Shark Released A New Hair Tool — & It’s Better Than The Original

I don’t pretend to be particularly gifted at styling my own hair, so I’m constantly on the hunt for an all-in-one tool that is easy to use and achieves the result I'm looking for: smooth, soft waves with body and movement. Prior to releasing the FlexStyle, Shark was perhaps best known for vacuums and Shark Ninja kitchen gadgets. But now that the multi-functional hair tool (which is widely viewed as the biggest rival to the Dyson Airwrap) has amassed a legion of loyal fans, the brand is uniquely positioned to make some waves (literally) as it continues to build out its hair tool assortment. 

It’s time to see if lightning can strike twice for Shark with its eagerly-awaited launch, the FlexFusion. The bar was set high, but if anyone can rise to the challenge, it’s Shark. Keep reading for our full review of the highly-anticipated new beauty tool.

We’ll get right into it: The biggest thing that sets the new FlexFusion from the beloved FlexStyle is that it’s a true wet-to-dry styler that takes your hair from post-shower to bouncy blowdry (with the help of a few attachments, of course). Additionally, the new tool is more powerful, yet more compact and lighter than the FlexStyle, making it more travel-friendly (and easy on your muscles) than other stylers on the market.

The star attachment is arguably the straightener, which boasts ceramic plates for a smoother finish, clicks seamlessly into place. The tool has has two modes — wet and dry — meaning you can straighten dry hair or wet lengths straight out of the shower. The FlexFusion also boasts a brush attachment (a volumising round brush that dries and smooths), as well as 32mm curling barrels (which work similarly to the FlexStyle ones) plus a concentrator nozzle that you can add if you’re using the FlexFusion as a hairdryer and a petal-shaped diffuser, said to reduce frizz. (By the way, the FlexStyle attachments are not compatible with the FlexFusion base, and vice versa.)

I have fine, thick hair with a slight wave pattern, and was able to achieve a wide range of looks with the FlexFusion. The first time I used it on freshly-washed hair by twisting the FlexFusion into its angled dryer shape and rough-drying to remove excess water. Then, I straightened up the tool, popped the Fusion Brush on, and brushed from the underside of my lengths to dry while adding volume. The result was a smooth, natural-looking blowdry with plenty of volume (but not like, “big Texas hair” volume.) If you’ve used a tool like the internet-famous Revlon heated brush, you will love Shark’s version. I have a ton of hair and could still do my whole head in less than 10 minutes. Even on the highest heat and air settings, it felt pretty gentle on my head. (There’s also a Scalp Shield mode that automatically adjusts temperature to protect your scalp from heat damage.) From there, I added a little bit of texture spray for some light hold, and boom: I looked like I'd left the salon. 

The next time I washed my hair, I rough-dried it and used the Straightener attachment to get a sleeker style. Again, as someone who usually waits hours for my hair to completely air-dry, the speed with which this works is pretty impressive. I am an Airstrait apologist, but even I had to admit that this one worked just as well, if not better, to smooth and dry damp hair in a matter of passes.

Refinery29's deputy beauty director Jacqueline Kilikita is equally as impressed with the straightener attachment. “I can't get enough of my other Shark tools, particularly the FlexStyle. When I use it, people ask me if I've had a professional blowdry. One thing it doesn't do is straighten, which is where the FlexFusion comes in. I love that the straightener attachment boasts large plates, so I can straighten bigger sections of hair and be done quicker. It gives my lengths a glass-like finish and I use it safe in the knowledge that it won't frazzle my hair; it never exceeds the heat damage level of 150°C.”

Yes! On dry hair, I refreshed a two-day blowdry with the curl barrels. I’ll be totally honest: These are not my favorite. I’ve owned my Airwrap for years, and the curl attachments are starting to collect dust because I use them so infrequently. (I am team paddle or round brush attachment.) While they may be gentler on hair, I vastly prefer the ease and precision of a curling iron for achieving loose, beachy waves. (I also like to leave my ends out for more of a cool-girl vibe, and I find that hard to do with both my Airwrap and Shark.) If you’ve used the Airwrap or FlexStyle to curl your hair, it’s basically the same thing with the FlexFusion. If you haven’t, there’s a bit of a learning curve. Unlike the new Airwrap (which has multi-directional barrels), the Shark curlers go in one direction, meaning you’ll have to switch halfway through for each side of your head if you want your curls to sweep away from your face.

From there, take small sections of hair and carefully feed it into the top-to-middle of the barrel, slowly moving the tool upwards to “catch” the remainder of the length as it wraps around the rest of the barrel. I used low heat and low air because the stronger the air was, the more I found that it would blow other sections of my hair around while I was wielding the tool, resulting in a messy, bedhead look.

Depending on the bundle and attachments you choose, the Shark FlexFusion retails at £369.99. It’s still expensive, to be sure — but definitely more palatable than the £479.99 Dyson Airwrap from purely a cost perspective. I have to say, few tools work as well as the Shark FlexFusion in terms of versatility. Whether you’re looking for straight and sleek or bouncy, Farrah Fawcett curls, the FlexFusion can get it done. All in all, I’m very impressed — and personally won’t be surprised if I see the nifty new gadget topping wish lists this festive season.