Finally, I decided to add it as an item to my budget, saved up some money, and kept an eye out for it to be on sale. That sale date came and I purchased a Shark FlexStyle from Ulta. I got the limited edition Pearl Pink one.
Since I purchased the FlexStyle I’ve used it to dry and curl my hair multiple times. So I have several thoughts on how it performs and if it’s worth the money.
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The cool thing is that it easily and quickly switches from a hair dryer to a styler with a quick flip.
Some of the biggest claims or benefits of this hair tool that are talked about a lot and are the reasons I wanted to buy this are
Typically the Shark FlexStyle is purchased as a kit with pre-selected attachments. There’s one kit for straight and wavy hair and another for curly hair. The attachments vary between the kits based on what Shark thinks those hair types would want.
My kit included
I bought the FrizzFighter Finishing Tool separately.
While it doesn’t add anything to the FlexStyle I have to say I love the pretty pink color.
Figuring out how to rotate the nozzle to switch this from styler mode which is when it’s straight to hair dryer mode was really easy. There’s even an arrow on the styler showing you which way to turn the nozzle.
Depending on how you want to use the styler you can change the airflow speed and heat. There are four modes for heat - no heat, low, medium, and high. For airflow, there is just low, medium, and high. There is also a cool or cold shot to cool the hair and help set the style.
I typically dry my hair using high heat and airflow. My best results have come from doing the following
After using the Shark FlexStyle to dry my hair I decided to try styling it with the auto-wrap curlers. My first time using them I just curled my front pieces of hair.
To prep my hair I sprayed it with some water and a liquid heat protectant to get my hair damp. The reason I wanted my hair damp was it’s supposed to work better when the hair is slightly damp.
There is a left curler and a right curler. The left barrel curls in a counterclockwise direction, and the right barrel curls in a clockwise direction. It’s recommended to use the left curler for the left side of the head and the right curler for the right side. To change the direction of your curls, you can switch barrels.
Once my hair was ready I used the Shark recommended high airflow and high heat setting and after several tries got my hair to wrap around the curler. After rolling my hair up to my head and holding for a few seconds I hit the cool shot for about another 10 seconds, turned off the styler, and unwrapped my hair.
The result was a pretty curl which you can see in this IG post. I liked how the curl looked but unfortunately, the curl didn’t last long. Pretty soon it dropped to be a wave and then disappeared altogether. I couldn’t even tell that my hair had been curled.
I’m not upset that I bought this, especially since I saved up the money for it and bought it on sale. As you can see the pros outweigh the cons. That being said I think it’s not made with all hair types in mind.
Especially when it comes to the curling wands and the brushes. They seem to be made for caucasian hair types and not for black hair types. I could be wrong but that’s how I perceive it based on my experiences.
If I could do it over again I would purchase directly from Shark because you have the option to customize your FlexStyle and pick your attachments. You can’t do that when you purchase from the other retailers.
About the Shark FlexStyle
Calling itself an Air Styling and Drying System the Shark FlexStyle <<<https://liketk.it/4CGHO>>> claims that you can easily curl, dry, volumize, and smooth with one tool.The cool thing is that it easily and quickly switches from a hair dryer to a styler with a quick flip.
Some of the biggest claims or benefits of this hair tool that are talked about a lot and are the reasons I wanted to buy this are
- No heat damage because it maintains a consistent air temperature and low heat. So it doesn’t get hotter and hotter as it continues to run.
- Powerful and fast-drying
- It’s all-in-one with the different attachments you can get - curling wands, brushes, comb, and a few more.
Typically the Shark FlexStyle is purchased as a kit with pre-selected attachments. There’s one kit for straight and wavy hair and another for curly hair. The attachments vary between the kits based on what Shark thinks those hair types would want.
My Shark FlexStyle kit
As I mentioned the one I purchased is the limited edition Pearl Pink FlexStyle which I got from Ulta. The FlexStyle typically comes in a tan color but throughout the year Shark will drop limited edition colors. The attachments aren’t any different than the typical kits, it’s really just the color of the tool that changes.My kit included
- The Styling Concentrator which is a rotatable nozzle. When using this as a hair dryer it allows me to concentrate the airflow where I want it to go
- An Oval Brush which is used to smooth, defrizz, and volumize the hair
- A Paddle Brush which is for straightening and smoothing the hair
- Two Auto-Wrap Curlers that are 1.25”. Using the airflow they get the hair to wrap around them curling the hair in different directions
- A Storage bag for storing and carrying the styler and attachments
I bought the FrizzFighter Finishing Tool separately.
