Last autumn, home-care producer Shark launched its Style iQ hairdryer, transferring the model into {the electrical} magnificence and haircare area – and firmly pitching it as a rival to vacuum-maker-cum-beauty-disruptor, Dyson. Like Dyson’s hairdryers, the Style iQ boasted environment friendly and damage-free drying at a premium value, organising Shark as a critical contender out there.This yr, Shark has adopted up with the FlexStyle, a transparent competitor to Dyson’s dear however extraordinarily in style Airwrap styling software. Could this killer product be the following nice white hope for haircare?READ NEXT: The greatest Dyson Airwrap alternate optionsShark FlexStyle assessment: What you could knowThe FlexStyle is essentially the most direct rival to the Dyson Airwrap Multi-styler Complete (£480) but launched. As a reminder, the Airwrap comes with eight equipment, together with 30mm and 40mm barrels, agency and comfortable smoothing brushes, a spherical volumising brush and a smoothing dryer.Like the Airwrap, the FlexStyle makes use of the airflow-based Coanda impact as an alternative of heated plates to twist hair. This permits curling to occur at decrease temperatures, leading to much less harm to hair – particularly to wonderful and brittle hair. It additionally means you possibly can model as you dry, quite than needing to dry hair first earlier than utilizing heated styling tongs. Open the pretty giant FlexStyle field, and also you’ll discover a neat matte-black carry case that homes the primary drying unit, two curling barrels (each 31.75mm in dimension), a paddle brush for {smooth} styling, an oval brush for quantity, plus concentrator and diffuser attachments, which let you use the FlexStyle like a traditional hairdryer. The drying unit and attachments are completed in a trendy matte black with a rose gold trim.The FlexStyle presents three temperature and three velocity settings, which could be independently chosen utilizing the 2 buttons on the software’s deal with, plus a cool shot to set your curls. The 1,400W motor (barely extra highly effective than the Dyson’s) presents quick and environment friendly drying; and a sensible warmth sensor measures the temperature of the airflow 1,000 instances per second to make sure protected and even temperatures with no likelihood of scorching.The software weighs 661g with attachments, and comes with a 2.67m wire that’s lengthy sufficient to simply attain the bed room mirror from most mains sockets.Shark FlexStyle assessment: Price and competitorsThe FlexStyle prices £300 – which is considerably lower than Dyson’s Airwrap Multi-styler Complete at £480, however nonetheless a good chunk of change. At the time of writing, the FlexStyle is the one different curling wand to make use of the Coanda impact to wrap hair across the styling barrel.There are different curling instruments that use air to model the hair, nevertheless. We’ve typically advisable Revlon’s One Step sizzling brush (£63); the BaByliss Hydro Fusion Air Styler (£60) and Hydro Fusion 4-in-1 Brush (£80); and the T3 Airebrush Duo (£170). All of those instruments use sizzling air and ceramic-coated spherical or paddle brushes along with ionic expertise to create bouncy, salon-style blowouts whereas minimising harm to hair. These stylers are best-suited to including quantity and creating free curls, quite than tighter ringlets. For an automated curl that makes use of a mechanical motor to wrap hair, BaByliss’s Curl Secret (£60) and Wave Secret (£150) promise foolproof styling, without having to grasp tongs, wands or brushes; the auto-curl motor does all of it for you. However, each the Curl and Wave Secrets do use a normal ceramic-coated barrel, quite than air, to form the hair.Another possibility for more healthy hair curling is ghd’s Oracle (£135), which makes use of U-shaped ceramic plates surrounded by a “cool zone” to create shiny, natural-looking curls by pulling the hair gently by the software, lowering harm in comparison with curling at larger temperatures.However, for ringlet-style curls which are created utilizing air to form the hair, the Airwrap and the FlexStyle are your two present choices.READ NEXT: The greatest hairdryersShark FlexStyle assessment: EfficiencyThe drying unit pivots round a joint to modify simply from a vertical to a right-angled setting (the “flex” within the FlexStyle’s title). In the vertical configuration, you possibly can add the curling barrels and brush attachments, to twist or {smooth} hair. To pivot the FlexStyle into hairdryer mode, merely slide the latch down and rotate the highest half of the drying unit till it clicks into place. Use the FlexStyle