, be mindful there will always be some degree of damage.
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they → dry → damage
The new Shark FlexStyle tool far exceeded my expectations.
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tool → exceed → expectations
Firstly, when trying out the oval brush and doing a simple blow out on my hair, the results were the sleekest I've ever had with a hair drying brush.
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I → try → brush
Due to the bristle type, when brushing through your hair, there is a good amount of tension to allow your hair to achieve a smooth look.
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hair → brush → look
The size of the oval brush head is also great; it achieves the perfect effortless flick at the end of your hair instead of a tight curl.
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it → achieve → curl
With the Shark styling tool, I was able to complete a blow-out look in 27 minutes – 10 minutes faster than my usual routine.
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I → complete → routine
Curling my hair is usually a big task – it requires sweat, tears and about an hour of my time.
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it → curl → time
And after all that, it usually falls out after 30 minutes.
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it → fall → minutes
However, with Shark’s Coanda airflow, like the Dyson Airwrap, curling my hair was a lot easier.
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curling → curl → hair
Having a left and right curler, as opposed to the Dyson Airwrap, which only has one attachment which very easily switches direction, was an annoying design feature – it let the tool down a little.
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tool → have → direction
Something I try to consider when purchasing a hair tool is how easy it is to pack, and extra attachments are not ideal.
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attachments → try → easy
The curls, however, came out very defined, frizz-free, and required little skill to achieve.
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curls → come → skill
One thing to note is that, like the Dyson, Coanda airflow works best on a smaller section of hair, but this means having curlier-looking hair instead of looser-looking curls.
The high shine polisher made no difference for me, but that was down to the fact that my hair was already frizz-free and shiny after styling it.
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hair → note → it
Out of all the attachments used, the most effective and impressive was the oval brush, which felt like a game changer on my hair.
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which → use → hair
After styling my hair using the attachment, I went out for dinner, which involved a classic London journey of multiple tubes, a bus and a walk, all in windy weather – really testing how well the style would last.
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style → style → weather
Alongside compliments at dinner on my hair, the blow-out stayed close to perfect.
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out → stay → hair
As someone who has been a loyal Dyson user for years, I was surprised at how much I liked the Shark FlexStyle Next Gen IonCurl Air Styler & Hair Dryer.
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I → surprise → Styler
It works perfectly with my hair type and gave me the results I was after, at just £269.99.
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I → work → 269.99
While the Dyson is a sleeker-looking product and feels a lot less bulky than the Shark tool, the FlexStyle gave me results I’ve never had when using any other hair tool.
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I → look → tool
Hansveni has been a fashion and beauty journalist for five years, working for titles such as The Standard, The Telegraph and The Times.
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Hansveni → work → Standard
Covering everything from makeup, skincare and one of her favourites, haircare and tools, she thoroughly tests each product, considering its technology, efficacy and cost.
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she → cover → technology
The Aporia
