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Dyson's round brush, in contrast, uses very thin individual bristles that don't tug on hair quite as much. This Shark attachment is not quite as adept at tackling thick or long hair, but it's just as great at blowing out small sections of bangs and adding more oomph to roots. Considering that it retails for hundreds of dollars less than the competition, the Shark FlexStyle is a great value for its versatile features and effective styling. I found downsizing to one tool a great investment, especially since I typically use a separate hair tool for everything. Not to mention, it does it all without sacrificing drying time — every styling routine I tried took less than 20 minutes compared to my typical 35 minutes.
I Tested the Dyson Airwrap vs. Shark FlexStyle to See Which Styling Tool Is Better
Overall, both tools perform beautifully–they gave me shiny, bouncy, commercial-worthy hair every single time for every single look I styled. The Shark pulled through, however, simply because it offers a wider range of hairstyles and caters to more hair types and textures, courtesy of its included diffuser. Dyson’s Airwrap Multi-Styler is a seriously impressive, versatile hairstyling tool that can deliver nearly every type of hair look you could want—with a hefty price tag to match. Yet, Shark’s FlexStyle tipped the scales by creating equally gorgeous hair moments with even more attachment options than the Dyson (not to mention it’s also a stand-alone hair dryer), for a fraction of the price.
Attachments
The air it ejects is so powerful, yet is surprisingly low in temperature (which is ideal if you have damaged hair). Especially for my type, the concentrator nozzle is brilliant for taming frizz and locking in that fresh blow dry finish. The FlexStyle is complete with five attachments to dry, straighten, curl and boost volume. Unlike other expensive stylers, this is a high-tech hairdryer at its core; but with a flick of a switch (literally), you can transform it into a hot brush, curler and diffuser. The Dyson Airwrap neither swivels into a hair dryer nor comes with concentrator nozzle — though, it comes with a rough dry/flyaway attachment to get hair partially dry before styling more heavily.
Shark FlexStyle System
Temperature and airflow buttons are easily accessible on the side and something that truly amazed me was the ‘cool shot’ feature. After styling with heat, it injects a burst of cool air to seal your cuticles and lock in the curl for longer (sensible and stylish!). Though, the 2-inch wide barrels don't offer much real estate length-wise at only 6 inches long, which meant dividing long hair into smaller sections.
It comes with a slew of thoughtful attachments — like a diffuser and oval brush, both of which Dyson lacks — and the capability to turn into a hair dryer. The boar bristles on the brushes make it easier to smooth out hair in less swipes, too, although those bristles can be harsher on curlier or thicker hair types. The FlexStyle uses an air jet design (in three heat and three speed settings) that claims to be less damaging to hair than traditional styling methods. One analysis by our Beauty Lab product testing pros revealed that the Shark reached 183ºF on average, compared to curling irons and hair straighteners that can reach temperatures of 350ºF and over. When it comes to the latest hair tools, Dyson has reigned supreme, starting with the brand’s revolutionary Supersonic, followed by its original Airwrap curling wand. But now, thanks to some incredible innovations in the hair styling tools category, Dyson has some company—and competition.
Any loyal follower of the FlexStyle will know that it's rarely on sale – and with good reason, too. Since its launch last year, the all-in-one styler has been flying off the shelves and labelled with many 'sold out' badges. I think you can tell from my slightly embarrassing facial expressions in my tutorial (if you haven’t watched it, scroll on up), that YES, it is worth it.
My overall verdict: Is the Shark FlexStyle worth it?
I also found it a bit tasking to switch the barrels in order to curl hair in different directions. Meanwhile, the Dyson has an option for longer or shorter barrels, depending on hair length, and feature a knob to switch airflow direction so you don't have to switch between barrels. The oval brush massively helped in this department, however, a small rounded attachment would help jump it up a level. I have shoulder length hair and found each attachment perfect to use – but even if you have thicker, shorter or denser stands, you would get along with it too. If there’s one thing my patience didn’t get along with, is that you have to switch between a clockwise and counterclockwise curl attachment to create different directional waves. I found it a little fiddly, so best practice is to do one side of your hair at a time.
