Shark FlexStyle Review: The Affordable Dupe Airwrap

In one look

Expert rating

Benefits

• Airwrap Style Curling Barrels
• Clever hair dryer makeover
• Instant style upgrade

The inconvenients

• Flat and oval brushes are very similar
• Always very expensive
• Not all models come with a case

Our opinion

The FlexStyle isn’t just a serious alternative to the Dyson Airwrap. It’s a great multi-styler in its own right.

If you fancy a Dyson Airwrap but can’t justify the expense, this Shark hot air multi-styler could give you what you want without emptying your wallet. We test the Shark FlexStyle.

Design and build

• 7 piece kit
• Twists to become a hair dryer
• Airwrap Style Self-Rolling Hair Curlers

The FlexStyle is a stylish five-in-one styling kit. It’s a hair dryer, volumizer, straightener, diffuser and curler all in one.

One of its biggest selling points is that its curling wands are modeled after those of the Dyson Airwrap. Shark calls them “self-wrapping curlers” and just like the Airwrap, they use the Coanda effect to draw strands of hair around the curler.

This means that unlike a traditional hot curling iron, you won’t burn your hair or fingers using it. They are gentler on the hair and are much easier to use than traditional curlers. They will make waves and curls a realistic option for people who have never been able to manage these looks before.

The FlexStyle comes in two color options: black and rose gold, or “stone” – a gold and beige colorway. We test it in the latter.

In the box you will get the styling handle which – in a clever twist, and in fact, with a clever twist – becomes a 7-shaped hair dryer. To this you can add the hair drying accessories: a styling concentrator and a diffuser.

Emma Rowley / Foundry

Then there are the styling accessories. There are two self-rolling rollers (one for each side of your face), an oval brush for smoothing and adding volume, and a flat brush for smoothing.

Emma Rowley / Foundry

The handle of the FlexStyle is cylindrical, with a diameter of 14.5 cm and a length of 29 cm. In hair dryer form, it’s a compact 22cm but, when in styling mode with an attachment on the end, it’s almost 44cm, which is longer than most individual stylers. .

Still, it’s about the same size as the Airwrap. I didn’t find it cumbersome to use, but other reviewers disagree on this, so you might want to keep that in mind.

It weighs nearly 700g including the cord and plug, but it’s only 400g without them. It is light in the hand and easy to hold while styling. Maybe that’s why the length didn’t bother me.

The controls are simple, but with enough options to tailor the settings to your needs.

Above the on/off switch is a heat button that lets you cycle through four heat settings: none, low, medium, and high. And above it is the airflow knob, which has three power settings. LEDs that light up red means you can check settings at a glance.

Emma Rowley / Foundry

Placed away from the rest of the controls is the cool shot button, which is used to define your style. It should be easy to find with a finger while styling your hair, but it took me a while to figure it out without searching first.

It has a long 2.44m swivel cord that will give you plenty of room to manoeuvre.

FlexStyle Performance

• Accessories are easy to use
• You will need to prepare and watch tutorials to become an expert
• The hair dryer is light and effective

I’m someone who has limited hair styling patience – let alone talent. This is partly why I wanted to test the FlexStyle. It’s an expensive piece of kit and if I can use it, just about anyone can.

If you are considering buying it, one of the main reasons has to be the Airwrap style self winding hair curlers. So these are the first accessories I tested. Marketing tells us they’re easy to use – but is that true?

I have never successfully used a curling iron before except to get a few minor burns. So it was with some trepidation that I picked up a curling barrel.

There are two barrels, helpfully labeled left and right. Use them on the indicated side of your head and your hair will curl away from your face. For comparison, the updated Airwrap lets you change the direction of airflow on the curling wands, but if you’re new to wave styling, you’ll appreciate the FlexStyle’s foolproof system.

All you have to do is part a section of hair and hold its end against the curling barrel. The air current will pull your hair up the barrel and wrap it around.

The hair curling process is simple, effective and truly a mini scientific marvel. I’m far from an expert, but the following waves only took me a few minutes to achieve on a nice test subject, who has long, thick, straight hair.

Emma Rowley / Foundry

My own hair is thin, flyaway and useless, neither silky nor reliably wavy. But I was still able to get consistent waves that lasted all day with minimal fuss.

Emma Rowley / Foundry

The FlexStyle comes with a style guide, to help you use the accessories. Still, I would advise that if you want to get the most out of it and create more complex styles, you should find a tutorial to watch online.

I followed the advice given by my colleague Hannah in her excellent review of the Airwrap. I used it on slightly damp hair, gave it a salt spray beforehand and for longer lasting results I pinned the curls and then used hairspray.

Although easy to use, you will still need to develop your skills and take your time to style your hair correctly every time. If you do, it will pay dividends.

The oval brush transforms the FlexStyle into a styler similar to the Revlon One Step. You can use it to straighten your hair and give it more volume. Essentially, it’s a blow tool. Then there is a flat brush, which is used for smoothing. On my hair, these ties were effective but had about the same result. However, if you have longer, thicker hair, I imagine there might be a bigger difference.

The FlexStyle is a good hair dryer. It’s not loud but it’s not as powerful as the Dyson Supersonic or (my favorite) the Zuvi Halo. However, it’s lightweight, efficient, and a great option for travel, given that you can save a lot of space on other styling accessories.

The concentrator works well for creating smooth styles and the diffuser has a great feature: you can retract or extend the claws depending on your hair length. The Dyson Airwrap doesn’t include an official diffuser attachment, so the FlexStyle might be a better option if you want to preserve your natural curls.

Emma Rowley / Foundry

In use, the attachments click into place satisfactorily and there is a release button to remove them. The FlexStyle is sturdy and well made.

Pricing and Availability – Is the FlexStyle Worth the Cost?

There’s no denying that the FlexStyle is pricey at $299.99 / £299.99. But it’s a great all-around styling kit. However, not all styling tools will work for all hair types. People with curly hair or coils may find there are less useful tools.

But there is a way around this if you are in the US. You can head over to the Shark site and pick any three accessories you want for $279.99. Or you can buy a set for $299.99 for straight and wavy or curly and frizzy hair. There is currently no price advantage to buying from any retailer. Any price variation depends on the accessories.

UK buyers do not yet have a customization option. This gives the Dyson Airwrap the edge in this market. Order the Airwrap from the Dyson site and you can take a hair type test and get a personalized selection of accessories.

You can buy the FlexStyle at Shark, Currys, or Boots, among other retailers, and you’ll get the standard set of accessories as shown above. The only difference in price depends on the color you choose. The black FlexStyle comes with a case and costs an extra £20. If you want the stone colourway, you can buy a case separately from Shark for £22.99.

If you’re in the US, the FlexStyle doesn’t come with a case, although you can find plenty of compatible options on Amazon. Shark also doesn’t offer an official small travel pouch if you want to take an accessory or two with you.

If you’re looking for something even cheaper, you can consider the Revlon One Step Hot Air Brush for $59.99 / £59.99, but that doesn’t offer any additional accessories for versatile styling.

Verdict

The FlexStyle will be popularly known as the more affordable competitor to the Dyson Airwrap. But it’s by no means a cheap option, either in terms of build quality, performance or, to be fair, price. For most people, this will be an enviable hair kit in its own right. We recommend it.

If you want to see how it compares to the Dyson Airwrap, take a look at our in-depth review.