on this place to rough-dry hair earlier than curling, or with the diffuser attachment for including quantity to pure waves and curls, or with the concentrator attachment for making a modern end to a straight blow-dry. To use the comb and roller attachments, rotate the highest of the FlexStyle again into its vertical configuration. You can then clip in your selection of curling barrel, oval or paddle brush. Like the Airwrap, the FlexStyle blows air by slots within the curling barrels to create a stress differential within the airflow; this makes the hair wrap itself across the barrel like magic. The curl is created because the hair dries into place, making the FlexStyle a wholesome approach of styling hair with out direct warmth.Unlike the Airwrap, the FlexStyle has just one dimension of curling barrel; the 2 barrels have slots pointing in reverse instructions. To change the route of the curl, you could swap out the clockwise barrel for the anticlockwise barrel. Both barrels are clearly marked, so it’s simple to find out which approach your curl will wrap – however switching barrels is much less handy than flicking the route change on the Airwrap.Switching between temperature and velocity settings is simple, nevertheless, utilizing the clearly marked buttons that sit close to the underside of the deal with. In addition, the cool shot is just activated by holding down the blue button additional up the deal with. This blows colder air to seal the cuticle and set your completed model. The attachments click on securely into place and really feel stable on the wand when in use, with no wiggling or jiggling.The oval brush is an effective dimension and form for making a rounded blowout, and the paddle brush additionally does job of straightening hair and smoothing away flyways for a sleeker end. Combining the FlexStyle in dryer mode with the oval or paddle brushes, we had been capable of model our towel-dried, mid-length hair in underneath 20 minutes, for a comfortable and {smooth} end that appears and feels wholesome.Where the FlexStyle lacks in efficiency is with its Airwrap-duping curling barrels. Testing one after the opposite, we discovered that the Dyson’s barrels wrap extra effectively – probably on account of a higher stress differential that winds the hair extra successfully across the barrel. The Dyson’s ionic expertise additionally leaves hair feeling super-smooth and shiny – though the FlexStyle retains harm and dehydration to a minimal through the use of airflow to dry hair successfully at decrease temperatures, our mid-length hair lacked the shiny end created by the Dyson Airwrap.There’s additionally little doubt that the necessity to change barrels with a view to change the route of the curl provides a layer of faff that isn’t current with the Dyson’s easy change. In addition, the one barrel dimension of the FlexStyle means there’s much less selection within the dimension and elegance of curls the software can create.Shark FlexStyle assessment: VerdictThe FlexStyle is the first styling software that represents a real competitor to Dyson’s game-changing Airwrap. Like the Airwrap, the FlexStyle curls hair shortly and with much less warmth harm. Shark’s software presents an analogous option to model utilizing air, however at a lower cost than the Dyson, and with added instruments for blow-drying. The diffuser and concentrator attachments add versatility, permitting the FlexStyle for use for styling utilizing the dryer configuration in addition to the curling wand – and the comb instruments add a easy and efficient option to create a straight blowout or voluminous waves.If you’re principally fascinated by utilizing the curling barrels, then the FlexStyle’s setup is extra of a palaver to make use of than that of the Airwrap; the barrel must be switched with a view to change route, and there’s just one dimension of barrel included with the set. And whereas the FlexStyle’s barrels produce comfortable ringlets that really feel wholesome, the Airwrap creates extra versatile curls with its two barrel sizes, and the ringlets positively have a glossier end. For curling duties, the Airwrap is king.However, in case you’re searching for a hairdryer that does extra, and which features as a blowdryer, styling brush and curling wand in a single, the FlexStyle makes extra sense. The dryer works properly with and with out the styling attachments, the 2 brushes create glamorous salon-style blowouts quick and with minimal fuss, and hair dries shortly to a comfortable and healthy-feeling end. For a do-it-all styler, the FlexStyle is a cultured, succesful bundle.
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