Is Shark FlexStyle as good as the Dyson Airwrap?
Just be sure to comb hair thoroughly, otherwise tangles can get caught very easily. Depending on your hair type, you can opt for either the curly hair set, straight hair set or build your own to choose up to three attachments. Its latest wide tooth comb and round brush are sold separately, unless you add each onto your custom bundle. Inevitably, it took a bit of figuring out – especially as the curling barrels are so unique compared to traditional stylers – but after a few attempts, it’s foolproof.
Shark FlexStyle or Dyson Airwrap: Which Styling Tool Is for You? - The New York Times
Shark FlexStyle or Dyson Airwrap: Which Styling Tool Is for You?.
Posted: Wed, 22 Nov 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Shark FlexStyle Air Styling & Drying System
But the most notable feature of the Shark FlexStyle is its lockable, twistable rod to accommodate different hair drying and styling methods. Shark also offers a diffuser attachment equipped with extendable prongs to accommodate all sorts of hair types, which Dyson lacks. When crowning a winner among the two powerhouses, the competition is stiff. To better compare them, I tried the Dyson Airwrap on one side of my hair and the Shark FlexStyle on the other. When it came to the actual styling, the Dyson felt lighter and had more easy-to-use buttons. At its highest heat, the Shark's cool shot button took longer to kick in, but once it did, it locked in hairstyles.
It takes some time to figure out the best ways to use the attachments — especially as a first-time multi-styler user — but I got the hang of it more and more with each try. My wavy hair got more use out of the curling barrels, oval brush and diffuser. I appreciated that there is the option to choose dryer sets for individual hair types (at varied price points). This is where the two stylers are nearly neck-and-neck, but there are two aspects that give Shark the final edge. The first is the FlexStyle’s ability to switch from being a standard blowdryer to a versatile styling wand, making it a truly do-it-all, one-and-done hair tool.
When I’m in the mood to lean into my natural wave and want to encourage a bouncier curl pattern, I reach for the Shark’s diffuser attachment to dry my hair before going in with a curling wand to tighten up any wayward pieces. But since there’s no diffuser with the Dyson, I need to use the smoothing dryer attachment until my hair is about 75% dry, then go in with a curling barrel. According to our Beauty Lab assessments, Shark's curlers replicated Dyson Airwrap's Coanda effect, creating robust, tighter waves on hair.
The brand recommends to use the styling attachments on slightly damp hair, but even after wash day, it still does a good job at curling and boosting volume when completely dry. Though both the Dyson and Shark excellently style hair into a range of styles and looks, there are major differences between the two (and the price tag is only one of them). Below, I test and break down the key differences between the Dyson Airwrap Multi-Styler and the Shark FlexStyle so you can make the purchasing decision that best suits your hair type and texture as well as your budget. It held tension really well, meaning it straightened without tugging, and the final finish was all about volume. All the attachments easily snap into the top of the styler to straighten and curl, or if you want to use it as a hairdryer, you simply rotate the top portion of the styler and it switches into dryer mode (pretty nifty, huh).
I also noticed that this diffuser gave a bit more definition and volume than my normal routine, yet kept my hair feeling soft. Other diffusers I've tried typically took much longer and didn't work much toward reducing frizz. Plus, curly haired users who want the Airwrap should note that Dyson doesn't make a diffuser attachment, so you won't have the option to diffuse at all with the Airwrap, even if you opt for the set made for curly hair.
A prominent entrepreneur featured in Forbes and Inc., Cassandra continues to create elevated, sustainable beauty solutions for every moment of the day. At first glance, I had flashbacks to that time I tried to build an Ikea bookshelf on my own, but once I'd unpacked all the attachments I was pleasantly surprised at how intuitive the whole thing is. Jacqueline (she/her) covers all things e-commerce in beauty, lifestyle and beyond for the Good Housekeeping Institute.