While it doesn’t add anything to the FlexStyle I have to say I love the pretty pink color.
My experience with the Shark FlexStyle
Let’s talk first about drying my hair. Even though it talks about no heat damage the airflow is still hot and I want to make sure my hair isn’t damaged so I still apply my leave-in conditioner for moisture, a heat protectant to add some protection to my hair, and a serum to keep the moisture sealed in. Check out this post in my LTK shop to see which products I use when I’m drying my relaxed hair.Figuring out how to rotate the nozzle to switch this from styler mode which is when it’s straight to hair dryer mode was really easy. There’s even an arrow on the styler showing you which way to turn the nozzle.
Depending on how you want to use the styler you can change the airflow speed and heat. There are four modes for heat - no heat, low, medium, and high. For airflow, there is just low, medium, and high. There is also a cool or cold shot to cool the hair and help set the style.
I typically dry my hair using high heat and airflow. My best results have come from doing the following
- A rough dry for a few minutes on high heat and high flow
- Then going back through my hair sectioning it off and using the concentrator and a paddle brush. Or I may switch the styler from dryer mode and use the paddle brush attachment
- If I feel it’s needed I’ll then go back with the FrizzFighter Finishing Tool to get my hair even smoother
To prep my hair I sprayed it with some water and a liquid heat protectant to get my hair damp. The reason I wanted my hair damp was it’s supposed to work better when the hair is slightly damp.
There is a left curler and a right curler. The left barrel curls in a counterclockwise direction, and the right barrel curls in a clockwise direction. It’s recommended to use the left curler for the left side of the head and the right curler for the right side. To change the direction of your curls, you can switch barrels.
Once my hair was ready I used the Shark recommended high airflow and high heat setting and after several tries got my hair to wrap around the curler. After rolling my hair up to my head and holding for a few seconds I hit the cool shot for about another 10 seconds, turned off the styler, and unwrapped my hair.
The result was a pretty curl which you can see in this IG post. I liked how the curl looked but unfortunately, the curl didn’t last long. Pretty soon it dropped to be a wave and then disappeared altogether. I couldn’t even tell that my hair had been curled.
Final thoughts
After using the Shark FlexStyle for several weeks here’s what I like and don’t like about itPros
- It’s really lightweight so my hand doesn’t get tired quickly using it
- The slim size and light weight make it great for traveling
- It has a long card so I don’t feel tethered to one small spot
- The attachments are easy to remove and they stay tightly attached
- It’s easy to switch from dryer to styler mode
- My hair hasn’t felt dried out after using it
- There are multiple heat and airflow settings and they are easy to change
- The cool shot feels like a cool shot. On other blow dryers the cool shot feels slightly warm, the Shark FlexStyle one feels cool
Cons
- I’m not a fan of the bristles on the brushes because those tend to pull and break my hair
- I would have preferred different attachments than the ones included in my kit. I could have done without the brushes and would have liked to get the comb and FrizzFighter attachments instead
- The curling wands are a waste if the curl doesn’t last
- I don’t like that for the curling wands you have to switch them out depending on the side of your head you’re curling or how you want the curl to fall
I’m not upset that I bought this, especially since I saved up the money for it and bought it on sale. As you can see the pros outweigh the cons. That being said I think it’s not made with all hair types in mind.
Especially when it comes to the curling wands and the brushes. They seem to be made for caucasian hair types and not for black hair types. I could be wrong but that’s how I perceive it based on my experiences.
Related read: How To Avoid Heat Damage When Drying Relaxed Hair
Where to purchase the Shark FlexStyle
If after this review you want to purchase the Shark FlexStyle for yourself you can get it from multiple placesIf I could do it over again I would purchase directly from Shark because you have the option to customize your FlexStyle and pick your attachments. You can’t do that when you purchase from the other retailers.
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